Ollie Davies » Autos

Frankfurt Reports: Hamann Fiat 500

Ollie Davies — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:56:22 +0000

Well, I have to admit I love the boy racer style. The stock Fiat 500 looks nice, but lets be honest its a bit feminine, the Fiat 500 Abarth looked even better. But now German tuner Hamann has decided to share this little terror with us its 265bhp Largo. After fiddling about with the Abarth’s 1.4 litre engine, the modding house has developed a performance kit which raises power from 135bhp to 265bhp, the same as the recently-revealed VW Golf R. There aren’t any performance figures for the Largo but the Golf R will accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and it’s considerably heavier than the 500. But increasing power wasn’t enough for Hamann which gave the Largo a redesigned front bumper with LED lights, special wing extensions, four tail pipes, new suspension and 18-inch alloys.

If this wasn’t enough, an artist inspired by the works of Kandinsky decided to experiment on the bodywork and it looks surprisingly good.

VW Golf R to Destroy the New Ford Focus RS

Ollie Davies — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:38:43 +0000

The new Volkswagen Golf R – the flagship VW hot hatch which will destroy the Ford Focus RS in a straight line. The Golf R is the successor to the R32 model, and Volkswagen has fitted its new model with a smaller engine for reduced weight and improved fuel economy.VW has slotted a 2-litre turbocharged engine developing 265bhp into the R – 35bhp less than the Ford Focus RS.But the semi-automatic R model accelerates from 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds – 0.4 seconds quicker than the Ford Focus RS. Yep, that got our attention too.It will outgun the fast Ford initially but the electronically-limited top speed of 155mph means the RS has 8mph on its German rival. Let’s be honest, it’s a classier looking model than the RS which screams ‘you want some’ more aggressively than any other production hot hatch.The Golf R is all-wheel drive and with a manual ‘box still accelerates to 62mph in an impressive 5.7 seconds. With a combined fuel economy of 33.2mpg, it’s 21 per cent more efficient than the R32.

McLaren MP4-12C

Ollie Davies — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:23:59 +0000

The original McLaren F1 was the greatest road going super-car of all time, with its astonishing looks and 3 seater design it was a tough one to beat. Until Bugatti Veyron came along and quite literally through the F1 of the throne. But now there’s a new contender, the successor to the McLaren F1, the 600BHP McLaren MP4-12C.

With A 0-62 time around about 3 seconds its not quite as fast as its older sister. The 12C is underpinned by a revolutionary new one-piece carbon fibre tub, a brand new piece of technology that weighs in at just 81kg. There’s more clever tech on board, too – an all-new seven-speed dual clutch transmission (called SSG) and innovative suspension that does without a conventional anti-roll bar, featuring instead hydraulically inter-connected dampers. Oh, and – just like the original F1 – there’s a rear air brake.

McLaren plans to build around 1000 12Cs each year, with prices expected to start at just under £150,000 – right on Ferrari 458 money. That’s a virtual bargain compared to the original F1, which weighed it at over half a million quid even back in 1992.

Keep watching this space for more news on the 12C !

New Mercedes SLS

Ollie Davies — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:54:48 +0000

Well people the Gullwing is back!

We’ve seen rubbish drawing’s, Camouflaged concepts but this is the first real in depth look at the new Mercedes SLS. Mercedes’ all-new supercar and the spiritual successor to the 1954 300SL.

Its going to be very fast. Underneath that long, long bonnet, two metres long in fact, is a hotted-up version of the 6.3-litre V8 from the Merc C63 AMG, hoofing out a massive 571bhp and 479lb ft of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch box. That means it’ll hit 62mph in just 3.8 seconds and top out at a whopping 197mph, making the SLS very nearly as quick as the outgoing McLaren-Mercedes SLR 722. And hugely fast in its own right.

Check back soon for some more news on this stunning vehicle!