Issue 5 of Road magazine

5 Fiat Bravo 48Hr Challenge Evo X showdown on B676 Goodwood revival VW scirocco: old vs new Road track day Escort cossie and Road regulars

Firstly this month, a massive ROAD thanks to all the people who came to Snetterton on Monday 22nd September, for our first track day, with www.opentrack. co.uk. Undeniably, it was a HUGE success, with a plethora of perfect performance cars out at speedy Snetts, a happy atmosphere and plenty of lapping: One lad in an M3 CSl managed 97 laps! Go on my son!

Now, for those of you who missed out, or for folk fancying another dose of the action, fear not, we’ve got a Christmas special booked now on Saturday 6th December, back

at Snetts again. See www.opentrack. co.uk to book... see ya there!

Additionally, we still have our fabulous 2009 French Riviera trip on offer, at special reduced ROAD rates. See page 24 for details.

As for ace editorial this month;Tim takes his missus from Chichester to Scotland and back, with no sleep.

Meanwhile, Phil spanks the Evo X SST-300 against a tuned, imported Evo X RS, on the B676. There’s the Goodwood Revival meet, VW’s Scirocco tested against its Mk1 predecessor, the ROAD track day report, classic Cossie and more. Enjoy it, FREE...

The ROAD team

CONTENTS 8

Bravo Tim takes a Fiat Bravo Diesel from Chichester to Scotland, with a tired girlfriend in tow... as part of the Fiat Bravo 48-hour Challenge. Brave lad

16

News What’s new in the world of ROAD

22

’Ring winners We announce the winners of our amazing Nordschleife and RMA uber-prizes

24

French Riviera ROAD offers yet more great things with Driving Adventures, en France, 2009

26

Evo X showdown Phil tests the UK SST-300 against an imported, lightweight and tuned Evo X RS, on the brilliant B676; the bikers’ favourite and on the dyno

32

Goodwood Revival Tim and Neil take in the stunning sights, sounds and smells of Goodwood

38

Scirocco evolution Matt Bagley almost crashes VW’s heritage Mk1 Scirocco and looks at how far the Scirocco brand has come in two decades

44

ROAD track day All the track action and images from our first track day at speedy Snetterton

48

ROAD Regulars Gadgets to blow your mind, Letters from you guys, Cool video clips you must see, Music for a great ROAD trip, Why U Need... Impreza, Seven Days With... Ford’s heritage Escort Cossie, Great Scottish Roads, Fumes columns and our very own Roll ing ROAD fleet nonsense.

Enjoy it chaps... it’s FREE... forever: ROAD

Sat-nav product of the year Garmin nüvi® 760T sat-nav You didn’t buy your car to sit in traffic. Or do laps of an uncharted one-way system. Or for a photo of the moment you forgot the speed limit. The nüvi 760T sat-nav helps you confidently explore the UK, Ireland and Europe with safety camera alerts and lifetime traffic re-routing. A built-in MP3 player and Bluetooth® for handsfree calling bring more reasons to enjoy the drive. Don’t take our word for it.

Garmin nüvi 760T is the Auto Express sat-nav product of the year.

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Garmin_230x280.indd 1

21/5/08 15:12:42

Editorial www.roadmagazine.co.uk Editor: Phil Royle proyle@roadmagazine.co.uk

Advertising Advertising Manager: Steve Lysandrou, Silverback Media steve@silverbackmedia.co.uk or call 01327 856136 www.silverbackmedia.co.uk

Creative Editor: Tim Hutton tim@roadmagazine.co.uk Features Editor: Matt Bagley matt@roadmagazine.co.uk Publishing Editor: Philip Raby phil@roadmagazine.co.uk

Š 2009 Rage Publishing LLP

All rights reserved. All due care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers, staff and contributors cannot be held responsible for any effects arising therefrom. Reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements but no responsibility can be taken for any resulting transactions. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited materials.

ADVERTISE IN ROAD Target over 30,000 petrolheads

for more details contact Steve Lysandrou, Silverback Media steve@silverbackmedia.co.uk or call 01327 856136

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Going Loopy The Fiat Bravo, 48-hour challenge, or 24-hours if you do it in true ROAD style

Words: Tim Hutton // Pictures: Tim Hutton, Julia Lynch

I

t’s 1pm. The Fiat is in the driveway, the bags are packed and 48 hours of mad road tripping lies ahead, but we are stuck waiting for a passport… Why? I hear you ask. Well, go back two months and I get a nice call from Fiat asking if I would be interested in taking part in the 48-hour Fiat Bravo Challenge. I like a challenge, so I dug a little deeper. The basic concept of the 48-hour Fiat Bravo Challenge is to take its Multi Jet Diesel steed away for a long weekend adventure. “The world is your oyster,” I’m told. So, with much excitement, I set about plotting various crazy plans.

Plan one is a hardcore nonstop drive to Ibiza and back, pausing for a few photos on the

white isles outside some of the legendary nightspots. I work out the timings and it is just about possible in two days and two nights. Unfortunately, plan one is deemed a bit bonkers and slightly off-topic, so the famous plan two is hatched.

The weekend before I asked for the Fiat to challenge in, it’s the Valencia GP. So, I can dash down to Spain on Friday night, arrive Saturday lunchtime, catch the qualifying, have a big old celebration at Amber Lounge, then watch the morning practice and be gone ready to listen to the race on the way home on the radio.

A quick check with the other half (aka ‘navigator’) and I get the thumbs up. But, she checks her passport and things are

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looking a little out of date. Not a problem, we fill out the forms and get it in the post, with the bargain £80 fee.

The next stage is to call up the PR company and ask very nicely to change the dates. But it’s here I hit a big snag. It turns out some tool of a journalist has spoilt the fun and the cars are no longer allowed out of the UK. Hmm, ok, plan C then.

Brainstorming with a few guys, we hit some great Italianthemed ideas; Pizza Express delivery driver for the night.

Or how about a lap of the UK buying all the best UK produced Italian food and then finish up making a pizza fit for a king? A few hours googling British Mozzarella kills that one off. OK, going off-tangent 08

here… time to just chill and have a think. Plenty of time.

With a week to go, we are sat in on a scorching hot day awaiting the delivery of ‘The Passport.’ It gets to lunchtime and we call up to see where the heck it is (not that we need it now). The helpdesk tells us the passport is being delivered next weekend, and that the guy gave us the wrong date… cue heated words being exchanged, the delivery is arranged for the following weekend with a guaranteed morning drop off.

OK, I think. We can still do this.

Say it gets dropped off at 10am, we jump in the car all ready and nail it up to Glasgow to dine in one of Scotland’s most famous

Italian family-owned pizza restaurants. Perfect.

So, here we are Saturday morning and 9am arrives and disappears in the same way I would like to be doing. OK, keep cool, he said between 9am and 1pm, so let’s give him a chance.... OK, OK, it’s 1.05pm, call them and find out what the f**k is going on. The latest guy tells us that there is no such thing as a guaranteed morning delivery, great, but after much verbal abuse (the only way things seem to start happening unfortunately) we get a confirmation that the driver is an hour away. Thirty minutes later the passport arrives and the driver doesn’t stick around

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(he has been pre-warned not to, I think). With his smokey whiff still sillouhetting in the door we leave too: Its 2.45pm and we are now definitely on Plan D. Plan D is basically jump in the car and drive north. We live near Goodwood, so that should keep us busy for a few hours.

This is going to be interesting.

We set off down the A27 towards Southampton, cruising at a steady speed. I don’t think you need to know what speed it was, but let’s just say it got us places in good time.

Onto the A34, and now we are heading upwards, at last. We cross the M4 and pull over for our first nasty-tasting roadside meal. Time is of the essence, 10

though, so we don’t hang around, and before we know it we are heading up the M40.

Destination: Birmingham and the M6; speedy route to the northern lands.

This is the point I have been excited about, for today is the day of the mass convoy of Subarus to mark the passing of legend Colin McRae, we are treated to hundreds of tasty scoobies passing on their way to Prodrive’s HQ in Banbury.

Not only that, but the bridges are chock-full with fans and spectators keen to catch a glimpse of this magic moment.

McRae Magic is back!

Back to the northern road trip: apart from driving to York,

I’ve not been very far up the country before, so I’m intrigued when we see signs saying Blackpool 12 miles. “Let’s have a look,” I say (mistake! – Ed).

Now apologies to anyone who lives in Blackpool but, wow, it’s is smelly place! We park up and walk along the main strip. It’s 6pm, so we have made good time to get here in four hours, but more distracting right now are the hordes of stag and hen parties wondering around, not to mention the occasional scaly (the true sign of being oop north – Ed).

It is now getting on for 10pm, so we pull over for the second meal of the day near Kendal.

The traffic has been light so

far, but there is no getting away from how knackering motorway driving can be. So, we stock up on our first lot of fuel and buy some sweets and iso drinks to keep me occupied and awake.

It is 11pm when we cross the Scottish border and pull over to decide what the next 12 hours have in store for us. The pizza restaurant is off the schedule now. There are murmurs of finding a hotel and turning in, but one look at a map and it all becomes clear; let’s drive to Glasgow, now we’re here, eh?

Glasgow looks surprisingly sleepy as we prowl through the post-midnight streets. The bars and pubs seem to have minimal windows and scary-

looking female bouncers, so we try to find somewhere to stop and take a few pictures but, embarrassingly, my Glasgow knowledge is non-existent.

Not to worry, Edinburgh is just down the road…

I decide Edinburgh is surprisingly close, considering we have driven all this way and yet it takes about 45 minutes to pop over to Scotland’s capital; and what a place it is! It’s now 2am and the streets are buzzing with people out having a good time. We drive a few laps of the place – it really is beautiful – I park and leap out with the camera pre-attached to the tripod and get a lovely shot of the Challenge chariot with the orange-glowing castle in the background, before heading back down the stunning, cobbled Royal Mile.

It’s now about 2.30am and if

we want to head further north, we have some more motorway.

But if we want to go south, we could tackle some nice A roads, south of Edinburgh, across the ‘butter tubs.’

Soon, Newcastle looks like the logical next stop. And, through the darkness, we snake our way along the A68. Nice.

An hour into the drive and I spy signs for Kielder Foest.

Wow! William Wollard’s voice pops into my head and thoughts of staying up till midnight to watch the RAC rally report race through my mind. Damn, I’m sure it’s just because I was younger but those days of Penti hustling the Gallant through the forests seem so much more exciting. It’s definitely an age thing, I decide (no, it was better.

I was there, standing at the stages’ edge in Kielder. Bring back those Lombard RAC stages

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to Rally GB! – Ed).

We roll into Newcastle, not long after 4am. I’m not sure what to expect here. I’ve heard stories of the hedonistic times to be had, but all we spot are happy people staggering home, leaving a trail of halfcooked onions on the floor just in case they need to find their way back. We pull up outside one of the brighter buildings – the university – and grab a few shots before setting off, driving over the Tyne. As we leave over the bridge, with the city in the background, we both agree Newcastle looks good and we will be back!

A few miles out of Newcastle and we hit Gateshead. Hmm, I know what’s here; a certain car park featured in Get Carter (the original kids). Now, I’m a big fan of brutalist architecture and the Trellick Tower is a 12

big favourite of mine, and don’t even get me started on the demolition of the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth... you know what they built in its place? A flat car park. The bastards. Anyway, I digress.

After much driving around, I spot a Tesco entrance which leads us to the foot of the car park. Yes, it’s camera time again. Now, you can call me a big girl’s blouse, but it’s 4.30am, in a slightly run-down looking area, so I decide not to spend too long crafting my shots.

I must say, as dawn approaches, I’m starting to feel a bit flat, so I pull over to take the world’s longest toilet break and we park in a Travelodge car park to take a 20-minute power nap. Wise move.

Back on the road in the frugal Fiat, I’m feeling remarkably good now. The

sky is starting to brighten, we check the map and decide on Scarborough is our next destination. In the 1940s, this was a bit of a playboys’ hangout and has been tagged the Naples of the North. But, before we get there, we have the small, but enjoyable task of the North Yorkshire Moors. Wow, these are some great roads, cutting their way through the hillsides like rollercoasters. Perfect.

We pull over a few times (for some more photos), and each time we are re-overtaken by the cars I have just made my way past. Not a problem, there is so much visibility on these roads that overtaking is a joy. Now the sun is starting to rise and the general mood in the Bravo is earthy and positive. This littlebig car has run like clockwork.

The diesel engine has bags of torque and it will cruise at ‘over’

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70mph all day long. What’s also been interesting is that being in such a normal car for a change you realise how you just scoot along under everyone’s radar.

This is good stuff, as stealth is definitely the key with this kind of big miles, short time driving, for obvious reasons. In fact, I wonder how Alex Roy gets away with it in his metallic blue M5, especially in the States.

Before long, we arrive in Sunny Scarborough. It’s 6am, everything is going to plan, apart from one thing – fog, and bloody loads of it, visibility is down to about 20 metres. We park up by the beach and can barely see the sea, so we enjoy an hour’s kip.

At 7:30am it’s still very foggy, I cant see it lifting for a while and I’m very conscious that we are still a long way from home, so we set off in search of decent breakfast – roadside meal 3.

14

Urgh, this is nasty stuff!

Fuelled and ready for action, we get back on our way. At this point, the other half is starting to have serious sense of humour failures. I think she had hoped to actually have a walk around a few places, not just drive and take pictures.

So, in the interests of domestic harmony, I hatch a plan and Milton Keynes is singled out as a new target destination; for ‘light shopping.’

On a dangerously high caffeine level, we smoke it down to MK and arrive just in time for lunch; except we’re both a bit off food by now.

MK is an interesting place.

Its grid system and multiple roundabouts set-up were forward thinking for their time (late 1960s) and the town planning has stood the test of

time well. Unfortunately, the Milton Keynes Development Corporation was wound up in the early 1990s and since then the original ethos of the town has gone to pot. Oh well, at least the fresh air is helping me to regroup.

The time slides to 4pm and we make our way out of MK, taking the backroads to the M25, figuring Sunday afternoon traffic will be bad news. Sure enough, I’m right, and the M25 is also choka block. So, we sidle off the M25 and head for Slough, coming under attack from one of the fiercest rain storms I’ve ever encountered, leaving the roads flooded in minutes. 4x4s create tidal waves that flood into various shops.

One local driver kindly stops in front of us, too scared to move any further. I switch into London

driving mode and make some well-needed progress to get us out of the town. That was intense, after so many swift miles covered. So, in direct contrast, it is a welcome relief to meander through Windsor Great Park, which is beautifully calming. From here it’s just a short dash home – to relax.

We arrive back where we started 48 hours and many miles and meals ago at 7.30pm.

What a road trip! The fiery Fiat has a satisfying layer of filth on it but still looks great… Italians know how to style cars!

Our trip has proved you can make good progress round the UK, even in this day and age.

And I have also discovered some places I will definitely be going back to; if only to see what they actually look like in daylight, or fog-free!

‘

Road reports

What’s happening on our roads

Reverse thrust Fancy seeing hundreds of rally cars being driven flat-out over the Chatsworth stages?

Thought so... then you need to queue up for the third annual VK-sponsored, competitive Rally Show at Chatsworth Houser, in the stunning Derbyshire Dales. Road trip anyone?

The two-day event will now feature four stages – two different ones each day – and the whole event will be turned on its head with the layout reversed to place the service park and exhibition area close to Chatsworth House, providing even better access and viewing for the thousands of spectators. 15,000 punters packed the parks last year. And the ‘free and easy’ atmosphere meant that fans were able to mingle with their heroes to chat and get autographs. WRC Champion, Marcus Gronholm headlined in 2007 in his WRC08 Focus.

For more information, see www.therallyshow.org www.roadmagazine.co.uk

16

colour in your life?

classic Virtual Tour

Leading automotive coating specialist, Zircotech, has developed a range of (nuclear developed technology!) ceramic coatings – in 13 different colours – for products like exhaust manifolds and turbo housings.

Sounds a little Lax Power right? Wrong.

This ceramic coating process may offer a customisation modification element, but the engineering technology behind the colours is spot on.

Ceramic coating provides a brilliant thermal barrier, considerably reducing under-bonnet temperatures, especially with turbocharged cars. This radically reduces engine and charge inlet temperatures, while significantly aiding turbo spool-up, and it never needs replacing, unlike thermal wrap. Plus, how hard would all your turbo and exhaust parts look in moody matt black?

The Classic Car Club has launched an online ‘virtual tour’ of the club, for “people too lazy to come and see us and let us take them out for a spin in our lovely cars!”

Additionally, the club has just brought in a stunning silver Porsche 997S and so has decided to offer an amazing ‘Porsche through the ages’ experience.

And, the club says the next three people to join (FCFS) will be given a day in four different Porsches absolutely FREE... “So they can truly understand the evolution of one of the most iconic cars of all time.”

This trip will start in an orange Porsche 912 from the late ’60s, progress to the stunning blue 911T as driven by Steve McQueen. Then you’ll jump to the ultimate ’80s excess, the 911 Turbo (930), with full whaletail, and finally arrive at today’s incarnation, the Porsche 997.

For more information, see www.zircotec.org

For more information and the virtual tour, see: www.classiccarclub.co.uk

Black box of tricks

Road Mongolian mission

Track drivers and racers take note: Race Technologies has just launched the brand new DASH3, “ideal for drivers wanting incar lap time and data display, but not full instrumentation.”

At only 119x53mm, it is the most compact display in the Race Technology range, yet it has a fully configurable graphics LCD and is packed with features.

DASH3 is available in two specs: Full and Lite, and features comprehensive lap and sector timing features including: lap counter, lap time memory and recall, lap and sector time display, predictive lap timing, best lap/ sector notification and session summary review. It also displays vehicle speed and programmable shift lights, while displaying comprehensive data from GPS and ECU.

ROAD snapper and all-round nice guy, Neil Denham (www.denhamphoto.co.uk) is off on a mission... to Mongolia, and he needs your help, faith and support!

The mentalist, Brown-ale fuelled Geordie snapper is escaping his flat in London, trading it for a one-litre Nissan Micra and a nice 10,000mile ROAD trip, through some seriously wild countries: Kasakhstan, the Ukraine and deep into Mongolia. In a Micra! Go on son!

The aim is to raise money for charities, including the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF). And he will visit the Ger Village run by CNCF in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – “a safe and loving sanctuary for homeless and abandoned children. It has been developed to address the specific needs of the many children who find themselves in these difficult circumstances.” Great cause. Great trip. Help Neil, aka, “Geordies in Transit” eh?

For all the specifications and prices, see: www.race-technology.com www.roadmagazine.co.uk

www.mongolrally09.theadventurists.com/git 18

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Mcrae spirit lives on

Low cost Scooby chasing

A grand total of 1,086 Subaru Imprezas took part in the tribute to their special stage hero, the late, great and much-missed legend that was Colin McRae. The giant Scooby convoy gathered at Prodrive HQ at Banbury (the team which built Colin’s WRC Imprezas, and still builds the WRC08 STi) on Sunday 31st August, to drive the 300-mile journey to McRae’s home town, Lanark. At its peak, the convoy of Imprezas reached 20 miles long. I think Collin would have enjoyed the sound of that many flat-fours rumbling along, turbos whistling.

The convoy was lead by father, Jimmy McRae and a ‘substantial amount’ was raised for nominated charities.

An obvious, yet seemingly unfilled gap in the racing scene has just been filled: With a Subaru Cup planned for low-cost Imprezas in 2009.

A spin-off from the Nippon Challenge, the Subaru Cup will be limited to 1993-1996 Impreza WRXs with 280bhp and a sealed ECU (X-Spec supplied and fitted), control tyres, 17inch rims and four-piston brakes.

Organisers, Red Dragon Racing, says: “During 2008 it became clear that a lot of people wanted to race Imprezas, so it seemed logical to give them a grid of their own. The aim is to create a genuinely low cost series, with cars costing less than £5000 to spec-up for the series. Close racing should be guaranteed.”

Make a donation and see images at: www.mcrae-gathering.co.uk

Call Vince at Red Dragaon Race Club on 01646-601908 for further details

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20

11966 Swift RoadMag 280x230

9/5/08

14:37

Page 1

TIME FOR A ?

IT X E T IF W S £8,260 THE SUZUKI SWIFT FROM

at £11,915 Model shown available

For more information call 0845 850 8800 or visit www.suzuki.co.uk Calls cost £0.03 per minute from BT landlines. Calls from non-BT phone lines will vary.

5.9% APR (typical)

36 monthly repayments of

£192.63

Cash price

£11,915 Final repayment of

Deposit Amount of credit

£1,499 Option to purchase fee of £10,416 Total amount payable

£4,740 £95 £13,268.68

Model shown is the Swift 1.6 Sport available at £11,915 on the road including metallic paint. Finance is provided by Suzuki Finance Driveplan over 37 months on all petrol GLX and Sport models. The final repayment and option to purchase fee are payable one month after the last normal monthly repayment. 5.9% APR (typical), minimum 13% deposit required on Swift Sport models. Maximum contract mileage 30,000. Finance is available for vehicles privately registered between 1 April 2008 and 30 June 2008 from participating Authorised Suzuki Dealers only.

Credit is available to persons aged 18 years or over, subject to status. Indemnities may be required.

Terms may vary. For full details contact your local Suzuki dealer. Suzuki Finance reserve the right to withdraw or amend this offer without notice or prior warning. The offer is available to customers within the UK (excludes Channel Islands and Isle of Man). Suzuki Financial Services Limited, part of the Black Horse Group. Head and Registered office: St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff, CF10 5BH. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Vehicle shown may not be to UK specification. All prices and specifications are correct at time of going to press.

Swift range official fuel consumption figures in mpg (L/100km): urban from 31.0 (9.1) to 50.4 (5.6), extra urban from 46.3 (6.1) to 72.4 (3.9), combined from 39.8 (7.1) to 62.7 (4.5). Official CO2 emissions from 119g/km to 171g/km.

Road & RMA announce the lucky WINNERS! SO, get packing!

1st prize

Two-day Nürburgring Nordschleife RMA track day, November 10th and 11th, with instruction and ‘hot laps,’ with a pukka Ringmeister, PLUS FREE Eurotunnel crossing and Dorint hotel accommodation

2nd prize

A day with the ADR prototype downforce racer, including ‘hot laps’ with 17-year-old race ace, Leyton Clarke and track time at a premier UK RMA Circuit Club day Thanks to www.rmatrackdays. com, www.eurotunnel.com and www.dorint.com/nürburgring, ROAD has brought you lucky readers a cracking two-phase competition, worth well over two grand, and way, way more in the memory-bank stakes...

First prize is a two-day track day extravaganza at the amazing 12.9-miles of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, in the company of the UK’s premier track day Club, RMA, run by Graham Clarke. The event takes place on 10th and 11th November. And this stunning prize includes two days of free access to a barrier-less ‘Green Hell,’ aka

heaven.

This ace first prize also includes ‘hot laps’ and instruction from a pukka Ringmeister and a FREE Eurotunnel crossing, with a FREE two-night stay in the excellent Dorint Hotel, overlooking the GP Circuit. What about that?

Meanwhile, back in the UK, the lucky second-place winner gets the chance to enjoy an RMA Circuit Club day at a premier UK race circuit, including ‘hot laps’ with young race sensation, Leyton Clarke, in a downforce ADR Prototype racer. Epic.

And now, after a jolly exciting tombola prize draw, we can reveal that

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the winners of the competition are: 1st place Sandi Martin CONGRATULATIONS! 2nd Prize Simon Cox CONGRATULATIONS! To claim your victory and sort your trips out, please contact: proyle@roadmagazine.co.uk And thanks to everyone again for entering, RMA, Eurotunnel and Dorint. There will be another top prize up here next month... stay tuned folks.

22

> Nürburgring Nordschleife 10th & 11th November 2008 Disneyland for petrolheads is probably the best description for the Nordschleife and surrounding area. The circuit simply defies description and cannot be compared with any other track anywhere in the world. 12.9 miles, some 170 corners, adverse cambers, blind rises, weather changes... Absolutely fantastic, but definitely not for anyone whose ego exceeds their ability, only sensible drivers are permitted to join this event.

> Exclusive use of the Nürburgring Nordschleife > Open pit lane > Overtake either side > 16 hours of track time > Light refreshments provided by RMA > UK marshals Two days: £795

For further information on the RMA Circuit Club please contact us: tel: +44 (0)845 260 4545 email: enquiries@rmatrackdays.com web: www.rmatrackdays.com

Your very own Road trip!

Don’t just read about great road trips, join us and other Road readers for a blast down to the French Riviera French Riviera

Monaco / St Tropez / Millau Bridge / two gorge runs / Route Napoleon / Italian tunnel run / Monaco F1 street circuit 8 days – including one optional drive/free day 2nd - 9th April 2009 Prices from £995 per person This is one of Driving Adventure’s most popular holidays, and it’s easy to see why. We’ve reserved character three and four-star hotels throughout the tour.

Pre-driven route: everything has been researched and meticulously planned in advance. Even the petrol stops are preselected!

Hand-picked hotels: chosen for their character, remote location and facilities.

Pre-programmed satellite navigation systems: in each car for the ultimate in stress-free navigation always ensuring that you drive at your pace.

Powerful two-way radios: to keep the banter going throughout the day and keep in touch with tour staff.

Support staff: from Driving Adventures and Road on hand throughout the tour.

Road, in conjunction with Driving Adventures, has put together a fantastic driving holiday to give you the opportunity to experience some of Europe’s best roads for yourself.

Driving Adventures take the stress out of touring, because all the hotels are pre-booked and the route pre-planned (and tried out in advance to measure drive time and determine appropriate lunch and petrol stops etc). All you have to do is turn up in your car and drive!

What’s more, you’ll have the pleasure of being with a group of like-minded driving enthusiasts, including staff from Road, so there’ll be plenty of time to chat and make new friends.

A brief outline is detailed here but for full details go to www.drivingadventures.co.uk/tours_info_road_2009. htm. Alternatively, contact Driving Adventures on 01926 624451 or 07786 033532, or email info@drivingadventures.co.uk

What you need to know 8 days – including one optional drive/free day 2nd April to Sunday 9th April 2009 High-quality hotels Prices start from £995 per person Limited places – book early

EVO Xtreme We pitch the UK Evo X SST-300 against the imported, lightweight and now tuned by Tracktive/Momentm, RS version, on the B676 Words: Phil Royle // Pictures: Ian Martin Tight

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26

T

he B676 is a belting B-road, and a bikers’ favourite; running from Melton Mowbray (the land of the Pork Pies) to the A1 at Colsterworth (where another good road, the A151 begins, heading for Bourne in the Fens). The B676 flows beautifully through the cowladen fields, up and down dale and past churches and picturesque village pubs.

And it also happens to be a cracker of a ‘Ring-style road, with fabulous blind crests, sweeping down and uphill left and right handers, off camber S-bends and big straights, with good visibility. It’s got the lot basically.

So, where better to set up

a tuning company than on the edge of Melton, just as the B676 snakes away into the first of many great bends? Welcome to the home of Tracktive Solutions, and the birthplace of this white 315bhp, 435lbft (!) Evo X RS Jap import animal. This wild Evo X tuning project has been done by ex-Toyota WRC technician, Richard Bulmer at Tracktive, in conjunction with Andrew Mercer of Momentum Motorsportin in Ireland, who imported the lightweight RS from Japan. They are one of the first tuners to get reliable results from the new breed of Evo. And ROAD has brought along this blue UK version, the 291bhp, 300lbft dual clutch FQ300 SST, for the crack...

“Dear oh dear... what have Mitsubishi done to the Lancer Evolution?”

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-300 TC-SST First impressions count. And my first taste of the latest special stage-bred Evo X FQ-300 TCSST was opening the boot… to find a 10-inch Rockford Fosgate sub-woofer wedged on the left, where I expected an intercooler water spray reservoir, or something equally Evo-like and turbo nutter/rally slag tastic to reside. Instead, I was left jawdropped at my first ever press car delivery coming with a ‘Sub,’ innit? Dear, oh, dear, oh dear… what have Mitsubishi done to the Lancer Evolution?

And, whilst I am a reluctant convert to Porsche’s new PDK, the Nissan GTR’s sevenspeeder and VW’s DSG

dual clutch transmisisons, Mitisbishi’s TC-SST TC-SST (Twin Clutch-Sportronic Shift Transmission) six-speed gearbox, costing £2000 over the (now five-speed again) manual, is a flop. I hate it.

Nail the car from a stand still, in anything other than the ballistic and clutch-murdering Super Sport Mode (track day use intention only), and all you are greeted with is clutch slip and apathy. It’s frankly appaling.

Things do improve at speed, as the dual clutch snicks through the gears, riding on the new 4B11 Mivec engine’s (horrible dull sounding) torque curve. But, this car is not a patch on the outgoing Evo IX, packing none of its punch, or edge of

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previous classic Evos, like the Evo VIII FQ-340 MR, VI Makinen and VII Extreme.

Visually too, it’s far from ieal.

In fact, it’s butt ugly from the front and looks like an Accord from the back. And the interior is plastic fantastic horrible, especially the multi-function steering wheel. Yuck.

Then there’s the centre console LDC display, which misses a trick the GT-R has up its sleeve, with no engine data, boost graphs etc. You can check the weather, fill-in your diary, hard-wire CD’s to the brain, adjust your Rockford Fosgate Sub ‘Punch Level’ (whatever that is) and so on. It’s a far cry from the early, rally homologated, lightweight, low 28

tech Evos of old – brimming with special stage kudos. What would Tommi Makinen say?

Don’t get me wrong. The Evo is still a very fast car; flattering and capable in equal measure.

And the chassis is improved again, as are the long list of Evo anacronyms; Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC), Active Yaw Control (AYC), Active Centre Differential (ACD) and Active Stability Control (ASC). Oh, and there’s the brillaint Brembo beefy brakes, with Super ABS (S-ABS). They all work really well.

That said, the nose is falsely keen to turn-in (notoriously, an Evo strong point), giving fake hope that the front tyres will take anything you through at

them, only for them not to, and understeer to arrive. In an Evo? Surely not. Then comes the lift, and wild oversteer. I think the wheel alignment on the revised (very good Bilstein/Eibach) suspension is also a work in progress, like the TC-SST, which has proved its faults by failing to cope with the demands of the FQ-330 and FQ-360 new Evo X models.

But the real failing with this FQ-300 TC-SST is the frighteningly terrible fuel economy, and range. It’s utterly, miserably depressingly terrible. Even trying to be economical only raiese high teens. Caning it, and you’re quickly into single figures, and have about enough Super

onboard with a full tank to last just about 100 miles, at £70 a pop. Ouch.

I want to like this car, and its ability to free my left leg from heafty 4WD clutch action and arm from gear changes, leaving me to enjoy the simple delights of steering my way along the B676. But, ultimately, I can’t wait to get out, even on this road...

It’s robbing me blind on fuel, it’s making me feel sick with its frankly unpredicatble, not that smooth and head-swilling gear changes and it’s not the hardcore, balls out, full chat, rice rocket experience I am used to with an Evo. And, at £31,999 for this car, it’s a rip off. The ace new Impreza STi is £24,999. No brainer.

Japanese Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Type RS Thankfully, I’ve found an Evo X that does deliver, and some... this Tracktive and Momentummodified, imported RS version; lighter, simpler, less gizmos, lower price and Evo attiutude by the bucketload.

Modifications are simple, but mighty effective; with APS intercooler hard and inlet pipe, full Magnex sports cat exhaust system, air filter and an Ecutek ECU, done at Tracktive on their

Rototest hub dyno (pictured).

The net results are amazing: 315bhp at 7000rpm, but with an earth shattering 435lbft from just 3300rpm, at 1.9bar boost.

Now we are talking...

Out on the B676, just as dusk arrives, I’m in heaven. This RS is bloody brilliant. You only just make time to move the meaty, organic, short ratio manual box quickly enough as the boost rushes in at low revs, before the RS is through its titanic turbo mid-range and banging off its

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rev limiter, gasping for another gear. There’s flames popping on the over-run. And, most driver focused of all, there’s no-ABS, so locking up the tyres entering the bends sideways is only a moment away... armfuls of opposite lock on and off as you exit bends on the next wild, adictive boost hit. This is what an Evo should feel like. And in RS spec, with these ballistic mods, suddenly, the new Evo X makes its mark. Is this the best Evo ever? Best I’ve driven...

30

ROAD would like to offer a massive congratulations to youth race ace, Leyton Clarke on his second consecutive championship winning season, with a brilliant class win in the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup in the world’s first Vauxhall Corsa SXi race car, by Thorney.

Roll on 2009 Leyton!

On days like these

Words Tim Hutton // Pictures: Neil Denham

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32

A

super hot autumn weekend can only mean one thing – Goodwood Revival. Now, almost unbelievably in its 10th year, the Revival is one hell of a spectacle. I have been coming to this circuit since the early ’80s and everything has changed, apart from the track, which Lord March has kept faithful. Maybe that’s why this event really does feel like a step back in time. Enjoy our photo special...

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34

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36

écurie25 Supercar Club

“access to the best supercars on the market for a fraction of the cost of owning them” Autocar

écurie25 membership gives you on average 40 days and 4,500 miles driving our £2m fleet of supercars, including the Audi R8, Ferrari F430 Spider F1 and Lamborghini Murcielago. You enjoy the cars while écurie25 takes care of all the costs and troubles associated with outright ownership.

Full membership costs £9,995, plus a one-off joining fee of £1,500.

Fees are inclusive of VAT and insurance.

Limited number of Half Memberships now available at £5,495.

Current Fleet List:

Cars on order Include:

Maserati GranTurismo Audi R8 Ferrari F430 Spider F1 Ferrari F430 Coupe F1 Ferrari 360 Spider F1 Lamborghini Murcielago Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder E-Gear Bentley Continental GT Convertible Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (997) BMW M3 V8 Range Rover Sport Porsche Cayman S Aston Martin DBS Ferrari F430 Scuderia Audi R8 V10 Nissan GTR

Want a closer look?

We hold regular Open Evenings at our base on Old Street in the City.

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écurie25 limited, 250 Old Street, London, EC1V 9DD. t: 020 7159 2543 e: info@ecurie25.co.uk w: ecurie25.co.uk

Wind Power Words Matt Bagley // Pictures: Dee Graham

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38

“I don’t want to mug you off with a pony cappuccino, lover”. ‘Mug me off?’ ‘Pony?’ ‘Lover?’ Oh, crap.

I must be in Luton.

Still, it’s not all bad, as photographer Dee Graham and I are here for something we’ve both been waiting ages for – the launch of the new Volkswagen Scirocco. And while Luton is unquestionably an urban death maze, the logic of launching the car here is starting to become clearer: ever since its preview, the new Scirocco has been denounced by critics it as a ‘Golf

GTI in drag’, and nearly every car we pass here is either a restyled hot-hatch or modified coupé of some sort. Maybe this is just the car for the residents of this fine town, then.

Or maybe not.

First impressions of the Scirocco that passes us couldn’t be less supercoupé like. It looks massive, and frankly, more than a little like a Golf dressed for dinner, especially in tuxedo white.

Bollocks. Don’t do this VW, I got up really early, and have driven a very long way.

Thankfully, as we get to the parking area, things look up. VW has played the fiendish trick of parking the gorgeous Giugiarostyled Mk1 Scirocco next to the new model and, ever so slowly, the new car starts to make a bit more sense.

That’s the problem with heritage cues; they’re mostly wasted on me as I forget exactly how the original looked. But now that I’m looking at them both side-by-side, subtle but satisfying design echoes start to reveal themselves.

It is quite a bit bigger than I imagined – despite actually being smaller than the Golf on which it’s based – and the front overhang has a touch of Brera about it, but overall the silhouette is very pretty, and it all looks quite nicely resolved.

The wheels are perfectly matched, too, and much less tryhard than some of the other hot Vee-Dubs. And, thankfully, the interior seems to have carried through lots of the nice details from the original concept, with its chunky triangular door-pulls and swooping Integrale-styled high-back rear seats.

That said, there is still something not quite right about it, and it’s the juxtaposition of retro-spective with this much blatant futurism. It’s like a fight has broken out between the old and the new, and no one’s really winning. VW must be as frustrated as I am that its heritage-based outlook stems its creative possibilities, but I wonder if perhaps this car might have been more interesting if they’d just let go with what they could do, rather than what they should do.

I still like it a lot, though, and while Dee’s still ruminating over which bits don’t work for him, I’m already running towards one, keys in hand. Annoyingly, my designated grown-up for the day declares that he thinks it might be better if I drive the Mk1 first, such to appreciate better how far the new car has come, so I shoehorn myself into the pretty silver-blue box, and set off with the words “the brakes are a bit quaint” sailing effortlessly through my ears.

It’s raining pretty heavily, this car is said to be the finest in existence, and it’s running on its original tyres, so as I head back towards one of the roads that Luton has actually finished building, I’m more than a little ginger with it.

The Mk1, however, has other ideas, and as I approach the gate leading back out into Purgatory, I’m treated to a millisecond fairground ride of zero braking – too much braking – no braking – skid-squeal-slide – grass verge.

The brakes feel as if they’re made of wood, and I’ve honestly never driven a car so keen to leap into the undergrowth, 20 year-old tyres or otherwise.

I’m already of the opinion that that’s quite contrast enough for one lifetime, but a bent-double Dee through fits of laughter and struggling to say ‘your face’ and ‘so funny’, instructs me to get back in.

The steering is hugely heavy for such a little car, and the handling is genuinely terrifying, although I suppose that’s as much to do with 20-year-old bushes and dampers as much as anything else. But while it’s not as good as I dreamed it would be as a worryingly sensible teen, it is still quite sweet, and probably even nippy if you’re brave enough. I like it in the same way I enjoy eating Angel Delight instead of tiramasu sometimes – it’s not as good as what we’ve grown to expect in the past two decades, but it’s not without its charms, either.

The basic but fun Mk1 has won me over, but I already know I’m going to like the new one more; there’s nothing like a lack

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of options to make you resent minimalism. So, after only 40 minutes of swearing, Dee agrees to let me go back and try what I’m already calling ‘the good one’.

There’s two variants of New Scirocco waiting for us; both with the same 2.0 TSI engine, but with manual and DSG gearboxes to choose from. I opt for the DSG first, as I’m keen to see how it’s improved, and I’m immediately thrilled to note that the answer is ‘quite a lot’, as it’s now just the right side of seamless, without anaesthetising the experience too much, or feeling like an auto.

This car is also fitted with Adaptive Chassis Control, so as I head back out, revelling in the noise they’ve managed to screw out of a four-pot, I use all the potholes, craters and speed bumps Luton has seen fit to provide to test it out. The ACC handles everything I throw it into without complaint, and each setting does exactly what it promises, without being too extreme or compromised in either direction. Now I can see why they chose to launch this car here; if the unique road surface in Luton doesn’t prove this system works, nothing will.

I’m convinced and impressed in equal measures, so leave it in Sport and head out to find nowhere to go, and somewhere to take pictures when we get there.

Initial impressions are that the engine is a little underpowered for the capability of the package, but as you dig a little deeper into the rev range and dive a little harder into the 40

corners, you begin to realise that they’re actually perfectly matched. More power would probably require hateful AWD to harness the gains, and that would almost certainly give the car a less honest demeanour.

VW plans to do an R36 version next year and, while I’m keen to have a go, the engineer part of me tells me that this is as good as it’s going to get, and certainly as good as it needs to be.

The only slight downside is the brakes which, in violent contrast to the MK1, are far too ferocious, causing you to closely examine dash trim every time

you even brush past them. That said, all the cars I drove only had a few miles on them, so perhaps this over-sensitivity dies down in time as pads and discs bed in. Of course, given the choice, too much braking power is vastly preferable than none whatsoever.

The Scirocco is going to be a big hit. There’s no getting around that. But is it our kind of thing?

Well, its certainly handsome enough, and would always make you smile while never letting you down. But, would I buy one?

I think I would, but I’m not sure I would be able to live with looking

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at it everyday, knowing how it could have looked. Perhaps I’ll wait for a few modified ones to appear in Luton first, and see how I feel about it then.

After all, if anyone knows how to put the wind up a Scirocco, it’s those Luton lads ’n’ lasses...

Thanks...

Paul, Allison, Angus, Louise, Kate and Nicki at the Volkswagen press office for the Scirocco launch invite.

Dee Graham for taking the snaps.

The good people of Luton, for their sense of humour...

42

Road magazine SEASONAL Snetterton track day SATURDAY 6th DECEMBER £119 > open to all performance, sports and race cars... > Group booking discount available, on a bespoke basis... > open pit lane, low numbers track day in conjunction with www.opentrack.co.uk

F

ollowing the unprecendented success of our first ROAD track day on September 22nd (see page 44), in conjunction with Phil & Dave at www.opentrack.co.uk, we are offering the chance of one last track blast before Christmas: Escape the hell of seasonal shopping, turkey and tree hunting and buying that perfect gift for the missus, with our ‘Seasonal Snetterton Special’ on SATURDAY December 6th.

In addition to the usual fine Opentrack formula of open pit lane access (for maximum track time) to Snetterton’s 1.952mile flowing circuit, there will be FREE expert tuition (from Historic Rally Champion, Steve Smith, race/track day tutor Malcolm Edeson & ROAD’s, Phil Royle), FREE garages (both

available on a “first come, first served” basis), FREE professional photography (www.davewoodall.com), there will be a seasonal mix of festive FREE refreshments on offer all day... including mince pies, Christmas cake and other goodies.

And Opentrack is offering all this for just £119 per car and one driver. Extra drivers are £40 each, and helmets are £10 per day (with £50 deposit). Passengers in your vehicle are only £10 extra each.

MSV Snetterton is located in Norfolk and is easily accessible from the A11. It is about two hours from London city centre, just 98 miles from City Airport: Not as far as myth suggests.

Undeniably, “Snetts” is one of the fastest circuits in the country. The 1.952-mile circuit

includes two of the longest straights in the UK, the Revett and Senna Straights, linked by uber-quick, committed corners (like Sears, Riches and Corham) and also includes the wicked “Bomb hole” and a couple of testing chicanes. It makes a superb venue for track days, providing a high-speed challenge and ultimately satisfying, flowing circuit experience.

Please note the Db limit at the circuit is 105Db, measured statically at 75% max. revs, and all cars must pass this test before being allowed on track.

The circuit will open as close to 9am as feasible and will run until 5pm, light depending, with a one hour break for lunch. You can book online at www.opentrack.co.uk or call Dave on 0845 234 0790. Bugger shopping!

Road does snetterton

ROAD’s first track day at, speedy Snetterton in Norfolk, was an unprecedented success, . Have it!

Words: Phil Royle // Pictures: Ian Martin Tight & Will Hough

R

oad’s first track day, with OpenTrack.co.uk, at MSV’s excellent Norfolk venue, speedy Snetterton, was an unprecedented triumph – so a huge ROAD thanks to all of you who made the trip down and created a cracking track day, and a happy grand day out.

There was an impressive array of machinery in action; with everything from a Bentley GT Continental to a hot Ford Anglia and even a ballistic Mini with an R1 engine. Quality.

The vast majority of cars were either German (thanks Shimmy and all the M-Torque chaps, Pure GT and Open Pit Lane members and Wayne from German Cars) – with a veritable army of E46 M3 CSLs on track – and Japanese ‘rice rockets’ (thanks to both Dave at Henstead Motorsport for his crew’s support, and the two Pauls of Auto Import Solutions, for bringing their posse all the way from oop north... much appreciated), with a plethora of Nissan Skylines, Evos, Scoobies, Celicas, MR2s and the like. Turbonuttertastic.

It was fabulous to see so many

of you turn up and have fun off track and on; testing your metal against a wide variety of cracking performance and track cars, with no major altercations, offs or accidents. Well driven folks!

Big thanks to Subaru, for loaning us the brilliant new 300bhp, 300lbft Impreza STi, which was a perfect tuition tool and is a certain future track day hero, in addition to being a cracking fast road motor, especially for just £25k. It surprised everyone who got in it with its pace (especially with new Sport throttle engaged, diffs fiddled with and TCS off) and special stage-derived skills; wet or dry: Farmers’ choice weapon.

Also, ROAD’s tutors, Jim Russelltrained track day and racing tutor (and racer), cool Malcolm Edeson, the legendary limit handling guru, Don Palmer, and uber-nice historic Porsche 911 rally champion, Steve Smith; all did a fabulous job offering the benefit of their driving god status, free of charge – top men. Cheers.

The next ROAD trackday takes place on Saturday 6th December.

Please head to www.opentrack. co.uk for full details. See ya there?

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46

REGULARS 50

Gadgets Publisher Phil Raby shows off the iPhone’s motoring gadget potential

52

Pardon? Your letters and emails to ROAD printed; uncensored and undiluted

53

Videos Our monthly choice of must-see video clips

54

iROAD Phil Raby cuts shapes on the dancefloor

56

Why U Need... A ‘classic’ Subaru Impreza GC8

58

7 Days With... A ‘classic from the attic’ – Ford’s legendary Escort Cosworth RS, in deepest Essex

64

Great Roads Sheila Royle takes her Audi A3 TDi on some of the best west coast of Scotland B-roads

66

Fumes ROAD columnists talk shop

70

Rolling Road Matt’s Volvo gets a step closer to der ’Ring and Phil is selling his mileage munching Wagon

72

Next Month Issue No.6 on its way, FREE...

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48

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10% of consumers achieved this saving with Co-operative Motor Insurance.

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co-operativeinsurance.co.uk ref: PRESS Named driver No Claim Discount can only be granted from, and allocated to Co-operative Insurance motor car policies; terms and conditions apply. ††Courtesy car available when using a Co-operative Insurance appointed repairer for insured repairs; subject to availability. Calls may be monitored or recorded for security and training purposes. For BT customers, calls to 0800 numbers are free and calls to 0845 numbers will cost no more than 4p per minute. Call charges from other companies may vary and you may want to check this with your service provider. Applicants for insurance are subject to normal underwriting criteria. Motor insurance is normally available to customers aged 17-75 years only. The Co-operative Insurance is a brand name used by CIS General Insurance Limited. CIS General Insurance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Office: Miller Street, Manchester M60 0AL. Registered in England number 29999R. The Co-operative Financial Services Limited, Registered Office: New Century House, Manchester M60 4ES. Registered Number 29379R.

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Road Gadgets Fruity little number. Is the Apple iPhone the ultimate gadget?

Phil Raby reckons it could well be

A

pple is clever. Not only does it produce gorgeous looking, wellbranded products, it also makes ones that are a delight to use and don’t follow the norm. In the company’s own words, it ‘Thinks Different.’

And that’s never more evident than in the new iPhone.

Smart phones have been around for years and, up until now, no one’s made one that looks good and is easy to use.

In fact, an easy to use smart phone just hasn’t happened.

Until, that is, the iPhone came along. With its smooth glass screen and gloss black or white back (with the ubiquitous Apple logo in chrome), it is undeniably a thing of great beauty and a joy to handle.

However, where the iPhone really scores is ease of use.

Other smart phones (indeed, most other phones) have fiddly buttons and appallingly unintuitive menus: Not so the iPhone. The touch screen is like nothing else you may have used (forget those things on sat navs) and allows you to select applications at, literally, the

touch of a button.

The iPhone, which runs a mobile version of Apple’s UNIXbased OSX, comes with a raft of applications pre-installed, including email, web browser, calculator, YouTube viewer, Google maps, weather, photo browser, calendar, address book and much more.

However, you then have the choice of literally hundreds of other ‘apps’ which are downloadable from the iTunes Store. Some of these are plain daft (light sabre, anyone?) while others are superbly useful (Wikipedia viewer and voice recorder, for instance).

And there’s plenty for petrolheads, too. How about an application that allows you to measure 0-60mph times and lateral G-force, using the iPhone’s built-in motion sensors? The iPhone also has GPS capabilities, so there are apps that will record your journey, giving route, speeds and even altitude. Great for that trip over the Stelvio Pass! And coming soon is an application that will allow you to link an iPhone to your car to run

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diagnostic checks.

There are countless games available, too. Most roadworthy being GTS World Racing that allows you to drive a selection of cars and racetracks, simply by tipping the iPhone from side to side (steering) and back and forth (acceleration and braking). Great fun.

The iPhone’s a fully functional iPod as well, in 8Gb and 16Gb forms, and here the touch screen really comes into its own, allowing you to scroll through your music and movies in a number of ways.

As a PDA, it’s faultless, letting you check email on the hoof, and automatically syncing email accounts with your desktop computer. It has a fantastic web browser (using the cellular network or wifi when available), the address book is always at hand, and there are plenty of productivity apps available.

Oh, and you can also make phone calls with it! And here Apple has designed a quite different interface that lets you search favourites, recent calls, your entire address book or, of 50

course, key in numbers using the touch screen. A cunning innovation is Visual Voicemail that lists your messages on the screen, and you just touch the one you want to listen to – no more going through recorded menus trying to find out who’s been calling you.

The text messaging is also innovative, in that a text

conversation is shown on the screen in speech bubbles, so you can track it at a glance.

Text is entered using a keyboard that appears on the touch screen and which is remarkably easy to use. It even automatically corrects your mistakes.

Downsides? The built-in camera is adequate, rather than

great, there’s no video camera (but these usually rubbish on phones anyway) and, bizarrely, the iPhone doesn’t support MMS messaging (although it’s simple to email photos instead).

Not only is the iPhone a great gadget, it’s also a superb tool.

You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it…

? n o d r a P Get in

The right track...

Thanks for a great trackday at Snetterton. It really was very well run and great value for money.

You guys obviously know what you’re doing. I’m looking forward to the next one.

Dave Clarke

...And again

I would like to congratulate Road on organising a superb trackday.

Not only did everything run smoothly (unlike on some days I’ve attended) but it was good to meet the faces behind Road and Opentrack.co.uk and discover that you’re genuine petrolheads, just like the rest of us.

Keep up the good work!

Jon Norton

American dream

o.uk

dmagazine.c

arage@roa touch at theg

I enjoyed reading Phil Raby’s vintage account of his trip from New York to California (Road 4).

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and will one day.

I originally planned to do it on a Harley, but then a mate pointed out that it’d be hot, dirty and miserable. Far better to be in an air-conditioned car!

I just need to sort out the time and money to do it before I’m too old for it!

James Orton

Six Appeal

I have to agree with you (Road 4), that BBC 6Music is the only decent music station in the UK now. Radio 1 appeals only to kids, while Radio 2 can’t decide if it’s playing to middle-aged saddos, or old fogies who like light classics.

And, as you suggest, both are ruined by self-centred egotistical presenters. John Peel is, indeed, sadly missed.

Davy Retter

Southern softies

Road is great, and I’m loving seeing articles by real enthusiasts who actually drive their cars.

However, I’m a bit concerned by your Great Roads feature each month. You seem to be stuck in Southern Softy Land.

Come up north and you’ll find lots of really great roads with far, far less traffic than you guys have to put up with down there. And we have things called ‘hills’ unlike the slight inclines you have.

Give it a try, despite what Jamie Oliver may think, we’re actually quite civilised and intelligent up here, you know.

Stuart Black Yes, we admit it, Stuart, but we’ve redressed the balance this month.

Sent my ma to Scotland! Ed.

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DykeS and cars

Fantastic! A magazine I can sneakily read onscreen in the office and features Ashley Van Dyke (grrrr!) as well as cars.

My life is now complete, thank you chaps!

Philip Ware

Classic comment

OK, so why on earth did you take an MGB V8 to Spa? What a nasty car. If I want to read about Morris Oxford coupes, I’ll buy a classic car magazine, thank you. That apart, it’s a stonking issue. Keep it up!

Andy Dickinson

Tripping

You guys have come up with a really great concept in Road.

However, I’d like to see more actual road trips in the magazine, which is what you promised, and less car reviews, stuff on silly gadgets, and music reviews (I actually rather like Terry Wogan, if you please).

There are lots of places in the UK for great drives, and then there’s Europe, America and the rest of the world. It’s a big place.

There’s plenty of material out there and no one else is doing it, are they?

Rick Paige

52

Video magic

Each month we pick our favourite video finds from the vast vault that is the internet.

Click, turn up the volume and enjoy. Don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel

Sideways on a bike? >

Walter Röhrl + Nordschleife

Kiyonari displays awesome wet riding during the Donnington SBK Superpole.

Mr Röhl gets in some wet weather practise in spectacular style.

Quick Vic >

Peugeot 908 >

Vic Elford, living legend talks us round the scary Targa Florio, shot in 1972.

They might not have won, but there is no denying the ferocious pace of the super snails, enjoy this 08 Le Mans recap.

d a o iR Phil Raby takes to the dance floor

Techno, ambient, dance electronica and all the rest – they’re nothing new. You can find links with ’50s jazz, ’60s psychedelia, ’70s new age and ’80s post punk.

At the end of the 1970s, I was a big Steve Hillage fan, back then a long-haired hippy who did songs about electric gypsies. However, he was soon creating ambient albums that, later, would influence artists such as the Orb. Indeed, Hillage himself went onto form System 7, a core ambient dance band of the 1990s and beyond, and he’s still active

today, as a producer as well as a musician.

By the early 1980s, I was into the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure and New Order, and there you’ll really find a link with today’s dance sound. New Order were formed from the remnants of the great Joy Division, after the death of Ian Curtis, about the same time as the nowlegendary Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, which was run by Factory Records, New Order’s label.

The UK’s first superclub, the Hacienda, needed a big sound,

and New Order provided it, with the release of their 1983 album, Power, Corruption & Lies, which had a strong techno sound and made heavy use of synthesizers. This sound was taken even further with the 12-inch single, Blue Monday.

This 7.5-minute dance classic was an instant hit in clubs and, thanks to countless remixes and covers, still is today (so I’m told…). It’s the most successful dance track of all time and had a profound effect on all that followed. It was that good. bluemondayownersclub.com

Road discovery Teddy Thompson is the son of Richard Thompson (not to mention Linda) and is a good mate of Rufus Wainwright. So you’d expect great things from him. And A Piece of What You Need, his fourth solo album is, indeed, great.

There are hints of his father in a lot of the album, but with a more modern and, generally, less

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folky sound. One track, Where To Go From Here, is pure Rufus Wainwright, though. Teddy has obviously inherited his father’s love of gloomy lyrics – listen carefully and it’s not the most uplifting album. That said, the music itself is uplifting and great great for driving. www.teddythompson.com

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Why you need…

Subaru IMpreza GC8

It’s rally car technology for the road: Four-wheel-drive and turbocharged engine in a featherweight body.

Homologated for the stages, WRC blood corses through its Japanese veins You can pick up a (admittedly, tatty ’n’ tired) GC8 Impreza – made from 1993-1999 – from as little a grand now. And there are plenty about UK Turbos have 208-240bhp, and the imported WRXs 220260bhp; enough for 0-60mph in mid-5sec and 145mph

But it’s the STis – handbuilt by Subaru Technica International – that you want. They offer 280bhp-plis, sub 5-sec 0-60mph and 155mph. Sorted

The best ‘Scooby’ tuning modifications are antiroll bars, strut braces, lightweight 17inch rims, decent rubber, full sports cat exhaust system, ceramic coated manifold, ECU Then there’s the special, remap, air filter and AP Racing gorgeous Type R two-door and big brake conversion lightweight (think Porsche RS) Type RA, (‘Race Altered’) EJ20 engines are flat-four, versions, weighing in at just horizontally-opposed Boxer, 1190kg, with WRC roof vent 16V, DOHC cam per bank with IHI turbos, with that Plus, there’s the aftermarket characteristic ‘Scooby rumble’ tuning potential, which is unbelievably huge. Top tuners It was the car that gave include Tracktive, API, RCMS Colin McRae his first WRC and Scoobyclinic championship win

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7 DAYS CLASSIC CAR

7 Days with AN... Escort COSSIE Phil Royle (looking like smoking has taken its early-ageing effects), takes a trip to deepest, darkest Dagenham in Essex, to Ford HQ...to meet a chilhood hero – the Escort RS Cosworth, aka, “Kozzeey”

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Y

ou’ve gotta love the Cossie, right? Well, I, like Jezza, certainly do; got a proper soft spot for them, in fact. Growing up with my hot hatches, lads who had “Kozzeey’s” were like demigods. First with the 4x4 and, for those who could handle it, the RWD Sapphire, with its majestic YB two-litre Cosworth Turbo lump. Then, in May 1992, along

came the Escort Cossie: A god in any urban space... especially Dagenham. Mecca.

But, in reality (and the reason it appealed to me), the Escort Cossie made its mark in Ford’s finest sport, rallying, as the Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts had done previously... legends. Watching the likes of Francois Delecour at full chat in a 400bhp Group A version of the Escort Cosworth,

on his way to victory on the Monte Carlo Rallye, bringing home Ford’s first MC win for 41 years, was magic. I was sold.

In typical Ford Engineering style, essentially, the roadgoing Escort Cossie is just a cut down Sierra Cosworth 4x4 platform, with an Escort top half. But bolt on that WRC-tastic high-level, downforce-inducing rear wing and give it a two-door

bodyshell and bonnet vents and you’ve created a legend.

Especially with a 227bhp at 6250rpm and 217lb ft at 3500rpm and 1994cc YB engine, with its whopping Garrett T3 (or latterly, T04B) turbocharger in tow. Cracking.

They say you should never meet your heroes in life. Balls to that. I’ve met a few, and it’s been tip top. Time to meet another...

The Ford Heritage Centre is a Ford fan’s wet dream (see over), and ‘my’ Cossie (as I’ve taken to referring it as with friends), is sparkling, ready and waiting... like it’s May 1992 and I’ve come to pick it up, as new from the

factory. John Neville chucks me the keys and snapper Neil and I are off into Essex, ironically passing a garish-green new Focus RS on boost on site, as we drive over the Ford silo bridge, past the lake and wind turbine and out into Dagenham.

Racing between the lights on the Essex dual boulevards is Cossie Mecca, and the laggy, but still definitely punchy – if utterly soft and squidgy – Escort boosts its way off the lights with nose-lurching-aplenty, and turbo chatter (although it is very quiet). The hard plastic dash, with its once iconic boost gauge looks dated in a bad way, the Recaro seats (once revered)

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seem unsupportive, and, let’s just say, driving dynamics have moved on, thankfully; as cool and effective as the old-schooltechnology Escort still is and all that respect stuff.

Neil and I decide enough boy racer behaviour is enough, after a Viper absolutely annihilates the Cossie at one final set of reds. And I’m sick of body roll.

We pull in at a classic Essex cafe, the 4 Oaks, where the character on the opening spread takes a shine to the lens, posing for a nice mugshot, as we enjoy a pukka slice of Essex hospitality and a spanking couple of cups of Rosie lee.

Sadly, none of the cast of Lock, 60

Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, turn up to broker the deal of a lifetime, or offer us a vanload of dope, for the keys to Dagenham’s finest so we charge up the Cossie and head off for what I believe is known as a ‘cruise.’

Here in its home town, the Escort Cossie still attracts R-ES-P-E-C-T, innit? With horns being beeped, the odd wave and obscenities being thrown at the past master. The Escort RS Cosworth is definitely a classic from the attic, and the locals are proud of it. Rightly.

Sadly, as I am now perversely addicted to words like ‘neutrality’ and ‘low inertia,’ and

their effects on car dynamics, the Escort Cossie was no longer the ‘wow’ experience it had been in the summer of 1992, following rallies at Kielder, pretending we were actually a part of it. This was just pre-Evo, pre-Impreza entering the WRC scene, blowing the Cossie off the rally stages and its road car market all to bits, if soraing late ’90s insurance prices didn’t already. Hence, the Cossie is a classic cult car; falsely revered through rose-tinted glasses Maybe this is a case of don’t meet your hero. Or maybe, come from Norfolk, I just have an aversion to driving in Dagenham.

I’m sure, had I picked this Cossie up from Ford’s M-Sport rally facility in the Cumbrian forests, I’d have been waxing lyrical and getting all stary eyed and boring about Delecour’s stage times on the 1994 Monte Carlo Rallye.

Whatever, it’s imaterial; the Escort RS Cosworth, with its rally heritage, is still a cool, cult car, for me. Like I said at the top:“You’ve gotta love the Cossie, right?”

Thanks... ...to John Veille and chaps at Ford Heritage Centre, Dagenham, and all the locals at 4 Oaks Cafe

heaven is a place called ford?

The Ford Heritage Centre is a Blue Oval fan’s wet dream.

What a lot of folk don’t know about car manufacturers is that they hoard their classic cult cars, in ‘heritage fleets’, to use for promotional purpsoses at shows, and, to hand-out, most gingerly to over-enthusiastic, under-talented-driving road testers, like me. And Ford’s Heritage Centre is one of the very best; run by a team of Ford-loyal (over 50 years’ combined working experience at the Dagenham plant) workers, with arguably one of the best jobs in the business: looking after a fleet of past

masters, classics from the attic; road and motorsport legends.

Starting at the beginning, there are a few turn-of-the-20thcentury Model T Fords; Henry Ford’s one-make-car dream that spawned the industry we now know and love. One model that caught my eye was the minimalist (Ariel Atom style!)

Model T; with no weather protection, bar a windscreen braced with leather straps. The four-cylinder, in-line engine produced just 20bhp, returned 28mpg and just 45mph, flat out which no doubt felt terrifying, what with all the pedals, levers and leather to master control of.

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More my style was Hannu Mikola’s 1800cc BDA-lumped Mk1 Escort Mexico RS, as used on the London-Mexico Rallies in the ’70s and ’80s. And the 4x4 Mk1 Capri and Mk2 Brooklands 280 Capri still look like killer coupes today, and sounded amazing: both starting on the button, first time, and mint.

Two crazy Tranny vans; the Cosworth-powered ‘Supervan’ racer (“scarily loud and quick”) and the WRC-support, chipped, caged and bucket-seated Diesel Turbo Trannie were also proper stars, as was the ultrarare, 180mph GT70 developed

by Roger Clark. Ford heaven.

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“Quite simply the best classic car experience in the UK...”*

... actually, you’ll find it’s many experiences.

That’s the beauty of Parc Ferme Experience for the classic car enthusiast. As a member, you’ll have access to a fleet that will satisfy the driver in all of us.

For a fraction of the cost of buying one classic car outright, you can take your pick from some of the most celebrated and distinguished models in motoring history.

And, if you’re also a fan of two wheels, you’ll be delighted to learn we now have a line-up of classic motorcycles available for our members to ride.

Visit our website to see more approving comments from existing members and to discover how you can get behind the wheel of a Parc Ferme Experience classic. *Another satisified Parc Ferme Experience member

www.parc-ferme.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1784 470002 • Email: info@parc-ferme.co.uk

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On the road

There are some great driving roads on your doorstep, and some a little further afield... Sheila Royle takes her Audi A3 TDi on a classic road trip to some of the UK’s quietest & most enjoyable driving roads, up on the West Coast of Scotland...

No 5. West Coast of Scotland Looking for that classic slice of open road? Then head north young men (or women!)

So many Sassenachs have never been north of the border and if you long to drive your beloved motor at a decent pace along truly open roads with stunning scenery, then forget the overcrowded, over-GATSO’d highways of England and head north, way north...

Heading out of Glasgow is the Great Western Road – the A82 – not called ‘great’ for nothing. Only a few miles out of the city (much underrated – it’s absolutely buzzing), you will find yourself running alongside the shores of the gorgeous Loch Lomond: Breathtakingly beautiful yes, but just a taster for what is to come much further away from the tourist trap that is Scotland’s best known loch.

Once you reach Tarbet – just 40 miles north-west of Glasgow – the road narrows and its character and complexity develop as it twists and turns following the

contours of the famous West Highland Way, much beloved of serious walkers, via Glen Falloch to Crianlarich and into the Grampians via Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy – heading into pukka Scottish road trip territory.

Here at Orchy, the road begins its serious climb up to the expansive, wild, beautiful Rannoch Moor. And from here you are looking west at the mountains which edge the infamous Glen Coe. Sadly, this is not a stretch of road on which to speed through, as the traffic cops like nothing better than hiding in a hedge and knicking a Londoner.

There are many places to stop and gaze in wonder at the beauty of Nam Bian, Glen Etive and the Three Sisters – every peak here is higher than anything the English Lake District has to offer.

Meander down Glencoe, taking time to stop off at the excellent and informative Visitor Centre, into Glencoe village itself.

Here take a short detour by turning right on the B863

towards Kinlochleven. This amazing road hugs the shore of lovely Loch Leven and epitomises the joy of travelling the open roads of the West of Scotland: Scenery to die for and virtually no traffic!

At the junction of the B863 and the A82 you are just 12 miles from Fort William.

North of here you will find even more open roads, but if you must head south again, turn left and take the A828 to Oban and the A816 to Lochgilphead and return to Tarbet on the A82 via the A83 round Loch Fyne and up the stunning Glen Kinglas.

The summit of this climb is aptly called ‘Rest and be thankful.’ And oh... there is much to be thankful for up here. Scotland is a long trip for most, but SO worthwhile.

Down your road What’s your favourite driving road?

We’re not looking for the obvious classics everyone knows, but the hidden gems on your doorstep. Send a 300-word description to thegarage@roadmagazine. co.uk

FUMES MATT BAGLEY £35k to spend on...?

I

don’t have much room this month, so instead of my normally practically-atonic ramblings, I thought I’d get you guys to do some of the work. For this month only, then, consider yourselves editors of some sort – I do, after all, and with barely more qualification than you to do so – and from this point on you’re ‘on assignment.’

Sounds good, that, doesn’t it?

Of course, I don’t expect you to do this for free – only a fool would spend hours agonising over something that will be read in seconds – so in return for your copy (that’s an industry term, you might want to write

down – it means ‘stuff you’ve written’) you’ll receive the full motoring journalist package.

This includes the standard contributor’s fee (more industry jargon, meaning ‘some old shit we picked up at the motor show that even the cleaners wouldn’t steal’), three flood-damaged Curly Wurlys and the option to bathe in the glorious sunshine of your printed success, only ever moments away from an angry email pointing out you’ve missed an ‘its’ where clearly only an ‘it’s’ belonged.

You’re wondering where to sign already, aren’t you? I can tell, even from here.

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But what to write about?

Problematically, the world of motoring journalism is such a fast-moving place that it’s almost Moores Law-esque in its instant redundancy.

So there’s little point in commissioning (there’s another one for your new journo lexicon, it means ‘asking for, probably way too late’) an article about the new car tax hikes – hopefully with an amusing play on words using the duality of ‘hike’ somewhere – when by next month it could all have changed again, meaning your piece will be violently out of kilter with the rest of the magazine.

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So, you’re going to tackle the timeless stuff, the stuff that matters. And lucky thing, what I have in mind for you, you’ll have almost certainly been researching for years already.

Ready?

You’ve got £35,000. You have to buy two cars. You can have no change left over.

What do you buy?

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But trust me, if every journey-based game of this I’ve ever played is anything to go by, it isn’t.

For starters, you really want two different vehicles altogether for your money, but they should also be complementary. That takes some doing.

And you’ll want your choices to reflect the real you, the well-read you, the dynamic you. After all, the smart money says you should go for a Porsche 911 and some sort of BMW, but someone who knows nothing about cars could make those choices. And that’s not good enough. Your choices need to bask in just how much you know, and should revel in the fact that you can ruthlessly dismiss some cars because of their likelihood to have ABS module issues.

And, most of all, you’ll want your choices to be interesting, frivolous almost.

Because it’s not every day

you’re thrown £35k and told to enjoy yourself. But you’ll struggle, because you can’t help but be mildly sensible about these things. For example, I can’t even pretend I’d spend some of the money on an Ariel Atom – fabulous car though it is – it would hurt my back, even in my head.

So, over to you. The most interesting choices I receive will get a box of assorted crap from my desk, some slightly damp chocolate, and a copy of the standard editor-issue ‘you’re easily the best writer on the magazine’ response to print out and frame.

I look forward to receiving your lists.

FUMES PHIL RABY BUY A USED CAR AND LIVE A LITTLE Why do people buy dull cars? Whenever I’m in a car park, at Tesco’s for instance, I always scan around, looking for interesting metal. And do you know what? I rarely spot anything, just a sea of silver metallic averageness. Yawn.

But the daft thing is, the majority of these white-goodson-wheels are almost new.

In other words, people have spent serious money on them, and are now undoubtedly losing serious money on them; because they’ll be depreciating faster than a US bank and, they’ll have been bought on some form of finance.

For the same money and less loss, these sad, deluded people could have been driving something exciting. Like a Porsche 911, Lancia Integrale or Impreza.

How so? Well, check out the classifieds. By buying an older car, you’ll get more for your money, and it will have done much of its depreciating, so you won’t get stung as you would with a new car.

What about running costs?

Sure, a 911 is going to drink more fuel than a Ford Focus, but that will be more than offset by the lower initial purchase price, lack of depreciation and the sheer fun of ownership. Let’s face it, you can’t be proud of a Prius, can you?

A Cayenne for the price of a Ford Focus? You’d be daft not to

Ah, that brings up the thorny environmental question. We shouldn’t be driving gas-guzzlers, apparently. Well, I’d argue that it’s better to keep older cars on the road than dumping them after a few years and buying brand new ones; that’s just consumerism gone mad.

Imagine if we all wanted to buy a brand-new house every three years and throw the old one away. It wouldn’t happen.

In fact, old houses are more sought after than new ones, because they have that elusive quality – called character.

Older cars have that, too, you

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know; in abundance.

Of course, it’s important that some mugs continue to buy new cars, otherwise there wouldn’t be the bargains for us clever car buyers a few years down the line. With the credit crunch crunching, it’s exciting times for used car buyers. I saw a 996 model 911 for £14,000 the other day; that would have been £65,000 new.

You can also buy a currentmodel 997 for as little as £30,000 now, while someone offered me a Cayenne for £13,000 the other day. That’s a lot of car for the money and so what if it likes a drink?

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19 Ashmere Lane, Felpham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 7QT T +44 (0)1243 585303 E info@peterhuttonillustrator.com W www.peterhuttonillustrator.com

ROLLING ROAD VOLVO 850 T5-R MATT BAGLEY The second best thing about modifying a Volvo estate is that you can easily hide all the bits and pieces you’ve needlessly splurged on in the back under the load cover, even if – like me – you’ve gone a bit nuts this month and spent way more than you were allowed. It’s practically the perfect crime.

The absolute best thing of Project Volvo, however, is the Volvo itself. It really is ace on every level, and totally belies its age, price and intergalactic mileage. If this is a fair indicator of the engineering integrity of the marque, then I can see why so many engineers love them. It really does feel indestructible – although that’s not to say I’m not going to try, of course.

I’m also thrilled to report it’s an absolute joy to work on – I changed the plugs, fuel filter, air filter, oil and oil filter in less than 20 minutes, and all without spilling a drop of blood or breaking out my rudest swearwords.

And the good news keeps on coming. After a few happy hours padding around in the more hardcore Volvo forums (top tip: be careful how you type ‘Hardcore Volvo’ into Google – the blokes from the FBI have very rough hands) I’ve discovered that there’s plenty that can be done to

make Volvos be much, much more fun (& let’s face it, this is something they drastically need – Ed).

The first ‘must-have’ was a front strut-brace, which I’ll freely admit that I’d previously dismissed as fauxshow on anything other than a race car, but apparently is little short of magical on the 850R. And do you know what? It really is – the small amount of understeer that the car previously had done so well to limit itself to was all but gone, and it’s now not just good for a big estate, it’s good for a sports car, albeit one with wrong-wheel-drive.

Next on the list were brakes and tyres – not that they were previously lacking – but because I’m off to the ’Ring in a couple of weeks, and having been there before in a car that suffered brake failure at the exact moment the tyres went off, I’m not taking any chances.

Put simply, I’m keen to come back in the front of my big black hearse, rather than in the back of someone else’s.

I was pointed in the direction of Mintex brakes and Goodridge braided brake lines by a fellow Volvo enthusiast, and after fitting them, I can see why.

The braking is now totally ferocious, with an almighty

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pedal feel, and all without losing too much of the sensitivity. A few years ago, I owned a Porsche 911 GT3 on which the previous owner had spent £4000 uprating the brakes, and they were never anywhere as good as this.

Since I’ve never had a bad set of Dunlops (or even a puncture in one), I decided to replace the nearly-new Vredsteins on the car, opting instead for a set of Kevlarequipped Dunlop SP Sport Maxxs. I figure you can never have too much grip, and since they were a great price, I felt much less frivolous about spending money on safety.

Initial impressions after only a few hundred miles are hugely impressive, with significantly sharper turn-in, much less road noise, with almost 4WDesque grip levels, especially in the wet.

Before I head off to the ’Ring, I’m hopeful of fettling with the engine and suspension a bit too, but – as ever – it’s totally dependant on what I can slide past the War Office. I bet Jan Lammers never had this trouble.

Thanks panel…

Many thanks go to James Bailey at Goodyear/ Dunlop, Mark Higson at TMD Friction and James at Goodridge for all their help and support.

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ROLLING ROAD IMPREZA WAGON PHIL ROYLE

S

ell, sell, sell, comes the call from the stock room floor, and so it is in my household.

As keen ROAD readers may have spotted, I am currently selling off my deeply impressive Impreza Type RA competition car. And now, this month, I am selling my mileage-munching Wagon.

This 1999 Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 (UK model) Wagon is a cracking practical performance car (even capable of 30mpg, as it’s only 1250kg). I bought the 220bhp WRX from a Porsche dealer over a year ago, for some reliable, fun daily driver action; and it has not missed a beat, and still pulls like a train, with 95k on the clock; mostly thanks to a brilliant service history, minimal (caring) owners and my anal turbocharged 3,000-mile oil change rituals.

The Scooby Wagon has also been prepped for track day usage (although it has only

had the one wet four-wheeldriftery session): First, there’s a set of inertia-reducing, body roll annihilating Whiteline swaybars, drop links, antilift wishbone bush kit and chassis-flex-reducing front and rear upper strut braces.

Combined with a fabulously accurate geometry set-up by Tracktive Solutions, and the lightweight 17-inch Rota Rims (wraped in brand new Dunlop Sport MAXX Cup rubber), the handling is absolutely perfect for fast road use; flattening out corners, making use of the WRX’s awesome four-wheeldrive set-up. Ideal.

But by far and a way the best modification I have done is the (£1800+) Formula-R big brake conversion from braking genius’ AP Racing.

This 330mm, vented, four-pot, braided line, Ferodo DS2500 pad and Millers 300+ fluid package is simply the best; allowing for ludicrously late braking, making for stunning

A-B cross-country progress, with zero fade.

And, being a nice silver five-door Wagon, still with the standard (quiet but flat four rumbly) twin tail pipes in tow, stealth is it’s ace card.

So, I’m on a mission to totally re-organise my garage: I want the RA gone ASAP, as it guts me to see it sittng there not pasting Porsches. And now I want to sell the Wagon too... as I have plans to create a cracking fast road and ’Ring pounding project BMW, with a thumping V8. More on that soon; if someone buys my Impreza collection, that is...

Bugger it. I may even throw in the Wagon as a support vehicle to the RA... a sort of automotive ‘Buy one, get one free’ mega offer. £18,000 for the pair. Or £16,500 for the RA and £2850 for the Wagon.

Any takers? Drop me a line at proyle@roadmagazine. co.uk, and get some Impreza love into your life. You know you want to really...

ISSUE six – out Mid-November

Bryn tries to average 170mph on the silver state rally Spa-francorchamps 6-Hour historic racing Britcar 24-Hour action from silverstone Travis drummer, Neil Primrose, does Tour Britannia Tim takes a Nissan navara down some green lanes chance to enter our NEW MSV Rally School competition usual Road regulars