First Drive Review: 2018 Audi RS4

PICTURE AN estate agent mid mid-life crisis. We shall call him Giles, for that is his name. He used to commute to London by Porsche 911, because the train would be an invasion of his personal space, but when a third child joined the family fold, the 911 C4S was traded in for a sensible estate car.

Look closely at the estate, though. There are wide wheel arches, large wheels and brakes, lowered suspension and exhaust pipes the size of a loud-hailer.

Giles may have surrendered the sleek Porsche in favour of five seats and a boot fit for a Labrador, but the outgoing Audi RS4 estate isn’t your average load lugger; it can see off a sports car from the traffic lights and hang on to its back bumper along a winding road.

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The RS4 arrived in 2000 with a biturbo, 2.7-litre V6 producing 370bhp. In 2005, Audi’s engineers switched to a naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre V8, with 414bhp, and by 2012, that was upped to 444bhp. It also had quattro four-wheel drive, taut suspension and a ripped body, making it as close as it gets to the perfect compromise for drivers wanting a sports car that can cope with the day to day chores of the school run, office commute and weekends away.

But the new version returns to the V6, biturbo arrangement. Audi says it’s a necessary move to meet emissions and fuel economy targets, targets that are steering even performance cars down a more acceptable road.

A brief history of the @audisport RS4 for @ST_Driving pic.twitter.com/oIsSxGnTe1

— James Mills (@squarejames) December 12, 2017

Some fans of fast Audis may views this as the end of an era. The V8 was one of the last naturally aspirated motors of its kind used in a performance car. And the cry as it charged to the rev limit was thrilling enough to bring a driver out in goosebumps. Only the Lexus GS F saloon, reviewed here by Jeremy Clarkson, soldiers on valiantly with such a formula.

But what will Giles think?

The first bit of good news is that the V6 motor’s power remains the same as the last model’s but there’s a lot more muscle throughout the engine’s rev range — 40% more, in fact — with a peak torque figure of 443 lb ft from 1,900rpm through to 5,000rpm. What do the numbers mean? That no matter what the gear selected, the new engine sets the RS4 surging forward like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.

In traffic, gaps are yours for the taking. On mountain passes, the feeling of powering out of tight turns as the tyres dig into the road is addictive.

That’s not to say anyone trading in the outgoing model won’t miss the V8. They will. The buzz of running it up to the red line, pulling the paddle shift and hearing it do its thing all over again was up there with the finest soundtracks from Ferrari or Lamborghini.

Bey comparison, the V6 is muted. From cold, and around town, it’s almost silent when driving in comfort and auto modes. Switch to dynamic and what noise there is feels synthetic, a series of rumbles and rasps coming from somewhere deep down in the exhaust system.

You wouldn’t hesitate to do the daily commute in this car; a Porsche would be considerably more wearing

However, in some ways, this makes the new RS4 more relevant than ever before. Giles, our estate agent friend, will find it can be almost as calm and comfortable as a normal Audi A4 Avant. You wouldn’t hesitate to do the daily commute in this car; a Porsche would be considerably more wearing. And fuel economy rises to 32mpg, while CO2 emissions fall to 199g/km. (The first year road tax will still make you wince, though.)

It’s quiet at all speeds, the steering is surprisingly light and the suspension — with optional Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) — is remarkably smooth. Whether it will prove as supple on British roads riddled with potholes remains to be seen.

Despite the relative comfort and refinement in Normal mode, the new RS4 can still charge from 0 to 62mph in just 4.1 seconds, which isn’t slow in anyone’s books.

Adjust the Drive Select system to the Dynamic setting and the RS4 is able to better demonstrate the new box of tricks that have gone into making this the most accomplished RS4 chassis to date.

The suspension compensates for body roll and pitch and dive, the brakes bite hard, the car dives eagerly into bends and the four-wheel drive system, Sport differential and oh-so-subtle braking of the inside wheels means the RS4 holds its line no matter how much you push it.

Sometimes, technology such as this can get in the way of having a great time behind the wheel. But on mountain roads north of Malaga, its sheer mechanical grip and harmony between the front and rear tyres prove an eye-popping revelation. If Giles is running late for the children’s school nativity play, there surely can be no quicker way of getting there than this.

There is a caveat, however. The first car driven featured Hankook Ventus Evo 1 tyres and the standard steering system. The second car came with ‘dynamic steering’ and Continental Sport Contact 6 tyres. The latter was markedly better.

There are plenty of other reasons for owning a car like this, besides its ability to pull enough G to rearrange your internal organs.

Take the interior. It seats four adults in comfort, five people if someone doesn’t mind straddling the transmission tunnel. The boot – now 505 litres – is just about big enough for everything family life can throw at it. And if it isn’t, you can attach a roof rack and carry box to the RS4 Avant’s standard roof rails.

Naturally, the build quality feels first rate, the sports seats are both comfortable (and offer a massage function) and grippy, and the driving position is superb. And there’s fun to be had in changing the “virtual cockpit” so that a large rev counter dominates the view and changes colours, from green to orange to red, as the needle flicks toward the rev limit.

Neat feature on the latest generation virtual cockpit, in the @audisport RS4; central rev counter with colour-coding in manual shift mode. @st_driving pic.twitter.com/ApgtT6fPUh

— James Mills (@squarejames) December 12, 2017

There is no shortage of technology, too. Like high-speed Internet connectivity, included in the price, for three years. Or an optional Matrix LED headlight system that dips the full beam around on-coming cars and switches the beam pattern when abroad to suit driving on the right-hand side. It means an end to fiddling with sticky bits of plastic and inadvertently pointing your car’s lights into a Frenchman’s eyes.

Audi also talks up the car’s residual values, compared to its competitor. But the truth is all cars like this can lose their owner more money than a stock market crash. CAP, the car valuation experts, say it will be worth 45% of its original a £61,625 price, after three years and 60,000 miles.

A Mercedes-AMG C63 estate might prove more fun in the right conditions. But those conditions would have to include a race track and licence to burn rubber. On British roads, the Audi would likely send its rival packing. The RS4 reasserts itself as the ultimate jack-of-all trades performance car.

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Extended test: 2017 Audi A4 Avant 3.0 V6 TDI quattro

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source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive-review-2018-audi-rs4/

The Clarkson Review: 2017 Land Rover Discovery

I HAVE always hated the Land Rover Discovery. The first model was cobbled together out of some steel girders and bits and bobs from the dying embers of Austin Rover. It had a shorter wheelbase than today’s Mini, looked stupid and was bought mainly by murderers.

They liked it because underneath the unreliable and ugly outer shell it had a Land Rover four-wheel-drive system, which meant it could be used to carry the bodies of those they’d killed far into the woods, where they’d never be found.

Eventually Land Rover decided that it looked too like an elephant on a unicycle to cut much mustard, and in 2004 it came up with a boxy’n’big seven-seater that for some reason had two chassis. I listened patiently to an engineer explaining why Land Rover had done this, but none of it made any sense, because the car weighed about 2½ tons. It didn’t drive over obstacles so much as flatten them.

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However, unlike the first incarnation, it was aimed fairly and squarely at the family woman, so while it may have had all the off-road gubbins you’d need to get a severed head up Ben Nevis, the marketing and the packaging stated that this heavyweight was intended to be a school-run car.

It wasn’t any good at that sort of thing, though, because back then Land Rover’s engineers wore camouflage trousers and liked mud. Most, I suspect, didn’t know what children were. Which is presumably why you had to use two hands to lower the middle row of seats. And that was impossible if you were carrying a toddler. “What’s a toddler?” said someone from Land Rover at the time. “Is it a kind of machinegun?”

There were other issues too, such as if you raised the rear row of seats there was no boot at all. Which meant your dog had to be wafer thin and your children’s heads were only a few inches from the back window. I never thought that was ideal, so when the time came for me to get a seven-seat family wagon, I bought the Volvo XC90, and today I’m on my third.

“The Volvo XC90 is also far too big, but at least its size translates to plenty of space on the inside. That’s emphatically not the case with the Disco”

All of this, however, is ancient history, because there’s now a new Discovery and the first thing you need to know is: it looks ridiculous. It’s fine from the front, and if you squint, it looks quite good from the side too, but what were they thinking of at the back? The old model had an offset numberplate because the spare wheel was mounted on the outside of the tailgate. But the new model’s spare is not. So why stick with the off-centre plate?

The other issue is the sheer size of the damn thing. This is one of those cars in which you spend most of your time in suburbia, sitting at one end of a side road waiting for nothing to be coming the other way because it’s just too wide to squeeze by. You’d make faster progress on a cow.

That said, the new Volvo XC90 is also far too big, but at least its size translates to plenty of space on the inside. That’s emphatically not the case with the Disco. I was driven to a party in the back of it, and not since the old Ford Galaxy have I been so uncomfortable in the rear of a car. The seat was too hard, the legroom was tight and the backrest adjustment offered a simple choice: bolt upright, or very nearly bolt upright. This is easyJet economy seating.

To make matters worse, the front-seat headrests look like ET’s head after he’s been stung by a wasp. This is because, in my test car, each of them housed a television, but, hang on a minute, has no one told Land Rover these days TVs don’t have to have tubes at the back? They can be thin.

Further back things get quite interesting because when you open the tailgate, you’re presented with a wall of buttons such as you would find in the wi-fi router room on the Starship Enterprise. This means that the seats can be raised and lowered individually, using electricity, and that’s brilliant.

However, before you can do any of this, you must put your toddler in the gutter, climb inside and remove the bar in which the boot’s roller blind is stored. Oh, and you must also be careful not to push the button that makes the back of the car rear up into the sky.

Still, when you’ve removed the internal bar, parachuted back to earth and retrieved your child from the gutter, you do have a seven-seat car. And still, despite the external dimensions, a pathetically small boot. The only advantage to this is that children can say to their teachers: “I haven’t brought my homework in. There wasn’t space in the car.”

As a practical everyday proposition, then, the Disco is soundly beaten once more by the big Volvo. And the Range Rover Sport, which is also available with seven seats.

“It has every toy from Land Rover’s extensive off-road box of tricks, which will allow it to get further into the woods than the constabulary’s BMW X5s”

So what’s it like as an actual car? Well, it’s pretty good. The diesel unit is a bit shaky at tickover, but once you’re on the move, it settles down to a gentle hum, and when you put your foot down, it makes a rather endearing growly noise.

There’s a fair turn of speed too, and because it has only one chassis, it doesn’t weigh more than a mountain, meaning it’s reasonably economical. Plus, of course, it has every toy from Land Rover’s extensive off-road box of tricks, which will allow it to get further into the woods than the constabulary’s BMW X5s.

But, apart from the nation’s murderers, who cares about that? Farmers all use Mitsubishi and Nissan pick-ups now, and rightly so. They go anywhere, and you can fill them with sheep and not care.

City boys wouldn’t be seen dead in a Disco. It says they’ve had a bad year and can’t afford a proper Range Rover. And school mums are better off with a Volvo.

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If you are a casual off-roader — the odd gymkhana and a bit of light tree-felling at weekends — the old Disco made a bit of sense, but this new one’s too plush and too fragile. And if your heart is set on a Land Rover, there’s the Range Rover Evoque, the incredibly good-looking and very appealing Range Rover Velar and the proper and still brilliant Range Rover.

With all that lot dotted around the showroom, who’s going to say, “Mmmm, yes, I’d like the stupid-looking Discovery, please”?

I can think of only one man. Britain’s most famous Discovery owner. Kenneth Noye. Who happens to be in jail for murder.

Tweet to @JeremyClarkson Follow @JeremyClarkson

 

Head to head: Land Rover Discovery vs Volvo XC90

	Discovery TD6 HSE Luxury	XC90 T8 Twin Engine Momentum Pro
Price	£66,595	£64,015
Fuel	Diesel	Petrol-electric plug-in hybrid
Power	254bhp	401bhp
0-62mph	8.1sec	5.6sec
Economy	38.2mpg	134.5mpg
CO2	189g/km	49g/km

 

Write to us at driving@sunday-times.co.uk, or Driving, The Sunday Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

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source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/clarkson/clarkson-review-2017-land-rover-discovery/

Exotics Gather For Toy Rally

300+ Exotics Gather For Toy Rally 2017

This is the time of year to think of those less fortunate. Kids shouldn’t go without a Christmas gift, so the Marine Corps does a great job with the Toys for Tots program. In order to make sure South Florida gives its fair share, the Toy Rally completed their 12th annual event. The last 3 years were plagued by bad weather, but the skies were clear for this year’s run. Officially known as the “South Florida Exotic Car TOY RALLY”, it is made possible by being fully supported by state and local law enforcement.

It is hard to find a meeting space for over 300 exotic cars, so Goodyear opened the doors of Airship Base.Attendees were treated to a nice meal with the backdrop of the big Wingfoot One. It looks like a blimp, but Goodyear partnered with the Zeppelin company to build a new generation of Airship. The starting point was the BB&T Center, which is home to the Florida Panthers. Marines collected $75,000 in cash and cheques, along with 100% of proceeds from the event’s auction. At the end of the run, the Corps had a mountain of toys on their hands. We are very blessed to be part of this hobby, so think about the little ones this year and check out the highlights in the video below.

300+ Exotics Gather For Toy Rally 2017

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4747 E Elliot Rd
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Phone: (480) 233-1529
33.3479989,-111.9822456

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McLaren Senna – Street-Legal

McLaren Senna: The Most Extreme Street-Legal McLaren Yet

Out of nowhere, McLaren has released their latest addition to their Ultimate Series. Introducing the Senna, a supercar that McLaren says is their most extreme road car yet.

Named after the legendary Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, McLaren aimed to make the Senna a true track car that can legally drive on the road. To make this happen they started with raw power coming from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 789 bhp and 590 lb-ft of torque. This engine, codenamed M840TR, is McLaren most powerful combustion engine made for a road car. When engineers created this engine, they took inspiration from motorsport for the dry sump lubrication and flat-plane crankshaft.

Dubious amounts of power would be no good if the car was heavy, so McLaren pulled out all of the stops and ensured every component of the Senna was at light as possible. In fact, every single body panel is made from carbon fiber. The final result is the light street-legal McLaren since the F1 at just 2,641 lbs.

“The McLaren Senna is a car like no other: the personification of McLaren’s motorsport DNA, legalised for road use but designed and developed from the outset to excel on a circuit,” says Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive. “Every element of this new Ultimate Series McLaren has an uncompromised performance focus, honed to ensure the purest possible connection between driver and machine and deliver the ultimate track driving experience in the way that only a McLaren can.”

The carbon fiber body panels that make up the Senna are not only light in weight, but they also give the supercar one heck of a wild visual. In the front is a massive front splitter that feed air directly to the massive vent and keep the front end down at all times. In the rear is a massive wing that can be spotted from a mile away and a double diffuser made from a single piece of carbon fiber. Each vent, blade, splitter, wing or what have you on the Senna was created with aerodynamics in mind and the results is ground-breaking active aero performance across the board.

“Our family is extremely proud of the naming of the new Ultimate Series McLaren Senna. This is the first project that really connects with Ayrton’s racing spirit and performance,” says Bruno Senna, racing driver and McLaren Ambassador. “The McLaren Senna honours my uncle because it is so utterly dedicated to delivering a circuit experience that allows a driver to be the best they can possibly be. There is an absolute, seamless connection between car and driver and this pure engagement, these sensory cues that a driver responds to and relies upon, ensure an experience so focused and immersive that you are left in awe of the depths of excellence the McLaren Senna possesses.”

McLaren Senna: The Most Extreme Street-Legal McLaren Yet

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4747 E Elliot Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85044
Phone: (480) 233-1529
33.3479989,-111.9822456

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Mercedes AMG Black Series Collection

Michael Fux AMG Black Series Collection Heading To Auction

What happens when two engineers decide to open a garage to modify & race Mercedes-Benz cars? Mr. A and Mr. G were Mercedes engineers and mechanics who realized that customers would pay more to go faster. The partnership has lasted over 50 years, and it became so successful that Mercedes-Benz bought them out to bring their knowledge and expertise back to the assembly line.

Everyone figured the AMG brand would lose its edge now that they are part of the big picture, so something was needed to show the world what they are capable of. The Black Series is a statement of purpose. As the most potent blend of production car and racing technology, they have been the ultimate examples of Mercedes-AMG models. Each AMG Black Series is a limited production car with a host of unique body & powertrain modifications.

They cost a pretty penny when compared to a base model, which makes them rare to see in public. Price doesn’t scare away Michael Fux, and that is why his collection is unprecedented. But like all good collections, room must be made for the new toys. So Michael turned to Mecum Auctions to help him find new homes. First up is a 2014 SLS AMG Black Series. It used carbon fiber and a titanium exhaust to save 154 lbs over the SLS GT. Instead of 583 horsepower, the engine was tuned to make a whopping 622 horsepower.

Next up is a 2009 SL65 AMG Black Series. The program began as the Safety Car for Formula 1, making use of CFRP body panels and larger turbos. Only 175 cars were built for the US, each one making 661 horsepower and 740 lb-ft of torque.

The C-Series seems like an unlikely candidate for a supercar, but the 2012 C63 AMG Black Series is a timeless monster. It is the final coupe to offer the big 6.2, so they decided to pull out all the stops. The redline was raised to 7,200 rpm and big cams yielded 510 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque.

The last member of the collection is a 2008 CLK63 AMG. It was inspired by the DTM series, along with the F1 Safety Car of the late 90s. It also featured the hand built 6.2 liter V8, tuned to 500 horsepower. Only 349 examples were imported, and this example has only 224 original miles.

These pristine examples are being sold as a single lot at Mecum’s Kissimmee Auction. A Black Series gathering like this will never happen again. Be sure to tune in to Mecum’s live feed on YouTube, and stay with us for complete coverage of the event.

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Michael Fux AMG Black Series Collection Heading To Auction

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4747 E Elliot Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85044
Phone: (480) 233-1529
33.3479989,-111.9822456

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First Drive Review: 2018 Alpine A110

THE FRENCHMAN pulls up behind us at the roadworks, jumps out of his car and dances a jig around the Alpine, putting both thumbs in the air and asking, “Ça marche?” as he reaches the driver’s window. “C’est bien! C’est la meme couleur comme la berlinette!”

Evidently, Jean-Claude is thrilled to see a new A110 on the road. Pleased, too, that the petite proportions and blue paint mimic the original, 1962 ‘A-one-ten’.

But away from the car’s homeland, will drivers give this new two-seat sports car such a warm welcome? After all, who in Britain grows up dreaming of owning an Alpine sports car? How many have even heard of Alpine? It’s a question that must give the designers, engineers and marketing wonks at the revived brand restless nights.

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Most car enthusiasts can picture their perfect Porsche. The sound of the engine, blare of the exhaust and shift of the gearstick play out in their mind.

But an Alpine? What do you see? More likely than not, nothing at all, unless you own a 100 year back catalogue of Autocar magazines.

If you haven’t heard of the French marque, you’re not alone. In its home country, where the sports car company is undergoing its second resurrection at the hands of parent company Renault, the name is as familiar as Camembert or Beaujolais. In Britain, more people have dined on a dinner of escargot than seen, let alone owned, an Alpine.

The company hopes to change all that by building a light sports car that’s fun to drive at any speed — a modern interpretation of the original A110, the car that put Alpine on the map.

That last point is important. Increasingly, car enthusiasts can be heard complaining that today’s sports cars are, essentially, too quick for their own good. They often have faster acceleration than an old Formula One car and grip the road as though their tyres have been superglued to the surface. That’s all well and good on a race track, they grumble, but somewhat meaningless when the maximum legal speed on a winding stretch of British country road is 60mph.

Alpine thinks there is demand for a sports car that can be made to dance like Fred Astaire when the driver’s in the mood for fun. One that delivers a two-fingered salute to setting lap times at the Nürbrgring Nordschleife circuit.

To do this, it needed to create a small, light car which would be agile and responsive. This would allow for supple, long-travel suspension and skinny tyres, as there’s less bulk to manage.

“Adding lightness” is Lotus’s philosophy, and you may remember that Toyota and Subaru went down the skinny wheel, comfortable ride tack with the GT86 and BRZ sports cars. However, they have proved about as popular as week-old shellfish.

But the Japanese cars’ technical specification is nothing like as exotic as the new A110. Alpine’s engineers started with a clean sheet of paper – a rare privilege in an industry where economies of scale can make or break a car company and parts-sharing is standard practice.

They wanted a mid-engined car with double wishbone suspension. Carbon-fibre was ruled out for the chassis construction, on the grounds that it’s too expensive, so the structure is aluminium, bonded and riveted like a Lotus Elise, and the rear section is welded, to better cope with the heat of the engine.

There’s a 1.8-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engine (a tuned Renault-Nissan unit) with nearly 250bhp, a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, Brembo brakes and comparatively narrow Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Electronics manage wheelspin and apportion torque to the wheel with the most traction.

The first 1,955 cars — chosen for the year Alpine was founded — are called Premiere Edition. Unlike a Lotus Elise, they aren’t as sparse as a confinement cell. Alpine is adamant this is a car for everyday use.

So there’s carpet, Sabelt sports seats, leather on the dashboard and doors, carbon-fibre trim, a touchscreen infotainment system, digital instruments, climate control and storage compartments in the nose and behind the engine bay. It has a great driving position and feels special — the aluminium footbraces for the driver and passenger are nice touches.

More importantly, the kerb weight of the car is 1,103kg. The regular Pure edition, which will follow and have a little less equipment, will weigh 1,080kg. It makes a Porsche Cayman 718 (1,410kg) look like a walrus.

Engineers from rival car companies privately admit this is impressive; they’re envious of the way Alpine has been let off the leash by Renault and given free rein to go its own way.

It doesn’t take long behind the wheel to appreciate that this approach has paid off: Alpine has created something special. The A110 flows down a winding, bumpy country road with the calm composure of Mary Poppins rounding up children.

It glides where modern sports cars thump, the long-travel suspension soaking up undulations. And bumps in the middle of a bend don’t phase it. Yet there’s little body roll, because there’s relatively little mass to contain.

Use the Normal driving mode and it will happily potter around town or cruise along a motorway in comparative calm. The ride comfort is something of a revelation. Switch to Sport and the powertrain comes alive, responding with added urgency.

At somewhere called Circuit du Grand Sambuc, things get even better. “Whatever you do, don’t switch off the ESP” came the warning from Alpine’s people, worried that cold weather and over-exuberant journalists might see cars laid to waste. Disclaimers had to be signed and promises made.

“It doesn’t take long behind the wheel to appreciate that Alpine has created something special”

A handful of laps are permitted in Track mode, which gives the throttle and gearchange the equivalent of a legal high and gets them all excited, lets the driver get away with enough tomfoolery to put a smile on their face, but prevents any embarrassing contact with the crash barriers.

Of course, I did turn off the ESP for the next five laps. We’re here to test the car, are we not? And the A110 really does dance. The track is damp and cold, admittedly, but as you exceed the tyres’ grip the car is eager to use the rear weight bias to the driver’s advantage, setting off a pendulum motion that progressively pivots the tail around the centre of the car.

In most mid-engined sports cars, this would be the point that you close your eyes and hope for the best. In the Alpine, the surprise is that everything happens so gradually that you have time to decide what to do next; correct the slide or apply the throttle and make things even more exciting. So I opt for the latter and the car smoothly drives itself up the road at a jaunty angle to the direction of travel, before pulling straight.

It does this time and time again, out of every corner. Turn-in the nose, feel the weight begin to unsettle the back of the car, get on the gas, unwind the steering and do your best impression of The Stig.

Truth be told, this car will make every driver feel like a driving god, as Richard Hammond once put it. Even on an unfamiliar race track in difficult driving conditions, you trust it implicitly.

After misbehaving in such a fashion, it dawns on you that your heart isn’t racing and your palms are dry. Alpine has made a sports car with which the driver feels at one.

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Is it time for drivers to place a deposit? Well, there are a few quibbles. This is a very brisk car, capable of accelerating to 62mph in just 4.5 seconds. But the engine is nothing special. The exhaust does a passable impression of an original A110 1300 on carburetors, gurgling at low revs and popping and banging during gearshifts or as you decelerate. But the engine note is ordinary, especially in a car costing the best part of £50,000.

A manual gearbox would have complemented this car’s personality, but the chief engineer says there wasn’t the budget to offer a choice. The driver’s sun visor needs a cover over the mirror, as it’s distracting when in use, and the view out of the rear window is pretty poor. There’s also nowhere to put a drink – but Alpine says it will have an accessory sorted soon.

But complaining about such things is like grumbling that you don’t care for Cindy Crawford’s beauty spot.

The bigger issue is the price. It’s likely to cost nearly £50,000 (Alpine is still to announce the UK price, before the first cars arrive ahead of the summer) which is more than a Porsche Cayman 718. But the A110 is refreshingly different.

Here, then, is an example of what can be done when you let your hair down. It shows how car makers have been wrong to obsess over building cars that are at home around the Nürburgring. There is more to driving than horsepower, grip and lap times: it’s called fun.

Only time will tell whether that’s enough to ensure Alpine can make a name for itself in the UK.

Tweet to @squarejames Follow @squarejames

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source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive-review-2018-alpine-a110/

2019 SCG 004S Supercar

2019 SCG 004S is Glickenhaus’ New Entry-Level Supercar

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) is known for their SCG 003, SCG 003C and P4/5 Competizione, but those weren’t exactly entry-level car. Now, SCG is offering a new model for those who want to take a ride in one of their vehicles without dropping seven-figures worth of cash. The new SCG 004S is the company’s new mid-engined supercar that will be sold for $400,000.

 

Providing the new supercar with power is a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that’s mated to a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission (automatic is optional). For $400k, the SCG 004S will lay down 650 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque for you. Most importantly, the SCG 004S is a three seater. That means the driver will be sitting front and center, and will be flanked by the two passengers.

Interested? SCG is accepting $40,000 deposits for the 004S base models. Deliveries of the 25 Founders Edition coupes will start in 2019.

Supercars for Sale

2019 SCG 004S is Glickenhaus’ New Entry-Level Supercar

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