PistonHeads sunday service this month congregated at the Nissan and Renault Headquarters in Hertfordshire. The hosts Nissan and Renault had some great cars on display, including motorsport greats, past and future. The latest edition of the Nissan GTR was available to visitors, and the extreme Nissan JUKE-R. The JUKE-R is a real skunk works project, taking the bodyshell from the mini family car and mating it with the technology and running gear from the Nissan GTR.
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And here are the pictures of some of the cars in the PistonHeads carpark.
The Ferrari F40, the car a lot of people dream of owning, is the ultimate supercar. The vast majority of F40s were finished in red, like most other cars bearing the prancing horse emblem. Some of the detail is lost in red and the F40 is striking when viewed in different colours. Below is a gallery of a white F40 for sale in Hong Kong. Also, I found a vinyl wrapped chrome blue Ferrari F40 LM. Whilst this will not be to everyone’s taste, I think that the F40 looks stunning regardless of the paintwork.
Nissan know their client base, and have listened to their feedback. What GTR drivers crave is a GTR that has been stripped back to the essentials and enhanced to perform on the track. The Nissan GTR Track Pack edition has cut weight by stripping out the rear seats and fitting lighter forged alloy wheels that reduce the rolling masses. The front seats have been trimmed in high grip materials to maximise their hold on you through high g corners. Coupled with front air ducts that channel more air to the brakes and revised spring rates, Nissan have created a true track weapon that can be relied upon by race circuit regulars.
The Track Pack edition is £84,450, £10,000 more than the basic GTR. This is competively priced compared to the £125,000 GTR Spec V.
Ferrari officially launched the highly anticipated 599 replacement at the Geneva motor show. The car will be the most powerful production Ferrari ever, and will out-accelerate a Ferrari Enzo by half a second, claimed 0-62mph is 3.1 seconds. The real feat of engineering is the specific power output, 117bhp/litre. For a normally aspirated V12, this is a huge achievement and a real testament to Ferrari’s ability to lead the market in high performance engine design and production. The F12 Berlinetta is expected to cost around £300k when it is released in early 2013. Ferrari has already taken 350 deposits and claim that 80% of the regular customer base has already committed to buying the F12 Berlinetta. Ferrari have a mini site for the car which has a great video of the car in action. link to site
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The BMW M Performance brand has released its second model to the world, a 4 wheel drive, triple turbo 5 series diesel. Badged the M550D X Drive, it has 381bhp and more importantly, 546 ft/lb of torque.
Reports from the press suggest that it is the ultimate everyday car, if only it was an estate to make it ultra practical. Performance is staggering, 0-60 in around 4.7 seconds, and the low rev torque surge all the way up to 5000rpm – thanks to the 3rd turbo make it extremely good and long distance motorway journeys. However due to the nature of the power delivery it does not excite like the M5. Also it won’t be sold in the UK.
To see Chris Harris’ video review for Drive, click below.
Just how much power can the 2011 e90 M3 take? Tuners across the world are able to enhance the current M3 to produce 700bhp, whilst retaining the ability to use the car on the road. That kind of power is easily handled by the immense standard chassis and drivetrain. VF Engineering in the US have produced a standard bodied 700bhp E90 M3 and its reviewed in the video below.
BMW have announced details of the new 2012 BMW M6 F12. It follows the formula of the previous M6 by using the same drivetrain from its saloon sibling. Thus making the sonorous V10 power unit extinct. The twin turbo V8 propels the new F12 M6 to 60mph in 4.2s. This is quicker than the F10 M5 time due to a lower kerb weight.
It features the usual M Power design cues, quad exhausts at the rear, carbon fibre roof and wider track coupled with new suspension.
Just like in the new F10 M5, the new engine makes the car significantly more economical than its predecessor, returning over 28mpg on the combined cycle, and reducing the CO2 output by over 100g/km to 232g/km. What’s most striking is the hike in price. The base price starts at £93,795, with a few essential options it will be a £100k car. It’s a full £20k more than the F10 M5, I believe that’s too much of a premium for this coupe.
Toyota has released details of the base spec GT86 due out later this year, costing around £16k in Japan. The model will be a bare bones version of the coupe that’s anticipated to take the sports car market by storm. Shedding not only all the luxuries and creature comforts but even bodywork paint! The Toyota GT86 RC is the cheapest of the 4 release versions. The car is even supplied on bare steel wheels with 205 section rubber.
Details of the stripped out specification:
No stereo
No aircon
Unpainted bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors
16″ Steel wheels
No fog lights or interior boot light
No LSD
These changes slash £10,000 off the UK list price and 40kg off the kerb weight, which is down to 1190kg. The car is designed to offer tuners and customisers a model to build onto without needing to buy a high spec model and ripping all the equipment and unnecessary bodywork. This idea is not new, Mitsubishi used to provide their top of the line supersalloon. The Lancer EVO was available in bare spec including steel wheels, known as the RS spec.
In the UK we’ll get a finished and well equipped car, including Limited Slip Diff, dual zone aircon, 17″ alloys, HID lights and cruise control. Prices in the UK will start from £25k. The car has already been acclaimed for its balance and control. Below is a video demonstrating its capabilities as a drift car straight out of the box.
What Toyota may have inadvertently done is provide a car which is much more in keeping with the original Toyota Corolla AE86. I personally would get the Toyota GT86 RC model and paint the bodywork and leave the rest as is.
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The Limited Edition Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is a ultra rare, ultra fast and extremely fitting curtain call for the 997. Chris Harris, a journalist who is currently writing for PistonHeads (and previously EVO Magazine) bought one and is very passionate about sharing his experiences of owning an RS 4.0. Many of them will be locked away with delivery miles, Chris is adamant that he wants to use it and enjoy for as long as possible. In his latest venture Drive, a YouTube channel that launched at the start of 2012, he has starred in a short film about his last drive before he puts the car away for winter. Its a great film that shows a proper car being used by a proper driver.
MK 2 Golf GTI, garaged and immaculate. This is the ultimate classic hot hatch. The GTI came 2nd in a VW concours competition in August 2011 at a VW car show. The car runs perfectly, returns 40mpg on a run and is a great example of why the mk2 Golf GTI is such an icon from the 80′s and 90′s. Fantastic original and unmolested condition. Everything works. It took me over 6 months to find this GTI, its in super condition both in terms of bodywork and mechanicals. I don’t use the GTI over winter or when its wet, this is a summer weekend car that is garaged all the time.
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Volkswagen Golf GTI 1.8 8V mk2 1990 £4,000 ono
Big bumper model from 1990 which includes;
Sunroof (fully operational and doesn’t leak)
Power Assisted Steering
MFA (fully operational)
Remote central locking
2 original VW keys
5 speed manual transmission
16″ wheels with almost new Goodyear F1 Eagle tyres
Thatcham Approved Category 1 Alarm and Immobiliser with certificate
Stunning black unfaded paintwork with no rust. The interior is totally spotless and original with no marks. No damage to seat bolsters or sagging of the original headlining.
Car has had the following work carried out in the last 3 years (with VW main dealer invoices to prove)
-New mass airflow meter
-New NSF/OSF/NSR wheel bearings
-New NSF/OSF wheel hubs
-Rear brake overhaul with new brake pads
-New clutch
-New gearbox
-New waterpump
-New cambelt and pulley
-New PAS and Alternator belts
The car has also had a cylinder head rebuild including gasket and recalibration of valves and seats in 2006 (in last 20k miles) – invoice to prove.
Recent full service including oil, oil filter, air filter and spark plugs. Also I have all MOTS since new to verify mileage. HPI clear with no accident damage/stolen/finance. 125,000 miles (6,500 miles a year average since new)
PistonHeads sunday service this month congregated at the Nissan and Renault Headquarters in Hertfordshire. The hosts Nissan and Renault had some great cars on display, including motorsport greats, past and future. The latest edition of the Nissan GTR was available to visitors, and the extreme Nissan JUKE-R. The JUKE-R is a real skunk works project, taking the bodyshell from the mini family car and mating it with the technology and running gear from the Nissan GTR.
