| GWM C20R – A Very Good Car |
| Pagani Zonda R. Porsche RSR. Nissan GT -R. Golf R. GWM C20R. If it ends in R, chances are it’s a very good car. So you might justifiably wonder why the latest compact hatch crossover from Chinese brand GWM joins this esteemed list. |
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| Fiat 500L 1.4 – A Five-Door Mini MPV |
| The Fiat 500L has had me vexed for a while. I needed to see it in the metal in order to get my head around its dimensions, and now I have. It isn’t a five-door 500, it’s one that’s been mutated into a compact MPV. |
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| Volvo V40 T5 R – Witness The Scandinavian Fitness |
| Now typically you’d associate Volvos with practicality, efficiency and safety. Obsessively-compulsive, mind-numbingly intricate systems leading to unparalleled levels of safety, to be specific – and that’s a good thing, probably. |
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| 2015 Mustang – Interior, Airplane-inspired |
| In the world of automobiles, it’s the car’s exterior that makes the big first impression. That’s not to say we are all superficial, but when it comes to cars, we want to like the way our ride looks. Its appearance says something to the world about us. |
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| PORSCHE MACAN : Small is more |
| Of all the Macans tested so far - including the monumental 400bhp Macan Turbo that nails the century dash in 4.8 seconds - the one with the relatively puny engine proves to be the sweetest. |
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| Km3 Focus – Global Trending (Part 3) |
| Now, considering the default mods for most in the UK is a set of Gaz Gold coil overs and some Compomotives, the idea of fitting CR Kai Kiwani Ultimates and air bags might seem a bit weird – but then this is the beauty of the latest generation of Fiesta and Focus STs. |
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| Km3 Focus – Global Trending (Part 2) |
| “Modifying a domestic car was very uncommon in our local car community – mine was often the only domestic in a sea of Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas and other imports,” he said. “In the past couple of years though, we’ve noticed a steady increase at our local shows and events although there’s still not many sedans like mine!” |
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| No Limit – Wildest S14S (Part 2) |
| Realistically, Chris had no idea what he was doing. He was always good with his hands and had a good imagination, but he had zero experience when it came to building a full-on project from start to finish. What you see here came as a result of a whole lot of trial and error. |
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| No Limit – Wildest S14S (Part 1) |
| The eternal struggle in our community is trying to be "different." No matter how hard you try to set yourself apart from the rest, you end up in the cycle of trends where your ideas get thrown in with what will eventually become popular. |
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| Final Fantasy V8-powered 240SX (Part 4) |
| Having transitioned from wreck to track weapon to drift star over the course of a decade, Chris Soehren’s V8-powered 240SX has finally become the car he always envisaged… |
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| Final Fantasy V8-powered 240SX (Part 3) |
| The car in question was a little red chrome 240SX that sat in his bedroom during his high school years. It was always one of his favourites, so Chris opted for Candy Apple red over a chrome base coat. It was time for his beloved but abused Nissan to step up and become a striking demo vehicle for Elite Automotive Finishes. |
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| Final Fantasy V8-powered 240SX (Part 2) |
| He ran the 240SX that way for some time but, as you can imagine, the K24 under the bonnet began to struggle to satisfy his power hungry demands. It was also getting pretty old and tired, so instead of rebuilding it or sourcing a like-for-like replacement, Chris began exploring other avenues. |
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| Final Fantasy V8-powered 240SX (Part 1) |
| Before we get started, turn forward a couple of pages and take a look at the ‘before’ photos. Go on, have a look... You back with us now? Good. Quite some transformation isn’t it? If you’re anything like us you’ll need few moments to look through the shots and take it all in. It’s hard to get your head round just how far this S13 has come. |
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| Game Changer: i8 UK Drive (Part 5) |
| Externally there's a slightly disappointing range of colours to choose from - effectively white, grey, silver and blue, or Crystal, Sophisto Ionic and Protonic if you've fallen for the BMW naming convention. |
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| Game Changer: i8 UK Drive (Part 4) |
| In Sport mode the electronic dampers are automatically set in their firmer mode - unlike other BMWs there's no facility to just have the sporty throttle map without having the tauter chassis - but the car still rides remarkably well and this means you can carry plenty of speed even over the most unkempt pieces of road. |
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| Game Changer: i8 UK Drive (Part 3) |
| The i8 effectively has four driving modes. The default setting is Comfort, and it's this mode that is dialled-in on initial start up, and what you get here is an intelligent interaction between the petrol combustion engine and the electric motor. |
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| Game Changer: i8 UK Drive (Part 2) |
| You feel hunkered down in the cabin and even before the door's closed you feel nicely cocooned thanks to that high sill, and once you've closed the door you feel the full effect of the swooping interior design that wraps around you. There's plenty of familiar BMW switchgear in here and while it's less out of Tron than the exterior it's still a hi-tech setup. |
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| Game Changer: i8 UK Drive (Part 1) |
| From the press briefing it's obvious that there's more technology packed into this car than the rest of the range put together so before heading off to put it through its paces it's time to take stock of the cockpit and controls. |
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| NSRA’s Nostalgia Nationals – Burning Rubber |
| Summer solstice, the longest day of the year, happened to fall on the weekend of the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Shakespeare County Raceway, and boy, did we enjoy every minute of it. Three long, hot days with hardly a cloud in the sky, it was the sort of race weekend that almost makes winter bearable. |
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| Building A Bigger Benz (Part 1) |
| Gaining a reputation for high quality conversions of Mercedes-Benz vehicles before and after World War Two, German coachbuilder Binz is now recognized as a manufacturer in its own right |
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| Conrods – The Knowledge (Part 3) |
| The two most common designs of con-rod are the I-beam and H-beam, both of these take their name from the shape of their centre cross section. Cut them in half and one looks an “I” and one looks like an “H”; pretty self-explanatory, really. |
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| Conrods – The Knowledge (Part 2) |
| As the big end is of a two-piece construction, the bearing it houses has to be the same. Rather than the press-fit 360-degree bearing in the little end, the big end houses a split bearing in two halves. |
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| Conrods – The Knowledge (Part 1) |
| The humble connecting rod, or con-rod as it is more commonly known, has a simple but very vital role to play in an engine. That role is basically to transfer kinetic energy to and from the piston and crankshaft. Starting from the beginning of the process, the fuel/air mixture is burned in the cylinder and expands rapidly, pushing the piston down the bore. |
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| F06 640d Gran Coupé Is The Ultimate GT? (Part 3) |
| So, with a roundabout fast approaching at the end of a particular stretch of dual-carriageway, I thumb the drive control switch into Sport, and click the gear lever to the left on approach, giving me control over the gears and engine braking. |
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| F06 640d Gran Coupé Is The Ultimate GT? (Part 2) |
| It's late on a Friday afternoon when I finally pull up at Cooper Reading's showroom, and after a few pleasantries I'm shown 'my' Alpine white 640d Gran Coupé and I reckon that as a piece of automotive sculpture this thing cuts quite a dash. |
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| F06 640d Gran Coupé Is The Ultimate GT? (Part 1) |
| Most new cars on sale in the UK today can be categorized by a list of parameters. A set of attributes which ultimately define their type and usage. Hot hatchbacks for example, exceptions such as the M135i and Golf R32 aside, are resolutely front-wheel drive, normally three doors in configuration but occasionally five, replete with split fold rear seats and a good useable boot. |
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| Good Wood Festival Of Speed |
| As has become expected, the Goodwood Festival of Speed was a perfect blend of ancient and modern, the weird and the whacky, celebrating everything that's great about the motoring world. For fans of the blue and white roundel it was a little bit disappointing this year as BMW Classic didn't bring over a fleet of its historic machinery but as it had plenty of machinery on show at Le Mans Classic we guess we can forgive it on this occasion! |
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| Hot To Trot Project Pony |
| Meet Classic American’s Project Pony, it’s only had three owners in 50 years; well there were others, the ones who had the best intentions of bringing this sad-looking Mustang back to its former glory. |
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| Mopar Euro Nationals Santa Pod Raceway |
| Celebrating its 21st anniversary, the Mopar Euro Nats has not only come of age, but has also grown to become the number one car show for muscle car petrol heads across the UK and Europe. |
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