Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i TopGear Malaysia

THINGS WE’VE LEARNT THIS MONTH Rob Dickinson, former musician and genius behind Singer Vehicle Design, is walking towards me in an enormous, empty warehouse, sparking a fag. He’s wearing khaki shorts and cap, a wrinkled white T-shirt and dog-eared trainers. He stretches out his right hand, we exchange pleasantries, then it’s straight to it, discussing the car that he’s been obsessing over for the last four years, and the passion starts flowing out of him. We’ve managed to intercept both Rob and the first example of his most ambitious project to date, on their way to Goodwood. The car you’re currently gawping at is the product of a collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering to develop the ultimate, no-expense-spared, air-cooled 911 – resulting from the duo’s snappily named Dynamics and Lightweighting…

McLaren has revealed its plans for the next seven years… and there shall be no slacking in Woking. The strategy is codenamed Track 25 and features a £1.2bn investment, which will fund the delivery of 18 new models between now and 2025, with the range becoming 100 per cent hybrid by the middle of the next decade. With production of the Senna (the latest in McLaren’s Ultimate Series) currently ramping up and the three-seat BP23 coming soon, a third Ultimate Series vehicle has also been confirmed: a bona fide successor to the P1. With the Senna pitched as McLaren’s most track-focused offering and the BP23 chasing straight-line speed, McLaren’s Jolyon Nash says the P1 successor will be the “ultimate expression of McLaren’s technical expertise and prowess”. Or, to paraphrase, flippin’…

TOYOTA C-HR RM150,000 WE SAY: TOYOTA DOES INDEED HAVE A VIBRANT AND YOUTHFUL WILD SIDE… Let’s be frank about something. In this day and age, you won’t find too many people flocking to Toyota dealerships – parallel importers included – to part with precious ringgit for a sportscar like the GT86. Instead, you’ll often see more opting to drive away with one of the marque’s many crossover models. The appeal of Toyota crossovers, regardless of size and price, is simple: they’re large and practical enough for family chores, easy and economical enough for daily driving, not to mention their renowned hassle-free maintenance. It’s a no-brainer choice to many. With the arrival of the C-HR, however, you can now have all that and the one thing missing in its stablemates, that…

Audi TT S £45,000 approx. WE SAY: INGOLSTADT CELEBRATES ITS GAME-CHANGER WITH PREDICTABLY INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS It’s 20 years since the Audi TT first went on sale. If you’re anything like us, that’ll make you more than a little wistful about the relentless passage of time. Audi’s likely over the moon, mind; it’s sold 600,000 in that time, while its image has risen exponentially. It’s now a company that regularly explores niches you didn’t think necessary. Imagine Audi getting away with diesel performance SUVs before the TT? To coincide with the car’s anniversary, there’s been typically restrained updates: more sculptured bumpers, new colours and a refreshed engine range. There’s no diesel anymore, all but the TT RS using a tune of 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol. Outputs start at 197bhp, but the…

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF TSI R-LINE RM173,390 WE SAY: EVERYTHING YOUR EYES ADORE ABOUT THE GOLF R IN A MORE DOWN-TO-EARTH PACKAGE. IS THIS VW’S BEST TSI OFFERING YET? ia once had a colour called Lemongrass in its paint catalogue. It was an amusing but apt label for the yellowish green hue reserved for the previous generation Picanto, one we did not expect to be matched in terms of name and visual impact. But here we are with a Volkswagen Golf in all its Turmeric Yellow glory. Someone at Wolfsburg must’ve gone overboard with the currywurst… A guaranteed turnoff for resale value snobs, this daring shade does a splendid job of elevating the R-Line components – unique bumpers, grille and 17-inch ‘Singapore’ alloys plus a rear spoiler and full LED lighting –…

Mercedes-Benz S450L RM699,888 (without SST) WE SAY: HYBRID POWERTRAIN MAKES WAY FOR SMALLER, AMG-APPROVED ENGINE. THERE’S A PRICE HIKE TOO… The argument of the month is about the Sales & Services Tax (SST), and whether those who purchased a car before it was reintroduced recently truly came out as winners. You’d imagine the wealthy need not burden themselves with such menial mathematics. But in truth, business moguls who can afford to splash RM600k on a limousine have bigger numbers to crunch. Especially when what they thought they could purchase for RM600k is now a full RM100k pricier. We’re talking about the recently updated W222 (V222 for long-wheelbase models) S-Class, and how the line-up has changed now that the hot selling S400h is out of the picture. In its place as…

HONDA ODYSSEY 2.4EXV RM258,896 WE SAY: PLUSH PEOPLE-CARRIER IS REFRESHED WITH SOME HIGH-TECH INTELLIGENCE, MAKING IT BOTH EASIER AND SAFER TO DRIVE Now in its fifth generation, the Odyssey has come a long way indeed and this is arguably the best yet thanks to its recent mild nip and tuck and adoption of Honda’s renowned Sensing suite. We took one for a spin recently with our colleagues from TG Chinese to see just how it stacked up. Even though it was a one-day drive, we were able to get a proper feel of the big, family-friendly MPV and understand why many are willing to meet its premium price tag. Arguably, this Odyssey isn’t the prettiest of its lineage, but still far from ugly for a seven-seat MPV. Its nip and…

Mercedes-AMG C63S Coupe £72,000 est. WE SAY: AN ONSLAUGHT OF NEW MODES HELP YOU GET THE BEST FROM MERC’S ÜBER-COUPE… The C63 Coupe is the sort of car you make involuntary noises around. “Ooof” at the swollen wheelarches – which the four-door C63 saloon and estate do without. “Hnnng” at the front wheel’s negative camber. And for 2018, “hmm” at the Hannibal-mask front grille that’s been inherited from the AMG GT R. Then, an “errrm” when you drop into the thinly padded bucket seat and attempt to set it up. Hanging from the steering wheel are two new, cheapo-plastic toggles. The right-hand dial is AMG’s version of the Ferrari manettino. Twizzle it around and the car cycles through its factoryapproved modes: Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport +, and in this C63S, Race.…

The biggest lesson we learnt from driving a bright red Ferrari into the heart of Putrajaya on a weekday afternoon is to not repeat that mistake. We were just feeling a little patriotic in light of the recent independence and Malaysia Day parades. What we failed to factor in was the amount of attention a car Ferra ri boldly calls ‘Superfast’ would garner, even when it’s stationar y. Curiously enough, the Ferrari 812 Superfast looks fastest when it isn’t moving. Then again, it’s only natural for Mara nello to reserve its sharpest styling cues, some inspired by the 1969 365 GTB/4 Daytona, for a V12 f lagsh ip deemed swif t enough to justify its bizar re name. You can’t appreciate these lines when the car is reduced to a blur…

Ever noticed that invisible plasma surrounding celebrities? The stuff that leaves us pie-eyed on fame and liable to stare, point and generally pander to what is just another human being with a familiar face. Turns out it applies to objects, too. Sean Kiernan, the car’s owner, has barely finished sliding the tarpaulin off and already his voice has been selectively dismissed by my brain. I start to circle this prize piece of Hollywood memorabilia, stroking its frozen-in-time patina, remembering to breathe only when I climb in and take a lungful of cracked leather, hunting for the stories I’ve heard so much about. There! Glue residue on the tachometer – a piece of tape applied by a nervous mechanic during filming, reminding McQueen not to rev the knackers off it. Another…

You don’t need us to tell you that it wasn’t a real Ferrari 250GT California that went flying out the back of Cameron’s dad’s garage in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, that the Audi S8 in Ronin was a lot more rear-wheel-drive than it ought to have been or that not even Bo Duke lands a Dodge Charger from low-earth orbit and gets to carry on driving. Movie cars are a different breed. Here’s how different. This is the Jaguar C-X75 from Spectre. It didn’t have electric motors, a carbon monocoque or the high-revving 1.6-litre turbo and supercharged engine that was promised for the ill-fated road car. Built for the film by Williams Advanced Engineering, this is what you found if you peered beneath the skin. 1. TUBULAR FRAME The stunt…

Remember the Aston Martin Cygnet? It’s the city car Aston’s former CEO used as a leftfield loophole to lower the firm’s emissions back in 2011. Somewhat hilariously, the wishy-washy marketing described it as a “tender” – a sort of short-range urban dinghy to your DBS yacht. In reality, it was an utterly extortionate, £31k, rebadged Toyota iQ with a leathery interior that only lasted two years before being swept under the carpet. Quite right, too. It was one of the biggest jokes in motoring history. An April fool PR stunt made real. But it’s funny how perspective can change with time and the application of a 4.7-litre V8 engine. Looking resplendent outside Park Lane’s posh Dorchester Hotel, a glorious British Racing Green Cygnet is causing supercar spotters’ Whatsapp groups to…

After a long silence, Lexus Malaysia is back in the news with an addition to its RX family. Enter the RX300 Special Edition, which, at RM434,000 after SST, is RM10,000 pricier than the RX300 Luxury. Here’ why. The front of the Special Edition features an extra underbody panel to protect the bodywork from stones and debris. Also new are the side body mouldings that are integrated with the new one-piece side steps. Higher up the flanks are new, custom-designed visors. Additional new items include a step guard for the floor of the rear opening and the welcome door lamp (puddle lamp) that projects the Lexus logo. The RX300 Special Edition also has a dashcam built into the rearview mirror and a Touch n’ Go reader/transmitter. All these items are genuine…

Who: Dai Yoshihara Where: Thermal Club, USA Drift master Dai shows photographer Jamie the limits of what his car can, indeed, do What: cushions Where: Ypres, Belgium Totally unofficial Hyundai rally memorabilia for sale. Also totally awful What: sweets Where: Isle of Man, UK Discuss: delicious minty sweets or the collective noun for a gathering of motoring journalists… What: Car key Where: Puchong, Malaysia Mercedes-Benz said they had something new for us to test. They weren’ t lying What: Queen Mum’s car Where: Churt, UK There we were driving old Jaguars, and the QM’s car showed up. Minus QM What: Porsche pit thingy Where: ’Ring, Germany Anyone else in love with the fact Porsche used McLaren hardware for its ’Ring record? Who: Jamie Lipman Where: Thermal Club, USA Much like…

There is a new Bugatti on the horizon… prepare yourselves for the Bugatti Divo: a limited-edition hypercar with a very specific focus. Corners. Yep, the Divo pays homage to Albert Divo; the driver who, in the Twenties, twice won the Targo Florio for Bugatti. To honour his feats on that mountain course, Bugatti’s Divo has lasered in on driving dynamics. We’re told the car – using the Chiron’s chassis and 1,479bhp powertrain – will “be light and nimble and will boast enormous downforce”. Bug promises “outstanding” handling properties. Though the powertrain is established, the bodywork will be new, harking back to Bugatti’s coachbuilding heritage. Indeed, Bugatti reminds us that in its early days, it regularly housed existing chassis in new bodies designed in-house under Jean Bugatti’s tenure. Only 40 units…

Time for a fanfare. The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ has announced its arrival by becoming the fastest production car ever around the Nordschleife: 6m44.97s, almost 15secs faster than the plain-jane Aventador SV. We still don’t know exactly what it looks like, because Lambo isn’t revealing what’s beneath the origami-offcuts disguise until the end of August. Presumably some sort of origami-offcuts bodywork. There will be slats. But we do now know its vitals. And we have driven it. The very car that set the lap record. The Jota badge is saved for the most extreme Lambos, so much so it’s only been worn twice previously, by a Miura in 1970 and a Diablo in 1993. For the Aventador, Lambo took an SV, applied the learning of the Huracán Performante (ALA adaptive aero,…

Hyundai Kona Electric £35,975 WE SAY: THESE NEWFANGLED ELECTRIC JOBBIES LOOK JUST LIKE THE REAL THING… Invariably, you tend to consider the usefulness of tech through the prism of your own need, and up to this point, any pure BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) that had less than 402km of range – a fairly typical round trip for me – didn’t make any sense. Anything with more, like a Tesla or a Jag I-Pace racked up £60k+ on the forecourt, so felt upmarket specialist. The Nissan Leaf’s 378km of possible range was so nearly there… but… But I have driven the commuting future, and it’s a Hyundai Kona Electric. Yes, we’re likely to see much more competitive EVs in the not-too-distant, but this is the first EV I could actually see fitting…

£45,600 Engine 1995cc, 4cyl TD, AWD, 190bhp, 400Nm Performance 0–100kph in 8.0secs, 212kph, 5.6L/100km, 146g/km CO2 Weight 1815kg It’s going to take you a while to convince me the X4 is a desirable expression of crossover style. So let’s move the conversation elsewhere: to the sacrifices it demands if you’re to be seen in this distinctive silhouette. You might be expecting reduced space. But no, not to any great extent. The back seat is nearly as generous as the related X3’s, and so is the boot (though the fastback tail inhibits the seatsdown carriage of wardrobes). Strangely, the real problem is the drive. To make it ‘sporty’, the X4’s suspension has been clamped down and its steering stiffened up. That process has muffled and eroded its fluency versus the X3,…

BMW M2 Competition £49,805 WE SAY: THE BEST M CAR NOW GETS A BESPOKE ENGINE AND BECOMES EVEN BETTER They keep telling you that the M no longer actually stands for motorsport. Or indeed for anything at all. The division of BMW that does the M cars, and also the customised Individual cars and the armoured cars is just… M. The badge has no more significance than four straight lines joined at three acute intersections. Oh yeah. You and I know, don’t we, that really M is all about the Motor. Which meant it was not just a shame but an unfulfilled promise that the best BMW M road car currently made, the M2, went without an authentic BMW M engine. It was a near-obsolete N55 35i singleturbo six (albeit…

Honda CR-V £n/a WE SAY: IF YOU DON’T HAVE CHILDREN, LOOK AWAY NOW – NOTHING TO SEE HERE. BUT IF YOU DO… Honda makes exciting cars. Shame the CR-V isn’t one of them. From the all-new, fifth generation of the world’s best-selling SUV (yes, really), we’re promised better handling, more space, safety and tech and much besides. As indeed we’re promised from every car. But the big news is that this time around, Honda won’t offer a diesel engine. In a small SUV. Where, for all its sins, it still does the numbers. Brave. Until the hybrid arrives next year, your only option is the 1.5-litre 4cyl petrol from the Civic. It’s fine. Well-mannered as anything around town, although despite trick noise-cancelling tech, things get a little louder when you…

Hyundai Santa Fe £41,795 WE SAY: FLAGSHIP HYUNDAI TRULY COMES OF AGE Don’t dismiss the Hyundai Santa Fe as a big Korean pile of derivativeness – merely Hyundai’s take on a poundshop Land Rover Discovery. It’s so much better than that. It’s a bit of a family car triumph, in fact – and justifies no longer being a conspicuous bargain. The best bit is the seating. All UK-spec Santa Fes have space for seven, and the rear row, while being best suited to pre-teens, is clever. Access is via big doors and easyfolding seats – one lever, sensibly sprung. But once the kids are back there, they’re not trapped until an adult comes to release them (sorry). Hyundai’s put buttons on the top of the backrest to unlock the mechanism…

OUR CHOICE OF THIS MONTH’S TOP-SPEC STUFF The much anticipated new DJI Mavic 2 series drones is here, ready to woo enthusiasts and budding drone fliers with new specifications and features. Distributed locally by ECS ICT Berhad, it’s available in two forms, the baseline Mavic 2 Zoom and the fully loaded Mavic 2 Pro. Dubbed the most advanced DJI camera drone ever built, the Mavic 2 is presented as a powerful new platform that enables photographers and videographers to take their creative ideas even further. Backing the claim are several improvements over the previous Mavic Pro, notably the adoption of new gimbal-stabilised cameras, advanced intelligent features like Hyperlapse and ActiveTrack, an enhanced video transmission system, and its impressive 31-minute flight time and 72kph top speed. Moreover, its improved Advanced Pilot…

CHANCES ARE, YOU’VE SEEN THE 1 1 – M I N U T E CHASE SCENE FROM BULLITT, probably more than once. Movie buffs with Dominos on speed dial and poor social skills may have watched it several hundred times, poring over every frame, but I’ll bet precious few of you have sat through the full one hour and 54 minutes. I have, and let me save you some pain: Bullitt is 11 minutes of film-making genius wedged between one hour and 43 minutes of stagnant drivel. But that’s OK, because what the soggy edges of this sandwich do is bring the deliciousness of that filling into stark relief. In fact, I implore you to sit through the opening hour just to experience a movie move up three gears in the…

Some years are bigger than others. On current form, 2018 is shaping up to be one that’ll linger longer in the memory. But it still has some way to go if it’s to beat 1968. Journalist Mark Kurlansky managed to get a weighty, brilliant book out of it, 1968: The Year That Shook The World. The Paris riots, the Prague Spring, the Tet offensive, the assassination of Martin Luther King… the Sixties dream was under attack, the mood febrile. Culturally, it was significant too: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey blew minds, The Beatles’ White Album was released, Led Zeppelin formed. On opposite sides of the world, the car world also felt a notable ripple in the Force. In Turin, the prodigiously talented Giorgetto Giugiaro and his business partner Aldo…

MERCEDES-AMG E63 S 4MATIC+ Price: RM1,068,888 Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbo V8, 612bhp, 850Nm Transmission: 9-speed auto Performance: 0-100kph in 3.4 secs, 250kph Economy: 9.1L/100km, 207g/km CO2 MERCEDES-BENZ S560 CABRIOLET Price: RM1,405,888 Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbo V8, 469bhp, 700Nm Transmission: 9-speed auto Performance: 0-100kph in 4.6 secs, 250kph Economy: 10.3L/100km, 235g/km CO2 MERCEDES-MAYBACH S560 Price: RM1,408,888 Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbo V8, 469bhp, 700Nm Transmission: 9-speed auto Performance: 0-100kph in 4.9 secs, 250kph Economy: 10.1L/100km, 231g/km CO2 MERCEDES-AMG GT C Price: RM1,495,888 Engine: 3,982cc, twin-turbo V8, 557bhp, 680Nm Transmission: 7-speed DCT Performance: 0-100kph in 3.7 secs, 316kph Economy: 12.5L/100km, 284g/km CO2 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS450 EDITION 1 Price: RM698,888 Engine: 2,999cc in-line six with EQ Boost, 367bhp, 500Nm Transmission: 9-speed auto Performance: 0-100kph in 4.8 secs, 250kph Economy: 8.0L/100km AMG GT C It’s only natural for the…

The authorised distributor of Moto Guzzi motorcycles, DIDI Resources, has expanded the legendary Italian brand’s line-up here with the new V7 III Rough and Audace Carbon models. Here are the details of each. 2018 Moto Guzzi Audace Carbon The Audace Carbon was the first one revealed at WOW in Kuala Lumpur recently. Dubbed Moto Guzzi’s muscle bike, it packs a larger 1,380cc iteration of the brand’s signature transverse 90-degree V-twin, outputting 96bhp and 121Nm to the rear via a 6-speed box and shaft-drive setup. The Audace Carbon has a dark persona and stance thanks to its ‘murdered out’ matte black motif. Complementing that is the presence of various carbon fibre exterior components, red-painted cylinder head covers and top-shelf Brembo brake callipers, as well as red seat stitching and lettering on…

It’ll be a while before the latest Subaru Forester arrives here, but in the meantime TC Subaru Sdn Bhd is offering the Forester 2.0 STI Performance variant as something ‘new’. Fans of the brand will recognise the STI Performance label as it has been used for the XV before. For those who don’t, despite the use of the letters STI, this enhancement is more about looks than anything else. So the FB20 2.0-litre engine is pretty much untouched – as used in the Forester 2.0i-P – and makes 150PS at 6,200rpm and 198Nm of torque at 4,200Nm. The only change in the engine bay is a swap to an STI air filter. Other performance-related changes are the STI brake pads and a strut bar. Other than that the Forester 2.0…

Busy year for Audi. After replacing the A8, A7, A6 and A1, introducing the Q8 and facelifting the TT and A4 – all within the past few months – it’s decided to give us a new Q3, too. And it’s about time. The old one’s been around for ages, and despite a couple of updates along the way, looks and feels its considerable years. This new car is still recognisably a Q3, only bigger, cleverer and more chiselled. Not a carbon copy of Audi’s other SUVs, which is A Good Thing. At least not in the looks department – all the engines should be familiar enough by now. There are four to choose from – three petrols and one diesel, ranging from 148 to 227bhp and from 1.5 to 2.0…

The Fiat 500 is 60 years old and, as befits the cutest motoring icon in all the world, it’s got a birthday present – a collaboration between Garage Italia and Pininfarina. Welcome to the Spiaggina by Garage Italia. As you can see, it’s based on a Fiat 500C but, thanks to hefty body strengthening work from Pininfarina, the 500’s gone fully topless this time. One roll bar, no roof rails and only two seats. Of course, there’s a historical angle to this. Four years into the original 500’s life, there came the 500 Jolly, aka the Spiaggina, or beach buggy. Sold between 1958 and 1965, the 22bhp al-fresco-mobile didn’t even have doors and cost twice as much as the standard car. However, it became a Swinging Sixties must-have. Garage Italia…

My very first driving experience was when I was eight years old. I was on the road, and my dad was sitting next to me. It was in a big, old Rover – not sure of the model – and I couldn’t sit on the seat because I wasn’t big enough. So I used to do the steering, and when I changed gear I lifted myself up using the steering wheel, put my foot on the clutch and changed gear, so I was standing all the time. We got stopped by the police, and the policeman couldn’t believe it at first. He told my dad off a lot more than me… I bought my first actual road car when I was about 13. I saved up all the money, I…

Sorry to burst the bubble, but TG doesn’t have the luxury of being able to purchase every car we drive… mostly, we rely on manufacturers to loan us theirs. Unfortunately, Aston made a pledge that no media would be allowed to drive its ultra-rare, ultra-pricey 750bhp One-77, even when the full production run was sold out. This led us to get… creative. So, when Mr Al Ketbi, owner of Dubai dealership Al Ain Class Motors, told us he had purchased a One-77 and we were welcome to come and have a go in it in Dubai’s backyard, we were on a plane quicker than you can say third-degree sunburn. It’s an odd exercise, reviewing a car that’s already sold out – did anyone really care how we rated it? All…

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera £225,000 WE SAY: WELCOME TO A WORLD BEYOND DB11. IT’S SURPRISINGLY FAMILIAR “I t’s all about torque. Power numbers are interesting, but you drive torque.” So says Paul Barritt, Aston Martin’s vehicle line director for the DB11 and DBS, as he talks about the new DBS Superleggera, before going on to mention that it not only has 199Nm more than the regular DB11, but 150Nm more than the One-77. Oh, and half the fuel consumption of the latter. The DBS Superleggera, then, is the ultimate Aston Martin. At least until the Valkyrie rocks up. And even when it does, this is the car that epitomises Aston’s brand values better than any other. Massively potent twin-turbo V12 up front, RWD, 2+2 layout inside. How potent? 715bhp. Aston calls…

Ford Mustang GT vs Kia Stinger GT S £41,745/£40,535 WE SAY: TOPGEAR HOSTS ITS OWN KOREA–US SUMMIT, AND THIS ONE’S MUCH MORE HOSTILE Conventional wisdom suggests the Kia Stinger rivals the usual German sports saloons. It’s got four doors, a £40k pricetag and a 6cyl engine, after all. The first time I drove one, though, it felt big-hearted and hairy-chested. It felt like a muscle car. Forty grand can already buy you a bona fide example of one of those, of course. We’ve been able to buy a Euro-focused, RHD Stang for several years, but it’s been hard to find a direct rival for its rather unique recipe. In the Stinger, I reckon we’ve finally got one. The Mustang’s just had a new round of updates, with a more aerodynamic…

Jaguar Project 8 £149,995 WE SAY: FORGET THE SALOON BODYWORK, ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE XE IS NOT MUCH MORE THAN THE BADGE… You might think this was just a gussied-up XE, right? Wrong. Wrong turned up to 11. Push chief project director Dave Pook a bit and he’ll admit it’s 80 per cent new. The mission was to create the most capable track-focused Jaguar ever. The P8 can do 0–100kph in 3.7secs, 322kph all-out, uses JLR’s 5.0-litre s’charged V8, makes 592bhp, 700Nm, and uses the F-Type SVR’s 4WD hardware. But it’s not that car in four-door drag. First, there’s the way it feels. Pook & Co. are upfront about their ambitions, to benchmark the BMW M4 GTS and aim for the Porsche 911 GT3. We’re now at Portimão, which has…

KAWASAKI NINJA 250 RM23,071 WE SAY: KAWASAKI RAMPS UP ITS QUARTER-LITRE ALLROUNDER, GIVING IT BETTER STYLING AND MORE POWER Rewind back three years and many will remember just how dominant the Kawasaki Ninja 250 was. It was especially so among fresh B licence holders and those upgrading from their trusty kapchai commuters. But it didn’t take long before the competition strengthened, more so when Yamaha unleashed the YZF-R25. Clearly, then, the Ninja 250 was put at a disadvantage, especially in styling. All that changed once this new, redesigned replacement appeared this August. The Ninja 250’s looks have evolved completely, taking plenty of cues from the bigger Ninja 650 sport standard as well as supersport siblings ZX-6R and ZX-10R. In the process, Kawasaki claims, it has become more aerodynamic too. Awkward…

Dubbed its “most spectacular” creation yet, Ulysse Nardin’s Executive Tourbillon “Free Wheel” packs innovation that aims to turn watchmaking upside down. Available in either white gold or rose gold, it’s startling inside and out: a brand new movement that seems to defy gravity and a quite astonishing, innovative box-domed sapphire that took months to research and develop. The modern and sizable 44mm dial of the 18-carat rose gold version is made of dark stone carved from slate. The dial of the 18-carat white gold version, on the other hand, is built on a sleek, black honeycomb grid. The most astonishing features are the dial’s tourbillon bridges and the 7-day power reserve indicator at four o’clock, which are shaped like boomerangs and made to look like they’re f loating. That f…

A fist in the face often offends, but – on the upside – it doesn’t leave you in any doubt about the perp’s intentions. It’s the same thing with America’s latest muscle and supercars. They don’t bother with subtlety. They know you want as much power, speed and smoke as your dollar will buy and to not spend too long dressing it up, thanks very much. The net result is these three almost cartoonish cars you see here. Why these three? They are simply the trio of US performance cars which most impressed us over the past 12 months. Each of them, as discussed when we first drove them, expresses the term ‘performance’ quite differently. But each one melts your mind with the way it converts fuel into fun. There’s…

What do you know about the 6-Series? Most likely, the first thing to cross your mind would be ‘two-door’. Well, that’s not been the case since the uber cool 4-door Gran Coupe was introduced a few years back to complement the familiar 2-door coupe, and especially since 2017 when the entire 6-Series range consisted of a single variant, the four-door 6-Series GT. You will see it on our roads soon enough because BMW Malaysia launched it just recently. What will be on offer is the 630i GT, not a hybrid/PHEV as what you would expect from BMW Malaysia. What’s as surprising is that it’s locally assembled, making the car the ninth model to come out of Kulim, Kedah and the 11th variant overall. Up front is a four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo…

_ The Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic Contest 2018 has found the best car mechanics in the region, and they are from Malaysia – Low Pai Khoon, Yim Shao Ze and Alvin Tan Yong Jun. They emerged as champions in the final event held at KLCC recently, beating teams from Thailand, India, Singapore and Indonesia. The teams from Thailand and India were the runners-up and second runners-up respectively. The contest began in March with the National Rounds, from which 15 Castrol car mechanics were selected to compete and qualify for the Grand Finals. From there, the top three qualifiers then formed a team to represent their respective countries. In the Grand Finals, the five national teams underwent four gruelling time-based tasks. After a Theory Quiz session, teams had to…

Heads up Vespa fans and collectors, authorised distributor Naza Premira has just made three special edition offerings available here. Leading the billing is the Vespa 946 Red, followed by the Sprint Carbon and the Sei Giorni. Here’s what’s in store with each: Vespa 946 Red The retro-futurist and premium-priced 946 isn’t new, but this all-red special is. Unlike the base 946, this variant aptly dons the striking red hue on its steel body, as well as its aluminium mudguard, side, engine and transmission covers too. Retained is the base Vespa 946’s modern air-cooled 150cc four-stroke single-cylinder engine and twist-and-go CVT automatic transmission, the former boasting a three-valve setup and electronic fuel injection. Equally modern are its safety features. Brimmed as standard are Vespa’s Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) traction control and dual…