Saturday 31 August 2013

Aston Martin DB9


 

Lovely DB9 in dark blue, parked outside Waitrose in Altrincham, seen a few weeks ago. Under the bonnet there is a 6.0l V12 delivering 450bhp. 0-62 is covered in 4.7 seconds and the DB9's top speed is 186mph (299km/h)
By the way, who said it rains all the time in England ?!

Friday 30 August 2013

Mini John Cooper Works


 

Today, a bit of an improved "go-kart" in this 2010 Mini John Cooper Works. The 1.6 turbocharged engine which produces 211bhp takes the Mini to 62mph in 6.5 seconds and to a top speed of 148mph (238km/h) This Mini is a true John Cooper Works edition out of the factory, not a standard Cooper S with the addition of the John Works kit!

Thursday 29 August 2013

Insider 13 - Porsche 911 Carrera S

 
A new post in the "Insider" series, today we are in the Porsche 911 Carrera S, and for once, the picture is not as bad as it generally is (the car was parked along the window hence the light coming from the side not the front!)

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Honda Integra Type-R


 

One for the "boy-racers" today, the Honda Integra Type-R seen at the Trafford Centre! Under the bonnet of this 2006 DC5 Type-R, you have a 2.0 iVTEC twin-cam engine with 220bhp. 0-62 takes around 6.5 seconds and the top speed is 146mph (235km/h). Unlike previous versions of the Integra Type-R, the DC5 Integra Type-R was not available on the main UK market but through import specialists.

More info:
http://www.itr-dc5.co.uk/spec/index.php

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Ford GT


 

Second car from my trip to the Vigeant race track, a Ford GT. The GT is a modern re-edition of the 1960's Le Mans classic GT40. It has a 5.4 Supercharged V8 engine which produces 550bhp. 0-62 takes 3.6 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 212mph or 341km/h!!!
Just over 4,000 GTs were produced between 2004 and 2006. Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson had bought a blue one for which he asked his money back (not so much because he didn't like the car itself but because Ford was unable to fix alarm and other electrical faults!)

Monday 26 August 2013

Audi S7


 

Once again taken in Manchester, one of the latest Audis to have received the "S-treatment", the S7. With a 4.0l turbocharged V8 and 420bhp, the 4-door coupe reaches 62mph in just 4.5 seconds and has a limited top speed of 155mph or 250km/h.
I wasn't mad on the A7 when it was launched but the more I see them, the more I like them (particularly when they have a "S" badge before the "7"!!!)

Sunday 25 August 2013

Porsche Carrera GT



I was looking through an old computer the other day and came across pictures I took a few years ago in Le Vigeant, a French race track in Western France. The car we have here isn't one you see frequently, it is a Porsche Carrera GT. In the engine bay you will find a 5.7 V10 with 612bhp. 0-62 take the Carrera GT only 3.6 seconds and top speed is 205mph (330km/h). The car is built around a carbon fibre monocoque and brakes are carbon-ceramic! The Carrera GT is a true collectible supercar!
Porsche has announced the successor of the Carrera GT in Geneva in 2010 with the Porsche 918.

Saturday 24 August 2013

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

 

 
A bit of a legend today, seen on the M6 yesterday on my way back from Cornwall, a Lancia Delta HF Integrale! It might not look like much, but the little Lancia won several World Rally Championships in the late 1980's/early 1990's and the one we have on the pictures is one of the first true hot hatch which appeared on the road! It has a 2.0 turbocharged engine with around 210bhp which gives the car great performance: 0-62 in just 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 137mph/220km/h !!! Not bad for a hatchback over 20 years old!

Sunday 18 August 2013

Audi RS4


 

Spotted in Zennor (village on the North coast of Cornwall) this afternoon, an Audi RS4. It has a 4.2 V8 engine with 420bhp. 0-62 takes only 4.8 seconds and as usual top speed is limited to 155mph or 250km/h. Like with the blue RS4 presented a few posts ago, this particular RS4 also has the bucket seats option that you can just notice on the top picture.

Friday 16 August 2013

Insider 12 - Lamborghini Aventador

 
After the Aston Vanquish yesterday, today, we are on-board the new Lamborghini: the  £290,000 Aventador. Only one picture and it is blurry, but at least you have an idea of how much suede is used to cover the steering wheel!!!

Thursday 15 August 2013

Insider 11 - Aston Martin Vanquish 2013


 
 

It has been a while since my last "Insider" post, so I decided to go round Wilmslow this afternoon, to see if I could get a few new pics. And what pics did I manage to get today...!!! I know the quality isn't fully there (again due to the fact that most cars are facing the window and therefore the sunlight), but I tried my best and we can still see!
Let's start with the first one: the new Aston Martin Vanquish! Beautiful car and beautiful interior, very cocooned, wrapped in carbon and leather!
Notice if you zoom in on the speedometer where 70mph is... about a quarter up... All these places the needle will never be allowed to go to...!

Wednesday 14 August 2013

4,000!!!

And another thousand extra pages viewed. As usual, thanks for you continued support and interest.
My challenge is now to try to spot a few more cars not yet presented on the blog. Don't worry I still have a few more in stock and will hopefully carry on spotting many more!
 
E.

Ferrari 458



Pictures taken on the car park of Waitrose Altrincham a few weeks ago, a Ferrari 458 Italia in dark grey! 4.5l V8 engine with 570bhp, 0-62 in 3.4 seconds and 202mph (325km/h) top speed, not sure it is the ideal car to go food shopping!

Monday 12 August 2013

Aston Martin DB MkIII


 

Seen in Lymm village on Saturday, a rare Aston Martin DB MkIII. I thought this car might have been a replica, but looking the registration up, I realised that it is actually an original 1958 Aston (apart from the tyres which don't look original to me!)
551 MkIII were produced between 1957 and 1959. Under the bonnet, they had a 2.9 straight-six engine. The 178bhp produced by the engine allowed this MkIII to reach 62mph in 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 120mph (193km/h)
What a shame I didn't managed to take a photo of the front!

Sunday 11 August 2013

Volkswagen Golf R


 

Replacing the Golf R32, this is the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R seen outside the Chill Factore. It has a 2.0 turbocharged engine which delivers 270nhp. 0-62 takes 5.7 seconds and the top speed is limited to the usual 155mph or 250km/h. A nice little hot hatch!!!

Saturday 10 August 2013

Ford Focus RS





 


Focus RS spotted at the Trafford Centre yesterday. This is the first model, with a 2.0 turbocharged engine and around 220bhp. The RS is capable of 0-62 in 6.4 seconds and of a top speed of 144mph or 232km/h. 4501 RS were produced and they all came in the "Imperial blue" colour! Another great feature of the car is the Sparko bucket seats fitted as standard and easily recognisable!

Friday 9 August 2013

Renault 20

 
After 2 weeks in France, I am back in the UK. And to show you what I meant in my very first post of the blog, here is one of the cars I saw in my hometown of Melle, on the supermarket's car park: a Renault 20!
The Renault 20 was produced between 1975 and 1984. It was available with 4 different engines: 1.6, 2.0 and 2.2 for the petrol versions and a 2.1 turbo diesel engine.
Very fancy, and above all, very "Dream Car"!!!

Thursday 1 August 2013

Bentley Continental GT Supersport


 
Still on Deansgate, Manchester, which is, to be honest, one of the places to be if you like to go car-spotting, a Bentley Continental GT, but this time, the Supersport model. Why Supersport? because you still have a 6.0 W12 engine, but this time, not with 560bhp like in the "normal" version, or even 600bhp like in the Speed version, but 630bhp. This increase in power allows the Bentley to reach 62mph in only 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 205mph or 329km/h!!!