The Car Guide

Saddening news of a tragic accident over the weekend involving the Volkswagen Motorsport truck has resulted in several deaths, including two of Volkswagens own crew members. As a result of the incident, Volkswagen will also not complete the rest of the GTC championship for 2022.  Volkswagen Motorsport has officially confirmed the passing of Rodger van Schalkwyk and Floyd Sipinyu, who lost their lives on 29 May 2022 after a fatal vehicle accident near Colesberg . The two crew members were returning back to Johannesburg after Round 3 of the Extreme Racing Festival which took place at Aldo Scribante race track in Gqeberha when they were involved in a fatal accident with another truck.  Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport stated: “Rodger and Floyd were valuable crew members in the Volkswagen Motorsport team and we are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Our heartfelt condolences go out to their families, friends and loved-ones.” Rodger was highly experienced for the safe...

Whoever said Italian cars need to be finished in a shimmering hue of red to accentuate their beauty has obviously never seen a Baby Blue De Tomaso P72. This example, spotted at Lake Como, perfectly amalgamates into the seductive backdrop and may be our favourite looking one yet. The priceless gems that line the shores of Lake Como are aplenty, with reporting on each specific example being a hapless task. However, there are some that stand out more than others. Some truly special cars that have the ability to make the heart skip a beat or send our jaws to the floor. This Baby Blue De Tomaso P72 is the latest to do just that. The automaker made a return to its vehicle producing ways exactly 60 years after it was founded by Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena, 1959. The sculpted bodywork of the P72 model first made headlines at the 2019 Goodwood Festival Of Speed and while its looks were to die for, its 515 kW Ford V8 meant that it went as good as it looked. While it comes from the same compa...

This Supernova Red V12 Valkyrie, named after Scandinavian Mythology, has appropriately appeared in strutting its stuff at a racetrack in Norway. Since its screaming V12 dominates the soundtrack, we suggest cranking the volume up.  This Supernova Red V12 Valkyrie, potentially one of the most striking of the 150 Aston Martin limited edition hypercars produced, has been spotted in action at the Rudskogen Motorsenter . The unnamed owner , who boasts it is the only Valkyrie in Norway, took to the racetrack South East of Oslo and thankfully brought a crew to document his escapades too.  This means that a video provided after his endeavours on the racetrack and documented by Kyle Meyr and Mats Andersen means we get to enjoy the screaming 865 kW motor to ourselves. This includes a host of photos showing the intricate hypercar from multiple different angles as well as some on track rolling-shots of the prominent red paintwork which stands out on the overcast day.  This ...

The F1 powered road going Mercedes-AMG One has been confirmed for launch tomorrow but before the covers are removed, we have been given one last teaser of the most powerful Mercedes road going production car ever. The Project One originally debuted as long ago as 2017 , at the height of Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 dominance however adapting an F1-engine to be used on the road resulted in a few more hurdles than expected. The limited 275 unit Mercedes-AMG One production run, just as any other road-going car, is required to comply with the ever stringent regulations that restrict engines to make them more environmentally friendly. Formula 1 cars by definition are specifically designed for high performance usage throughout their product life.  Therefore engineers at Affalterbach were required to compromise between the two yet managed to retain the 11 000 rpm redline while lowering the engine idle from a whopping 5 000 rpm to a less gas guzzling 1 200 rpm. Regardless, the hybrid 1,6-litr...

The most compact SUV in the Bavarian range has been leaked ahead of its international launch. There aren’t too many surprises expected with the 2023 BMW X1 and iX1 based on the various spy shots we have seen and the model has dodged the enlarged kidney grilles. The front grilles are more enlarged than before but still less imposing from other models in the BMW lineup. A few specifications have also been leaked including that the iX1 will be able to make use of an AC plug for charging with up to 11 kW however an optional accessory allows it to charge up to 22 kW. Still meagre numbers when compared to the 130 kW capabilities of a direct current unit. This translates into 120 km of range after just 10 minutes of charging while up to 80% battery life can be achieved in only 29 minutes.  To help aid in its 438 km claimed range, the two-electric motor iX1 also boasts a low drag coefficient of 0,26 which is impressive for an SUV in this category. This is while being able to produce a ...

In today’s day and age of wildly powerful and fast vehicles, those of us lucky enough to find ourselves behind the wheel of something rather ferocious on the regular can often be heard saying how remarkable it is that certain vehicles don’t require the person driving them to possess some sort of a special license. When one considers that an inexperienced driver with a wad of cash can purchase a 460 kW BMW M5 Competition no questions asked, we can’t help but raise an eyebrow, maybe even two… Ferrari SF90 from IdiotsInCars UK police are in search of a certain gentleman who decided to facelift his 1 000 hp Ferrari SF90 Stradale himself, by driving it into five parked cars just outside Birmingham. Maranello’s most potent road car ever most certainly requires more than ordinary skills to pilot briskly, however it would seem as though the organic matter behind the wheel of this particular prancing horse was not in possession of such skills. As if pranging an SF90 and...

It has been a busy month for BMW’s M Division . Not only are they celebrating 50 years in the game but the iconic CSL nameplate was revived for the potent M4. That hasn’t stopped them from sharing the latest M2 in a sultry teaser video ahead of its unconfirmed debut. This teaser showcases their compact sports coupe which can be argued as the definitive BMW sportscar; small, nimble and powerful. The latest M2 may not feature in clear view for more than a frame at a time but the Bavarian automaker have made a statement about their new model and by the looks of things, “get ready for playtime” means that it should be joining us soon. Although not too soon, we can speculate that the brand will want the excitement of the M4 CSL to subside before releasing another fan-favourite and performance crazed model. No official launch date has been given although production will begin towards the end of the year at the San Luis Potosi factory in Mexico. To meet the demand, BMW is hiring an additio...

Poor Tesla. It seems that whenever one of Elon’s semi-autonomous electric cars is involved in an accident it is guaranteed some column space. And not just in any old news source, even the New York Times reports on these fateful events. For instance, in April 2021 two men were killed in Texas after their speeding self-driving Tesla Model S was involved in an accident with neither of the men steering the car. Upon smashing into a tree, the car burst into flames. This once again piqued regulators’ interest and concerns about the batteries used in electric vehicles. In June 2021 a speeding Tesla driver slammed into a Brooklyn, New York, senior living facility killing an 18-year-old backseat passenger and wounding three others. This past week another accident, this time a Revel Rideshare Tesla Model Y , made headlines after it was involved in a serious accident in Manhattan, New York. A video which includes aerial footage shows a speeding car travelling at approximately 112 km/h smashin...

The Suzuki and Toyota partnership has yielded some fruitful models added to each brands lineup over the past few years. The new Suzuki Baleno is the latest to join the Japanese automakers portfolio, here is its pricing and specs.  The refreshed model which continues to bode well for Suzuki’s frugal model-lineup will come in two trim levels; the GL and GLX which both boast some impressive standard features. The previous generation 1,4-litre motor has now been replaced with the 1,5-litre K15B petrol engine which is capable of 77 kW and 138 N.m. Despite displacing slightly more than before, the claimed fuel consumption rating for the subcompact hatchback is as low as 5,4 L/100 km for the manual transmission derivative while the automatic manages 5,7 L/100 km.  The capable motor has also found an application in the Suzuki-built Toyota Starlet, Urban Cruiser and Rumion models although the Baleno offers a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 81 kW per tonne considering the model...

The South African Motorsport fraternity has suffered the loss of a Volkswagen Motorsport truck which was involved in a fatal accident over the weekend outside of Colesberg. The truck was returning to Johannesburg with the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI racing cars as cargo when it was apparently involved in a head-on collision.  The purpose-built GTI models were in action at Round 3 of the GTC series at Aldo Scribante Raceway with Daniel Rowe and Jonathan Mogotsi behind the wheel throughout the weekend of racing. The models aboard the truck were engulfed in flames after the collision and were presumably destroyed in the wreckage. Little information has been provided to the motoring press at this point but an official Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa statement reads: “As Volkswagen Motorsport we can confirm that there has been a fatal vehicle accident outside of Colesberg involving our truck carrying the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI racing cars.” More details will be published once they are m...

After a tumultuous and delayed wet start to the most prestigious Formula 1 race of the calendar, Red Bull managed to perform the perfect strategy call which allowed Perez to win the Monaco Grand Prix while Verstappen outscored his title rival and rounded up the podium positions behind Sainz. Hometown favourite Charles Leclerc only finished in fourth position behind title-leader Max Verstappen who rounded up the podium positions with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in between the two Bulls. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Monegasque driver who performed flawlessly throughout the weekend in the principality topping almost every session including scoring a convincing pole position. Sergio Perez, who was the more competitive of the Red Bull drivers throughout the weekend, has gotten back to winning ways after feeling hard-done by team-orders in Spain saw him sacrifice the leading position in favour of Verstappen despite the two drivers being on different strategies. A delayed star...

Daytona Johannesburg has recently received a small consignment of the limited edition Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition which comes with more power and some Formula 1 pedigree.  Competing in the top tier of motorsport comes at a considerable price tag. While each team on the grid covets the grand prize of a constructors championship, there are also secondary benefits that can trickle into commercial gain. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has been able to implement the hybrid and state-of-the-art turbocharging technology into their commercial products, increasing power and improving efficiency.  Most teams currently competing in the championship, save from the Haas Formula 1 Team, Scuderia Alpha Tauri and Red Bull Racing, are either a division of a commercial brand that shares their name or directly affiliated to them. Aston Martin has become one of the most recent automakers to do so after becoming a name-sponsor in 2021 with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team.  Fruit...

This SpeedKore built creation titled the ‘Hellucination’ employs the sizable 7,0-litre V8 Hellephant engine. This means that this 1968 Dodge Charger restomod is capable of a whopping 745 kW while looking more ominous than anything else you will likely find on the road.  This hasn’t been a matter of dropping an obscenely powerful motor into the engine bay and calling it a day. SpeedKore has given this 1968 Dodge Charger a full makeover in their “most extreme build yet” according to boss Jim Kacmarcik. This means that the dark exterior colour of the Hellucination is actually just carbon fibre with a clear coat over the top – an ominous murdered out look nonetheless.  The statement piece of the build is undoubtedly the apocalypse-inducing 7,0-litre Dodge V8 Hellephant motor which can churn out 745 kW and 1,288 N.m – not very efficient with the current price of petrol but if you can afford to pay for this bespoke creation, that probably isn’t a concern. To put things into conte...

Rallying may not be the top tier of international motorsport, but it probably requires more skill, willpower and courage than any other. The latest WRC Generations game will allow players to enjoy the highly powerful hybrid Rally1 cars which are competing for the championship in 2022 – enough to get the blood pumping.  There is plenty more on offer of course, the WRC Generations game features 37 historical cars as well, which can be seen in the announcement trailer on the Nacon North America YouTube channel. Included in the selection are some of the most revered rally cars from the past, including models from Peugeot and Mitsubishi. If all out virtual speed is wanted, the powerful 2022-spec Rally1 cars are also available, these include Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 , Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and Ford Puma Rally1 .  The selection of models can be enjoyed along 165 special stages including a new, high-speed Rally Sweden environment covered in a layer of powdery snow which mimics t...

The beautiful scenery around Lake Como in Northern Italy are for certain days of the year overshadowed by the sheer opulence of ultra-rare and priceless automotive creations. The latest video featuring a bonkers Bugatti Bolide is no different and offers some close ups of the W16 powered hypercar. Believe it or not but the model you are seeing here isn’t a one off, designed to replicate the most sky-fi mechanical creations that would ever pop into someone’s mind. It has actually received the green light for production, with ordered models arriving in 2024. For now, this pre-production show car demonstrates in tangible format, how intricate and outer-worldly the French creation actually is.  In the most recent edition of the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este which took place last week in the mountainous northern region of Italy, an array of jaw dropping and drool-worthy cars can be seen flocking to the lakeside location. These include a Lamborghini Countach, an ultra ...

Want a LaFerrari but can’t fork out the millions to buy it? This replica proves you just need an Audi R8 donor car and an audience that is as blind as a bat. This latest LaFerrari bargain replica can be yours for the meagre price of only R650 000 although we’re not sure you’d be convincing anyone. The LaFerrari bargain made waves on social media after it was found on Facebook Marketplace three days ago. Since then, the unique creation has gone viral but not in the ways we expect the creator of the machine would have wanted. The listing in Johannesburg has been stated to be “Probably the best Ferrari replica in South Africa. The donor car is a Audi R8 V10 Spyder 2010 model.” The advertiser further states that “A lot of time, effort and money has been put into this project to get the vehicle to look like a real LaFerrari,” and is convinced by the workmanship on the model by adding that “the vehicle looks like the real deal and has the power and speed to match,” although we are sure th...

619 kW from a V12 in a car that weighs only 1,240 kg sounds like a dream to most but for one person, it is a bespoke reality. This is the latest Pagani Huayra NC and it is a unique build for a client.   Pagani has been teasing and testing their latest hypercar; the C10 however that doesn’t mean the immutable Huayra has run its course yet. The Pagani Special Project division has been commissioned to create this new and unique build for a client.  The exterior has been given the once over but behind the driver remains the 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 which puts out 619 kW and 1,049 N.m via a seven-speed sequential gearbox to the wheels while the entirety of the car only weighs 1,240 kg. The Pagani Huayra NC is a more hardcore version of the car on which it is based, with a noticeable roof mounted air scoop and rear wing being chief of the stylistic changes.  This specific example has had the exterior finished mostly in a dark shade of blue while a red stripe adds ...

This will be the first time in three years the motorcycle race through the country roads of the self-governing British Crown dependency will take place. Here is what to expect from the 2022 Isle of Man TT. We don’t normally report on anything with less than four wheels, with the occasional three wheeler making some newsworthy content. However the iconic motorcycle race through the British isle is something a little bit different. The nail biting action through the quaint streets and single lane B-roads of the Isle of Man are as intriguing to watch for the scenic beauty as it is for the anxiety-inducing action which has riders going through villages in excess of 300 km/h.  From today, the 29th of May up until Friday, the 3rd of June. Roads around the small island will be closed to host the qualifying sessions with categories including superbikes, superstock, supersport, supertwin and sidecar. The race week will take place from Saturday, the 4th of June and run up until Friday, the...

In this Japanese WRC icon battle, two AWD 90’s creations from the Land of the Rising Sun bring back some nostalgic competition between Subaru and Mitsubishi. Watch below to see which will cross the tarmac finish line first between the Impreza P1 and Lancer Evo VI. Both are special cars and while they share a similar shade of blue, that is about where the similarities end. Back in the 1990s, Briton Colin McRae of Subaru levelled up against Tommi Mäkinen, the flying Finn in the Mitsubishi. The Prodrive commissioned Subaru Impreza P1 and the Mitsubishi Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition were commercial fruits from their rallying labour Watch the motorsport icons battle it out head-to-head in 1997 here .  The cars themselves are fairly evenly matched despite using two different types of engine configurations. Both displace 2-litres and both make use of a turbocharger, however the in-line four of the Mitsubishi differs from the four-cylinder boxer of the Subaru. Both models put out ...

It doesn’t matter who crosses the line first, petrol power wins this one although we are sure many will concur that the sonorous Lexus LFA remains undefeated in this epic V10 battle.  Image: Throttle House YouTube channel Throttle House recently got their hands on two of the best sounding production cars ever made; the Lamborghini Huracan STO and the revered Lexus LFA. When these two are in your care for a few days, the obvious thing to do would be to pit them against each other in a drag race which is exactly what they did. There is an obvious winner in terms of acceleration and speed but this really isn’t the objective of the race. After all, a modern supercar being put up against a model over a decade old only shows us the technical advancement supercars have made over this time. Entertainment and aural satisfaction is the purpose of this epic V10 battle.  Both models demand a ludicrous price tag but the Japanese screamer easily goes for over $1 million or R15 milli...

After a weekend of tribulation for Ferrari, the team will want to close the second double header of the season off strong in the principality – a home race for Leclerc. With the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix circuit suited to lower speed driving, Mercedes may even be more competitively in the mix with the Bulls and Prancing Horses too. Here is what to expect. Important times to look out for: Practice 1 (27 May) – 14:00 – 15:00 Practice 2 (27 May) – 17:00 – 18:00  Practice 3 (28 May) – 13:00 – 14:00 Qualifying (28 May) – 16:00 – 17:00 Race (29 May) – 15:00 – 17:00 The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya provided trials and tribulations throughout the grid. Most notably with Red Bull snatching a 1-2 finish from the hands of a comfortable Leclerc after engine failure before the midpoint of the race. The tally of DNFs between the two championship contenders now stands at Verstappen’s two, to Leclerc’s one.  The podium places were finished up by Mercedes-AMG driver George Russell, who ...

The latest creation from the brand that sports Neptune’s Trident on its badge has officially broken cover after being teased and features a lot more sky and the same Nettuno V6 from before. Say hello to the Maserati MC20 Cielo.  In addition to the unveiling of the new performance piece in Maserati’s lineup, the brand will also offer the PrimaSerie (Italian for first series) which will have a limited production run of 60 units. AS part of the limited edition model, buyers will be able to spec theirs in an exclusive new Acquamarina exterior paint finish which forms part of the Maserati Fuoriserie customization program, combining pastel gray with iridescent aquamarine mica. Here is the MC20 Cielo’s introduction to the video world. The model receives ice-colored Alcantara and leather on the inside with aquamarine stitching on the dashboard. The PrimaSerie text is embossed onto the headrests and can be found on the 20-inch wheels too.  The design changes to the newcomer a...