Sunday 20 December 2015

Ferrari Superamerica 2005



Something rather rare today, seen last month at the Ferrari showroom in Wilmslow, a Ferrari Superamerica. This convertible version of the 575M was only produced in 2005. 559 cars were ever built, 57 of which were right hand drive, which makes this one particularly rare! It had a carbon fibre structured roof which rotate 180 degrees and a 5.7 V12 engine producing 532bhp. The top speed is 199mph or 320km/h and 0-62 covered in 4.3 seconds. Not bad for a "convertible"!

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Insider 21 - Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 2005



It's been a while since the last Insider post so here is a new one in the series. As you will have probably spotted on the dashboard, I am behind the wheel of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. I took the picture last weekend at Ferrari Stratstone in Wilmslow. You don't see many 612 around and I can't believe I forgot to take a picture from the outside. In 2004, the 612 replaced one of my favourite Ferrari, the 456, and it was itself replaced in 2011 by the FF. The 4-seater has a 5.7 V12 which produces 540bhp. It has a top speed of 199mph or 320km/h and 0-62 only takes 4.2 seconds.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Bentley Continental Supersports 2011




Not the first appearance on the blog for the Bentley Continental Supersports. This one is finished in silver and spotted in one the side-streets off Deansgate in Manchester. Like with the white Supersports from the earlier post, the big coupe has a 6.0 W12 engine which develops 621bhp, so 0-62 takes no more than 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 205mph or 329km/h. I seem to have had the same experience as Clarkson and Hammond regarding the Continental GT, I hated it at first but woke up one day with a completely different opinion and now love it! Why? I cannot work it out...

Saturday 10 October 2015

Austin-Healey 100-6 1950s




I spotted this classic Austin-Healey in France, whilst back in my home town this summer. I think it could be a 100-6 serie, which would mean a 2.6 straight six engine under the bonnet with between 102 and 117 bhp. Top speed would be up to 104mph (167km/h) with a 0-62 in 10.8 seconds. The 100-6 were produced between 1956 and 1959 but still look great nearly 60 years on!

Friday 18 September 2015

Audi S8 2006




A big sporty saloon today, the Audi S8 V10 Quattro spotted at the Trafford Center a couple of weeks ago. The S8 has got a 5.2 V10 engine under the bonnet which is derived from the 5.0 V10 you will find on the Lamborghini Gallardo. 0-62 takes only 5.1 seconds and the top-speed is limited to 155mph or 250km/h as usual. I love these double twin-exhausts!

Thursday 20 August 2015

Aston Martin V8 Vantage 2008




A car I have already presented a few times on the blog but today, we have the Aston Martin V8 Vantage in an original colour. I have looked on the Aston website to find the actual name for this orange, but the Madagascar Orange looks different so I am wondering whether the order for this particular car hasn't been placed with a tailor-made paint job. If you have the answer, leave a comment!
Just had a comment from J Just J giving the aswer to the colour. It is called Karussell Orange and came as part of the standard choice of colour for the V8 Vantage N400. Thanks again J!

Monday 20 July 2015

40,000

And another 10,000 done!
Thank you again for checking in regularly.
E.

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Alfa Romeo 4C 2014




Spotted while I was at the new Aston Martin service centre, we have an Alfa Romeo 4C in white. The 4C is the latest Alfa to be introduced in the range. It is the 'baby sister' of the 8C but what a baby sister. It has a 1.75 4-cylinder turbocharged engine which produces 240bhp. 0-62 is covered in only 4.5 seconds and the top speed is 160mph or 257km/h. I know it cannot compete with the 8C and its 4.7 V8 but looks-wise, it is an absolute hit!

Monday 22 June 2015

Ferrari F40 1990






A real icon of the late 1980's/ 1990's today, one I grew up with (well, not a real one but rather a 1:18 model) the Ferrari F40. I had never seen a real one before and I know I didn't spot it on a street but when I realised the Stratstone Ferrari dealer in Wilmslow had one for sale, I had to go and see it, and here it is, in all it's glory. The F40 is described by many as the world's best supercar and yet, as you can notice in the pictures of the inside of the car, there was no luxury at all, no aircon, airbag, stereo or even door handle, all that in order to save a maximum of weight. Only man and machine, a true driving experience. Underneath the back windscreen and huge spoiler, you'll find the 2.9 twin-turbocharged V8 engine which produces 471bhp and is capable of taking the F40 to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds and up to a top speed of 200mph or 320km/h. Not bad for a 25 year-old car. So enjoy the pictures because, even if over 1,300 F40 were produced between 1987 and 1992, the £800,000 current price tag for one means you won't probably see many around town!

Saturday 6 June 2015

Aston Martin DP-100 2014




Between reality and virtuality, this is the real version of Aston Martin latest digital concept. I mentioned it in my last post about the the opening of Aston Martin's new service centre in Wilmslow, so here it is! The car is called DP-100 and it was designed specifically for the PlayStation racing game Gran Turismo 6. It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0 V12 which produces 800bhp! Not a production car, the DP-100 shows the direction Aston Martin is likely to take for its forthcoming models.

Saturday 30 May 2015

Aston Martin Service Centre Wilmslow Opening 30-05-15






A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Aston Martin inviting me to the opening of their new service centre in Wilmslow. That was today and it was worth going! Even if the very sleek facilities are a bit tucked away, they have much more space than they used to have at the previous location. The whole range was present, as well as 2 little bonuses, a Vantage GTE and the DP-100 (posts to follow...) The whole Aston team was on hand to answer any questions, supported by an outdoor barbecue and coffee bar! 
Thank you Aston Martin and +Stratstone !

http://www.astonmartin.com/

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Range Rover Kahn 600LE 2014






Second post in a row with a tuned up Range Rover, this time this is the Kahn take on the proper Range Rover with this "600 Luxury Edition". The Evoque Kahn I posted a few months ago seemed to have been enjoyed by many so I thought I would post this one today. I took the pictures during James Martin's Supercar Sunday last year in Manchester. Kahn were present with a modified Defender and this particular model. The 600LE is based on the 258bhp 3.0 TDV6 Vogue Range Rover. As with the previous tuned Range Rover, the modifications a purely cosmetic but I feel this one is particularly successful despite my dislike for SUVs. The colour, the body work and the interior work a treat together!
I must also say the staff present on that day were incredibly pleasant and helpful!

For more information:

Sunday 24 May 2015

Range Rover Sport Revere 2014




Another Range Rover today, and another one prepared by a luxury tuning company. This time, the tuner is a London-based company called Revere. They do not focus exclusively on Range Rover preparation but on a wide range of luxury brands (I have only come across Range Rovers though!)
Once again, the tuning is mainly cosmetic with a change of bumpers, side skirts, wheels... This particular conversion is based on a 2014 Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 petrol. It has 503bhp, reaches 62mph from 0 in just 5 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph (250km/h) -limited as usual.

For more info:
www.reverelondon.com/

Sunday 17 May 2015

Aston Martin Vantage 1995




A month and a half after my last post, I am back with this great Aston Martin Vantage from the mid-90s. Muscly-looking, this Aston has a 5.3 supercharged V8 under the bonnet which produces 550bhp, allowing the Vantage to reach 62mph in 4.6 seconds all the way to 186mph or 300km/h. Not bad for a 20 year-old sports car!

www.astonmartin.com

Wednesday 1 April 2015

BMW 650 Ci 2008




Another matte black 6-series BMW but today it is the 650 convertible. Under the bonnet you will find a 4.8 V8 engine which produces 362bhp. As far as performance is concerned, 0-62 takes 5.6 seconds and the top speed is limited as usual to 155mph or 250km/h. This one was spotted at the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. I always do like red Brembo brake calipers!

www.bmw.co.uk/

Friday 20 March 2015

Rolls Royce Ghost 2014





Not the first time we meet the Rolls Royce Ghost, but it is the first time we have it with such a great colour scheme! As for the previous one, this one was parked on a side street in Manchester outside House of Fraser.  As usual, the Ghost has a 563bhp 6.6l V12. 0-62 is reached in only 4.7sec and the Ghost's top speed is 155mph or 250km/h (limited electronically)

Sunday 22 February 2015

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante 2007




Spotted in Sale a few weeks ago, this Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible. It obviously has a 4.3 V8 engine under the bonnet which produces 380bhp. 0-62 takes 4.9 seconds and top speed of 175mph or 282km/h. This makes me think that I went to have a look round the Wilmslow dealership a couple of days ago and once again the people there were fantastic: very helpful, knowledgeable and passionate. It might look scary to go in one of these showrooms thinking you cannot afford anything there but they still remain "shops". You wouldn't think twice about going round a clothes shop and leaving it empty-handed thinking the clothes are too expensive, would you? Or would you hesitate to go into a museum to admire works of art? Probably not. Just try, go in, have a look around and remember the sales specialists there are car enthusiasts too who love sharing their passion (and generally cannot afford to drive these cars either!)

http://www.stratstone.com/dealers/aston-martin-dealer-stratstone-aston-martin-wilmslow-328.html 

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Lamborghini Aventador 2014



Today a Lamborghini Aventador spotted along the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. The Aventador is the lastest "big Lambo" with a 6.5 V12 engine developing 700bhp. 0 to 62mph is reached in only 2.9 seconds and the top speed of the beautiful Italian is 217mph or 349km/h. Spray it black and I reckon you end up with a brand new "Batmobile"!

Sunday 25 January 2015

Honda NSX 1999





Spotted about a month ago outside of House of Fraser Manchester this Honda NSX Targa with what looks like a Mugen bodykit on. This NSX has a 3.2 V6 engine with 280bhp which allows it to reach 62mph in just 5.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 170mph or 274km/h. Rowan Atkinson used to drive one but I bet it wasn't bright orange!