The Car Spy

2015 Geneva Motor Show

Posted: March 10, 2015 by The Car Spy in Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Ford, General, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lotus, McLaren, Motor Shows, New Cars, New Models, Porsche, Quantino, RenaultSport, Shows
Tags: Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, geneva 2015, geneva motor show 2015, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini Aventador, lotus, McLaren, pinin farina, Porsche, quantino, Renaultsport

12 months is not a long time. Only yesterday, it seems, we were waltzing through the airport terminal in Geneva and turning left into the Palexpo to ogle the latest automotive eye-candy. And now it is 2015.

Last year was okay and kind of worth the trip but this year we were gagging to get there. Over 70 new models on display plus the inevitable bunch of interesting concept cars that never see the light of day. So on with the show.

With so much to see we’ll just focus on the cars that were of particular interest to us which means you can exclude most of the mass market offerings.

Cutting to the chase our show hero was the Koenigsegg Regera – ‘robotic’ body panels, 1500 hp, 0-60 mph in minus 2 seconds, brain-mashing top speed, everything about the car is mental. The car is from Sweden and is the antithesis of ABBA. It is Black Sabbath on acid. Everybody now go back to the drawing board.

Koenigsegg Regera

Next up is the Ford GT. Only 250 cars will be made and the launch date is some time in 2016. For a car that looks this good and performance will be up there with the best it is hard to believe that it will cost around £200k. Speculators and investors form an orderly queue now.

Ford GT

Aston Martin. They really are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The brand is bullet-proof, up there with Apple in terms of global recognition and Bond’s perennial favourite weapon of choice. The cars are drop-dead gorgeous and yet they struggle to persuade die-hard Porsche buyers to consider AM as a viable alternative. The GT3 (Aston Martin) is all sold-out – yep 100 cars gone in the blink of an eye without a single car being built so there are some real fans out there. The Vulcan, to be honest, does not look like an Aston Martin. It looks like it came from the planet Vulcan and driven by Mr Spock (RIP). Designed for those who have enough money to have a spare car for track days (at Paul Ricard not Donington) the detail of the car is truly impressive. The rear light assemblies are a work of art and deserve a place in the Louvre. Bravo Aston Martin for surprising all of us!

Aston Martin Vulcan

Yes the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 is a concept but the car is real and very likely to be gunning for 911 customers in the very near future. The car on display was rotating gracefully while the crowds gawped and wiped the dribble from their mouths. The EXP is a truly lovely design and there is a little bit of Aston Martin in the profile. The interior is lovely too and you know they will sell zillions of them if they actually start making the car which we think they (VW) will. It is a no-brainer so all they have to do is come up with a sensible name for the car.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6

If we all accept that the internal combustion engine will one day no longer exist but at the same time pray that we will not be driven around by a car made by Google there is a ray of hope in the form of fuel cell technology from nanoFlowcell AG. The Quantino F is a concept right now and maybe a little too avant-garde for mass market tastes but it bodes well for the future of green motoring. With a range of 1000 kms and a top speed of 200 kph we can all put away the razor blades – cars can survive without petrol.

Quantino F

Other highlights for us were the Alfa Romeo 4c Spider (prettier than the Coupe), Ferrari 488 (even more desirable than a 458), McLaren 675LT (they seem to going from strength to strength), Lamborghini Aventador SV (how can you make an Aventador even more terrifying?), Sergio by Pininfarina (not a game-changer but such a perfect design and future classic), Audi R8 (looks the same but then again doesn’t – if that makes any sense), Lotus (shouldn’t they be dead by now? The Evora and Exige still look damn good), Porsche 911 GT3 RS in orange (they couldn’t have picked a better colour), Porsche Cayman GT4 in yellow (they couldn’t have picked a better colour) and Renault Sport RS 01 (the bastard child of the Caterham/Renault love affair? At the right price this car will sell well).

There are even more exhibits that are probably worth a mention and we did manage to take a few shots of nice cars during our visit to the show so please take a look at our slideshow when you have time.

For now then we have stocked up on Toblerone, Swiss cheese and cuckoo clocks albeit with less Swiss Francs left than last year but roll on 2016 – not sure if it will be as interesting as this year though!

2015 London Classic Car Show

Posted: January 10, 2015 by The Car Spy in Classic Cars, General, Motor Shows
Tags: 2015 london classic car show, adrian newey, ayrton senna, db6 vantage, e-type, eagle, excel, Ferrari, frank dale, hexagon, jd classics, jensen interceptor, joe macari, lamborghini diablo, london boat show, lotus, lotus elan, mclaren f1 gtr, miura, nicholas mee, nigel mansell, porsche 912, quattro, stratos

DSCN3439

It’s a good idea to run a classic car show in the New Year. Christmas is over, the weather is rubbish, everybody is looking forward to their credit card bill at the end of the month – not. So what we need is a car show to lift the spirits and for those of us who love their classics we have been looking forward to the first ever classic car event at Excel in London ever since it was proposed over a year ago.

First impressions? Well a tad underwhelming to be frank at least as far as the marketing of the event is concerned. Great location, potentially a great format but the promotional effort just seemed a little half-hearted.

Get off the train at Customs House and you see a multitude of signage suggesting that you were actually visiting the London Boat Show which has been held coincidentally at Excel this time of the year for most of the last decade.

Nothing wrong with a boat show being on at the same time and in fact there is probably a lot in common between boat buyers and classic car buyers. Both are obsessed with their toys and think nothing of pouring money into bottomless pits of expenditure. Wives are noted by their absence.

However having found the entrance to the classic car extravaganza it was obvious this was not a half-baked event as far as the exhibitors were concerned. Many of the well-established names in the classic car world were very much in attendance – Joe Macari, Hexagon, JD Classics, Frank Dale and Nicholas Mee – along with a healthy contingent of restorers and other assorted specialist service providers.

A ‘Hall of Fame’ section of the show featured a number of historic Formula One racing cars including Mansell’s ‘Red Five’ plus a huge nod to Adrian Newey’s contribution to motor sport. Some truly great cars were on show in this section.

Certainly the industry seemed to be taking the new event very seriously indeed.

Since the people behind the event have a history of putting together well-organised events such as the Top Gear road-shows it was no surprise to find a ‘live’ feature to entertain the crowds.

A ‘runway’ or ‘catwalk’ ran the length of the hall and at certain times of the day a gaggle of selected classics would make their way individually up and down the track while a commentary about each car was belted out over the PA system.

For those attracted by the aural sensations of a Lamborghini Diablo being fired up this was a lovely place to be. Add to that the explosive arrival of an historic F1 car such as Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 97T which provided a piece of gratuitous wheelspin at each turn at the end of the track and it was schoolboy nirvana. Nice.

It would be impractical to discuss every exhibitor and car in detail but if you are a classic car lover you would not be disappointed and there is plenty to ogle at. Most stands were welcoming and inviting for visitors and in fact most of the cars were left unlocked so peering inside a concours classic was not an issue for the exhibitors it seems.

Amongst the highlights for us were the Eagle E-types which although accepted are ‘re-creations’ rather than original classics the standard of finish and detail of their cars was deeply impressive. A lime-green Stratos also captured our hearts along with a short wheel-base Quattro and every single Ferrari 275 on display. Hang on what about the Jensen Interceptor Convertible, Lotus Elan, McLaren F1 GTR, Miura, DB6 Vantage and Porsche 912? The list could go on and on but take a look at our show images and decide which are your own favourites.

Will we be going in 2016? Try and stop us, might even try and see a few boats next time too!

2009 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce For Sale

Posted: January 7, 2015 by The Car Spy in For Sale, Lamborghini, Pre-owned
Tags: bianco isis, Lamborghini, lamborghini murcielago lp670-4 sv, lp670-4, murcielago, superveloce, The Car Spy

sv5

Before the arrival of the Aventador in 2011, the Murcielago was the king of the bedroom wall-posters for Lamborghini and it is easy to forget how the searing performance of the Murcielago set the benchmark for every ‘hypercar’ to follow it.

Powered by a 572 hp V12 Lamborghini engine the car blasted to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds and on to a top speed of up to 200 mph – and that was back in 2001!

During the years to follow the company continued to improve the V12’s performance by slightly increasing the engine capacity to 6.5 litres which allowed for a power output of over 600 hp.

However in 2009 the ‘SuperVeloce’ was the cherry on the cake. With power increased to 670 hp and various weight-saving modifications applied to the construction of the car the 0-60 mph time was down to 2.8 seconds and top speed was lifted to 210 mph. Even by today’s standards that is seriously quick and there are still few road-going hypercars that come close to those figures.

Today the SV is regarded as a highly desirable collectable Lamborghini and inevitably values are on the rise especially for right hand drive versions. Only eight cars were originally supplied to the UK and the number remaining are possibly half of that.

If you happen to be looking for an SV we know of a 2009 right hand drive Bianco Isis example (as seen in the image above) which is currently on sale.

This example is in excellent condition, has covered less than 7000 miles and comes complete with a Lamborghini service history.

SORRY THIS CAR IS NOW SOLD!

For further details or to arrange a viewing of this SV please contact The Car Spy on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net

New Bentley GT3-R For Sale

Posted: January 6, 2015 by The Car Spy in Bentley, For Sale, New Cars
Tags: Bentley, bentley continental gt3-r, Continental, GT, GT3, gt3-r, le mans, The Car Spy

Bentley GT3-R

Hard to believe that the shape of the Continental has been with us for nearly 12 years now and with the odd cosmetic tweak and engine upgrade it has managed to establish itself as the best selling Bentley by far. In fact, it is the main reason the company is now considered to be an instantly recognisable global brand which is no mean feat for a single model. Who knows, the Conti might do for Bentley what the 911 has done for Porsche over the decades.

In these times, it is the marketing man who sits at the top table with the company bosses and they look to him to mix his magic potions to eke out every drop of dream-inspiring imagery to help maintain market share of their brand and individual models. The Continental is a good example.

Think of a jolly jaunt down to Monaco in the blink of an eye, wafting along in a near-silent W12 to arrive refreshed at the Casino in time for a game or two of Black Jack.

How about a raucous blast in the Scottish Glens with a glorious V8 under the bonnet while the sports suspension lets you attack corners like Lewis Hamilton?

Fancy a cruise along the Pacific Highway from LA to San Diego? You can just picture yourself in a GT Speed Convertible with the roof down soaking up the sun and the miles listening to Pink Floyd on the Naim audio system.

Get the point? Along with breaking ice speed records it seems there is a Continental for every occasion. However until recently one part of Bentley’s history had been relatively unexploited – the legendary Bentley Blowers that won at Le Mans in 1930. Enter the GT3 and GT3-R.

The GT3 was developed to establish Bentley as a properly competitive racing team again and to bring the marque firmly back on to the stage of worldwide motorsport – the marketing men were at it again.

Such was the positive reception to the arrival of Bentley to compete with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche that it was not long before the company wheeled out a ‘normal’ road-going version for those petrol-heads with deep pockets. Hence we have the GT3-R.

Limited to a production run of only 300 the low-down is as follows:-

Engine power 580 PS 6000rpm and 700 N·m 1700rpm, torque vectoring for each of the rear wheels, shorter gearing, recalibrated control software, all-new titanium exhaust with 7 kg weight saving and retuned acoustics, forged 21-inch alloy wheels in gloss black, Pirelli tyres, sport-focused Electronic Stability Control programme, Carbon Silicon Carbide (CSiC) braking system (420 mm front and 356 mm rear brake discs, 8-piston front calipers in green), two-seat cabin with carbon fibre, Alcantara and leather interior upholstery; bespoke sporting seats with additional side support through deeper bolsters upholstered in Beluga black leather and diamond-quilted Alcantara, upholstered steering wheel and gear shifter, centre console and fascia panels in carbon fibre, carbon fibre door casings with diamond-quilted Alcantara inner panels, rear cabin with a carbon fibre surround and upholstered in leather and Alcantara, green hide colour on the seats, instrument panel, door panels, contrast stitching throughout the seats and diamond-quilted areas; GT3-R badging at centre console, passenger-side fascia panel, sill tread-plates; GT3-R stitching at seat headrests in with contrast-green stitching, carbon fibre fixed rear wing and boot lid, bonnet with two vents, Glacier White body colour with gloss carbon fibre contrasts, two-tone green graphics tracing two power lines to the side profile of the car (one leading backwards from the front wheel, the other tracing the shape of the Continental GT’s rear haunch), headlamp bezels, matrix grille, window surrounds and bumper strips in gloss black. Phew!

Want to buy one? Well, too late because they are all sold out. Top marks for the marketing bods again!

However, we know of a cancelled order GT3-R that is physical and can be purchased today so to find out more give The Car Spy a call on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net

2004 Ferrari 360 CS (Challenge Stradale) For Sale

Posted: October 20, 2014 by The Car Spy in Ferrari, For Sale, Pre-owned
Tags: 360 cs, blu scuro, challenge stradale, Ferrari, ferrari 360 challenge stradale, modena, right hand drive, rosso scuderia, The Car Spy

When the time came to replace the Ferrari F355 the new arrival faced some pretty high expectations. The F355 had established itself as one of the best driver’s cars to come out of Modena and the bar had been set very high indeed.

And when the very pretty 360 arrived it went and raised the bar even higher still.

Ferrari had partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all aluminium space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the F355 which had utilized steel. The design was 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions.

The 3.6 litre V8 engine in the new car had been redesigned using a flat plane crankshaft, titanium connecting rods to generate 400 bhp. Despite what looks like on paper modest power gains the reality was that the power to weight ratio was significantly improved on over the F355 which was due to the combination of both a lighter car and more power. The 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.3 seconds.

However if you like a bit of Tabasco sauce on your chilli burgers then the CS (Challenge Stradale) is the car for you.

In essence the Challenge Stradale is a low production track day focused car based on the 360 Modena. It was inspired by the 360 MC (Modena Challenge) racing car so the focus was primarily on improving its track lapping performance by concentrating on handling, braking and weight reduction characteristics.

Ferrari engineers designed the car from the outset with a goal of 20% track day use in mind and 80% road use. With only a small 20 bhp improvement in engine power from the Modena (and boasting an improved power-to-weight ratio) the Challenge Stradale accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.0 seconds (three tenths faster than a Modena) but bald figures do not paint the full picture.

For the enthusiastic driver the differences are truly staggering – genuine systematic improvements were achieved to the setup and feel of the whole car. Throttle response from the digital throttle was ratcheted up and feedback through the steering wheel was enhanced. The responsiveness of the controls, the balance of the chassis, the braking performance and the driver feedback all contribute greatly to the overall driving experience and lead the Challenge Stradale to claim an impressive 3.5 seconds improvement per lap of its Fiorano circuit compared to the Modena (the target was 2.5 seconds).

So how was the weight-saving achieved?

Well the 360 Challenge Stradale is up to 110 kg lighter than the standard Modena if all the lightweight options are specified such as deleted radio, plexiglass door window and Alcantara fabric (instead of the leather option). As much as 94 kg was taken off on the car by lightening the bumpers, stripping the interior of its sound deadening and carbon mirrors and making the optional Modena carbon seats standard.

Resin Transfer Moulding was utilized for the bumpers and skirts, a carry over from the Challenge cars which resulted in lighter bumpers than on the Modena. The engine and transmission weight was slimmed down 11 kg through the use of a smaller, lighter weight sports stainless steel exhaust back box and valved exit pipes.

The Challenge Stradale also acquired Brembo carbon ceramic brakes as standard which shaved 16 kg off the curb weight and improved handling by reducing un-sprung weight and completely eliminating brake fade.

This is one of the best cars ever made by Ferrari. Enough said.

The 360 CS is also a very rare car. ‘Official’ Ferrari stats say that in total 1200 were built but only 115 right hand drive examples were ever made and we have been asked to find a buyer for one of them by one of our clients who is the current owner of this particular car:-

Finished in Rosso Scuderia plus Blu Scuro (very dark blue) leather seats with special red stitching this 2004 right hand drive 360 CS has recorded only 8600 miles from new which is reflected in the car’s exemplary condition.

The specification includes the following:-

* F1 Gearbox
* Carbon Fibre Backed Racing Seats
* Carbon Mirrors
* Yellow Rev Counter
* Carbon Fibre Door Cards
* Ferrari Becker Radio System
* 6 CD Changer
* Blu Scuro Leather Headlining
* 4 Point Red Ferrari Harnesses
* Blu Scuro Road Legal Roll Bar
* Leather Steering Wheel with Red Centre Line
* Blu Scuro Leather Upper Dashboard
* Black Carpets
* Carbon Centre Console
* 19” Ferrari BBS Alloys
* Red Brake Calipers
* Tricolore Stripe (not painted)
* Battery Charger

The car also comes with the full compliment of Ferrari driver’s handbooks, car cover, toolkit, Ferrari service history file and a sheaf of receipts.

£Price on Application

If you would like to find out more about this very special 360 Challenge Stradale give The Car Spy a call on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net