Weber Supercar

This is the one you've been waiting for...Bet you thought that no-one will trump the Veyron right? Ye with little faith......

Weber are a components manufacturer. They've just built a concept, and here are it's vital stats: Construction: carbon-fibre

Weight: 1,100kg

Top Speed: 270mph

0-60mph: 2.7 secs

Engine, Layout: 7.2-litre supercharged V8, mid-mounted

Gearbox: six-speed sequential-shift semi-auto gearbox.

Brakes: 380mm brakes with 12-piston callipers

Apparently, Weber spent NINE MONTHS working on the AERODYNAMICS alone!!!!! Can only say one thing to that.....grief!!!!!

Porsche Panamera - Stroke of genius, or stroke of lunatic?!

I'm not sure about this one. On one hand: it's a Porsche. A masterpiece of engineering, total exhilaration. On the other hand: it doesn't look 'right'!!!! You think of Porsche, and you think of a sleek, low-slung, 2 door coupe with awesome power and tenacious handling and grip. But this looks like an idea conceived after a Friday night's hard partying, boozing and whatever else you can do for a heady weekend! I'm sure it will work. But I'm not sure it should.

Bear in mind that this is a full 4-seater, and Porsche may put the 700bhp GT engine in there.....and you start to see what I mean about strange!

Return of the Mac! Mk1 Golf

Amazing....Volkswagen of South Africa are building a 'new' version of the Mk1 Golf GTi!!! Mad eh!!! It's been 'dubbed' the CitiGolf R-Line, and the shell is classic Mk1, just updated inside!! It has a 1.8 litre engine, nothing special, especially with a bhp figure of around 120. But it's trying to be as close to the original as poss, so you can't really expect them to go putting in an R32 lump!!! (Not such a bad idea though :D) The 0-60mph is about 8 and a half secs, and it'll top 110mph, again not special by today's standards, but that's not the point really.

What's it going to look like inside then? The dashboard is the one out the Fabia, so you have quality there, including a CD player, not bad!!! Only things that it differs from on the outside, are the back lights, badging, and it has two extra doors!!!! Here's the catch: there are only going to be 100 built (of the R-Line). But there will be a standard 1.8, so it's not all doom and gloom.

Exciting News

So much has happened since the last meaningful post!!!! Just shows that, in the motor world, nothing stands still (no pun intended :D). But there have been a few things that caught my eye. Maybe you agree with some of them:

• 'Return of the Mk1 Golf' - heard about this!?!?!? I'll explain more later :)
• Porsche Panamera - this may be your thing, but I'm not really feeling it.
• Weber - If this is built, the Bugatti Veyron will look slow. Yes, slow.......
• New Subaru Impreza - I have quite strong views about this!!!
• New BMW M3 - some news I have on it, and prices too. And it's a V8 now!!!

They are just a few of the things that caught my eye. I'll also throw in some more stuff for your parousal, including my car situation, which is always a laugh :D

Welcome Back!

Big apologies first of all, for the severe lack of updates here on FourWheelBlog. This has been down to many things, some trivial, some not-so-trivial. But I'm going to try and be more dedicated to it now!!!! So again, your support is valued. Thanks again.

Memory Lane

It's funny, this is. I remember when I was younger (I'm 22, so not that long ago!!!) when everybody drooled at the sight of an XR4x4 (well I did!). It was a real hooligan's car, really macho. I mean, who'd heard of an engine bigger than a 2.0 (and not diesel, and not the Rover SD1!!!) in a family hatchback?! This is what appealed I think, it was almost maverick, bringing 'power' to the masses. So let's look over the spec: 2.9 OHV V6 putting out 150 bhp @ 5700 rpm, and 172 lb/ft @3000 rpm (according to carfolio.com). 150 bhp? Now think about this: my present car (Saab 9-5 2.0 'Eco'power) also produces 150 bhp. From a 2.0 engine!!!! The Accord Type-R can produce 212 bhp from a 2.2 engine, without any turbo, supercharger, anything. Purely naturally aspirated!!!! It's just when you think about the cars of yesteryear, how butch they seemed, and how quick they were, and yet, we're squeezing nearly 150 bhp out of little 1.5 engines ( and if you don't believe me, Mitsubishi Colt CZT :-D). It's amazing. But makes you think doesn't it...why did we rave about such cars!?!??! What made them so great? I guess it's a nostalgic thing though, it must be. As I go back to my 309 (see 'My First Car' post), I loved driving it! That's when I really enjoyed driving. And that was the secret I think. Those cars made you feel great, because the whole experience, of being scared, not knowing if you'd get back home in one piece, and just playing around made it all worth while! Yeah you can have your 250 bhp hatches (Mazda 3 MPS), but they're so well controlled and efficient, that you think, it's just missing that 'thing', the 'golden touch', almost. Those days are gone. What a shame...

Which Car Should I Get?

I have a dilemna. Not a life threatening one, but one that I want solving. And to be happy with the decision. Here it is: changes in my 'situation' mean that I am soon going to be requiring a car that is much more economical than the one I presently own. This will involve a 200 mile round trip each month to Hertfordshire, and possibly a 20-mile round trip to work each day. What I want from the car is: Economy (of course!). Safety. Durability. Enough 'oomph' to get past dawdlers and lorry drivers. And finally, something that'll be fairly cheap!!!! My budget will be no more than £1500, that's where the difficulty comes in I guess. I've singled out three in particular: a VW Golf TDI Mk3 (apparently, does 50mpg round town and 58 mpg on the motorway, according to wisebuyers.co.uk!!!!), a Mondeo 1.8 TD, or an Audi A4 1.9 TDi. I've been in love with Golfs since day 1, and the economy figures speak for themselves; it's that to which my heart points. But Mondeos do tend to be cheaper, and I rather have a soft spot for the Mondeo, I think they're great cars. Cheap parts too I'd imagine. And the Audi is shortlisted because it's such a classy motor, and you can't argue with Teutonic build quality - it's fantastic, to say the least. So people, I ask your opinion: what should I get? Any other suggestions are welcome, because although I've shortlisted three cars, I would, of course, look at something else if there's a very good case for it! Cos I'm reasonable :-D Thanks again.