The Car Guide

You will want headphones for this, although not at full blast considering the F1 Hesketh of Hunt and its Cosworth DFV V8 engine has a deafening roar when driven at full throttle!  Ahead of the prestigious race weekend in Monaco, a POV video provided by Louis Delétraz from last year’s edition of the Monaco Historique Grand Prix gives an insight of how tight the famous street circuit actually is. What makes this footage particularly good is that it is behind the wheel of James Hunt’s F1 Hesketh from the 1974 season. Despite nearing a half century old, the 3-litre Cosworth V8 propels the Swiss motorsport driver and the iconic 70s machine through the streets of Monaco at breakneck speeds. It may be approaching veteran status but the 589 kg 1974 Hesketh 308 provided a maximum power output of 362 kW @ 10 600 rpm which made it nimble but equally difficult to drive. Of course, James Hunt was an expert at the helm of any four wheeled machine he piloted and managed to take a win with t...

Attention gamers! The next Gran Turismo 7 update available from today will include the dominant Toyota GR010 Hypercar along with two other additions.  Kazunori Yamauci, creator of the Gran Turismo series took to Twitter to tease three new vehicles included in the update scheduled to arrive on the 26th of May. The side-on silhouette teasers aren’t meant to be overtly obvious, but we can guess at least two of them (or so we think). The most notable of these is the dominant Toyota GR010 Hypercar which was entered into the top-level endurance racing Le Mans Hypercar category.  Have a look at the cinematic Gran Turismo 7 opening video here .  The model is based on the highly successful TS050 which won Le Mans three times in a row with the GR010 scoring a flawless 1-2 in its opening 2021 race – its first competitive outing too. The model on the bottom right has been identified as the GoPro Rampage 1970 Camaro by the Roadster Shop. The LS7 behemoth won the Gran Turismo ...

In the latest behind the scenes footage from Gordon Murray Automotive, the T.50 is put through an agonising airbag calibration testing session. This is not for the squeamish!  It looks like sacrilege and it sure feels like it too but this is not done in vain by those hellbent on destruction, or better known as the labcoats of ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg . Like any new car, the GMA T.50 is required to be put through extensive testing before it is ever imparted into the care of the few customers that can afford one. They are driven in harsh conditions for thousands of kilometres in the name of reliability to ensure the components don’t fail but prototypes and test vehicles are also handed over to bureaus to test the crucial aspect of safety. Here, the T.50 goes through an agonising airbag calibration test which has the V12 model put through the gauntlet. This includes simulated potholes, uneven cobblestone surfaces, being launched off a ramp, a simulated steel curb collisio...

If ever there were engines created for sheer shock, awe and anachrony – apart from the Bugatti W16 the VW Group’s W12 runs a close second. The normalisation of the bizarre dictates that if something is repeated enough times, it becomes accepted no matter how outrageous. On the other hand, what is considered extreme today has often been well accepted in the immediate period that followed its gestation. Before time, evolution an eco-awareness damned it to an inevitable demise. The subject at hand is the world’s only mass-produced W12 engine, Wolfsburg’s 6.0 WR12 48v, which this year celebrates its 21 st birthday. The idea of a W configuration was first executed in 2001 in the mid-engined W12 concept car, that would later set a 24-hour endurance record (7 085 km at an average 295 km/h) at VW’s high-speed test oval in Nardò, Italy. Less than four months later, on 23 February 2002 the W12 smashed its own record by this time travelling 7 739 km at an average speed of 323 km/h, thereby d...

The limited run Ferrari Dayton SP3 has been capped at only 599 units, so this 1:8-scale Lego Technic version may be the more accessible and affordable although it still doesn’t come cheap. Ferrari’s most recent creation in their Icona series, which boasts a retro styled design as homage to the Ferrari 330 P4 endurance race car which won at 24 hours of Daytona in 1967 has now been converted into 3,778 Lego pieces.  The collaboration between Lego and Ferrari means that the 1:8-scale Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3 has also yielded a limited-run coffee table style book detailing the collaboration on the nifty piece of kit. Only 5,000 copies of the book titled “Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3: The Sense of Perfection” will be available for sale from the 1st of June with a price tag of $79,99. This is the same day the intricate model will go on sale.  Speaking of which, the scaled down version of Ferrari’s most aerodynamically efficient model ever measures in at 150 mm tall,...

To celebrate the two decade success of the all-wheel drive hot hatch, Volkswagen have given the Golf R 20 a tad more power as well as some cosmetic upgrades over its standard counterpart.  The quintessential GTI hot hatch from Volkswagen provided affordable front-wheel drive fun for enthusiasts on a budget. Two decades ago, suits at Wolfsburg decided to turn up the ante by throwing in the revered VR6 motor into the MkV to create the R32. To cope with the heavy and powerful motor, it also got all-wheel drive; a characteristic which has accompanied every model since.  Twenty years later, and the Golf R 20 comes with the seasoned EA888 2-litre turbocharged four-banger from before , although this time around it has been tweaked to push out 245 kW as opposed to 235 kW. The power figures make it the most powerful factory Golf to ever be sanctioned by Volkswagen. Quite a substantial jump from the original 184 kW from the 3,2-litre naturally aspirated VR6 in the first model to be a...

In honour of this momentous occasion, Mercedes-Benz has announced the Mercedes-Maybach Edition 100, spectacular creation based on what many consider to be the benchmark of the luxury sedan segment. CAR were at the South African unveiling of that vehicle, of which South Africa will likely receive just one. Due to be auctioned off at the end of June, the proceeds will be donated to charity. With its 463 kW/1 000 N.m  twin-turbocharged V12 powering all-four wheels and exquisite hand-painted finish, the Mercedes-Maybach Edition 100 will be both a sight to behold and a marvel of modern engineering. At 7-inches longer than the already elongated Mercedes-Benz S-Class L, the Edition 100 features luxuries such as the Burmester 4D surround sound system, as well as heated and massaging seats. Hand-painted in two-tone Cirrus Silver and Nautical Blue with a Crystal White and Silver Grey Pearl interior, its unlikely that this will be mistaken for any ‘ordinary’ S-Class, although a sma...