Road issue 8

Lotus Elise Sc & Exige 260 track & road test & // Porsche cayenne diesel on & off-road & Gen II Cayman S on track // Vauxhall’s V8 beast vxr8 // nissan 370Z launch report // caterham Vs bike // fiat 500 // NBr 24Hr preview & much More!

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Having just scooped the world’s first track test of the new Ford Focus RS, which you can see in the next issue, we are on a high... which explains why we’ve got such a rampacked issue for you guys this month... FREE, as ever, so tell your mates... new website soon too: All go here at Road!

Top of the bill this issue is a road and track test at Lotus’ Hethel headquarters, on their superlight, supercharged flagships: Elise SC and Exige

260. Hot stuff. AND we got a sneaky look at the new Evora on the production line too.

Meanwhile, Porsche has stunned us all (but, let’s be honest, it was inevitable), releasing a DIESEL Cayenne (the best selling Porsche in history, for some pub trivia), and it’s not the V10 we thought it might be, but a V6... mmmm.

Hey-ho, it’s progress! And they’ve upped the ante with their awesome Cayman Gen II, now with PDK and have

created something really rather special at Silverstone...

Also, Vauxhall’s violent VXR8 gets our blood pumping, on the road and at Oulton Park.

And we have the new Nissan 370Z, Fiat 500 (pictured), Fiat Qubo, return of the monstrous Micra 350SR and an argument as old as the hills – car Vs bike; specifically Caterham R400 Vs a range of bikes on loan from the Spyder Club.

So plenty for everyone, FREE! The ROAD team WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 03

brawnagain Formula 1 is back, Honda lives on as Brawn GP and Jensen Button is the current Brititsh title hope! This years F1 season looks to be shaping up to be a vintage season. All bets are off as this season’s victor could be anyone, just don’t expect the big boys like Ferrari and McLaren to be sat at the back for too long...

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ROAD 8 contents

10 Supercharged Phil gets access to Lotus’ flagship superlight, supercharged Elise SC and Exige 260 missiles, and also a sneaky peak at th gorgeous new Evora on the production line

18 VXR8 is GR8 We test Vauxhall’s bionic 6-litre V8 on the road and at glorious Oulton Park 24 Zed’s alive baby Introducing the long awaited 350Z successor, the sexy 370Z, in gay Paris. Will it live up to the reputation of the fabulous 350Z?

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32 Porschefest NEW Cayenne Diesel gets put through its paces, on road and off & Cayman Gen II on track, at the stunning new Porsche Experience at Silverstone

42 Mad Micra Tim takes the mentalist Micra 350SR to shock the Goodwood fraternity

56 NBR 24HrWe preview our man, Tim Schrick and his awesome Aston, in advance of its first race: The epic NBR 24-Hour 60 Fiatfest Tim and MSV’s Ian Berry review the pocket rocket Fiat 500 and Arbarth versions

80 Regulars News looks all different this 48 Car Vs Bike Age old debate, which we will month, Running reports aplenty, great road, go no further deciding, just enjoying each for what videos to enjoy & Ashley Van Dyke. Grrrrrr! Oh, & they are: Caterham’s lively R400 and range of our MSV drift competition is still live... enter! Free! bikes – you can hire – from the Spyder Club WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 07

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

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Charge of the light brigade

Superlight, supercharged and superfast – the new Lotus flagship performance cars, Exige 260 and Elise SC: On road and Hethel’s test track. Plus, we get a sneak preview of the Evora in build FAST HACK PHIL ROYLE DAMP TOG NEIL DENHAM

‘Performance through light weight’ is the Lotus mantra, and the two cars we’ve been invited by Lotus to test today epitomise that methodology perfectly.

The brand new Exige 260 and Elise SC are both supercharged, offering 260PS and 220PS respectively, from 870kg lightweight, aluminium shells. Both are the fastest, most powerful incarnations

of the iconic Exige/Elise platform to date, offering 0-60mph in, or just over 4.0s and 145-152mph+ v-max potential. That’s fast, in anyone’s books.

And these are just the straight-line performance, pub talk figures. The real deal with Lotus has always been in the handling and carrying crazy cornering speeds, thanks to the low inertia, agile chassis and

ace aerodynamic qualities.

Great braking, turn-in and composure should come as standard, as should ballistic on-circuit ability, coupled with road manners. The previous S1 and S2 Elise and Exige have shown us that quite clearly; paving the way for these two range-topping, marginally eye-popping price-tagged (£31,350 and £42,950) beasties to set a new WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 11

TOP LEFT PHIL ADOPTS THE CLASSIC NORFOLK TRACTOR DRIVER POSITION TOP RIGHT IT’S LONG BEEN A POPULAR MODIFICATION, NOW IT’S THE REAL DEAL ABOVE HANDLING, AS ALWAYS IS DIVINE FROM LOTUS, and so adjustable

precedent; but can they?

Only one way to find out... and we’ll start with the Elise SC, with a nice gentle road test, on the winding roads around Hethel. Then to track...

First things first; I’d forgotten how ‘snug’ the Elise is, and low. And, with snapper Neil in here, too, there’s not a lot of gear-

changing elbow space. But you soon get used to that, and forgive it, when you get going. Ride quality is excellent, conversation impossible, so I selfishly dump Neil roadside, up the power-weight ratio to the max in the process and let the SC loose.

The Magnusson M45 supercharged ZZZ Toyota

lump has great throttle response and a fabulous spread of torque and the hallmark charged whine emanating from the engine bay mixes into a quite nice aural medley with the oversized oval exhaust.

The variable valve timing trickery is obvious now, kicking the big cam in at just 4K under 85% load.

This gives what Lotus refer to as ‘two engines in one’ – offering great low end torque, with a chase the redline power surge up top too. Bonus! And, as part of Lotus’ applaudable ‘green automotive revolution’, the emissions are very low too (202g/km), while mpg is impressively high for such a strong performer,

at 33mpg combined. Low weight, low drag, you see.

Elise SC comes with an optional £1957 Touring Pack, offering leather, sound insulation (needed!), carpets, cupholder and iPod thingy. Mmm. We prefer the Sport Pack at £1468, offering lightweight forged alloy rims, remapped traction control,

twin oil coolers and Probax sports seat. Trackday folk, take note. Sorted stuff.

On the roads, SC is fun, but easily illegal, such is its ground covering ability. But it’s out on the Hethel test track where the Elise SC makes perfect sense; fast, fun and full of ability. A1.

But hold on. What’s this coming on track, wall of WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 13

MAIN pace of new exige 260 is shocking, even in wet, on semi-slicks BOTTOM LEFT Interior is well crafted & laid out, but spartan & small BOTTOM RIGHT Hans devices will adapt to fit with the bespoke FIA-approved carbon seats, for racing the exige 260

spray in its wake, looking like the Elise SC’s bigger, MUCH harder brother?

It is, of course the new Exige 260. And, boy, am I ready to test this, even if the track is in tricky full wet mode, and the Exige sits on Yokohama A048 semi-click trackday rubber.

My expectations were high for the Elise SC’s pace, and met in a smooth

manner. But I have to say, I did not expect the extra 40PS the Exige has to amount to as much as it does: wow, this is one seriously sick, twisted, rabid, animal of a track tool.

Make no mistake, it’s quick as sick, projectiled from an irate toddler.

THIS is the true essence of Lotus engineering – uber-light, bonkers

powerful and set-up with all the right hardware to make it a total track terrorist – Acusump (simulating dry sump), twin coolers, LSD, Launch CTL, adjustable dampers and ARBs, ultralight rims, sticky rubber, 308mm APs, Carbon galore and the small matter of 260PS to deploy. Totally blooming marvellous.

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HOME GROWN LOTUS FACTORY As if thrashing the new Exige 260 and Elise SC wasn’t enough, Lotus most kindly let us have a poke around the factory production lines, which are split into two – small-car platform, Elise and Exige, and the all-new, medium-car platform, Evora – all housed within a series

of interlinking workshops and assembly areas. It’s deeply impressive, with a brilliant blend of modernity and old-school engineering mentality inside, reflected in the cars being created.

The focus is very much on the Evora now, although we saw Elise, Exige and 2-11s

all in various stages of immaculate construction.

The Evora is a 2+2 midV6-engined sports car, built using Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) – a modular approach, giving flexibility to adapt the platform to create larger, or smaller versions of the Evora. The

Thanks new car uses a radical bolton front module, attaching directly to the aluminium chassis, and a whole host of intelligent weight saving methods, like using a hemp composite cody. Cool, eh?

Also on site are the Lotus Sport workshops, where there was Dubai 24Hr 2-11

fresh in from battle, still covered in dead flies. Here, Lotus expert engineers with race pedigrees offer perfect race, trackday or fast road set-ups and carry out factory routine servicing. They also help run the ace Lotus Driver Academy. Great guys with great jobs.

Big thanks to Lotus PR gurus, press office chief, Alastair Florance and press officer, John Lamb, for their kind invite to test cars and poke about the factory.

Keep up the good work chaps, Colin would be proud!

Looking forward to the Evora test next...

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IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY...

ANIMAL ATTRACTION

Some cars you just know you’re gonna bond with, and this was one – sheer animal attraction.

Vauxhall’s 431PS, RWD, 6.2-litre V8 VXr8 is, quite simply, great, as Phil found out on a road trip to an Opentrack day at glorious, slippery Oulton Park. Oversteer anyone?

DRIFT GOD PHIL ROYLE SCARED SNAPPER NEIL DENHAM

The beast. That’s what everyone I met kept calling it, and it fits. It’s big. It’s heavy. It’s got a whopping V8 rocking away behind its snorting nostrils and a pair of enormous Walkinshaw exhausts poking out of the back. It looks, sounds and acts mean, 24:7. And, best of all, it’s capable of being provoked into massive drifts on demand, does 0-60mph in under 5

seconds and will rock on to a (limited)155mph. And what’s not to love about a car that does all that, for just £35,999? It got my vote, even before I drove it.

And then I did drive it, on a long road trip from Norfolk, across all my favourite bouncy, subsided cut-throughs over the Fens (suspension test), down rolling bikers back roads in Lincolnshire (fun test),

pounding up the A1, across the M62 moors (full chat A-B test), to Oulton Park – one the best circuits in the UK (track test), before pushing on down to Berkshire, for the Porsche launch story following this feature (commuting test).

And, do you know what?

It far exceeded even my already high expectations.

First, with its five massive seats and boot you could WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 19

TOP LEFT Gloves essential for rampant oversteer control, with 431PS running through the back wheels TOP RIGHT VXR8 was bonkers fast on track, reeling top cars in, no worries, and drifts on demand ABOVE 6.2-litre V8 does like a drink and you’ll bloody need one after a day on track in the beast FAR RIGHT 9m kindly brought along ex-Manthey 1990 trophy car to test. Lush!

get lost in, the VXR8 is massively practical. It can be loaded to the gills, and still pull like a train, thanks to the thumping 425bhp and 405lb ft torque generated by the big Yank V8. What an engine!

Especially in these PC planet hugging times. Spot on! Don’t make coffee

tables out of V8s, put them in cars like this.

Second, and this is the bit I did not expect, it’s got a great chassis – perfectly suited to the engine, diff and standard suspension set-up. Quelle surprise!

On the road, the beast’s got great manners, grace and pace and soaks up the

miles. And show it a good B, or even better, sweeping A road and you’ll not get caught and could even show up a biker or two.

But, here at Opentrack’s Oulton Park event, in damp conditions, you’d expect it to be ‘a handful’.

But it wasn’t. It handled superbly, offering accurate

turn-in (even after heavy braking, and it is a heavy car at 1831kg), consistency through the apex and glorious, totally adjustable oversteer on the exit. Ideal.

And, the only time you felt the weight was under braking, which is coped with remarkably well and fade-free.

Ask it to do too much, with poor driving and too many inputs and the suspension is first to get in a muddle, but the composure of the chassis, grip from the tyres and grunt from that ace V8 on tap to pull you out of any angle make the VXR8 an absolute treat to drive

on circuit; and I wasn’t expecting that. Stripped out, and set-up on some KW coilovers and AP brakes, the beast would be an absolute monster. I love it. Oh, and did I mention, Vauxhall also does a supercharged version, with 533bhp and 568lb ft? I’ve found my next daily driver!

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Thanks...

The Olde Bell Inn Every good road trip needs an overnight bolthole, and they come no better than the 11th century coaching inn reworked for C21st life – The Olde Bell Inn, High Street, Hurley, in Berkshire.

You may only be minutes away from the M40, but

you’re also even closer to walks on the Thames, fine wines, real ales, quality home-cooked meals, a fantastic restaurant, good staff and much more; all served in the most traditional shabby chic of bars and luxurious main

dining area. Retire to bed and tasteful, simple, beautiful, quiet, relaxing rooms await, with baths and showers to kill for.

Wi-fi fuses with Roberts radios as old meets new in a perfect manner. Heaven. www.coachinginn.co.uk WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 23

Z’s alive baby, Z’s alive!

Aaron Weddell heads over to Paris to discover his Zeeness

I am a little ashamed to admit that I had a slight snigger to myself when the first reference to ‘Zeeness’ cropped up at the European launch of Nissan’s new 370Z sports coupe – Zeeness being the ethereal quality captured

by Nissan and sprinkled into the mix for the 370Z and its forebears.

In short, it adds up to a vehicle offering a high power to value

ratio wrapped in quintessentially Zed car styling. More power, less pounds (in both senses of the word) is a doubtlessly noble aim but it just sounds like one of those words plucked from nowhere by marketers – the kind of word often preceded by the phrase ‘now for the science bit’ and, as such, my immediate reaction was to call ‘Boswelox’ on the whole concept.

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But spare a moment to take in the details of the 350Z replacement and you can see a lineage that can be traced all the way back to the 240Z introduced in 1969.

A long bonnet, compact cabin, short overhangs and a truncated rear.

From the earlier spy shots I’d seen, I feared it was a caricature of the 350Z, HotWheels-inspired makeover of ‘more wheels, less body’ yet, although the 370 and its predecessor share a similar silhouette, the devil is in the detail; the 370z has almost as much in common with the familiar

350 as it does the 240 while avoiding retro-pastiche.

A key Zeeness factor is that the new car is actually slightly shorter and lighter (by 32kg) than the outgoing one, while body width has grown by 30mm to 1845mm all of which combines to give the car a purposefully aggressive stance with the arches pulled over the 19in Rays alloys of our test car. Not only has it shrunk a little but power is up – the V6 engine capacity is stretched to 3.7 litres, providing the new ‘370’ moniker and giving 6% more power and 2% more

torque with 327bhp at 7000rpm and 270lb/ft at 5200rpm, relatively subtle increases but crucially fuel economy and emissions are improved by 11%. The quoted 0-62mph time is 5.3 seconds for the manual.

As you open the wide door and drop into the driver’s seat (which differs from the passenger’s with its more pronounced wings for greater support during cornering as well as a raised bolster in the middle of the seat cushion for extra under thigh support) you’re struck by the quality of materials. Although

there is the odd spot of hard plastic, namely the transmission tunnel, overall Nissan has made greater use of more soft touch materials in order to deliver a far more premium feel to the cabin. On the topic of interior accommodation, the 370Z sees the bootspace-robbing strut-brace of the 350Z removed as it’s no longer required thanks to extra structural reinforcements to the 370Z shell, making for a similarsized but more usable luggage space.

Prod the start button and the instruments spark into

life, each analogue dial performing a cursory sweep of their range as a muted burble spits from the twin exhausts behind you; and muted they are in European specification so pop an aftermarket exhaust on your shopping list as you really deserve to hear that V6 sing, but I’m getting ahead of myself...

While familiarising oneself with the 370Z the first thing that strikes you is that the ride quality is surprisingly pliant, absorbing ruts and bumps at low speed in a manner beyond what one would expect from

the harder, more focused (in comparison to the US set-up) Euro suspension especially when combined with the 19in GT-spec alloys.

Add that to the perfectly judged clutch weight and the unobtrusive to the point of near-silenct exhaust note under moderate throttle and you realise that Nissan could be onto a real winner if there is a Mr Hyde side to this Dr Jekyll character when the road opens up.

And open up it does, heading out into rural France I decide to ignore the pre-programmed test route (there’s a straight-ish road WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 27

that heads into town to the right and an inviting set of bends to my left... so forgive me!) in the sat-nav and head for those more promising looking twisties; it’s time to explore the 370z’s capabilities. As the centrally mounted tachometer chases round to the 7500rpm redline the engine takes on a cultured growl which hints at the potential were we to be blessed with a US-spec exhaust system. Tackling a swift left-right kink you

slip differential, even with the Vehicle Dynamic Control switched on, although this can be switched off if you’re in full-attack/track mode.

Fundamentally, the handling benefits from the near 50/50 weight distribution and the wider track over the 350 and the sense of control is improved by underbonnet wizardry.

I guess this where I get to say ‘here comes the science bit’. The Variable Valve Event and Lift

Z car.

Yet we have not even touched on the 370Z’s real party piece – Synchro Rev Control. A switchable system that automatically blips the throttle on downshifts and maintains throttle openings on upshifts to ensure perfect gear changes every time. I have to admit I was sceptical but as I’m not blessed with a great deal of heel-and-toe talent I was intrigued as to how well this system would

feedback through the speed-sensitive power steering is well-judged, rewarding you with plenty of feel to really judge the limits of the staggered Bridgestone Potenzas can really feel the chassis working each corner and feedback through the speed sensitive power steering is well-judged, rewarding you with plenty of feel to really judge the limits of the staggered Bridgestone Potenzas. Out of tight lowspeed corners a prod on the throttle is rewarded with a playful rear wheel slip kept in check by the standard viscous limited-

system continually alters valve lift and, therefore, the quantity of air in the combustion chamber VVEL provides a more powerful combustion phase to increase torque and power.

The tech aspects of which are something you don’t really consider as you push on but it certainly adds to the overall driving experience and defines the characteristics of this latest

work in practice. Engage S-Mode via the transmission tunnel-mounted button, power up to a corner, hard on the brakes (now larger and more powerful although dropping the Brembo branded set-up of the 350Z and complete with variable ratio pedal travel so that you require smaller inputs at higher speed) and sensors on the clutch and on the gear lever itself

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monitor your actions and blip the throttle on down shifts providing virtual heel and toe changes every time.

The real revelation is how well it works and how you learn to trust the system’s judgement is a very short space of time, it even works on upshifts, maintaining constant engine revs to smooth changes.

So it all seems as if Nissan has pulled an absolute blinder with the 370Z, but how about the minus column? Well, visibility is poor in places, especially over the shoulder, with some junctions becoming a team-affair with your copilot. And don’t think of holding a conversation with said co-pilot when travelling over coarser surfaces, as tyre roar is an issue; no doubt exacerbated by the

wider, lower profile tyres on our test model. The front spoiler is also going to come in for a bit of a battering if the relatively modest speed humps just outside of Paris are anything to go by, requiring a 10mph crawl over them to avoid catching the front air dam.

The Porsche Cayman was apparently the benchmark for the Nissan coupe yet I found the Z’s macho-sexual, gloriously hairy-chested feel more akin to the brawniest BMW Z4 Coupe variants.

Whereas the Porsche feels precise and darty, almost up on tip-toes as it dances from corner to corner, the Z4 and 370Z are more brutish and raw. Raw may seem like an odd word to use in reference to a vehicle as laden with technology and electronic aids as the 370Z

but the beauty of all the tech is that it is unobtrusive and so the car manages to retain its old-school driver’s car feel and a real depth of character that just begs to be explored over the course of ownership.

With prices for the standard car, which offers the same robust performance, beginning around the £27,000 mark it seems that the Nissan 370Z really does deliver a serious amount of, er well, Zeeness.

No laughing at the back, please...

THANKS

Thanks to Nissan UK: www.nissan.co.uk

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WALTER ROHL PHIL ROYLE DAVID BAILEY NEIL DENHAM

heresy Porsche may have committed heresy in some purist’s eyes, creating its first diesel, in the £36,000 Cayenne, but its sure to make its best selling model even more prolific

Not a lot of people know that Porsche’s bestseller is the Cayenne. And, now they have created the company’s first diesel (using their newly established VAG Group links), capable of over 30mpg and with an entry level price tag of just £36,000, one can only expect sales to go north – cementing a new mass market for the infamous Stuttgart sports car

manufacturer. After all, 86% of SUVs are sold with an oil-burner, not a V8.

When news first circulated, many expected the diesel Cayenne to have the barn-storming V10 found in the excellent VW Touareg, but it doesn’t have that. Instead, there’s the three-litre V6 diesel from the VAG Group, naturally reworked by Porsche, using the latest

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LEFT New 3-litre V6 develops 240bhp and 550Nm torque TOP Interior oozes quality throughout ABOVE SERIOUSLY FUN! RIGHT Hang on tight.

The angles the cayenne diesel can cope with are outstanding, including a 1:1 hill ascent!

variable vane turbocharger technology, to create a great drive, with strong performance. So, do not be disappointed. Porsche knows exactly what it is doing, and this V6 stacks up well against the old 3.6-litre petrol Cayenne option.

Sure, it’s not as powerful, at 240bhp, not 290bhp, but it far exceeds

the petrol’s torque, with 550Nm, over 385Nm. And, as such, it out-performs the old Petrol lump, offering 0-60mph in 8.3sec, not 8.5, even if it will not plough on as hard, reaching 133mph V-max (petrol 3.6litre, 141mph), but who does that a lot in two tons of Cayenne regularly?

Environmentalists will be scratching their heads

now, too, as they can’t vilify the Cayenne Diesel, as it knocks out 30.4mpg (vs 21.9mpg for old 3.6 petrol) and pumps out ‘just’ 244g/ km versus 310g/km of old.

Impressed?

On the road, the Cayenne does its luxury load-lugging with aplomb, although I found the ride on the 21-inch rims – no matter which of the

“The Cayenne is a true off-road hero, utterly wasted on the school run...” different ride/handling modes I ran it in – a little choppy. It knocks a fair turn of speed, though (thanks to speedy spooling tricky turbo), and, naturally, is a nice place to be. It’s loaded with Porsche DNA, meaning everything works, almost too well.

What I did not expect, though, is just what an

incredible off-roader it is, as our images taken on the fantastic and brave off-road course clearly show. Through the deep canal, Old Pond, angled turn (above), over the rocks and both down, and even more impressively, up the incredible 1:1 hill, the Cayenne showed no sign of letting up. It was, frankly, mind-blowingly

impressive; making full use of its low ratio, locking centre and rear differential transmission modes.

Make no mistake; these are not toys, they really work, making a mockery of the ‘Chelsea tractor’ tag the Cayenne has been lumbered with. The Cayenne is a true off-road hero, utterly wasted on the school run.

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Porsche Centre Only Porsche could have created something so focused, stunning and sexy as its new Driver Experience Centre, overlooking Silverstone.

Ten years on the drawing board and in the planning process, and costing millions of pounds, this is a real feather in the cap for both Porsche and Silverstone.

Anyone ordering a new Porsche will be offered

a place here, where they can hone their spec, testing all cars with all extras, and getting up close and personal with the option list, over a lush lunch, with superb staff on tap to help. Hell, you can even test yourself, in the Human Performance Centre or BBQ on the roof! But it’s the mini MIRA test track facilities that steal the show – they are frankly, awesome.

Thanks Nick Perry, Andrea Baker, Wayne Darley and Neil Hopkinson, for their time and the launch invite, and the fine lunch in the fabulous new Silverstone facilities.

Check it out for yourself, at the earliest opportunity; it’s mega

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Our client list includes Subaru Cars, Isuzu Cars, Daihatsu Cars, RMA Track Days, Gumball, Bullrun, Tracktive Solutions PR, Leyton Clarke Racing, Fisher German CS, RICS UK, KW Suspensions, Opentrack.co.uk, and European Porsche tuners.

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Stradale Media Contact Phil Royle Email: phil@stradalemedia.com Telephone: +44 (0)1379-688168 or +44(0)7946-610193 (Snetterton Office)

Tim Hutton Email: tim@stradalemedia.com Telephone: +44 (0)7788 177 555 (Goodwood Office)

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he’s back!

Back for more punishment (that’s us!), Tim Hutton discovers that those other softy ROAD staff weren’t lying about the Nissan 350’s capabilities.

I know, we already had the 350 last year, but I missed out on the experience and we had a few issues that meant that we only got to potter around a supermarket in it.

So this time,I set off to RML Ltd to go see what all the fuss was about, I dropped off project 320 in the faint hope they might

mistake it for a Lacetti and save my impending manhours on turning him into a track weapon (see page 96) but I digress.

The next few days are all about the 350. First thing’s first. It’s 10am, I’m in Northampton and I need to get back to the south coast for a meeting, so ear plugs in, I set off for a few hours’

of hard motorway action. A flick of the ignition and the heat extractor fans start up – they are loud! – my heart rate quickens and I reach forward to press the starter button; a metallic crashing noise followed by barks of noise only heard by those on the dark side. Foot down on the laughably heavy clutch and we ‘re off!

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Through the ear plugs, I’m still confident this is loud. I trickle out back onto the slip road and nail it; it’s definitely not fear, nor is it composure. Nope, this is just bloody hilarious! I settle into a steady pace along the road, taking every opportunity to chuck the car into the great set of roundabouts around Silverstone. It handles like it’s on rails, but I wouldn’t

like to push past that limit; like a old 911 this thing will bite. I take the opportunity to wind it up and get to a fair old rate of leptons quite easily, but I get the feeling that the last few years of press hacks abusing the little Micra has taken its toll a little; there’s a fair bit of movement from the rear at high speed, enough for me to continue my drive at more regular Micra speeds.

Two tankfuls later and the thirsty ferret is safely on the south coast. Parked up, it creates quite a stir; it’s certainly a celebrity with young and old coming over to have a butchers, many recognise it straight away.

A group of Bognor lads proclaim their love for the beast and decide that they need to get themselves a Micra, it seems to be doing its job, then!

There is a serious reason to all this fun, though, as Goodwood is hosting the first of its great Breakfast Clubs and the Micra is to be the star of the show.

Sunday morning comes all too quick, I park up in pole position opposite the pits and before I can get the harnesses off, the car is surrounded. I feel half stupid and half like a rock star, throughout the morning

fans continue to pop over for a chat, the youngest a 3-year-old girl who insists I start it up, this just causes even more people to huddle round! By late morning the crowds die out. I take the Micra for one last A road blast then put it to sleep ready for the Monday morning commuter dash back to RML. I can safely say there were a lot of puzzled fleet drivers

that morning. hearing it before they saw it, the mighty Micra made short work of the journey and I arrive back to RML with a huge grin on my face. While it is an absolute hoot to drive, it is crazy loud, my ears are hurting, I haven’t had a conversation with anyone who has set foot in the car, my clutch leg is knackered and secretly I’m kind of glad that my little WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 45

weekend fling is now over.

Not to mention the fact that you can’t lock this beast, not that anyone is crazy enough to try to steal this 250,000km one but they could make short work of it if they wanted. I trudge back to my 320. get in the soft, worn seats, start it up and go to put my foot on the clutch. Damn, the clutch has broken! I turn the engine off and on again,

the clutch pedal just flaps around. Then it dawns on me; it’s not broken at all its just a darn sight less heavy than the Micra’s; what a tit. My drive home is much more sedate, and while half of me is secretly glad of no longer grabbing all the attention and listening to that fantastic engine on full chat, half of me wants to turn around and just take it out for one more drive.

THANKS Terry Steeden at Nissan for making it all happen: www.nissan.co.uk James at Goodwood for the prime track position www.goodwood.co.uk Guy at RML Ltd for the tour and help: www.rmlmallock.co.uk

TWO?

The age-old debate, don’t worry we aren’t here to tell you the answer, just to have some fun!

TWO WHEELS TIM HUTTON FOUR WHEELS PHIL ROYLE ONE CAMERA DAVE WOODALL

The old car versus bike debate, it’s nothing new but in the case of the Caterham R400 and the awesome bikes of Spyder Club it’s one worth looking into.

So on a slightly damp day we all set off to Spyder Club’s swanky premises at Donnington race circuit.

While Phil chose to travel up in the photographer’s car I had the task of picking up the Caterham. Arriving

early at the dealership in Caterham, I took the time to wonder round all the cars in the showroom and those round the back in for a tuneup. You definitely don’t stop getting excited about picking a car up and, with the heritage of Caterham, it’s all the more special.

There she is outside being polished and final checks being made, it looks bloody good in Viper Green with

black wheels and stripes.

But, in the back of my mind, I know that the next few hours are going to be pretty hardcore. My task – to get to Donnington from leafy Surrey as quickly as possible – means lots of noise and motorway action and probably a few petrol stops, too. While the Caterham’s fuel economy is amazing considering its performance (3.8 seconds

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0-60mph), high motorway cruising speeds and trick gearing mean a pretty knarly fuel consumption. Two hours 30 minutes later, and I’m still grinning because, while not the ideal roads, this car is a real hoot.

Enough about the Caterham, though, as today I’m riding the bikes

along with Mark and Lizzi, founders of Spyder Club.

What a pick of bikes we have, too; MVF4 R 312, Ducati 1098, GSXR 1000, MV Brutale, Triumph’s awesome Speed Triple and Aprilia’s Tueno to name but a few.

My eyes are on the MVF4 R 312. To me the sexiest

bike and, in this guise, devilishly fast. I get my gear on and prepare for fun.

Unfortunately, though, one of the members calls and asks to take the MV out for a few days. What can I say? For the members it’s great that you can do that, for me it means I’m going to try out the Tueno instead.

TOP LEFT Caterham is as quick off the mark as the bikes LEFT WITH BIKES AS SEXY AS THESE, IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS ABOVE GSXR IS A WAILING BANSHEE BUT TREAT IT WITH RESPECT OR IT BITES RIGHT OUR MAN HUTTON GETS TO GRIPS WITH THE TORQUEY APRILIA

Mark opts for the gorgeous Barry Sheene GSXR while Lizzi goes for her personal favourite, the super sexy 1098 Ducati.

Out onto the road and Phil leads the way in the Caterham, on unknown roads we all keep pretty much together. Phil grabs a bit of distance through

some of the tighter corners but, we soon close back up.

The torquey twin effortlessly sticks to the Caterham’s bumper while the GSXR takes a bit more winding up once it’s there it’s like a wailing banshee!

After 30 minutes of great roads we pull in to chew the fat. There’s no getting away

from the fact the Caterham’s fast but for me it doesn’t give the adrenalin rush of the bikes; maybe we need to do more research... Cue the heavens opening up. Rain stops play but there’s no denying that Spyder Club’s concept is a great one. Over to Phil to give the lowdown on the bonkers R400.

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four!

Phil Royle argues the case of four wheels and the brilliant Caterham R400

Having had one of the very best, most adrenalinefuelled drives of my life in a Caterham CSR 260 Superlight, chasing Tim Schrick in an Ariel Atom Supercharged around an empty Cadwell Park last year, I must say, I was chuffed when Caterham kindly agreed to let us try out one of their new hardcore Superlight track day/race specials, the 210

bhp, 140 mph, 515 Kg, 420 bhp per ton (!), R400 Superlight – a true low inertia, high power, big thrills Caterham, with more than enough performance potential to see off any supercar, especially if you show it some proper corners.

The R400’s spec is sorted, spartan and simple: Lightweight shell, tricky double wishbone suspension, close ratio

six-speed box, limited slip diff, moody black 15in lightweight rims, Avon CR500 rubber, shift lights on the dash and the usual tiny button steering wheel (too close to dash, as ever, for big handers like me!) and nice lightweight carbon seats: Minimalism, designed to create maximum performance.

And it does. And, whilst not quite in the surreal

otherworldly performance stakes as the crazy CSR 260 (or new R500), make no mistake, this is not a car for the lilly livered: Clamber in, strap up, hit the push start and grab it by the balls, before it does you, and you will be rewarded... richly.

This is an ace Caterham, perfect even (as it’s less manic than 260) and it’s more than capable of slaying a few bikes...

thanks Big thanks to Mark & Lizzie for their time and energy making the feature happen. www.spyderclub.co.uk & James Drake at Caterham and Andy and all the PFPR boys for sorting the ace R400 out www.caterham.co.uk

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Spyder Club Membership is from as little as £201 per month or the full package is £3000. This get you 50 days’ riding action and 5000 miles of riding; not bad if you consider how often you get the chance to get out on your bike for fun. On the way this year is Ducati’s awesome 1198 and Streetfighter and Aprilia’s exciting new

RSV4. On top of that you can take advantage of the newly launched range of track bikes, including the epic Yamaha R6, Suzuki’s GSXR 750 and the bonkers sublime Honda Fireblade.

New bike prices are going up at the moment, if you want to ride the best bikes you can buy and don’t want to shell out £16,000 for

your own Ducati 1198 then the Spyder Club is a no brainer. Mark and Lizzi are super helpful and the central location of Donington and the new southern location of Maidenhead mean you’re only a cracking ride away from either of their offices.

Call 01332 850344 or email info@spyderclub.co.uk www.spyderclub.co.uk

LEYTON’S DIARY Budding race ace, Leyton Clarke, starts his 2009 race season diary

Hi there. I’d first of all like to introduce myself – if you’re mad keen on saloon car racing then you may already have heard of me, but assuming you’re not, my name is Leyton Clarke.

I’m a 17-year-old with three years’ of racing experience and I already have two championship wins tied down.

I started my life in racing in karting, at the age of 10, which taught me the basics of how to hold onto a vehicle at speed. Then, at 13, I hit the racetracks for the first time in a Manthey

Racing Porsche 911 GT3 at Donington Park. It was awesome, and I was hooked (as you would, Ed!).

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to drive some extreme cars – from your fast road Ferraris to your modern-day LM Prototypes.

I started my first championship in 2006, the SAXMAX series, a touting car series for 14- to 17-year olds, which was interesting as you can imagine. I finished seventh in my first year and then won in 2007.

I then stepped up a class and moved championships

www.leytonclarkeracing.co.uk

into the Dunlop Sport Maxx Championship, driving a 2008 Thorney Vauxhall Corsa Turbo, which I also clinched the title with.

For 2009, I will drive for Thorney Motorsport again – in their 300bhp Astra VXR. So with a lot of luck I would like to make it 3 out of 3.

Thanks to all the help I’ve had, which has allowed me to achieve my successes, I have now gained BRDC Rising Star status which I’m thrilled to have managed.

Anyway, speak to you all after our first test day.

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WEAPON! Phil catches up with Tim Schrick, in advance of his first race in the AMV8: NBR 24hr!

RIGHT MIRA wind tunnel tested aerodynamic package is absolutely bloody massive and will keep Tim pinned to the green hell at speeds of over 170mph BELOW Every part on the ASTON V8 has been re-engineered by Tim and some of the best names in the business

There are just a few days left before the epic Nürburgring Nordscleife 24-hour race, and Tim Schrick – Road friend, driving god and D-MAX TV presenter – has still not driven the fully fledged version of his totally reengineered Aston Martin V8 Vantage: Madness!

But we can at least show you some pictures of the animal, now its nearing

completion. And, you have to agree, it’s a total bloody weapon of mass destruction. I am in love!

With just days to go, Tim is still waiting to finally sign of his uber-highrevving, daft horsepower 3-litre V8, on the Schrick test bed dyno. And the innovative DJ Motorsport sequential transmission, being handcrafted by imagineering genius, Dave

Plant (Road mate, who build Colin McRae’s rally cars and the R4), is still in the UK. Gulp! This one is going right to the wire; but such is the nature of building such an outstanding engineering project, for such an outstanding race.

Tim says: “I’m not nervous now. I know the car will be finished on time, even if the first time I drive it is in qualifying.” Go on my son!

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“I can’t wait to get out been inside my head fo the time has come t

there now. The car has or so long, and, finally, to race it...� TIM SCHRICK WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 59

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So here it is, Fiat’s sexylooking Abarth 500. Good times are happening at Fiat right now; dealer profitabililty is above average, Fiat’s market share is the best that it has been in seven years. Fiat UK’s MD Andrew Humberstone has made some impressive changes to the way Fiat does business, most notably clearing out some of the deadwood dealers

and ,last year, selling every single 500 that was made available from Italy.

So, with these good times, it’s great to see such an iconic car as the Abarth 500 return. From the outside this car looks great and sounds great, burbling away on tickover. On the inside the classic styling and modern sportiness combine to create a great little cockpit.

With the very real risk of

heavy snow, Road headed down to Poole in Dorset for the UK launch. Not only will we be getting to grips with the 500 but also the esse esse edition.

With the morning comes the good news that we have missed the snow mayhem.

First things first, we hot-foot it down to Sandbanks to see what the reaction is to this sporty little number. It’s certainly a headturner; not

only that but around town it’s an absolute hoot to drive, nipping and tucking all over the shop. I keep it set to Sports mode as I just can’t get to grips with the light city steering setting.

Fiat’s 100-mile round trip really tests all aspects of the Abarth; not least its water resistance! By the time we arrive at Gurston Down to test the esse esse, the car is filthy.

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There’s only one thing you need to know about the esse esse option. It arrives in a wooden box with the iconic scorpion logo stamped on it, some people already have their box adorning their lounge as a nifty table! Inside you will find delights such as a BMC air filter, drilled and vented discs, uprated springs, 17-inch alloys and a tyre-monitoring system.

While this is being fitted, the Abarth-trained mechanics will up the power from 135 to 160bhp.

If you are really feeling the race vibe, you can take advantage of the unique feature of Magneti Marelli’s telemetry display which relays RPM, gear selection and speed. Not only that but track data can be recorded and downloaded, and during your laps the

exact position is shown.

If you are on a track that hasn’t been pre-recorded you can add it yourself using the circuit acquisition feature!

Out on the hillclimb you can notice the improvements from the esse esse pack, and for the track fiends among us who want to cause trouble on track this is a useful addition. In the real-world, day-to-day

I don’t think you’ll notice the difference, the standard 135bhp Abarth is more than enough fun and with handling to match you will be able to embarrass plenty of the bigger boys.

Priced at just over £13,000 this is a cracking buy and a no-brainer if you are after a new super mini with a buzzing engine and bundles of personality. I just hope some of the 190bhp

Assetto Corse toys make their way across to the road car. The Trofeo Europa series will see the Assetto tackilign some of Europe’s finest race tracks, including Brands Hatch and Monza.

Keep watching this space as we have just picked up our very own Road Abarth 500 which we will be reporting on over the coming months. Can we resist the esse esse?

THANKS Joshi at Fiat for getting us along to the launch and Huguette for ensuring a most enjoyable launch event: www.fiat.co.uk

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little feat We spend seven days commuting in a Fiat 500 and, well, we have to admit we like it. But is it a girl’s car?

Mr Softie: IAN BERRY

The Fiat 500 is clearly an accomplished little car. It’s won awards and hearts all over Europe, and sales are brisk, which is not the norm for car manufacturers at the moment. I’ve always thought they looked great but could I live with one for a week, doing 100 miles a day on the motorway to and from work? I’m honestly interested in buying one, so this is the question I need to answer.

Day 1 Arrived home from work to find the bright white 500 sitting on my drive, so I took it to the supermarket.

Parking is, as you’d expect, easy – it’s hardly, big is it?

The thick C pillars block the rear three-quarter vision a bit when you reverse into a bay, but the mirrors give a good view so it’s not a problem. Got out, pushed the door shut and it gave a reassuring ‘big car’ thud.

Walked away and looked

back. It’s cute. Perhaps too cute. But it made me smile to look at it. Call me Mr Softie.

Later, after nightfall, I couldn’t resist taking the 500 for a spin around the local country roads that I know so well. And it’s then that I discover that this 1.2 Lounge base model poverty spec fashion accessory of a city car has a dark side.

Initial impressions are that it handles mid-corner crap surfaces as well as anyone could expect, and grip levels seem more than adequate. The brakes are strong – discs on the front, drums on the rears. I played with it a little, maybe 60 percent attack, and it just wanted more. Impressive stuff, except that I couldn’t feel anything through the wheel, which unnerved me slightly.

Then I gave the engine a bit of a work out on sweeping A roads and it’s here that I discovered what

a cracking little unit it is.

I’ve been told that the 1.2 is better than the 1.4 but I haven’t tried the latter so I can’t comment. With this 1.2 you can pootle about and it’s fine – fit for purpose.

However, to get anything close to a quick pace out of this unit you have to rev it. But the good think is, it loves it. Take it all the way round the dial in second and the third-gear ratio really starts to make sense as you land in the power band (such as it is) and rev it some more. The noise is amusing, too.

So I took the 500 back to the twisty bits and did it all again in a lower gear.

Conclusion; if you want to be an absolute hooligan, this car will take a naughty pill and come with you to the party. Admittedly, it’s not sportscar good, but for a base model glammed up shopping trolley, it’s a lot of fun. More smiles from Mr Softie.

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The only thing that irritated me was the lip of a storage cubby hole on the central console; it dug into my leg just below my left knee.

Day 2 Fifty motorway miles to work and fifty motorway miles home again. I can report that the (unequal length) windscreen wipers are excellent, the stalks for lights and wipers are perfectly placed, I understood the heater controls on the move without concern and I loved the position and feel of the gearlever. The heater worked fine too, while the radio/CD player is adequate rather than good. But the lip of the storage thing digging into my leg still drove me mad.

Had friends round for dinner in the evening. He (Z4 Coupe) thought it was fun but wouldn’t have been seen dead in it. She (A4 Cabrio diesel) thought it was wonderful and wanted to take it home for a cuddle.

At work, my colleagues are similarly split and the 500 has become quite a topic of debate. We discovered the front lights have little eyelashes within the glass. I know you think that sounds bonkers but when you see one parked, go and look.

Day 3 Fifty motorway miles to work, another fifty motorway miles back home again. Showed the 500 to a chap (5 series diesel with all the toys) I do business with. He’s a big, tough bike

racer turned successful businessman and he knows what he likes. He declared it was great, and even wanted to sit in it. He loved the interior trim, was impressed by the boot size and loved the way it looked.

He slammed the door and the boot. “It doesn’t feel like Fiats of old. This feels like quality,” he growled. He did look a bit silly sitting in the 500, though. He’s a big man and it looked like he was wearing it.

In the evening, I took a little jaunt to a friend’s house for a cup of tea. He (builder’s van) laughed like a drain at the 500. Another friend in attendance (X5 4.6S and long-time racer) thought it was very cool. I drove it home with gusto – it really is great fun to drive

quickly, although ‘quickly’ is relative. I get the messages from the rears and have started playing with it, getting the back end slightly loose, and it’s beautifully balanced. If only I could get more feel from the fronts. As I got out, I realised I really like the look and feel of the interior door handles. Retro, but very right.

Day 4 Fifty motorway miles to work, fifty motorway miles back home again. I have to admit that’s it’s not bad on the motorway. Obviously it’s not really what it’s ever going to major at, but it’s good enough for the 100mile commute, although I had to rev it quite hard on the slip road to get up to speed. But hey, it loved it.

My only niggle after four days is that I still can’t find the perfect driving position and the storage box lip thing would need to be cut off if this was a keeper.

had used it for the journey instead of one of his other toys.

In conclusion, I think the 500 is a fab little car.

It does exactly what it says on the tin, and does Day 5+6 it with style and skill at a I was racing at Silverstone reasonable price. That’s so I took my Jeep for the perfect for girls of all ages trip instead, but in the but it might have a bit paddock was a 500 painted too much style for British bright Ferrari red – one of men, many of whom feel the special edition courtesy the need to buy a car that cars that Ferrari dealerships somehow displays who hand out when a customer they are, or who they aspire car is in for a bit of TLC. It to be. There are apparently looked slightly lower than a lot of 500s in Brighton. standard, ran on nice rims Would I buy one? If I lived and it looked pretty cool. in Central London, yes. In But I thought the Ferrari black, lowered with trick badges on the side were a rims so that it looks a bit little bit much, although the more macho. But as it is, plaque inside was a neat I’m waiting for the Abarth touch. The driver told me he which I think I’m going to was enjoying it so much, he find impossible to resist.

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Photography Russell Huggett

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND? How would you like a dream garage for just five thousand pounds? Tim Hutton lives the dream.

So, you’ve got your daily driver but you fancy something for a bit of weekend fun. For, say, just £5000. Yes, there are plenty of cars out there that will fit in that price range but would you want one? Think of all those fun weekends sorting out the oil leak, or repairing rust. Nice!

Well, today I’m driving a F355 and it cost me just

£5000. On top of that, next weekend I might take the E-Type out for the day.

What am I going on about? I’m now a member of Parc Ferme. Established in 2003, Parc Ferme is one of the oldest car clubs around, because of that fact I’m happy to put my money with them. In exchange for £4450 and a £500 joining fee I now have 1250 points

to play with and a fleet of lovely cars to spend them on.

Latest fleet additions include a Maserati Quattroporte and this fabulous Ferrari F355 you see here. On top of that there is a stunning 246 GT Dino, Healey 3000 Mk1, Frogeye, 993 Cabriolet, Bentley Turbo R and a Ferrari 328, to name a few.

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When Philip Moir called to say that the 355 had arrived I didn’t need telling twice; a quick drive up to the head office at Egham and there she is, one of my all time favourite shapes, too. In Spider form there is no escaping that glorious howling V8. With a few days of good weather planned I book the 355 for a few days’ indulgence.

Driving back through Surrey surburbs, I’m getting lots of admiring glances; more than that, though, this car feels so special to drive.

The classic alloy gear shift, the fantastic driving position and that noise! Some car sounds I tire off, but not this, it sends chills down my spine. I don’t even mind getting stuck in the Friday evening traffic.

Knowing that I just have a precious few days with the car I use any excuse for a drive, so hours later I’m out again; this time taking the other half out for dinner. To somewhere with a nice view over the car park!

With dinner a success, a brisk drive home in the cooling air really gives that amazing V8 a chance to breathe and, in return,

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supplying one the finest audio tracks on the road.

Saturday morning and with no plans I just go for a nice drive around Goodwood.

In the space of just ten minutes I see another two 355s, and an Aston AMV8 tries me for a race. Not today, though; the sun’s out, the roof’s down and I’m just enjoying being at one with the car. When you are totally relaxed with a Ferrari you

become one purposeful unit.

While not as demanding to drive as, say, a Testarossa it is still hugely rewarding to drive around the back roads of Goodwood.

Not wanting to overdo it, iI put the 355 to bed for the night and cook up some homemade pizzas in its honour.

Sunday arrives and it’s an early start to pick up a local photographer and head

down to Bosham to get some shots while the light is good. The deserted roads beautifully lit by the spring sun, it’s another chance to stretch the Ferrari’s legs.

The engine is amazing and I won’t harp on about it but in Spider form the chassis doesn’t feel quite as tight as you would hope. It’s the same for any Spider and in standard guise the F355 is a great car, but then you don’t

buy a Spider to drive hard.

Oh no, it’s all about fun, put your foot down bring a smile to your face then drive to your favourite pub to have a spot of lunch and sit outside and admire the car.

While I’m sad to drop it back off at Parc Ferme, I know I still have plenty of toys to play with, all gleaming, serviced and fully taxed and insured. It’s going to be a good summer!

THANKS To Parc Ferme boss Philip Moir for all his help and just for building up a lovely eclectic mix of cars, all demanding you take them out and learn how to use them.

Therein lies the magic of Parc Ferme; these are cars that you will have a memorable driving experience with and will be

talking about days afterwards – trust me I’ve been boring my friends stupid.

The points system also works well; I’ve planned my year’s driving and I still have a good few days left.

But you don’t have to plan it all out, you can give the team at Parc Ferme a call if you find yourself with a spare day and they will let you know what is available. www.parc-ferme.co.uk WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 77

QUBO

Quirky on the outside, massive on the inside, Tim Hutton discovers the charms of Fiat’s funky new Qubo

This is FIAT’s new Qubo.

It’s a funky little thing, while the looks might not be to everyone’s taste this is one smart little car. For a start, it has got 2500 litres of loading space, returns 62mpg and costs £35 per year to tax! Not bad, especially when you consider the Qubo has been built on the fantastic

Grande Punto platform.

With two models in the range, a 1.4 petrol and the excellent 1.3 Multi Jet diesel, there is something for all budgets. The petrol comes in under at under £10,000 while the more entertaining 1.3 diesel is just under £11,000.

If you live in the city, this is a great little car with tons

of practicality and space, it also has a turning circle of 10 metres and FIAT’s great Blue & Me function which allows you to receive calls, flick around your MP3 player and have your texts read out to you! If you’re an active person and after a small car with big personality, check one out today. www.fiat.co.uk WWW.ROADMAGAZINE.CO.UK 79

oh yes! one-77 First off, let’s get the name out of the way.

Tell someone you drive a ‘One-77’ and they’ll think it’s some sort of cute mini people carrier. Aston Martin’s need macho names like Vanquish or Vantage. But set your eyes on this heaven-sent machine and you’ll forgive its moniker. It is, quite simply, beautiful. Almost too beautiful to drive, but with 700bhp from its 7.3-litre V12 and a ligthweight carbonfibre bodyshell, we suspect we’d soon succumb. The trouble it, only 77 will be built at a price of around £1 million each. www.one-77.com

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REUNITED WALTER RöHRL/AudI More recently closely linked with Porsche, driving god Walter Röhrl originally made his name for himself piloting Audis. And during 2009 he’s making four guest appearances with classic Audi rally cars from his past, including the legendary short wheelbase Audi Sport quattro S1. Look out for the guru at Goodwood Festival of Speed (3rd to 5th July), Heidelberg Historic (9th to 11th July) 100 Years of Audi at Ingolstadt (18th July) and the Eifel Classic (1st to 3rd October). www.audi.com

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WORLD’S LARGEST DESMODECI GATHERING Donington Park will reverberate with the sound of Desmosedici RRs as the Derbyshire circuit hosts the World’s first Desmosedici only trackday on 30th June. This most exclusive of trackdays is open solely to Desmosedici RR owners. Ducati expects to see 75 of the über machines; and with no noise restrictions expect it to sound fantastic! www.ducati.com

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HE’S BACK! JAMES THOMPSON Not content with racing in just one touring car championship this year, James Thompson has returned to the BTCC alongside his DTC campaign. Road magazine were exclusive guests at Donnington Park to see James win rounds seven and eight in fine style, and an impressive charge through the field in race nine from the back of the pack to fifth saw Thomo round off a cracker of a weekend. Read the full interview next issue. www.rimstock.co.uk

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ROAD is pleased to announce our new competition giveaway… to win a day spent sideways, in your own car, with expert drift tuition… in conjunction with www.motorsportvision.co.uk, their Club MSV (www. clubmsv.co.uk) and their Drift School at Oulton Park circuit, ner Chester in the northwest of England.

MSV’s Alex Baker said: “Going sideways in style is a skill that’s as rewarding as it is exciting to watch.

MotorSport Vision’s ‘Introduction to Drifting’ day is designed to teach you the basics of oversteer and powersliding in your own rear-wheeldrive, or four-wheel-drive car. You’ll be ‘steering from the rear’ before you know it… and all in the safety of MSV’s own purpose-built Tarmac rally stages at Oulton Park.

Usually priced at £125, the day represents excellent value for money with instruction included free of charge. And, if you win the competition… it’ll be absolutely FREE, like ROAD magazine itself… perfect in this credit crunch climate, eh? All you will need to bring is your own RWD or 4WD vehicle to go broadside in safety in, on MSV’s bespoke Tarmac rally/drift stages at Oulton.

For more information on the detail of the courses visit www.motorsportvision.co.uk/roaddrifting, or call 0870 850 5014.

To enter the competition, simply answer the following ridiculously simple question: How many circuits in the UK does MSV’s Johnathan Palmer own and run? And what are their names?

Please send your answer to thegarage@roadmagazine.co.uk The winner will be selected at random, with the date to be arranged with Club MSV directly, after the winner is revealed…

Happy drifting!

The ROAD Team

GREAT ROADS NO 7 A34 WINCHESTER - OXFORD WORDS: PHIL RABY

PIC: www.freefoto.com

Now hang on, I hear you say, there’s nought great about the A34, apart from traffic jams and roadworks.

Well, hear me out while I enthuse about the route’s southern – and oldest section – between the ancient cities of Winchester and Oxford.

First designated back in 1922, it was – and still is – one of the most important north-south roads in the UK. Back before the evil M3 cutting raped Twyford Down, the Winchester Bypass went under the elegant (and sadly missed) ‘Spitfire Bridge’ which, legend has it, a Spitfire pilot through his plane under during WW11.

Now, that’s cool. Actually, though, it was a Canadian in a Tomahawk, and his wing clipped the bridge and he

flipped his plane on landing at Odiham. Slightly less cool...

The A34 then runs straight north over Watership Down (mind the bunnies) and up past Seven Barrows. Stop in the layby here and stroll left down a footpath and you’ll find a small memorial to a great event hidden in the undergrowth. This is where Geoffrey de Havilland made the UK’s first powered flight back in 1910. Why he chose a field littered with prehistoric burial mounds, I don’t know...

Back on the road, the A34 passes some great countryside, and the dual carriageway winds up and down hill, making for some fun driving on a quiet evening with the sun setting.

Until 1998, you’d then have risked hitting a massive jam as the A34 went through

Newbury, and then again where it crossed the M4.

Now, though, Newbury’s got a speedy bypass and there’s an underpass at the M4.

Perfect.

From there it’s north, crossing the Ridgeway, England’s oldest right of way, before the dreaming spires of Oxford come into view.

You’d once have got caught up at Oxford where the A34 intersected the A40 (another great road). That’s now sorted and it’s where our journey ends. The A34 does keep going, albeit not continuously these days, thanks to the M40, as far north as Salford.

Considering the importance of the A34, it’s surprising it never became the M34. But then it would have lost its charm and character.

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ROLLING ROAD PHIL ROYLE IMPREZA WAGON

I’ve never had a blow out, thank goodness, and then – just like buses (whatever they are!) – two come along at once!

There I was, on my way up to my local track, MSV Snetterton, minding my own business, when a blue rinse in a nondescript supermini decided to pull out (of a school, I might add), right in front of me, on a singletrack road. Sweet.

Naturally, I was doing the statutory 60mph. But even my whopping AP Racing stoppers could not have helped: It was ‘one of those moments’ where you make a split second call... and I chose not to ram the old dear, but take my rally-bred Subaru Impreza Wagon offroad. I’ve done it before, plenty of times and the old girl just soaks it up and A-B

momentum is carried as per usual.

But, this time, crashing through an enormous pothole hidden in the grass, I bummed out. And, as soon as I hit the hole and the wince was over, I heard air rushing out of the front tyre.

Balls.

I managed to limp to Snetts, where Steve at Simply Tyres diagnosed one ripped tyre and one with a fat bubble = call to Dunlop, where James, good man that he is ,felt the pity and dispatched a fresh pair of their excellent Touch Technology SP Sport Maxx performance tyres, which I have been mighty impressed with. Wet, dry, road or track, they are deeply impressive, with the stiffer (Kevlar-weave) side walls and touchy

feely technology providing unprecedented levels of feedback, which I like. And the wear rates are low, too, even with my asks of them.

A trip to my local Treadfirst Tyres soon had the new boots on my scruffy (but light) Rota rims, and very nice they are too. It really is amazing how you get used to the diminishing grip of a wearing tyre. Fresh is best... and so are Dunlop TT’s. Spot on!

THANKS Steve @ Simplytyres.co.uk for getting me going and Treadfirst Tyres, Diss for expert fitting, 01379-651976 and James Bailey @ Dunlop Goodyear Tyres

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ROLLING ROAD MATT BAGLEY E30 M3

The departure of my Alfa Romeo has enabled me to splurge on the shiny slice of 80s slightly mainstream exotica you see strewn artistically on this page somewhere. You’re jealous, I can tell. Hell, I can hear you muttering, even over the sound of its bulkhead gently fizzing with corrosion.

I’d actually driven this car about a year ago, and at the time had been utterly blown-away by, not only what it did, but also by how much care and money had been lavished on it.

In an effort to create the ultimate trackday special, the owner had spent nearly £40,000, and a lowered- ratio diff, stiffened suspension and uprated

anti-surge sump were just some of the things I didn’t understand but knew I wanted to tell strangers I had.

The only problem was, the owner wasn’t even remotely willing to entertain offers of less than the asking price, and we fell out about what ‘ONO’ means on an advert.

I left slightly cross with myself that I wanted to buy it but didn’t just to prove a point, but resolved to the idea of getting another M3 just like this one.

However, thanks to a combination of an advert that looked like a telegram, and the owner’s steadfast refusal to negotiate on the price, nearly a year later I noticed that the car was still

up for sale, and moments later I was driving home in it in the freezing fog, after having a somewhat tokenistic haggle with the owner. In truth, this wasn’t the best way to get fully acquainted with the car’s twitchy brilliance, but since then I’ve taken every chance I can get to go for a bit of a spin.

OK, that’s not entirely true.

I have driven the car quite a bit, but not anywhere near as much as I’ve spent modifying it myself and, well, just looking at it, really.

What? I like it. Shut up.

Looking at it is a much part of owning it as driving it.

Anyway, first to go were the tyres which, despite being totally ruined, now

adorn the corner of my workshop as if I was responsible for either their purchase or destruction and give an air of heroism by proxy. I’ve replaced them with a set of Continental ContiSport Contact 2s, as I’d heard excellent things about the ContiSport Contact 3s on other M cars.

So far they’ve certainly lived up to the reputation, if robbing me of a little of the juicy anxiety that every bend on the slicks provided. I can’t wait to see what they’re like when they’re fully bedded in, as I’m hopeful this car will see many miles this year, despite it being a little on the deafening side inside.

The brakes had also

suffered at the feet of the previous owner’s last trackday, so I’ve replaced them with another set of Mintex pads, as I’d been so thrilled with how they worked for me on my Project Volvo, and suitably refreshed, the car now stops as well as it goes again, and is really shaping up to be the magical bag of legends that I always hoped it would be.

I can’t wait for the weather to become a bit more predictable so I can head out on my first proper adventure – a two week jaunt down to the Route Napoleon with nothing to do but make noise and eat pizza. All I need now are some earplugs...

Thanks to: Laura Hardy at Continetal Tyres www.conti-online.co.uk/ passenger Mark Higson at Mintex brakes www.tmdfriction.com )

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ROLLING ROAD ROBERT COOPER HONDA CBR 600

One hundred miles or two and a half hours according to route planner. Doesn’t sound like a lot, and it isn’t.

But on a 600 superbike it felt like a decent trip.

After strapping gear on the bikes we set off. I instantly regret the amount of luggage as I’m forced forward, putting a strain on my wrists, back and groin!

Two Honda CBR600RRs and a Kawasaki ZX636R on a spring afternoon ride, but a constant downfall meant no decent lean. Even so it’s clear the CBR’s perfect balance and low centre of gravity were ruined by my clumsy packing.

After a few wobbly corners and close encounters with kerbs, the 110bhp+ engines

provided some adrenalinepumping corner exits.

We arrive and appreciate three days watching professionals leave thick black lines and achieve near horizontal lean on the 1000cc, 200bhp, 200mph British Superbikes at Brands Hatch.

A sunny bank holiday Monday, missing our turning off the motorway was a blessing as we land in biking paradise; the A272. Tight twisties, leftand right-0sweepers and epic straights guaranteed half an hour of knee-down 15,000rpm madness.

A ticket including camping for less than £50 made for a great bank holiday weekend.

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ROLLING ROAD TIM HUTTON E36 320i

Yes, yes I know, old news, but it really will happen this time! Project 320 is back on or bacon depending how long that fiesty 195k engine lasts. Initial high speed tests show she is still good for a sprint up to 120mph where it gets a bit bored of trying hard. But, with a bit of love, lots of interior ripping out, various treats and a freshen up in the engine bay this bad boy is going to rock its date penciled in with Jaco Velders, Ring meister and race car prep supremo.

So what’s in store you ask.

Well, 16-inch wheels, as wide as I can get; anything too small will just be a bit rough round the Ring.

Some snazzy coilovers so Jaco can set the car up

as only he knows. Bucket seat and harness; original BMW seats leave a lot to be desired as my long suffering partner will contest whenever I spot a wet roundabout! Oh yeah, and brakes, big f**k-off brakes. and then anything else along the way that is going to help me in my quest, so maybe replacing the bushes with some fine aftermarket ones isn’t a bad idea!

Jaco assures me that if I drop some Shell 10/60 Ultra racing oil I will see gains of 10 percent after a few days’ hard driving!

Well, all I can say is watch this space. I’m excited and that’s enough in my books!

Meanwhile go see Jaco for some Ring training!

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