In last month's unusual cars episode, we counted down our 5 all time favourite Bond cars, and for this month’s (belated) episode, we’re headed to the batcave and some of Bruce Wayne’s badass weaponised rods. We give you: the Batmobile! Batman Forever (1995) Starting off our list is Batman Forever, the third Warner Brother film, and the very first Batman film directed by Joel Schumacher. Starring Val Kilmer, this Batmobile was very much different from previous versions of the car. It was designed by Barbara Ling, who wanted a more organic aesthetic, thus felt the car should look more like its namesake. As such, ribs were added to the car as well as 3 wings, while the undercarriage and wheels were lit blue to accentuate its intricate lines. However, no Batmobile is complete without some Bat-gadgets; the wheels were designed to lock into place perpendicular to the center-line to allow for quick sideways movement. Furthermore, it could reverse its jet exhaust to launch grappling hooks, allowing the car to climb vertical surfaces, a pretty awesome way to avoid danger. Sadly the car didn’t last very long seeing as the Riddler decided to deposit a bag of explosives in the cockpit.…
Shopping dilemma She entered the mall, eyes focused and wide. A Saturday ritual, with plenty of pride. To locate the sales, that was her plan. No whining allowed, from a pet or a man. Her vision was sharp, she was determined to win. It must look good, with her purse and her skin. Suddenly she noticed, the most beautiful dress. Her wallet said no, but her heart just said – yes. She saw something awful, on her way to the cash. The dress and her shoes, will definitely clash. She paid for the dress, and dashed straight for shoes. Without the perfect pair, the dress she won’t use. Hours of trying, her battle was long. She tried countless pairs, but most were just wrong. Moments prior, to her defeat and surrender. She noticed a pair, that were sexy and slender. She smiled with confidence, at her victory of match. Her new dress and shoes, what a beautiful catch. ____________________________________________________________________________ To survive, humans must fulfill 4 basic needs – eat, drink, sleep, and socialize. That’s what school teachers like to drone on about. If they unburied themselves from dusty century-old books and took a hard look at the modern lifecycle, they…
“Dear Mikaniki, I am in the market for a SUV to haul my wife, 2 kids and 5 year old giant of a Labrador around town, long road trips and wears a badge that sets me above the average Jamal. It would be great if you can recommend a car that fits the above – yours truly habibi, Above Average Ahmad” It’s a great thing you asked, Ahmad. Because when we’re not goofing about and going at each other. We at Mikaniki would like to think we can provide some proper consumer advice. And to answer the above question, Gargash Motors handed over the keys to the spanking new 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic. So what is the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300? Mercedes-Benz has quite a few SUVs these days ranging from the super-compact GLA, all the way to the big boy G. The GLC is Mercedes’ mid-size SUV that sits in between the compact GLB and the grown-up GLE. If the GLA is the baby SUV in their line-up, this makes the GLC the rebellious teenager. PC: Udit Sathaye And the GLC 300 sits just above the GLC 200 and the GLC 43. The range tops off with the mighty…
“Just the good ol’ boys...Never meanin’ no harm…” C’mon, you know the theme song, sing along! Centred on the rip-roaring adventures of renegade cousins Bo and Luke Duke and General Lee, their tricked out ‘69 Dodge Charger stock car, The Dukes of Hazzard aired 147 cop-defying episodes from 1979 to 1985 to rave reviews. Since then, there have been spinoffs, an animated series and a 2005 remake featuring Seann William Scott and Jessica Simpson. There have also been a few noteworthy restorations of the classic rods featured in the series, including one that's the subject of our feature today. For episode 2 of our classic cars and their owners series, in partnership with Car Facts Disc, we've got Danny, who got hold of a 1978 Plymouth Fury and, after a 5-year restoration spree, turned it into an immaculate Hazzard County Sheriff Patrol Car replica. Here’s Danny and his Plymouth for your viewing pleasure. In a nutshell *1978 PLYMOUTH FURY* *THE DUKES OF HAZZARD* *Hazzard County Sheriff Patrol Car Replica* *4-door Sedan B-body* *400 cubic-inch (6.6 litre) Big-Block 4 barrel, 8 cylinder V8 ‘High Performance’ Chrysler B engine 195bhp (numbers matching with Police ‘heavy duty’ special handling package* *(3-speed TorqueFlite automatic…
There’s something changing in the automotive world. A change for the better? Certainly. You don’t need a certain teenage Swede sensation to tell you that we’re in a climate change crisis, and the future of the tiny blue dot is at great risk. But even though we are fully aware that it’s crunch time to go green and save the planet, a small, tiny part of us just can’t get used to the idea of whizzing about in soundless EVs. Let me rephrase. A tiny part of us just can’t get used to the idea of whizzing about in EVs with synthetic engine sounds. But this isn’t about EVs and engines. Well, maybe a bit about engines, but not entirely. With the internal combustion chamber facing the skyfall, so too will it spell the end for the manual transmission gearbox. And that’s what’s worrying. Why do we like a manual transmission? There are two kinds of drivers. The first kind only puts tush to cush to get from point A to B. Home to work. Work to home. That’s it. If they could do it in a go kart, they would (not throwing shade at go karts, but if you…
We’ve probably overextended our welcome into Gordon Murray’s fantastically mechanical world where the GMA T.50 is concerned. But what other car could possibly take number one on this list? A lot of you will be quick to say that we’ve had two Fords and no Porsches, but we’ll save those for the honourable mentions. Just as well that the 2021 Porsche 911 Targa 4s misses out to make way for the McLaren F1’s upgraded offspring: the GMA T.50. Brilliant in every way Yes it’s an engineering masterpiece. Yes, it’s Gordon Murray at his very best, with all the tech and materials available to him. And yes it weighs less than 1000 kgs. It’s gorgeous, it’s spectacular and we all want one, although by now, Murray’s probably already sold them all (he had already sold two thirds with one concept sketch alone). If we’re talking about matches made in heaven, this one's second to none. Gordon Murray mated a custom H-pattern six-speeder from Xtrac to the glorious Cosworth GMA V12 engine, which has been hailed as arguably the best V12 engine ever made. Another knockout from Xtrac It had to be this brilliant and, crucially, lightweight Xtrac manual to be able…
Some say pedestrian, we say practical. If it’s something inexpensive, safe, reliable and well-equipped you’re after, then look no further than the 2021 Toyota Corolla. Available in either a four-door hatchback or sedan, there’s more packages and trims to choose from than on a menu at an Indian restaurant. Not complaining, we do live in a capitalistic society after all. The engines on both hatchback and sedan are rudimentary four-cylinders with a hybrid powertrain available on the sedan. This all sounds fairly dull, and to be fair it is. I mean, the Honda Civic and Mazda 3 are more exciting, but hey if simple’s what you want, simple’s what you get. Trying to make it special We’ll give Toyota this. The Special Edition variants do come with lush Supersonic Red liveries, a new front splitter, side skirts, rear roof spoiler and ‘rear bumper garnish’, unique badging and black 18-inch wheels. Not sure what Gordon Murray would say about all these extra bits hanging off the car, but I guess if Fast and Furious bodykits is your vibe, then you’ll probably be impressed with this aesthetic. There’ll be 1500 cars produced for the Special Edition hatchbacks, that’ll come with additional rear-seat-mounted…
The Honda Civic is losing its coupe physique, and has lopped off that elongated ass in favour of a hot, hot hatch. Now, the new Civic may have lost that derriere, but it will retain the gear-controlling stick that we’re trying to save. If you’re feeling brave, and fancy pairing a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual transmission, then you can opt for the 306hp Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition. Hold your horses Now the Type R doesn’t necessarily come packed with more horses than its regular counterpart. But the carriage is certainly lighter, with lightweight 20-inch forged BBS wheels, reducing unsprung weight by 8 kgs, sharpened suspension and a recalibrated steering that will definitely improve performance and handling over the regular trim. This is a welcome announcement from the type R engineering team, who’ve found the perfect formula for proper handling on this front-wheel-drive speedster. There will be just over 1,000 of these Type R’s going into production, and they all come in just one colour: Phoenix Yellow. Not gonna lie, nothing's ever looked better in yellow than this sporty Civic. To complete its sporty image, the Type R will get a redesigned grille, lighter two-piece…
It seems as though sedans are also on their way out. Don’t ask. But Ford want us to remember what it’s like to drive a real car, and that's why for episode 2 of save the manual, we're giving you the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1. They’re bringing back the Bronco for 2021. And they’re also bringing back their supersonic hot rod. Third wheeling like a Boss Fact. Back in 1969, people could finally travel faster than the speed of sound. That’s three to the power of friggin’ fast. They called it the Mach 1. Mustang wanted to jump on the Mach 1 bandwagon, and so they unveiled the Mach 1 performance package for their top performing ‘civilian’ Mustang. Why ‘civilian’? Well simply put, this would be the third wheeler on a Shelby-Boss date. Concerned that you can’t handle a Shelby? Can’t get your hands on a Boss? The Mach 1 is the answer. It’s cheaper than both, but with a wide range of engines, you can expect some performance overlap with the other models. In fact, the Mach 1 was so popular, it actually outsold the GT. If you want a football analogy, the Mach 1 is basically like…
July 2020 will go down as Ford Bronco month, with the return of Ford’s 4 x 4 bad boy. We all gawked at that retro yellow finish, and some insanely good specs that are set to give the Bronco the edge in the SUV boulder-crawler wars. It was almost like the Backstreet Boys’ appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. This classy off-roader will feature a two-door and four-door variant, with respective turbocharged 2.3L four-cylinder and twin-turbo 2.7L V6 on offer. You can order both of these with a 10-speed automatic transmission (why would you?), however the latter does come with a 7-speed manual mistress that’ll let you play with her all day. We say seven, but in truth it’s a six-speeder with a granny gear option for when you’re going rock climbing. And we don’t mean you with an ice axe. An SUV legend The Ford Bronco is a household name when it comes to legendary off-roaders. Back in 1966, Ford made hearts swoon with a 1st Generation set of three Broncos, which effectively paved the way for the luxury SUV mould as we know it. The pick of the bunch has to be the Bronco Roadster.…