Doing it for the team – not
Along with millions of other race fans around the world, I was aghast when I heard Rob Smedley, Felipe Massa’s engineer, passing on the thinly-veiled order to give way to Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim
To Rapide or not to Rapide
Since the Aston Martin Rapide test car featured in the August issue of CAR magazine left our offices, I’ve spent a great many nights rolling around in bed, getting tied up in my own blankets and elbowing my wife in the back. Only now, many weeks later, have I finally reached a conclusion on the Rapide matter. Well, sort of…
Practical beauty
“Aston Martin doesn’t have a styling committee, or a large board that needs to give the go-ahead for a new car,” says Marek Reichman, design director at the British sportscar manufacturer. “It is basically CEO Ulrich Bez and me, with the final call being Ulrich’s,” Reichman continues. “He gives me a brief that is usually very short but very accurate – for example with the DBS he said he wanted the automotive equivalent of a very muscular man in an expensive tux. It is my job to interpret his direction correctly.”
Peugeot RCZ
Peugeot’s dramatic new coupè has just been launched on the international market. This fluid feline shows that the French company is serious about reinventing itself… Read more →
Terrain-tackling Thar
With Mahindra & Mahindra’s steady progress in making its passenger vehicles more civilian-friendly in recent years with the likes of the Bolero, Xylo and Scorpio, the Indian firm has gone back to the basics with the fourth model introduced to South Africa, the Thar.
Premature pounce, RCZ revealed
Although not extensive, the release and images Peugeot has sent out with regards to its RCZ give away all the important aspects about the 2+2 seat coupé from the French manufacturer before its international début at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.
Schnitzer’s Drop-top Cooper killer
Although the R57 Mini Convertible was only just launched in Austria, the cream of Germany’s tuners have wasted no time in producing tuning packages for the topless Mini, especially Aachen-based BMW specialist AC Schnitzer.
Automatic Cherys a better pick?
Chery South Africa has just introduced automatic versions of its QQ3 and J5 – two of five new models destined for our market this year.
UPDATE – Quattroporte S set to stun
CARtoday.com editor Mike Fourie got the chance to drive the Quattroporte S – the flagship of Maserati’s revised grand saloon range – this week. He reports from Austria that although the 4,7-litre V8-engined newcomer has the ability to rival super saloons in terms of performance, its packaging and on-road poise illustrate Maserati’s determination to increase its foothold in the grand saloon segment.
TT’s in the Club(sport)
The Audi TT clubsport quattro was first seen in concept form at the Wörthersee Tour, the tuner show that attracts thousands of Audi and VW enthusiasts to southern Austria every year. At this year’s show, the Inglostadt-based company unveiled the production version of the TT Clubsport quattro to an audience in the region of 200 000.