Tag Archives: Video

McLaren F1, Porsche 911 GT1 And Mercedes CLK GTR: Part 1 Of The Ultimate Group Test

Sometimes stars align and dreams come true, as shown by Carfection’s latest film which brings together the McLaren F1, the Porsche 911 GT1 and the Mercedes CLK GTR.

While the term ‘hypercar’ was coined much later, it would be somewhat of an understatement to call these insane speed machines simply supercars.

In the first episode of this rather special series, Carfection’s Henry Catchpole reviews the McLaren F1, chassis No 037, which is preserved beautifully in its original specification.

Also: McLaren F1 Review From Back In The Day Is A Must-Watch

Apparently, this is also the only McLaren F1 with a full Alcantara interior from new, the cabin still wearing the original trim. Its owners used things like towels and specially made fabric sheets to protect the upholstery and the originality of the car.

The naturally aspirated BMW 6.1-liter V12 produces 627 HP and 480 lb-ft (651 Nm) of torque and is paired to a six-speed manual transmission. Given that it has to move just 2,509 lbs (1,138 kg), that epic V12 still manages to impress with its throttle response and power across the rev band. After all, the McLaren F1 still holds the title of the fastest production car with a naturally aspirated engine.

But the F1 is more than just an engine; it’s a packaging triumph, with its compact footprint, the central driving position, and the obsessive attention to detail in making everything as light as possible. There’s no traction control, ABS, or power steering, just a singular focus on making the best driver’s car that has ever existed.

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Bajaj Qute Is South Africa’s Cheapest Car But Should You Really Get One?

I totally get the appeal of a wildly cheap vehicle like the Bajaj Qute. But are buyers getting their money’s worth? The answer is a resounding no.

For starters, they aren’t getting a car. Legally, what they’re getting is a quadricycle. And it certainly feels like it. With a sequential gearshift that operates like a motorcycle’s (albeit with a foot-operated clutch instead of a hand-operated one) and a 216 cc engine, there’s a paucity of power that feels bike-like.

And the limitations continue becausethis Bajaj is allowed to go on the highway. Even if it was legally allowed, though, you’d definitely wouldn’t want to take it there. The 216 cc engine makes just 8.08 kW (10.835 hp) and 18.9 Nm of torque (13.94 lb-ft), which means a top speed of just 70 kph (43 mph).

Read More: Bajaj RE60 wants to Steal the Title of the World’s Cheapest Car from Tata Nano

With most traffic whizzing by at 120 kph (75 mph) and no safety techn to speak of, it does not feel like it should be legal on the highway anyway. According to host Ciro De Siena, even if you stay on normal roads, you don’t feel that safe.

“I think the biggest concern here for me, is the rollover risk. It really does feel like it’ll topple over very easily,” he says.

That said, though, the Qute isn’t a total waste of time.

“In my experience from having driven this around Cape Town for a bit, it’s actually okay in stop-start traffic and sort of on normal roads where the speed limit is 60 [kph, 37 mph],” says De Siena. “It’s actually fine. I wasn’t expecting it to be, but it’s fast enough off the line, it’s fast enough through the gears, it gets to 60 Ks an hour fast enough.”

In fact, De Siena says he actually likes it. It does what it promises to and will get you where you need to be in a pinch.

At 75,000 rand ($5,300 USD), though, it’s not quite cheap enough to make sense. That’s cheap, but for the same amount of money you could also get yourself a reasonable second-hand VW Polo or Hyundai i10. Sure, there may be some expense involved in keeping those on the road, but they’ll also go on every road.

“I don’t think that there’s a single South African who doesn’t know what this car is right now. It’s insane how much interest there is in this car,” he admits. “But I don’t think I can recommend this as a passenger car. I really don’t.”

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New Ferrari 812 Competizione And Drop-top Competizione A Are Here To Remind Us What A V12 Is All About

Ferrari has finally revealed the name of its special edition 812: meet the new 812 Competizione and its drop-top sibling, the Competizione A.

The headline figure of the new Ferrari 812 Competizione is of course the horsepower, which gets an upgraded version of the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine producing 818 HP, instead of the Superfast’s 789 HP, while revving up to a shocking 9,500 rpm. Torque is slightly reduced from 529 lb-ft (717 Nm) to 513 lb-ft (695 Nm).

Read Also: Is This Bold-Looking Ferrari An F12tdf-Based One-Off?

The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission comes with new software that further reduces shift times by 5 percent, retaining the same ratios with the ‘regular’ 812 Superfast. Ferrari’s new 812 Competizione models claim a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time in 2.85 seconds, while flat out they’ll do over 211 mph (340 km/h).

To make a 6.5-liter V12 spin its internals at that speed, Ferrari redesigned many of its components, including new titanium con-rods that are 40 percent lighter than those in the Superfast, and a new ‘diamond-like’ carbon coating on the camshafts and the pins inside the pistons for reduced friction and more durability.

The engine revisions also include a lighter and rebalanced crankshaft while the intake now features variable geometry inlet tracts. Add to that a new exhaust system that, despite having a mandatory petrol particulate filter for Europe, makes the Ferrari V12 scream as ferociously as ever.

The new exhaust employs rectangular pipes mounted at either end of the bumper, making room for the full-width rear diffuser, which accounts for 25 percent of the total increase in downforce over the regular model. The giant new diffuser works in “perfect aerodynamic synergy” with the new full-width rear spoiler as well, guaranteeing the maximum downforce possible over the rear axle.

The front spoiler features a passive mobile aero system, which opens at speeds over 155 mph (250 km/h), stalling the diffuser and allowing the 812 Competizione to reach its top speed.

Ferrari was able to improve the cooling flow management on the 812 Competizione without increasing the dimensions and weight of the radiators. The engine air intakes are on either side of the central grille, while the evacuation of hot air was improved thanks to the vents on either side of the bonnet’s new central ‘blade’, and the louvers on the wings.

One of the most eye-catching features of the new Ferrari 812 Competizione is of course the new rear screen, which here is completely closed, freeing up space for some new aerodynamic solutions. These include three pairs of protruding elements that act as vortex generators, in order to distort the flow and redistribute the rear axle’s pressure field. Part of the flow is deflected towards the sides of the rear spoiler, boosting downforce and improving the efficiency of the diffuser. Ferrari says that these vortex generators “guarantee” 10 percent of the total increase in rear downforce, compared to the Superfast.

Other go-faster components include Ferrari’s latest Side Slip Control v. 7.0, an independent rear-wheel steering system with a new electronic management system that allows the right and left actuators to be operated individually, a set of bespoke Michelin Cup 2 R tires wrapped on all-carbon-fiber wheels, and more.

Ferrari says that it was able to reduce the weight of the 812 Competizione by 38 kg (84 lbs) compared to the Superfast, at 1,487 kg (3,278 lbs) dry, thanks to the new materials and components used in the powertrain, running gear, and bodywork.

While the new 812 Competizione and Competizione A models are described by Ferrari as “dedicated to a very exclusive group of collectors and enthusiasts of the most noble of Ferrari traditions”, they didn’t reveal exactly how many of them will be produced. If the past is any indication, we’d say that the drop-top Competizione A will be the rarer one, if you care for that sort of thing.

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The New BMW M3/M4 Drift Analyzer Is Fun, But Could It Be Dangerous?

The new BMW M3 and M4 have a lot going for them, including an all-new engine that helps to boost performance over the previous-generation models. One of the updates also made to the new cars is the fitment of a ‘Drift Analyzer.’

As the name implies, this system analyses the drifts a driver performs in the car. It can only be accessed by turning off all of the safety nannies so is best used on a racetrack, rather than on the road. Eager to test out the system, Evo Magazine’s Steve Sutcliffe headed onto a circuit and started powersliding the new M3.

Read Also: After The M4, The 2021 BMW M3 Competition Also Makes More Power Than Advertised

The Drift Analyzer measures a host of different parameters to provide drivers with a rating of their drift. It measures things including the distance covered by the rear wheels, the speed of the drift and most importantly, the angle of the car.

The best drift performed by Sutcliffe was awarded 4.5 stars out of 5 by the system. Interestingly, he suggests that the system is much more interested in the angle of the drift than the speed or distance. The bigger the angle, the higher the score.

While the system will no doubt be appreciated by some owners, Sutcliffe also suggests that it could lead to a number of crashes as M3/M4 owners try to get the highest drift rating possible on the street.

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Some See Art, Others See Crime In This 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Art Car

All Porsche 911s are special but the exterior paint finish of this particular 1989 Carrera makes it even more so.

This 911 art car was created as part of the Art Cars Project run by the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec in Canada and is being offered from a dealership in California with an accident-free Carfax report and an Arizona title. Responsible for the unique paint scheme were artist Dominic Besner and collaborator Yves Thibeault.

Read Also: Theon Design’s Latest Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Is The Stuff Of Dreams

The front of the 911 depicts a bull with a nose ring with its horns extending over the front fenders and onto the doors. The rest of the paintwork combines elements of orange, red, yellow, brown, blue, white, black, and turquoise. Completing the striking exterior look are black 16-inch Fuchs-style wheels with custom-painted center caps complete with Porsche crests shod in 205/50 front and 225/50 rear Pirelli Cinturato tires.

Found in the interior are seats clad in tan-colored upholstery complete with matching floor mats and carpets. Key features include air conditioning and a Kenwood CD player.

Powering this 911 Carrera is a 3.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-six pumping out 217 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, and the Bring A Trailer listing adds that the oil and battery was replaced in May 2020.

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Can The New Honda Civic Type R Take On the Original NSX?

When he was working at McLaren, Gordon Murray’s daily driver was a Honda NSX, so impressed was he by the car’s usability. Although it can’t keep up with the Civic Type R in terms of practicality, surely it must be able to keep up with it in terms of performance.

Well, after 30 years of development, the Civic Type R looks better off than the NSX on paper. Despite packing two fewer cylinders, it makes 316 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque to the NSX’s 290 hp and 220 lb-ft.

Even in terms of weight, the more capacious Civic has the supercar beat. According to Honda UK, the Civic Type R weighs in at 1,395 kg (3,075 lbs) in Sport Line trim. The 2001-2005 NSX, meanwhile, weighed 1,430 kg (3,152 lbs).

Fifth Gear host Jason Plato, though, is impressed by the NSX. Tuned with input from the legendary Ayrton Senna, the Japanese supercar is eager to turn in and easy to handle.

See Also: What Makes The Original Acura NSX So Desirable And Valuable

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“The chassis is gorgeous,” says Plato. “It’s supple, yet stiff enough. The steering’s beautiful. I mean really lovely. That’s really delightful!”

In contrast, he has more than a few complaints about the Civic Type R. As he bounces in his seat, he says that the suspension is too stiff and that the rear is too planted. A bit more rotation, he says, would be welcome.

“The thing’s too stiff!” the BTCC driver says. “The rebound damping’s been wound up too much. That’s what makes it pump. Touring Cars don’t even hop like this.”

Rebound stiffness notwithstanding, Plato bounces his way to a 1:17.5 lap time at Castle Combe raceway – which is better by a large margin than the NSX’s time of 1:21.3. While the Civic Type R might not be as lovely a thing as the NSX, you definitely can’t accuse it of not being fast.

BMW M4 Vs. Mercedes-AMG C63 Vs. Audi RS5: Which Is The Quickest Premium Sports Coupe?

The BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS5 are all great compact premium coupes with lots of performance, but which one takes the prize when you pit them against each other?

One might argue that the Quattro all-wheel drive system of the Audi is hard to beat. Some might say that the twin-turbocharged V8 engine of the Mercedes is simply superior here, whereas others would defend the BMW simply because it is arguably the most fun to drive.

Driven: Here’s Why The 2021 BMW M4 Competition Is Great – And How It Could Be Better

Okay, that obviously does not answer the question, so it’s time to see them in action, in a video that focuses solely on the straight-line performance, from a standing and a rolling start, and includes brake tests too. But before doing that, let’s see what the spec sheets say, starting with the Audi, which uses a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 that makes 444 HP and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque. It can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and up to 174 mph (280 km/h) with the optional RS Dynamic Package.

The C63 S, on the other hand, which is the pinnacle of the previous-gen C-Class lineup, has a 503 HP and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and will do the 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h). And the new M4 Competition uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six with 503 HP and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm), for a nought to 62 mph of 3.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

On paper, then, they are almost inseparable when it comes to straight line speed. However, 0-60 times are one thing; how they actually perform in the real world can be quite another. So, which comes out on top?

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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ And Porsche 911 GT2 RS Go Toe-To-Toe In Epic Drag Races

If you were to show pictures of the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Porsche 911 GT2 RS to someone who doesn’t know much about cars and asked them which of the two accelerates the fastest, most would guess the Lamborghini. But is it actually quicker than its German rival?

To find out, Formula E driver Daniel Abt brought the two along to a runway for a series of drag races, both from a standstill and from a roll. The results may surprise you.

Read Also: Lamborghini Aventador Successor Could Be Revealed This Year With Hybrid Technology

Powering the Aventador SVJ is a 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V12 pumping out 759 hp and 530 lb-ft (718 Nm) of torque while the Porsche delivers 690 hp from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter six-cylinder. However, the Porsche has a torque advantage with 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) and is also rear-wheel drive, meaning it has less drivetrain loss than the Aventador. It also weighs less than the Lamborghini.

In the first race from a standing start, the drive of the SVJ nails the launch and accelerates into a quick lead while Abt, behind the wheel of the 911 GT2 RS, struggles to put the power to the ground without spinning up the rear wheels. In fact, it took 3.8 seconds for the Porsche to reach 62 mph (100 km/h).

In the second race, Abt got a much better launch and was able to get off the line better than the Lamborghini, despite only having rear-wheel drive. As the speeds started to build, the Porsche continued to stretch out its lead, easily defeating the Lamborghini.

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Toyota GR Yaris Takes On Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition

Tommi Makinen is one of rallying’s great drivers and his legacy is all over both the Toyota GR Yaris and the Mitsubishi Evo VI that bears his name. But which is fastest?

Carwow sought to find out, pitting the two rally-inspired cars against one another to discover what two decades of motoring progress has given us. And the answer is a very good time.

We’re all familiar with Toyota’s GR Yaris at this point: most powerful three-cylinder (257 hp), all-wheel drive, unique body designed to homologate Toyota’s WRC racer, shocking performance for something based on an economy car.

Makinen was intimately involved in the production of the car and even drove every single test mule in his role as Toyota Motorsport Advisor.

Long before he was an advisor, though, he was a WRC champion. In fact, he won the World Rally Championship four times in a row between 1996 and 1999. With 24 wins during his rallying career, he is the fifth most successful driver in WRC history; and most of those victories came at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Read Also: UK Celebrates Two Decades Of Mitsubishi Lancer EVOs

The Lancer Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition featured in the video below was designed to celebrate the team’s accomplishments and was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making around 275 hp. Power is routed through a five-speed transmission to all four wheels via a clever AWD system.

When it was released, Makinen said:

“Wow. To have a car named after yourself. That’s something else. Over the years, I have made a number of suggestions for the LANCER Evolution series, stressing the importance of making it easy to control and fun to drive and ride, as well as giving it high levels of performance. The LANCER Evolution realizes a beautiful balance between all performance parameters and it really provided me with the perfect car to re-write the WRC record book. I would just like to say that anyone who buys the LANCER Evolution has made the ‘Right Choice’.”

Just how reliable these races are is a little questionable based on the quality of shifting, but we can draw from these results that the Evo has more top-end speed than the Yaris, which is better off the line.

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The 1994 Toyota MR2 Turbo Was A Genuine World-Class Sportscar

There’s nothing like watching a review from 1994 and hearing words that you’d expect to hear from modern cars today.

Indeed, most of the improvements made to the 1994 Toyota MR2 in this Motorweek Retro Review came in the form of its suspension, which had two-way valve dampers and minor geometry changes. That’s the kind of technology that automakers might celebrate today and it helps explain why John Davis was so positive about the MR2’s handling, as tested at Roebling Raceway.

In 1993 the MR2 made a leap forward. As Car and Driver wrote, “Early [MR2s] favor the bold—beware of snap oversteer — but Toyota corrected that in 1993 with a revised suspension and larger wheels and tires.”

Read Also: Guy Buys 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo Garage Find With 1,461 Miles For Just $500!

Everything about later MR2s stands out, especially the price according to Motorweek. Indeed, the fully kitted-out car they had on the show cost $32,411. Although that might not sound like much today, inflation means it’s the equivalent of about $56,000 in 2021.

More to the point, the MR2 cost only about three grand less than an M3 in 1994. By comparison, Miata prices at the time started at around $17,000, making the Toyota significantly more expensive. With 200 hp coming from its 2.0-liter turbo, though, the MR2 was way more powerful than the Miata of the day. That said, the MR2 was down on power compared to the M3, which in US-spec made 240 hp.

Despite the price, we’re glad Toyota found a way to keep producing this world-class sports car for another five years.

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