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)

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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.

Criticised for looking too old, now it looks too modern. Will Morgan ever get it right?

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?

We'll take it, even in this chocolate-box brown.

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

We'll take it, even in this chocolate-box brown.

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.

Those two oval pipes are all the sound system you need.

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.

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.

As far as ugly cars go, the GT is definately not one of them

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.

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]

South Africa's current favourite car and VW's magical recipe for success

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.

Boy racer or sales failure; what about this without the white bits?

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.

Spot the difference...

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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309kW and 400Nm and a time of two minutes around Kyalami too slow for you?  Well, grab a shot of adrenalin and a gate pass to a mental hospital with the RGM Supercharged BMW M3.

It’s definitely not covered by BMW Motorplan, but  the street-going Rob Green Motorsport-developed E92 M3 Coupé, sporting a supercharger, managed to surprise its track-day rivals on street legal semi-slicks at a recent BMW/Porsche Kyalami track day. A lap time of 1:54.03s sees it nipping at the heels of the 335i production cars’ times around the track in full race setup.

RGM says it’s docile enough to drive every day. Yeah, docile like pitbull with its goonies in a vice grip – let go and it will bite you. Hard.

Mental illness in a car-sized pill. 500+kW and 600Nm in a racecar-rivaling streetcar.

Press release after the jump

IRON FIST, VELVET GLOVE
There’s been a change of pecking order in the fast car aftermarket, with Kyalami’s existing lap record for a street-legal forced-induction BMW smashed by a supercharged E92 M3 built and owned by RG Motorsport of Strydom Park, Randburg, on Sunday July 25.

Circuit ace Reghard Roets set the new benchmark early in the morning of a Bridgestone-sponsored BMW/Porsche track day, powering the howling 504 kW/634 Nm gunmetal monster around the Highveld circuit in an astonishing one minute 54,03 seconds. Shod with street-legal Dunlop semi-slick tyres, the supercharged V8 coupe comfortably eclipsed the existing best time, and moved firmly into the league of the likes of the 335i production racers.

“This isn’t a track car disguised as a road car and it wasn’t built with lap records or track usage in mind, which makes the way it coped with this kind of stress even more impressive,” said Roets, who works for RGM when not pushing track cars to the limit. “Despite its pace it remains docile and exceptionally refined in normal driving and the only issue on the day was the tendency for the power steering fluid to overheat after a number of flying laps.”

The car is essentially identical to what any M3 owner could order from RGM, a company which specialises in forced induction installations for BMWs and prides itself in a level of craftsmanship which makes their engine bays a joy to behold. Not only that, but their conversions are underpinned by solid engineering and thorough research and development.

“When we heard about the track day we decided on the spur of the moment to give the car a try,” said Rob Green, managing member of RGM. “It is good for 320 km/h and a 0 – 100 of around four seconds but it also exceeded our expectations around Kyalami, confirming the integrity of our workmanship.”

A feature of the car is the charge-cooled and centrifugally-driven supercharger, which uses a heat-exchanger with a separate cooling system to lower the temperature of the intake air before it enters the engine. This, along with the management of engine electronics via a sophisticated piggy-back computer, enables the powerplant to cope with the dramatic increase in power and torque.

Special rear wheels are made out of smoke...

"It's not now you stand by your car, it's how you drive it..." - Vin Diesel

Nice bit of fabrication there

It’s been a busy week for Renault. First it told us it’ll be bringing six new models to local shores before the clock strikes midnight on 2010, and then it unveiled its brilliant “Satisfied or Reimbursed” campaign. Before even giving us room to breathe and take all of this in, it announced the Clio S.

A torquey engine helps it on the uphills.

Good brakes keep it from rolling downhill.

Based on the normal Clio 1.6, the S is aimed at giving aspirational RenaultSport owners something to tide them over until they can get their hands on the bonkers 2.0-litre 3-door hatch. Overtly sporty detailing makes up the majority of the Clio S package. The exterior gains tasty white 16-inch wheels, a white lip on the front spoiler, white mirror caps, and white stickers. Inside we’re treated to seats with some white “S” embroidery, white dials and some white inserts. Damn, there’s a lot of white in this car – aren’t we the Rainbow Nation?

Motivation comes from a 1.6-litre 4-pot producing 83kW at 6000RPM and 161Nm a 4250RPM – decently tractable, if you ask us. Fuel consumption is ridiculously low. People might even get confused, considering this is a “sporty” variant. Renault’s claimed figures are 6.7-litres/100km in the combined cycle, dropping to 5.4-litres/100km on the open road. Oddly, despite the good economy, emissions are 160 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Come September 1, and that stupid green tax the government wants to enforce, it’ll add a good few rands to the asking price of R179 900.

The price is attractive – some R20 000 less than the Clio Dynamique. That comes with a few more bits, though, like integrated satnav, light and rain sensors, climate control, Bluetooth, folding rear seats and a couple of other things. Sadly, the S lacks real sporty additions like a more powerful engine, or even a stiffer ride. Still, looks are what count the most for the youth of today.

Check out the gallery below for more shots.

Let’s get it out of the way: this car costs R1 180 000.

That’s almost Audi R8 monies, china. And you’ll look much more stylish showing up in an R8 than you would in an M3 that looks like you washed it with a Scotchbrite pot scourer. Sorry BMW – that matte finish actually does look pretty awesome, but as much as we want to like this M3 – and we love the M3 – it’s hard to justify the 1-bar price tag.

Look, it is a sexy looking machine.

The Frozen edition has 330kW and  420Nm (a stock one has 309kW/400Nm) – the extra power comes courtesy of some AC Schnitzer bolt on bits. An exhaust, intake and new software (or chip, for the street racers), to be exact. It’s important to note that these goodies do carry a BMW seal of approval, so Motorplan is not affected. Another standard-fit performance part is the 7-speed M-DCT gearbox. You save R41 000 not having to specify that, and with the extra power the DCT ‘box helps the limited edition M complete the 100km/h sprint a smidge faster than the stock version: 4.5 seconds versus 4.6.

Cosmetic changes, the ones making this M3 instantly recognisable, aren’t just limited to the matte grey or black paint. The 19-inch wheels are now gloss black and behind them are some racy red (woohoo) brake calipers. The interior gets a helping of sexy, too: red contrast stitching on the black leather looks the part.

Gloss black or not: we still prefer the 18-inch wheels on the stock M3.

Contrast stitching makes us lust even more.

Only 25 of the local-only models will be sold, so if you can justify paying an extra ~R300 000 for exclusivity, best rush down to your dealer right now.

Renault sure has some big ones, making this offer.

The deal is this: you can buy any Renault car and if you’re unsatisfied with your purchase you can return it within 30 days for a full refund of the purchase price. Serious. Siryas. Fo’real. You don’t even need to justify yourself with a porky like “My aunt Mavis got me one JUST LIKE IT for my birthday, yesterday”.

According to the information we’ve received, there are no strings attached and customers will be fully briefed at the time of the purchase. Obviously, standard terms and conditions do apply. Don’t think you’re gonna pull a fast one like handing handing back a car with broken bits. And we certainly wouldn’t plan on using it as an excuse to have a free Renault rental for 4 weeks – those  finance charges are still going to apply, and leave you out of pocket. You scrooge.

Full details for the “Satisfied or Reimbursed” campaign are available from your friendly Renault dealer or on the Renault website.

We think this is a pretty rad campaign. Even the artwork for the main poster is pretty damn cool. Check it out!

Jirre that oke is tall.

It’s been a busy week, which is unusual of late. From the Mercedes CLS-like Audis to sexy hybrid Porches, but nothing confuses us more than MINI‘s decision to re-enter the WRC with a Cooper Countryman. On the local front it’s hypercars, super-saloons, repmobiles and… er Mercedes CSL-like Volkswagens.  Listen to the podcast to get all the insight and arguments that you will never get from a magazine.

Classically Italian, far better looking than its German and Korean counterparts

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Episode 86 hi-fi download (23MB)
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Show notes, links, pics and wallpapers after the jump!

Hot on the heels of the Audi A8 in South Africa, the Audi A7 Sportback hits the scene. It’s a coupe-like saloon that looks a ton better than the BMW 5-Series GT. [via TimesLive ]

Er... not sure what to say...

MINI, after a very long hiatus, is back in WRC. Why did it choose the Countryman, though? We argue it out. Now if only DSTV would stop being muppets and air WRC coverage at a decent hour, instead of the national jukskei championships. [via WRC]

The wrong Cooper.

Porsche has announced that the 918 will go into production:  hybrid reality that will surely filter down to it’s other models.

Next year is 2011. It is also the launch of the new Ford Focus. Please don’t all get too excited at once.

Not bad. More evolutionary than revolutionary. The change is inside...

Like a cockpit, you'll feel more like a pilot than a driver.

Thanks to NetCarShow for these images.

Missing out a diesel in the range, Chevy has introduced a Cruze diesel to its lineup. Honestly, this was a very good car in the petrol variant, so this can only be better for high-mileage users.

Cruze around in a diesel now; get further on a single tank

Though they probably wont sell a single one, FIAT held its media launch for the Bravo Sport. Look at demo stock for good deals on a great car that no one will buy. Christo tells us more about the face lifted Golf competitor.

Classically Italian, far better looking than its German and Korean counterparts

It's even nice inside - but no-one will buy them

Are the words sexy, sedan and Volkswagen three mutually exclusive terms? Well, the Volkswagen CC disproves that theory and has now been made more practical, with the addition of an extra seat to seat five. There’s no extra cost despite the extra leather, head restraint and seat belt. Click here for a full overview of the VW CC Saloupe or here for our podcast review of the four seater one.

Audi’s new A8 super-saloon – the executive saloon for the discerning buyer who wants to stand out from the crowd rather than blends in – never thought we’d say that about an Audi. [click here for our review of the previous generation A8 3.0TDI ]

Not offensive, not boring, every bit different to the competition.

We've always loved these as alternatives to the usual 7-series and S-Class options

Even Audi drivers can be adventurous

The big Mac has a new dealer in SA and it doesn’t have a big yellow M outside and a bunch of fat kids inside. The Daytona Group will sell the McLaren MP4-12C alongside its Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and other exclusive brands.

Return of the Mac?

And finally, some tyre news: Christo gets all excited over the new kevlar-construction on Good Year‘s Wrangler A/TR off road tyres.