The Car Guide

The Kingsley Holgate expedition managed to reach the Arctic location of Nordkapp, the most northern extremity of Europe in their weary, reputable Land Rover Defenders after starting at Cape Agulhas 9 months ago. Image: Kingsley Holgate The Defender Transcontinental Expedition is the 40th geographic and humanitarian journey for the Kingsley Holgate team where, along the way, they have engaged in community upliftment and conservation that includes malaria prevention and water purification. A core ideology to the expedition is ‘using adventure to improve and save lives.’  Read more about the Kingsley Holgate Foundation here.  As part of this herculean overlanding odyssey across continents and countries, the Kingsley Holgate expedition has now reached the most northern extremity of Europe. This comes after the group of travellers began their 30 000 km journey at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the African continent; a journey known as “Hot Cape To Cold Cape.” With th...

It was another promising day for Mercedes who scored an impressive result in a repeat of podium results from the French Grand Prix while Max Verstappen, who took overall honours at the Hungaroring, comfortably extended his championship lead heading into the summer break.  Image: Formula 1 It will be a pensive and disappointing four week summer break for Ferrari who once again capitulated at the pressure of tyre strategies. Starting from second and third on the grid, Sainz and Leclerc only managed to cross the chequered flag in fourth and sixth position, sandwiching Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez.  Teammate Max Verstappen surged to victory after starting in tenth position, ahead of Perez, for a disappointing Saturday result. The Dutchman suffered a theatrical spin in the third sector of the track after successfully passing Charles Leclerc in the middle stage of the race, who at the time was on harder tyres that lacked grip in the cool conditions. Despite this unforce...

If you look deeper into the camouflage of the Defender Works V8 Trophy, you will find the silhouettes of 23 locations that have been part of Land Rover expeditions over the past 70 years.  Image: Land Rover The Land Rover Classic team will source Defender models from 2012-2016, strip them down to bare components and rebuild them to a production standard with a few tasteful modifications. Customers can choose from a limited run of 25 Classic Defender Works V8 Trophy II in either the 90 or 110 body style with a limited number of five 110 Double Cab bakkies converted to the heritage model.  Related: No mountain too high for the new Land Rover Defender 130 The model will be powered by a 5,0-litre V8 petrol motor that is good for 298 kW and 515 N.m and powers all wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Along with the visible exterior upgrades, the Classic Defender Works V8 Trophy II will also be equipped with uprated suspension, steering enhancements and uprated...

The Prancing Horse has been feverishly preparing some special race cars for the next few seasons of competition racing but the latest to officially have the covers removed is this; the Ferrari 296 GT3, and it comes with 20% more downforce than its predecessor. Image: Ferrari The ageing model it replaces is the 488 GT3 and although Ferrari technically skipped a generation of a prepared racecar in the F8, it still held its own against much newer competitors despite originally debuting in 2016. Since then, there has been a raft of upgrades incorporated into the 488 GT3 with the expert input of Ferrari drivers which is why the 6 year old model has managed to retain its fiery competitiveness.   WATCH: New Ferrari LMH car breaks cover with enormous rear wing Now though, all of that expertise and knowledge has been transferred into the latest GT car to be adorned with the Prancing Horse. This is the Ferrari 296 GT3 and despite it already having completed dozens of simulations and t...

Bulgaria now makes hypercars and the Alieno Unum, with its Lamborghini inspired aesthetics, takes high performance lunacy to a whole new level with air thrusters capable of delivering questionable amounts of power.  Image: Alieno It’s all in the name; Alieno . Designed to look like something from outer space with a price tag to match something that is capable of being beamed into the atmosphere and beyond. This is the Alieno Unum from Bulgaria and it takes lunacy to a whole new level. Starting with its origins, the Unum is a product of Alieno; a Bulgarian hypercar maker founded in 2015 and based in the city of Sliven. This isn’t their first virtual project nor their most optimistic, but we now have their latest electric hypercar that is capable of some impressive, but questionable, statistics.  Image: Alieno The name Unum is derived from Latin for “one,” with Alieno describing it as “a two-door, two-seater robotic electric hypercar” with the same “alien” technologi...

Electrification beckons at the top tier of automakers, just as it does with manufacturers centred around basic mobility but the 2025 Ferrari EV won’t lose its dynamics with the additional weight of batteries and electric motors. Image: Ferrari Or at least that is what Benedetto Vigna assured enthusiasts and adoring Tifosi of the Prancing Horse alike. The Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari stated that the 2025 Ferrari EV, which will be the first produced by the Maranello outfit, will not compromise driving dynamics. “In terms of drive, in terms of vehicle dynamics, we can manage this additional weight. It’s true, we have a few 100 kilos more than a regular ICE car for the same kind of horsepower, but what really reassures me is the fact that we have a deep understanding of the vehicle dynamics. So, it’s a challenge, but we see it as an opportunity to continue to make something unique.” Ferrari have slowly been merging into the world of electrification with their first hybrid mod...

Class is in session, todays lesson, why having a fast car like the E46 M3 doesn’t make you a race car driver. Also, wear your seatbelt!  Cars take time to build and are expensive, so snapping a lip, scratching your wheels on a curb, getting a new ding on the body, or heaven forbid, seizing an engine are things that make petrolhead wince and whine. That said, throwing your prized possession into a barricade or two and totaling your precious BMW Coupe would have most people in a fit of despair. Moments before disaster struck. Music taste aside, from what you can see and hear, it seems like a decent E46 M3. The video provided by  Fast car Prishtina on YouTube  shows the BMW coming around a circle, pacing towards the exit. You can vividly hear that 3.2-litre S54 screaming as he puts his foot down. The revs climb, the engine continues wailing, and the road begins to blur as the driver picks up speed. Upshifting from 3rd gear to what appears to be fourth, the d...

Just when we think all automakers have made their peace with the untimely death of ICEs, we get an occasional glimmer of hope. Toyota as well as several other Japanese automakers are now researching greener fuels!  Image: Toyota Nothing is guaranteed with this announcement but it means that the ICE as we know it may not be as hopeless as we’d come to expect and that is because several top-tier Japanese automakers have established a new association that will be researching greener fuels and their viability.  The stark EU mandate to outlaw the sales of ICE powered vehicles by the end of the decade means that most new cars sold will likely be battery-electric powered. Manufacturers are starting to voice their concerns over the lack of raw material and production capacity to meet the requirement for the millions of new vehicles that will be entering the market by that time.  Toyota and several others have taken first steps in prolonging existing technology in a bid to...

Max Verstappen scored the maximum 25 points at Le Castellet while title rival Charles Leclerc spun out from the lead of the race. Ferrari will be looking to capitalise at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix before the sport heads into its summer break, here is what to expect. Image: Formula 1 Important times to look out for: Practice 1 (29 July) – 14:00 – 15:00 Practice 2 (29 July) – 17:00 – 18:00  Practice 3 (30 July) – 13:00 – 14:00 Qualifying (30 July) – 16:00 – 17:00 Race (31 July) – 15:00 – 17:00 This weekend, the paddock will return to the Hungaroring for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. A track that provided a wet weather spectacle to viewers in 2021 where a first corner incident saw the retirement of several cars. Drivers may have to contend with the elements once again as the weekend forecast for the town of Mogyoród, where the Hungaroring is found, has a high chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday.  Watch the highlights from 2021 here. Regardless of any open...

Aftermarket tuning options for EVs are becoming more commonplace as the alternatively powered models start becoming more mainstream. A latest video of a lowered Audi RS e-tron GT is a good indication of how sleek the silently powered model can look.  Image: Auditography Wearing massive 22-inch wheels and a full body kit, the lowered Audi RS e-tron GT has been transcended from its already ominous looking stock aesthetic into this; a showstopper. The YouTube video courtesy of Auditography shows the satin finished sedan in various city and countryside settings although we think the bustling metropolis with cityscape in the background suits the Ingolstadt model more.  First Drive: Audi e-tron GT quattro Starting with the bodykit, the lowered Audi RS e-tron GT wears a complete Maxton Design body kit which has components mounted on each lower extremity of the car. Air suspension with K&W springs give the e-tron the ability to tuck the 22-inch Turismo Inventa carbon wheel...

Toyota’s very own pocket rocket hot hatch will continue selling in Mzanzi since a second, limited allocation of the potent GR Yaris has been confirmed for our market in a single enthusiast-oriented grade.  Image: Toyota This time around, the lineup has been reduced to a single model; the Rally variant. The top-spec derivative of the all-wheel-drive hot hatch will include a Torsen limited-slip differential on both the front and rear axle, performance-tuned suspension, revised power-steering assistance and 18-inch BBS forged alloy wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4s rubber. The potent GR Yaris comes with same good stuff as before!  As before, the Rally model will also include leather seats all around, unless the front row is specified in Alcantara while a heads-up display will be standard in addition to the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) active safety suite and Active Noise Control. The addition of a reverse camera and rear PDC enable the potent GR Yaris to be mor...

Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula 1 World Champion announced that he will retire at the end of the 2022 season using his new Instagram account to convey the message.  Image: Aston Martin With his contract at Aston Martin expiring at the end of the 2022 season, the 35 year old German driver has opted to retire from the top tier of motorsport amidst personal reasons which he lists in the video embedded below.  Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll stated: “I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin over the past year and a half. We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that.” Stroll further added: “He will continue to race for us up to and including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be his 300th Grand Prix entry. We will give him a fabulous send-off.” Starting h...

The GT500. The pinnacle of modern muscle car performance has eluded us since its inception , but that’s about to change. Carrol Shelby was also known as the “King Of The Road”. That title was passed down to a 1968 GT500 birthing the legendary GT500KR. In 2008 the world received the second-gen Shelby GT500KR, and now South Africa will finally receive the third-generation GT500KR. Image: Mecum Auctions The KR badge’s founding father was a 1968 GT500 with white-knuckle-inducing oomph and the agility to cement itself as a track-capable fastback/convertible. The 1968 GT500KR featured the esteemed 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V, which produced 250 kW, although rumours suggest that the proper power output sat closer to 298 kW and 596 N.m. Alongside abundant power, an exterior constituting endless air scoops, a large front grille, and redesigned front fascia curtailed by a chrome bumper echoing the more aggressive “KR” DNA. Image: Mustang Specs In 2008 the second generation Shelby GT500KR ...

The BMW X3 has become a mainstay for the German automakers lineup so it only made sense for an electrified version to help lead their charge into greener mobility. We spent time with the all new iX3 in Gauteng to find out whether the newcomer has carried over all of the traits that made its conventional counterpart so popular.  Image: Alex Shahini Part of the electrified i onslaught that has been surging through the automotive market in South Africa is the BMW iX3; the more understated choice to the flagship iX and the more practical option to the performance focused i4 M50 .  DRIVEN: Electrified BMW i range to lead the charge Image: Alex Shahini The iX3 settles into one of BMW’s most conclusive model lineups , with the X3 range available in a wide selection of energy types including petrol, diesel, PHEV, and now this BEV powered alternative. Within each of those categories are multiple derivatives to choose from. Ranging from frugal diesels to performance oriente...

Hot off of its global release , the new 2023 Type R has already been shown sporting some OEM goodies. Buyers can now equip their FWD Honda hot hatch with a carbon wing and plenty of red details.  Image: Honda Courtesy of Honda Access Japan, Honda’s genuine accessory programme; buyers of the 2023 Type R can now spec their hot hatch with some visual and performance orientated goodies. This includes a carbon fibre rear wing which is 1 kg lighter than standard. On the cosmetic side of things are red add-ons which include mirror caps and Honda badges all around the car – these can accentuate the sizable brake calipers painted in the same colour.  Image: Honda On the inside is much the same with more red and more carbon fibre. The standard centre console has now been replaced with one finished in carbon fibre while the gear knob mounted within is fashioned out of anodized aluminium. To match the bold, red interior, buyers can opt to finish the gear leather to be finished i...

The latest 992 GT3 RS is one of the most highly anticipated vehicles that has been in the pipeline this year. As such, it has been spied and teased more times than we can count but on the 17th of August, the covers will officially come off of the 992 performance flagship. Image: Porsche First and foremost, the newest member to the Porsche performance lineup will debut on the 17th of August at 17h00 on the Porsche newsroom platform . Andreas Preuninger, Director of GT Model Line has mentioned the 992 GT3 RS will be even more optimised than before with a “spontaneously responsive, high-revving four-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine” perched behind the driver.  WATCH: Porsche 911 GT3 RS parades around the Ring in N/A flat-six glory Preuninger further adds that the naturally aspirated 368 kW motor in question is ideal for track days and club sports events which is why the focus of the model was centred around aerodynamics and chassis development. Other reports mention that it cou...