Mad About Cars

Last week there was a nice mess with the unofficial pictures covering the release of the 147 replacement – Milano. New Alfa was revealed once again in the three new shots, straight from the factory this time.

The front seems to be similar to a smaller brother called MiTo, but a new hatch from Italian manufacturer is impressive as it looks really nice. There is no news about the engine choice so far but we can bet it will be something really powerful to give this baby some wings and make it fly. Seems like Alfa Romeo started to feel insecure after this year’s release of the new Clio GT, which is the most favorite sport hatch so far. Personally I think that the new Alfa is a younger brother of the highly acclaimed Grande Punto GT.

Let’s hope that at least this time we will get enough power to be blown away.

Every single fan of the revolutionary German creation from ’60’s is back in a new body of SLS. This stunning machine will knock your socks off not only with dazzling looks but also with contents of the phoenix rebirth supercar. It’s award winning AMG 6.3 V8 engine will be able to pull that bird from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds using whole 570 bhp with a top speed reaching nearly unrestricted 200 mph. New model will be on sale from next summer with prices topping £150k.

As well Merc announced that SLS will be available also in electric-powered engine version and that works on it already started. The E-drive will have around 880 Nm of torque and 525 bhp. The engineers promised to center the batteries in the car to counter the weight of it, so you can be sure that the handling will be superb.

Recently WRC released another DVD to their collection of the WRC Greatest Drivers. This time they took a peek under the hood of Carlos Saintz’s history in WRC.

Known as “El Matador”, the Spanish driver can definitely be claimed as one of the best in the world. 26 wins, 97 podiums, 5 Manufacturer Championships and 2 World Drivers Championships? There is no one who can have this many victories on his account. Certainly he has right to be called a true champion.

The DVD not only include rally action but also features interviews with Carlos and his devoted co-pilot Luis Moya, who was guiding his friend for about 15 years to victory.

The DVD is available widely from RallySport Magazine for about £20.

Five times World Rally Champion Sebastian Loeb confirmed that he’s ready to try his luck by racing a Formula One car instead of the WRC:

If Toro Rosso need a driver I’d love to help out.

Sports Daily l’Equipe was interviewing the French driver who made a Citroen’s Xara WRC a legend by winning in it five time in the row. He also mentioned that as long as the F1 and Rally calendars won’t overlap he is available for Toro Rosso. The Red Bull team was doing some tests last year using the French driver in Barcelona.

But the good news is that there is no way Sebastian Loeb could start racing in F1 and forget about WRC, according to Citroen’s Rally boss Oliver Quesnel. At least for this season.

This year’s car shows proved that designers are excelling in their work reaching beyond, always. New Toyota Auris SR180 with impressive 2.2 litre D-CAT engine that can show no mercy on the road by deploying whole 174 BHP onto the FWD ride, or new 2.5 litre Focus ST with the supercharger have made our hearts melt. But the best came from the Renault though, unexpectedly but impressively with two new redesigned models of Clio.

Renault Clio F1 has been replaced couple of years ago with Renaultsport badge which is a new sub make for high-performance cars from the French manufacturer. Therefore Clio has lost its iconic status as a fast-hatch and for couple of years there was no “civilian” version of Clio that would have that bite and character and still would be available to normal people, but have no fear. Renault brought back the best bits of motorsport and F1 into the redesigned hatch that is being presented to us as GT.

Basically the car is a slightly reshaped 3-door model of a standard Clio, but with exceptional interior that imitates carbon-fiber, GT cloth upholstery, 16-inch darkened alloy rims, added slight side-, front- and back-skirts and of course a very well placed roof spoiler.  Topped with genuine chromed double exhaust mounted into the double cut of the bumper that makes it look really awesome.

All-new Renault Clio GT 1.6 16v 128bhp @ 6000rpm

But the best isn’t outside, but under the hood. 1.6 litre straight-4 VVT engine sounds just fantastic and will surely boil your blood. Its 128 bhp at around 6000 rpm are able to strip down the girls on the street and get you from naught to 60mph in just 9.3 seconds. The car weighs less than its rival 207, just under 1150 kg, and has around 158 nm/lbs-ft of torque. In comparison with 207 it smokes it because the 207 is heavier, has less power and only 4-speed automatic gearbox, while GT has 6-speed manual for all real drivers out there.

All-new RS 200

Along with a all-new GT we had a pleasure to test-drive a new Renaultsport RS200 which kicks butts of the competition again. 2.0 litre 16v straight-4 engine that delivers impressive 200 bhp and loads of torque. It has set of irresistible features such as special cloth upholstery. A little bit from Renault itself about the new RS:

Clio RS 200 from the front

The interior performance credentials are mirrored in details such as the aluminium pedal facings, as well as by the perforated leather-covered steering wheel with visible stitching and yellow centre-point marker. The unique Renaultsport seats are exceptionally comfortable and ensure a high level of body-hugging lateral support. The new yellow rev-counter includes an audible and visible gearshift indicator to help optimise gear changes. The size of the figures displayed on the rev-counter increases as the needle approaches the red zone. Renaultsport badging is visible inside the cabin on the rev-counter background, sills and front seats.

I hope you’re gonna like it too, cause it’s a class on its own.