Posted by Henry on Jan 23, 2009 in
Reviews 
The all new Range Rover Sport Supercharged is the ultimate country boys prize. At just over £58,000 it’s a great bargain. As off-roaders go, they are the top of the range. It’s elegance and beauty really match it’s skills.
The Sports 4.2 litre V8 engine really carries it to the limit. With 390 bhp it doesn’t half go fast. It literally flies. So fast that the top speed is unknown! And they sound fantastic, it’s like a lion rumbling, nearly as grunty as an Aston.
Land Rover has really pulled out their stops this time, to include all the technological features available. The standard gearbox is a whopping 6 speed auto with cruise control making driving a doddle. Even though HSE is available, I find it rather pointless seeing as it already has superchargers. All the normal equipment is standard, such as; Sat-nav, alloy wheels and CD player.
All in all, the Range Rover is an exceedingly good car, the handling is great and the drive comfort is fantastic. It may be highly un-economical, but which millionare wouldn’t have one? Why wouldn’t they?
Score: 9.5/10
Posted by Dan on Jan 1, 2009 in
Reviews
The A10, from Ascari is one of the fastest cars ever made. It’s 5 Litre V8 engine churns out 625 bhp reaching 60 from standstill in just 2.8 seconds. WOW. And the top speed, well, have a guess. 215 mph! With a hefty price tag of £350,000, some may expect that too. The main reasons for this enormous figure are: As the car is majorly made from carbon fibre, it only weighs the same as a family hatchback. The other reason is as I explained, it has a ferocious engine. The A10 is pretty good looking too, with the striking yellow paint and the front grill. The headlamps are also great!
If you ever drive the Ascari to it’s top speed, you probably will have lost one of your senses when you step out, as the noise is deafening! Some may say it’s worth having to learn sign language, as they have experienced the thrill driving the thing. The gearbox is another positive point, and the silver knob is good too. Best of all though, is the steering. The grip putting it into the corners, gives you the confidence to keep your foot down! Really it’s like a Koenigsegg, only a lot, lot easier to handle. Most of the info so far has been good, but every car has its negatives.
If you do experience the unlikely event of crashing, you will not be very safe. In a normal family car you would expect a CD player, air conditioning, a boot and most of all airbags. The Ascari has none of these, so it’s not very practical. But as I say, it is very unlikely you’ll crash. (The dashboard is slightly hard to understand too.)
You will probably agree that these are mere niggles. Overall then – a brilliant piece of engineering.
Score: 9/10
Posted by Dan on Jan 1, 2009 in
Reviews
As you may agree from looking at the above picture, the new Alfa Romeo 8C is possibly the best looking car ever made. With the long nose and curved tail, it looks slightly like an old Ferrari. And it goes like one too! With a 4.7 litre version of Maserati’s V8 producing 450 BHP and going from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds- the top speed is 182 mph! The sound’s genuine as well, unlike most modern cars that have had the exhausts tuned.
Sadly, only 500 8Cs have been built, so it’s very unlikely that you’ll ever see one, but if one’s passing by – you’ll hear it! As in most Alfas, the gearbox is at the back and most of the car is made of carbon fibre (including the Ferrari seats) which makes the car lighter. So, what about the handling?
Because the centre of gravity is bang on and the weight distribution is perfect, you would expect it to be great around the corners. Err…no. The steering feels heavy, too heavy, jerky and the suspension feels like it’s been made out of rotten dish cloths. The flappy paddle gearbox is awful too, but I’m not keen on any. One weird thing is that it is really easy to get your foot stuck under the brake pedal. And that could be dangerous.
Another negative point is that it’s not practical either, with a miniscule boot and no back seats, the 8C would be an awful family car. So what is it good at? The speed isn’t much compared to other modern cars and the driving experience is hideous too. There’s only one purpose left then – a piece of art. And at £110,000, it’s cheaper than some stupid modern paintings that are sold today too.
Score: 8/10