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Posted on September 02nd, 2010 by trevor

Often one searches the web and comes across things that make you go WTF! So here’s a new section to ZACS, FUGT or Found on GumTree (in most cases). And this particular car is one of those. Sometimes the most humane way of putting an old animal out of its pain is to euthanise  it. We can’t but help think that if this car were an animal, the owner should rather have ended its misery. (Found on Gumtree)

Posted on August 24th, 2010 by trevor

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Is the performance car dead? We wave goodbye to the iconic Civic Type R because its 2-litre four-pot puts out too many carbons. It seems rather ridiculous, but coming from a manufacturer that has positioned itself as the leading ‘green’ auto supplier, it was bound to happen.

That said, some people throw caution to the wind and flip the bird to such trivial regulations. Some people are like successful businessman Michael Stoschek, and his son Maximilian, who commissioned the Lancia Stratos from Pininfarina. The new Stratos is based on the guts of a Ferrari F430 while the bodywork is crafted completely from carbon fiber providing an awesome power to weight ratio and weight distribution.

Despite how much it sounds like a TV actress, the Morgan EvaGT is a four seater from British sportscar builder, Morgan. It uses a turbo inline V6 from BMW and has some pretty healthy credentials to help it reach 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. It’s still a plasticine model, but will likely be in the coming year and it will be very, very expensive.

Did Audi go X-R8[ed] with its new Spyder? In SA we only get the V10, which is probably better.  Does it look as good as its hard-topped brother?

Launch Drive: Christo van Gemert joined a bunch of other journalists who go on car launches, drink lots of alcohol and eat for a living to experience the Honda CRZ – a new hybrid from Honda and the first in the first for the brand in SA. Is is a R300 000 car?

ZACS Test: FIAT 500C. A write-up on this magnificent little convertible coming soon.

Episode 88 hi-fi download (29MB)
Episode 88 lo-fi download (16MB)

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Posted on August 18th, 2010 by christo

Yah no, it’s nice when you have some model names that make for a cute headline.

Anyway, so Audi’s “fastest ever droptop” has finally landed in South Africa, some months after making its debut as Tony Stark’s ride in the action-packed blockbuster, Iron Man 2. Elsewhere it’s available with the V8 engine, but we’ll only be getting the V10 version – the same 517hp (386kW) motor seen in the faster coupé.

At R2 104 000 the Spyder (in manual form) is only R154 000 dearer than its tin-top brother. Sure, it’s the price of a Fiat 500 more expensive, but it’s about a billion times sexier and everybody in Camps Bay knows you can’t put a price on pose-cred. Now you can go from shaded to sunbaked in 19 seconds, thank to the retractible fabric  top, and it can be operated at speeds of up to 50km/h – way faster than you’ll ever be going on the main drag.

For the gadget-heads, it’s packed full of toys. The mega asking price includes Bluetooth prep, satnav, Nappa leather heated seats and a bitchin’ Bang & Olufsen audio system. But you won’t need that. Ever. Because there’s a V10 engine behind you and the roof folds down. Audi should just credit Spyder buyers like R20 000, or whatever the speaker system costs, and let that money be used for paying fines they get while speeding through the Hugenot tunnel.

Posted on August 18th, 2010 by trevor

For a company that struggles to achieve double digit sales figures on a monthly basis the idea of launching an overpriced limited edition to celebrate its centenary looks like a gunshot to its own foot. Limited editions should sell out before they become available and to be honest, Mr General Public has lost confidence in Alfa Romeo.

Historically, Alfa’s strategy of developing sporting cars from their conventional saloon car offerings has found much favour among traditional Alfisti and ensured good sales. But as the Alfisti die or retire to old-aged homes, there are very few buyers in South Africa filling their shoes. This in itself is a great pity.

Alfa Romeo does not make a bad product: never has (apart, perhaps, from some misguided time during the ‘70s). Their reputation for oil leaks and dicky electrics from the 50s, 60s and 70s does not apply today. In fact, it ceased to apply from the 90′s era 155, 145 and 146 models. However, a bad reputation is difficult to fix. Human nature dictates that we remember the bad stories despite all the good that may have been done since.

Ever since the 156 and 147 (with the exception of the Selespeed that seems to have been dogged with problems) Alfa has produced good, stylish cars with glorious engines built on sound (take that fundamentally or aurally) principles. Both those models brought success for the company in South Africa, sales outstripping demand. Both cars also won the hallowed Car of the Year award – the 156 in South Africa and 147 in multiple territories abroad.

Those that drive them, love them, but unless Alfa is able to get bums into seats, those bums will gravitate to other brands. I drive an Alfa and I love it to bits (Which it is usually in – Ed.), but at this stage I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone who asks; not because of the car, but because of the dealer network.

I think this is the problem that has led to the poor sales in South Africa – and not because of the product offering.  We will publish reviews on the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) and MultiAir soon – probably two of Alfa’s nicest vehicles of late – but the reality is that, these models will struggle to compete against the MINI Cooper [Cooper S] and Citroen C3 [DS3], cars the Alfa trumps in Europe deservedly because it is that good.

Soon all cars will be eco friendly and too boring. But the GT is by no means close to fitting into this category. In its normal guise, it is a fantastic car: a proper grand tourer. With a brilliant engine that is based on the original Giuseppe Busso-designed V6, it sports 177kW from its 3.2 litres, while a slightly more sensible 1.9l turbodiesel is also available.

Let me reserve my comment on another brand, Renault, that once shared Alfa Romeo’s poor service woes for another column. But suffice it to say here that the French brand is an example of what Fiat Auto South Africa should have done to its Alfa Romeo and FIAT brands five years ago to improve its standing in the motoring industry. If it had done, there might be a chance for these limited edition Alfa Romeo GTs of which only 30 will be made available. Sadly I think they’ll be confined to demo lots until they get sold at dramatically reduced prices.

The Alfa Romeo GT Limited Edition is white, a very unusual colour for this car and absolutely striking when seen in the flesh.  It is now bedecked with satin-silver finishes on the grill, side mirrors and the interior similar to the new MiTo QV. It also features freshly designed five spoke 18-inch wheels and, most critically, that glorious 3.2l V6.  Alfa Romeo says only 13 of these masterpieces are left, but at an asking price of R395 000 (R400k will buy you a nearly new BMW 3-Series six cylinder Coupe or Renault Laguna Coupe) I think they will be left there for a long time to come.

This brings me back neatly to the brand reputation issue Alfa faces in South Africa and the problem of the dying Alfisti.  There is a younger generation of individuals who know and love the brand. Unfortunately, they also know not to buy an Alfa brand new. Instead they wait for these cars to be bought by other people who, typically because of frustrating dealer service, choose to sell them and do so at ridiculous prices. It remains the best way of getting into such a great car. Shortly after doing so you divorce yourself from the dealer and make use of an independent Alfa specialist and you will have bought yourself into the cheapest life-altering experience: that of Alfa ownership, where driving is an adventure rather than a chore; where an exhaust is not simply there to expel spent gasses from the engine, but rather sounds like pipe ensemble in an orchestra; it is the time that you decide that the inside of your car is a good place to be; and you look back at the car every time you lock it, just to admire the design. Alfas really are that good.

So, while this limited edition GT is quite possibly one of the best looking cars the company has ever sold in recent times, and has the drop-dead looks to match the aural pleasure of the engine, I don’t think they’ll be rushing off the showroom floors. Instead, those that want one, those people like me, will wait to get their hands on one from some disappointed-never-to-return-to-Alfa seller, or an Alfa dealer trying to offload their demo in a year’s time. By then they will have halved in price and become the performance bargain of a lifetime. Perhaps if Alfa pulls its socks up now to get its dealer network act into gear, these will truly become highly sought after and desirable grand tourers that hold the key to re-instilling brand confidence and the desirability that Alfa Romeo so sorely lacks in South Africa. They are, after all, well so much less wankerish than (E92) 3-Series BMW coupes.

Posted on August 14th, 2010 by trevor

Have house prices affected the way we buy cars? Should car manufacturers be offering more variants that appeal to the mass market? The ZA Car team attempts to answer these two questions while mulling over the introduction of some fast BMWs and innovative vehicle marketing campaigns – the brunt of the recession is over, but is it enough to push-start the sales cycle once again?

Fin24 reports a 300% sales increase in sub -B segment  vehicle sales. Is the motor industry coming right or are the buying patterns of the public changing a bit because sub-B segment cars are actually quite good these days? [story via Fin24 analysis from ZACS]

Tarted up, but down-specced Clio from Renault in the forms of the Clio S - the question is, should the company have just left the stickers and white options as an option? This would have opened up the market for a cheaper Renault Clio that’s not all boy-racer and affordable, but competitively priced, too.

Suffering some buyers remorse, Renault’s new sales campaign where you can simply return your car for a full refund in 30 days shows confidence in its products, but could it hurt the company in the long run? [read here for T&Cs on this deal]

Frozen black like a toe with frost-bite, the SA-only BMW M3 Frozen Edition adds some extra bits  for power and style and a rather large bit on the price.

Another BMW 500kW road/track car from Rob Green Motorsport, makes for good picture opportunities, but does it make for a good car?

Take Burt Reynolds, give him a face lift, see any difference? No, well take the Mercedes-Benz C Class, give it a face lift, see any difference? Yeah we thought so, but if you gave Burt some blue tablets we’re sure you’d notice his performance increase in other areas – same with the Merc and it’s new engines.

Three weeks after ZACS scooped it on Twitter, BMW has officially revealed X3 price list and has done a good job positioning the car.

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Episode 87 hi-fi download (29MB)
Episode 87 lo-fi download (16MB)

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