ZA Car » Fiat

ZA Car Show 155: esse esse

trevor — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:40:35 +0000

Audio stream – Download audio file (zacs155.mp3)

We’re 12 weeks into 2012 and at least 155 weeks into ZA Car Show. There is some exciting news to come in a few weeks, but until then, if you live in Johannesburg, South Africa and have still not signed up to take part in the ZA Car Show Petrolhead Quiz on 27 March, then you should do so now by clicking on these black-coloured words. The evening promises to be fun-filled and there are some nice prizes in store (hopefully for everyone). You have a 1 in 20 chance of winning something and in anyone’s book those are good odds.

John Beale, Christo van Gemert, Patrick Gearing and Trevor van de Ven debate the merits of owning a little Italian scorpion; discuss the launch of BMW’s new 3-Series; get Trevor excited about a hyper-efficient diesel VW and Christo continues to rub in the fact that he’s going to Le Mans this year.

You can also find out about Tracker in the UK that is going social to find stolen vehicles and decide whether you agree with the choice for the SA Guild of Motoring Journalist’s Car of The Year for 2012.

100km on less than 1 litre of petrol is what the VW XL1 concept promises. It has been caught testing so the concept is very likely to become a reality.

If the camera angles look funny, it is probably because this is a very unconventional racecar prototype called the Deltawing. It’s will race at LeMans this year without classification but is expected to match the times and speeds of LMP1 and LMP2 machines. It is powered by a 1.6 turbo producing 224kW.

Here’s what it looks like.

The Nissan Deltawing looks more ‘Bonneville Salt Flats racer’ than Audi’s R18 which it will compete against. Audi has already clocked up its first win in its new R18 at Sebring.

BMW has launched the 3-series in South Africa. Christo attended the launch and shares his initial driving impressions. Click on the image to view a complete gallery of images (you will be redirected away from this website).

Finally, we review the Abarth 500 Esse Esse, a surprising little machine that constantly dials up the smiles. Click on the image to see a gallery.

Episode 155 download

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ZA Car Show 153: Let’s Chatz about cars

trevor — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:36:09 +0000

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We’re joined this week by Derik and Bradley Scorer from Arnold Chatz Cars. At ZA Car Show we’ve come to meet a great deal of people, but we’ve seldom met with guys who are as passionate about cars as Derik and Bradley. It’s easy to see why Arnold Chatz Cars, an independent Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership in Johannesburg, was the first choice for establishing an Abarth performance centre when the brand was launched in South Africa. They share some light on what we might be able to expect from Abarth (like the Punto Scorpione that has Trevor weak at the knees) and some special editions that Abarth would like South Africans to have. It was the Arnold Chatz Cars ‘cash for clunkers’ programme that got us speaking to Arnold Chatz Cars in the first place as it’s a one-of-a-kind offer, especially in the lower end of the market.

By now you might have heard of the new Audi LeMans racers, the R18 E-tron quattro and R18 Ultra – the world’s first hybrid diesel racecar and the lightest Audi racecar respectively. It’s a rare moment when aesthetics and function marry so beautifully which is made even more impressive when it is on a racecar.

Jaguar has taken the time to pull the covers off of another incredibly beautiful model for lovers of estate cars with the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Click on the image to view a full gallery.

And from the sublime to the ridiculous is Aston Martin’s Q customization programme. See some of the lunacy in the picture below that features its trunk-top rack for storing your bags. Click on the image to see a fully gallery of the strange customization options.

Land Rover also broke two records this week: it built the 1millionth Land Rover Discovery, a car we thoroughly enjoyed; and in South Africa it managed to collect over 1000 Land Rovers in a convoy breaking the previous Guinness Book of World Records record of 300-odd cars. Well done to all that participated.

Finally, Renault has rationalised its Clio range once more, making it cheaper and offering loads of customisation options. Are the changes enough to ensure a survival for this nearly-dead horse? We explore the options.

Episode 153 download

ZA Car Show 151: We drove a Jaaaaag

trevor — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:21:48 +0000

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There are a of top motoring journalists in South Africa that we respect and we’re joined by one of them, Reuben van Niekerk (@ReubenVN), from ~~Car and Leisure~~ Ikara, joins us this week to talk about his crazy passion for air-cooled VWs, Hot Wheels and a couple of other news snippets from the motoring world.

Reuben and Trevor were on the local launch of the 2012 Punto. Last week, Christo gave you the facts, this week these two die-cast collectors tell you what it’s actually like to drive.

There’s also a flurry of new cars being announced at Geneva in March, while South Africa has had the left over GTI35 editions offloaded, but it’s really the review of the Jaguar XJ 3.0TDI that you want to listen to. What is it that BMW and Mercedes Benz have to fear, is it a Jag?

Click on the image to view the full gallery. Right click and select "open in new tab/window" if you're currently streaming the show online.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

Episode 151 download

ZA Car Show 150: Scheiße

christo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:11:07 +0000

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In this week’s episode, with Trevor on the launch of the new Fiat Punto, Patrick and Christo get to talk all about performancecars. And rallies. Fun stuff, basically.

BMW’s unveiled press photos and information on the new M6 coupé and convertible, both of which will be coming to local shores later this year. The new grand tourer shares an engine with the M5 – the 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo M-power engine. 412kW, 680Nm, 7sp dual clutch transmission. But possibly missing the point a bit, as Patrick says, because the M5 is far more subtle with its wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing appeal.

Click through for a gallery of more photos!

The TT-RS gets a power hike, because it wasn’t quite rapid enough to start with. The 15kW and 15Nm increase (for a total of 265kW and 465Nm) makes it slightly quicker in a straight line, bringing the 0-100 sprint down to 4.1 seconds in the 7sp S-tronic variant. Audi’s no stranger to these “Plus” models, having offered something similar with the older turbo V8 RS6 Plus.

It's a regular TT-RS, with a bit more power. And badass wheels.

The highly anticipated Subaru and Toyota collaboration will finally see the two cars hit showrooms this year. Toyota’s 86 has already been shown off and driven, but Subaru’s BRZ will have its official unveiling at the Geneva motor show in March

It keeps the blue paint, but the gold wheels are a 90s relic, it seems. Pity.

Meanwhile, Car Magazine’s Hannes Oosthuizen was privy to a private viewing of the Toyota 86. We weren’t invited, but can share what Mr. Oosthuizen had to say. The car will be sold sans GT badging in SA – simply 86 for us – and Toyota will offer a bunch of extras, including TRD bits, body kits and Brembo brake packages. Hannes says that a good guess for pricing would put it at about R320 000… The Golf GTI is sort of the benchmark for 200hp fun cars, and it costs R340 000, while that other, oft-forgotten Japanese rear-wheel drive sports car, the MX5, now retails for an eye-watering R356 000.

It looks pretty hot with this bodykit - click through for the full article on Car's site.

Our very own Trevor van de Ven attended the local launch of the 2012 Fiat Punto. New engines, spec levels and technology are available for the tiny Italian, bringing it right into “class leader” territory, as well as being excellent value for money. Pricing starts at R130 000 and tops out at R209 000 for the Abarth-engined lounge spec – click here for his launch drive impressions, along with more info.

For those who need a not-quite Voyager, the Dodge Journey’s received a slight facelift which is mostly just an engine update. Both SXT and R/T variants of the American people carrier are now available with the fantastic Pentastar V6 producing 210kW.

210kW means you should probably move over when you see this in the rear view mirror.

Chevrolet’s iconic Trailblazer badge will come to SA later this year when it brings the small-by-American-standards SUV to local shores. Here’s an artsy pic of what one will look like if you walk with a bad limp.

We're promised the whole car will make it to South Africa.

Finally, there’s the new Kia Sedona. The headline change here is the move from a 2.9-litre turbodiesel engine to a smaller and far more efficient 2.2-litre turbodiesel mill – the same one used in the Hyundai Santa Fe. It produces 143kw and 436Nm, which is plenty for lugging around the whole family, some friends, and a trailer with loads of luggage. Other toys include a 6-disc CD player, USB ports, and electric tailgate. Prices start at R420 000, which includes a 50-year/100 000km maintenance and warranty plan.

Somebody else said this is the poor man's Chrysler Voyager. But it's actually rather nice.

Episode 150 download

Punto’s point to make

trevor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:36:07 +0000

A totally revised interior, new engines including the MultiAir and MultiAir Turbo, 7-airbags, and Italian style. These are just some of the new features befitting the all-new 2012 Fiat Punto, but critically the best new features of the 2012 Punto are the 150 000km warranty and incredibly low prices for a car of its class with the four models priced between R129 900 to R209 900.

Still as fresh as it was in 2005 although almost every panel has changed

The Punto underwent a dramatic change in 2009 when Fiat unveiled the Punto Evo to the world at the Geneva Auto Salon, a version that we never got in South Africa. So until last year South Africans have had to make do with what is essentially the same car that was launched in SA in 2005, bar one or two slight tweaks during that time. And it was a car that was starting to show its age, no so much from the outside, but certainly inside.

Interior of the 2012 Punto is dramatically improved, features optional MyPort and Blue&Me multimedia integration

The 2012 Punto, gets the updated interior from the Evo and benefits from a much an all-new upmarket atmosphere, with a smart-looking glossy facia surrounding the radio, dramatically updated instrument cluster and most significantly, the ability to add an integrated, but optional, TomTom navigation unit through the Fiat MyPort system. Also optional is Fiat’s Blue&Me vehicle telematics and integration system developed by Microsoft. However, these features are optional only on the Easy and Lounge trim lines.

The 2012 Punto is available with three trim lines, Pop, Easy and Lounge across four models. Pop is basic, but still provides a high level of convenience, comfort and safety with dual airbags, ABS, Dualdrive electric power steering with a city function that lightens the steering input at low speeds and a trip computer. The Pop retains the dashboard, albeit updated, from the previous Punto. Meanwhile, the Easy trim line gains sportier accents like body coloured exterior trim smoked headlight clusters, 15-inch alloy wheels, a 6-speaker radio with CD and MP3 compatibility and a multi-function display between the instruments all situated in the new neatly rounded dashboard with a mix of materials and styling elements that give a car in this class some excitement. It also gains a additional two curtain airbags and a knee airbag – a first for a vehicle in its class. Lastly, the Lounge trim exclusive flagship model adds a lot of extras. It gets special sportier seats covered in alcantara which Fiat calls Castiglio cloth upholstery; integrated torso side airbags for a total of seven; leather covered gear knob and steering wheel; Blue&Me by Microsoft; dual-zone climate control; and an ESP system with integrated hill-holder function and ASR. All models come standard with Start&Stop technology that switches off the engine when at a dead stop, and starts it up once setting off. This goes a long way to providing the incredible fuel economy figures that Fiat claims. A shift indicator is also standard across the range.

Sexy bottoms are all the rage in Italy

But probably the most significant aspect of the 2012 Punto its three engines, two of which are new. For the first time Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s revolutionary 1.4 MultiAir engines are available. These engines, comparably, consume less fuel, provide more power and emit fewer carbons. And on the launch drive this was evident, more so in the MultiAir Turbo that supplies 99kW at 50oorpm and a hearty 206Nm of torque at 1750rpm; overtaking is effortless and the latent torque means it can cruise along in a higher gear. This mitigates revs and gear changing, and in the process consuming less fuel. The MultiAir Turbo is only available in Lounge trim at a price of R209 900. The second MultiAir is a normally aspirated engine producing a healthy 77kW at 6500rpm and 130Nm of torque at 4000rpm. It too is lovely, smooth and refined for a four cylinder and does not protest at being revved – typically Fiat. The 1.4 MultiAir is available in Easy trim for R169 900. Also available is the older 1.4 Fully Integrated Robotic Engine (FIRE) that Fiat has become known for. This produces 57Kw at 6000rpm and 115Nm of torque at 3250rpm. Although low-tech, it is a reliable and robust engine that is cost effective to maintain. It is available in Easy trim at a cost of R149 900 and also the base-line Pop at R129 900.

Though MyPort is an option on all but the entry-level Pop it’s a sophisticated option that’s worth the R5000 pricetag (versus similar systems four times the price). MyPort supplies the TomTom with power and integration into the car’s in-car entertainment system for a fraction of the cost of a fully integrated navigation system and provides a touch screen interface for the Blue&Me multimedia and mobile phone system.

The 2012 Punto makes a point, and easily best-in-class. In a market where its competition generally has lower levels of standard equipment, shorter warranties and where service plans are absent on some, the Punto is a car you buy with your head. That it has character and style – traits typically associated with cars you buy with your heart – and is the strawberry coulis on the the cheesecake, metaphorically speaking. In a bouyant market, and one that is defined by many value-focussed offerings, the Punto makes a point by proving you don’t have to be cut-price or thrifty to give the market a stylish, reliable and robust car with modern technology for a competitive price. It’s timeless Italian styling with some of the most advanced petrol engines on the market at extremely competitive prices. Once more, if I were to choose a car in this segment it gets my vote*.

Pricing, Warranty and Service Plans

Fiat Punto 1.4 Pop: R129 900**

Fiat Punto 1.4 Easy: R149 900**

Fiat Punto 1.4 MultiAir Easy R169 900**

Fiat Punto 1.4 MultiAir Turbo Lounge R209 900**

**Prices are inclusive of VAT and CO₂emissions tax.

The 2012 Fiat Punto has 30 000 km service intervals and enjoys full after-sales support in South Africa thanks to a comprehensive parts inventory and the back-up of trained technicians at Fiat dealerships countrywide.

In order to provide truly carefree motoring peace-of-mind Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa offers Fiat owners a five-year or 150 000km warranty including paintwork and rust anti-perforation. Fiat also offers a four-year or 60 000km service plan on MultiAir models – 1.4 MultiAir Easy and 1.4 MultiAir Turbo Lounge.

*Disclaimer: the author drives a 2006 Punto 1.9 MultiJet, and while it still looks fresh its interior has dated, suffering from being ‘plasticky,’ – something which the new car is not.

ZA Car Show 147: Sebsational

trevor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:15:25 +0000

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I googled the number 147 to find out what the number meant in numerology terms. I didn’t understand a thing, but there were two tarot cards one with ‘love’ and the other with ‘devil’ on them. That pretty much sums up the Alfa Romeo 147, then. It also, hopefully, shows how much we love ZA Car Show and with our news and reviews, stop you buying the devils cars regardless of how many times Trevor says buys a SAAB. Whatever the meaning, listen to the show now, because having told you this, you’re either about to fall in love if you share ZACS with all of your friends or will turn into a devil if you don’t. It’s your choice.

This week with the start of the WRC, Citroen driver, Sebastian Loeb has kicked off the WRC Sebastien Loeb Invitational Season. Will he be as unstoppable as the other Sebastian, Mr Vettel? With the WRC starting we’re glad that the Dakar has ended. Have you considered a Mazda 3? Yeah, we didn’t think so, so you might like the debate that breaks out as Christo tries to tell us about its new update. The Jeep Wrangler has also had an update and it appears to be quite significant while we swoon over the Fiat 500 1.2 Cabrio Audi R8 GT Spyder and Review the MINI One — the one car you should not overlook at if you are already looking at things like the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Volkswagen Polo and Toyota Yaris — we’re willing to bet you’ll be very surprised.

Your hosts this week are Christo van Gemert, Trevor van de Ven, John Beale and Patrick Gearing.

As always, click on the image to view full galleries of the cars featured. You will be directed away from the page, so right click and select “Open Link in New Tab/Window” to avoid this.

MINI Bayswater. Apart from the riduculous colour, these special editions seem to sell out before they're made available. We cant fault MINI on its style. Click on the image to view a full gallery.

Yes it's a Mazda. It has a new engine in the range - 2.5 litres in capacity now and some other tweaks. Click on the image to see a gallery.

Jeep can pull of khaki better than a farmer from Limpopo. Click on the image to see a full gallery (not from the local local launch).

The Fiat 500C 1.2 has become South Africa's cheapest convertible. Oh we do like this little thing.

You can now order one of these in South Africa. You'd better have a fat wallet and not drive past Porsche on your way to Audi.

This is the basic Mini One. It looks pretty much the same as every other MINI, but offers far better value than most competitors. Find out what we think in the show.

Episode 147 hi-fi download (22MB)

ZA Car Show 146: The TT Arse

trevor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:30:05 +0000

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Two’s company and this week, our second show of 2012 it’s Trevor van de Ven and Christo van Gemert that keep you company while chatting about cars, some good and some bad. There’s a slew of new BMW engines destined for the BMW 1-Series (international markets only at this stage), which get’s our Captain Consumption aflutter with excitement, were still not quite sure why. BMW has also announced that it will be launching an M Performance series which will be more dedicated than simply adding an M-Sports pack to your Beemer, while being not quite as hardcore as BMW’s M cars. Why, well you’ll have to listen, won’t you? Christo van Gasoline reports back from the Abarth 500 launch that he attended recently and the two round off the show with a review of the Audi TT-RS and Mitsubusi’s Titanic Triton.

We dont have a picture of the engines so an image of the new M-Sport pack for the 1-Series will have to do. Can you spot the add-ons?

You think we included a picture of Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, the President of BMW M Gmbh, because of that magnificent moustache? You'd be wrong, there is a car behind him, which is the only indication that we have at the moment of what the new M Performance cars will look like and the M550d X-Drive looks deceptively like full-blown M5 unless there's some sloppy PR going on here.

There's a sting in the tail of this little car. Click on the image to view a comprehensive gallery. You will be redirected, so right click the image and select "Open in new tab/window"

The one we had looked identical to this, red is certainly the best colour for this beast that out accelerates just about everything on the road. Hear what we think on the podcast. For a gallery, click on the image but be aware that you will be redirected away from this page. To stay here, right click on the image and select "Open in new Tab/Window"

There's nothing new here, it's a Mitsubishi Triton. We review it...

Episode 146 hi-fi download (22MB)

“Don’t call me, Babe” says the new Abarth 500

trevor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:30:01 +0000

“Don’t call me, Babe” are the immortal words from Pammie’s 1996 hit-film Barb Wire. Okay it wasn’t a hit. But like Barb, Fiat is trying to shake misconceptions and stereotypes. The notion that the 500 is ‘girly’ has haunted the car since its launch, but our Trevor and Patrick will fervently disagree. However, to the average man-on-the-street, the perception is otherwise and rightfully so. The car is often described as “cute” and ”pretty,” – even Barbie has a Fiat 500 (and J-Lo) but these new scorpions from the Fiat group have a serious sting in their tail.

Click on the image to view a full gallery of the Abarth 500, Abarth 500 esseesse and Abart 500 695 Tributo Ferrari. You will be redirected away from this page, so right click and select 'open in a new tab/page.'

After quite a wait (the Abarth 500 launched overseas in 2008), it has finally been made available to South Africans through the Abarth Performance Centre at Arnold Chatz in Craighall Park, Johannesburg, and will cost you R230 000 for the 1.4l turbo-charged engine producing 99kW @ 5500rpm and 206Nm from a relatively high 3000rpm. The Abarth 500C will cost R255 000 for the privilege of an uninterrupted view of the African skies above. Fiat engines have always been a little ‘fizzy’ and beg to be driven, and the Abarth 500 appears to be the same. The Abarth 500C is also available with the Dualogic ‘manu-matic’ MTA transmission, if changing gears with a stick aint your thang, and gains an extra 4kW in the process upping the power to 103kW at a lower 5000rpm. It gives the hydraulically actuated manual transmission – no dual clutches here – less of a hard time and makes it more drivable without requiring the ‘box to change down as often.

In both cases you might want to opt for the additional ‘esseesse’ kit which harks back to the old days of Carlo Abarth’s go-faster kits in a box. It gives this wee-beastie a power jump to 118kW @ 5750rpm and an increase of 24Nm to 230Nm @ 3000rpm. Also included is a brake upgrade with bigger calipers and cross drilled disks, performance suspension complemented by sports dampers from Koni, and rounds it all off with some nice 17-inch alloy wheels that are available in either white or black. The kit costs an additional R37 000 and will be fitted by the Abarth Performance Centre. Best of all you get to keep the crate that it all comes in - there’s no ‘fitted at the factory’ box to tick here and adds to the allure of owning a true Abarth esseesse.

Not for girls. The Abarth 500C even looks good in colours other than primer grey.

The original esseesse models were enthusiast cars and that remains the same here. You dont need to buy the extra kit. Truth be told the 99kW version will likely be ample for most people and the Abarth styling alone gives it the cred that the 500 lacked amongst South Africa’s testosterone-fueled masses. But for those discerning few who enjoy driving, it can be made that little bit more special by eking out slightly more fun for the daily commute, from an already capable chassis. This car enters the school yard that has been occupied by the Polo GTi, RenaultSport Clio, Citroen DS3 and Peugeot 207 GTI and they’re pretty big bullies.

A nice place to be. Look at the ''I'm serious about my pedigree" shift-light cluster on the centre console.

The boring stuff is that the Abarth 500 is pretty much standard high-spec safety (Euro NCAP 5-star) tand features seven airbags including one for your knees, ABS, EBD, ESP, Blue&Me mobile phone prep and iPod integration, a sport button, metal shiny bits everywhere, a shift-light pod, and Abarth sport seats. All very nice.

It's in RenaultSport Clio, Polo GTI, Citroen DS3 territory and it wants to play.

We’ll save you from all the other nostalgia and trivia that goes with the Abarth badge – you can listen to the upcoming podcast for that – but well leave you with this: the “Don’t call me, Babe” leitmotif of Barb Wire comes from the original advertising for the Barb Wire Dark Horse comic book. Barb was quite a bolshy broad who wasn’t afraid to lay a bit of smackdown on the boys. She used those words to differentiate herself from a buxom, slightly airy comic book heroine named Babe, by John Byrne, and like Barb, the Abarth 500 is not an airy, cutesy 500, it’s a parabuthus granulatus.

ZA Car Show 136: The Jo’burg Motor Show

trevor — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:48:33 +0000

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32kbps stream Download audio file (zacs136_low.mp3)

The Johannesburg International Motor Show kicked off for the public at NASREC in Gauteng, South Africa on 8 October. We attended the press days two days prior to the public show, and came away very impressed. In episode 136, John Beale, Christo van Gemert and Trevor van de Ven discuss the highlights and the surprises of the of the show. If you’ve not attended yet, perhaps this might prompt you to make a turn past there, and if you already have, maybe you disagree. Let us know what you thought about the show.

Take a look at the gallery of highlights from Day 1 of the Johannesburg Motor Show…

This Honda CRZ despite being labeled a 'Concept' was built in South Africa to prove that hybrids need not be boring. Click on the image to see the modifications under the hood of this car and some of the other highlights of Day 1 at the Johannesburg International Motor Show.

…and a gallery of Day 2′s highlights.

Another concept on show at the Johannesburg Motor Show, the awesome little Suzuki Swift Sport Concept. The real deal will be coming to South Africa soon, but click on the picture to see what the highlights of day two were.

The J, C and T also review the Land Rover Discovery TDV6 HSE and the Opel Corsa Colour Edition, a good value car for the youth or not? Listen to find out more.

We review this car in this episode, click on the image to view a complete gallery of the details that grace the Corsa Colour Edition

A rare sight is one of these cars off-road, but it's equally good on-road so we don't mind that, that is where most of them will reside. Click on the image to go to a full gallery of some magnificent photography of the Landrover Discovery TDV6 HSE that ZA Car Show had on review.

Episode 136 hi-fi download
Episode 136 lo-fi download

Wallpaper Wednesday: Maximum Air Edition

christo — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:45:23 +0000

A friend of ours, Jesse Adams from Star Motoring, once had an off. After seeing him at the side of the road – he collected it nicely and the car remained intact – he said, “There’s no ESP in the world that’ll save you when all four wheels are in the air”. Or something to that effect. The point is: when you’re going hell for leather in a car and airtime is achieved, your bum clenches and your heart jumps into your throat. Quite how rally drivers do it, with alarming regularity, is why we regard them as the ballsiest sportsmen in the world.

And this brings us to the theme for this Wallpaper Wednesday: maximum air. A selection of some stomach-in-throat photos where the drivers were, no doubt, relieved to reunite with mother earth, in one piece.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.