Ah the fifties. Elvis, Fats, Chuck Berry, Biff Tannen macking on Lorraine McFly nee Baines at the inaugural Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. It was a time when cars were pure mechanical beasts without all this fancy technology now seen in their contemporary counterparts. Nevertheless, it was a decade that paved the way for innovations such as air conditioning, seat belts and the V-8 engine, without which we would most likely be struggling. In episode one of this series, we’re hitting 88 miles per hour and going back to 1954 with the Oldsmobile F-88 Roadster. Checkin' her out. A Golden oldie right there! Origins Hard times were upon Corvette in the 50s. Sales plummeted, there was no sense of inventiveness, and let’s face it the competition was fierce. I mean, we had the classic 1954 Cadillac Eldorado for crying out loud! The baddy Cadi Eldorado convertible from 1954 But that didn’t stop four guys with a vision from scheming their way into the history books. Indeed, messrs Harley, Bill, Ken and Zora put their heads together and gave it some serious thought. They took the Chevrolet Corvette’s 102-inch wheelbase and a fiberglass chassis and then decked it out with a…
Last week, the only all aluminium Aston Martin V-12 Zagato Coupe in the world went on sale for close to a million bucks. That's really one of a kind, right? Imagine having the privilege of driving literally the only car of its kind? To not once have to eye the neighbour’s garage, or to cast envious looks over super sports cars parked along the shore on a pedestrian visit to St. Tropez (we all know you got kicked out of the VIP club too). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the other supreme rarities that made the cut into the real world, and are currently parked in one garage and one alone. Join us on this epic One of a Kind series. Every week we'll be revealing a hot new ride, so keep your eyes peeled and watch this space! 5. 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Roadster Raw motoring goodness Kicking of our one of a kind series is this brainchild of Bill Lange. It was a real statement piece of the 50s, in an era that boasted the likes of the iconic 1954 Cadillac Eldorado. It's 5.3L super 88 V8 rocket engine delivered…
Remember in 1969, when people could literally travel at the speed of sound? That’s right. It’s called a concorde, and on that occasion, it was the Mach 1. But it’s not that Mach 1 that’s broken the internet today. It’s the namesake who first emerged in the very same year the supersonic plane took flight to become the best performing “civillian” Mustang of its time. A true classic that held its own in a collection featuring the Boss and Shelby models Ranking just below the legendary Boss and Shelby models, the Mach 1 proved so popular, it even outsold the GT. It was every muscle car enthusiast’s dream, equal parts performance and power, and in 2004, we thought we’d seen the last of it after its fourth edition. But now, after all the spy shots and speculation, she’s back with a vengeance for 2021 and threatening to tear down the roof. One engine, two transmissions Here’s a question: what would you get if you crossbred a Bullitt with a Shelby GT350 and add a little bit of the GT500? No, not Mambo number 5 if that's what you guessed. A little bit of Bullitt in my life...a little bit of…
Ever fancied a luxury Sedan for your night time Emirati drives? We just might have what you're looking for. For the first time ever, Cadillac has introduced the CT4 to the Middle East, and we’ve gotta say, this one really oozes elegance and class. Tranquillity defined through sleekness and class With 12 options on a wide-ranging spectrum of decadent colours, you're really spoiled for choice. Still want Deadpool on your bonnet? No problem. Search through our foiling options and we’ll get you to the right palace for a quality custom job. You can also choose from 8 colour, material and trim interior combinations to really stand out from the crowd. Built for athleticism The CT4’s sleek profile leverages off the natural, long dash-to-front-axle proportional advantage of the RWD platform. This, along with its wide stance, is an expression of presence, confidence and performance. You can distinguish the Luxury and Premium Luxury trims from the Sport model by the exterior Accenture; bright for the former, dark on the latter. The Sport also rocks awe-tastic performance-inspired details, including unique grilles, fascias, rocker extensions, a rear spoiler and exclusive performance design wheels. All models come tricked out with LED exterior lighting from head…
For just about ten years, Porsche’s GTS lineup has featured a 3.6L, twin-turbo V6, while its cousins, the Cayenne and Panamera Turbo, have made the leap to 4.0L, twin-turbos. Well, good news for GTS fans everywhere, as its finally made the leap with a detuned 4.0L engine. Ah, the red calipers, gimme it now! More power And what wonders two additional cylinders can do. 18 more horses and an extra 12 lb-ft of torque, means you’ll get from 0-60 in around 4.6 seconds, 4.2 if you deck it out with the GTS Coupe standard Sport Chrono package. It’s all fine margins when you’re beating the traffic to get to the grocery store, right? Coming back to those horses, the new GTS is a mere 100 away from the range-topping 550 hp on the Cayenne Turbo. Who knows, they might even add a couple more cylinders on the 2022 variant, and with some tuning, the GTS can be the new chart topper. Exhaustively delicious If you’re an ass person, then you’ll be delighted to know the new GTS will have a sports exhaust that’s described as an “emotive aural experience.” Can’t say for sure, but that sounds like sexy car talk…
The red carpet was unfurled as high performance tires rolled across the fine velvet in the Middle East Car of the Year awards. It was the automotive Oscars as we know it, an occasion where glitz meets glam. All the favourites were in attendance, but it was Lamborghini that stole the show with victories across four categories. We had the Di Caprios and the Denzels, with the V8 Urus, V10 Huracan and V12 Aventador SVJ sitting mighty in the front row, receiving all the plaudits for design quality,craftsmanship, handling, performance and technology. Huracan EVO: the emotive yet controlled driving experience The Huracan EVO will grant you control over its astonishing speed The Huracan EVO, evolving to its most successful V10 powered model yet, stood out for its ability to anticipate and respond to the driver’s behaviour. It makes for an emotive, yet controlled driving experience despite pumping out 640 hp, zipping from 0 to 100 km/h in under 3 seconds and hitting top speeds of 325 km/h. Supercar of the year award for Aventador SVJ Roadster Ladies and gentlemen, your super car of the year: The Aventador SVJ Meanwhile, the Aventador SVJ Roadster took home the Supercar of the year…
This weekend, it’s the Queen’s birthday (Yep she has 2 birthdays), and if British royalty means something to you, then you’re definitely in for a treat. Almost as if to celebrate this ‘momentous occasion’ (yes the quotation marks may hurt some, deal with it), Aston Martin have availed an extremely rare, all-aluminium V12 Zagato Coupe. And for a million bucks, or around £800k, give or take a handful of Quid, it could be yours for the taking. I can look at this all day First unveiled in 2011, the Zag Coupe was already a rarity with only 64 models in the production lineup. Now you can get your hands on this (literally) one in 7 billion, very limited, one of its kind edition. Never again will you say you’ve seen somebody else driving the same car. Until Rowan Atkinson pulls up next to you in a matching British Race Green coupe with a drool-factor of infinity and gives you the very familiar eye-brow raise and mischievous grin. We see you Mr Bean, you stick to your McLaren F1 buddy! Beautiful inside and out And they’ve not just reworked the exterior into this green ball of explosive firepower. They’ve also retrimmed…
GTI, a group of alphabetic letters that make a badge and when placed in a grill with red accents, need no introduction. These letters have defined the quintessential hot-hatch since 1975. But what does GTI stand for? Gran Turismo Injection - a name longer than the car itself. That red frame! We are in the eighth generation of the GTI. Every generation of this little thing has gone on to claim the crown for hot-hatchery. Volkswagen has been at the game for a long time and doesn’t seem to be backing down anytime soon. We’re yet to see proper reviews and tests of the MK8 GTI but we reckon it will be good, given their track record. It is the poster child for people who love their cars without a traditional boot. There’s a good reason for that which we will cover in a bit. But today we take you back to the one that started it all. Origins of the GTI Alfons Löwenberg, an engineer at Volkswagen, saw the potential for a small, but powerful car in the early 70s - a time when VW was not really inclined to making a supermini after the failed Beetle GSR (death…
Elon Musk’s not always been in the news for good reasons, but on this occasion, we’ll hand it to him. Tesla Inc. shares went up by more than 9% on Wednesday following Musk’s rallying cry on the production front of the electric freight truck, the Tesla Semi. Tesla’s stock closed at a record $1,025.05 and traded as high as $1,027.48, swelling the company’s market cap to $190 billion, pipping rivals Toyota Motor Corp to the title of the world’s most valuable car maker. We want whatever you're smoking Urgent action Mister Elon previously caused a stir in the media, after he defied lockdown protocols and urged his people to “go all out” and “bring the Tesla Semi to volume production”. Why the sense of urgency, you would ask? As a response to an electric truck start up, Nikola Corp, going public last week. Don’t get us started on that freakish coincidence (Nikola Tesla). Ah Elon, you #mothertrucker. The buzz around Tesla's semi We had our first glimpse of a Tesla Semi base model back in November 2017, with a price tag of around $150,000. But since then, the Semi has flown under the radar with most Tesla-related news hovering around…
The buzz around Ford’s up and coming Bronco Sport, also known as the 2021 Bronco’s mini me, continues, with Ford Authority now lifting the lid on the liftgate, which sources say will open upwards! Very reminiscent of the Wrangler, and a deviation from Mamma Bronco's regular door-style, side-opening rear gate. Broncosaurus anyone? #dadjokes Hatching the plot But that’s not all. The liftgate’s rear glass will ALSO flip open, which means you can get your mustard yellow duffel bag out without having to open the entire hatch! A minor detail, sure, but ain’t nobody got time to go through such an elaborate process to extract items from the back anymore, not when there’s so much Netflixing to do (which you can on the horizontal infotainment touchscreen that’ll apparently come with Sport!). You didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out either. The spy shots show clearly visible hinges and the windshield wiper mounted on the glass panel at the rear. Didn't spot that? Back to cluedo for you, friend. Spyshot from Ford Authority! Sweet ruggedness of mine Ford Authority have also hinted at a four-wheel independent suspension, ditto Escape, indicating a more rugged, yet still very much accessible,…