Episode 82 is packed with fun, featuring cars both fast and slow. With speed and lap records were being broken, it provided a bit of solace for those of us who thought that the era of big engines and crazy horsepower is nearly dead. Happily, it’s quite far from that.

Mercedes Benz SA: If you're listening, we want one of these...

Instead, we see Mercedes Benz’s C63 DR520, and the Mercedes-powered Pagani Zonda which broke smashed the Nurburgring lap record. The team also takes a look at (probably) the slowest cars to ever tackle the task, measuring the time in months rather than minutes. Trevor van de Ven reviews the Polo Vivo and comes away with some fresh, new views on the budget hatch segment. Listen to the show to find out more.

Episode 82 hi-fi download (29MB)
Episode 82 lo-fi download (16MB)

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Join the ZA Car Show fan page on Facebook, here.

Show notes and links after the jump.

The standard C63 AMG has 450 horsepower, so nobody was accusing it of being slow. Not content with having the most powerful sedan in its class, the Mercedes Specialist Products Division, headquartered at the Brooklands race track in England, has released the new limited-production DR 520, complete with matte paintwork [via Autoblog]

Wagon please!

Pagani’s Zonda R smashes the ‘Ring record recently set by the Ferrari 599XX; not by miliseconds, but by 11 full seconds. Do you think Ferrari will take this lying down? Probably not…[via Evo]

So fast even the picture blurred

Slowest Ring cars

Audi A7 spied [via World Car Fans]

ZACS Test Drive: 2010 Polo Vivo 1.4 5-door

Plain... yet perfect.

Familiar, in a few ways.

Click here for prices and options or here for a worthy competitor

Fresh from the Easter break, Christo van Gemert and Trevor Tuck are joined in studio by Trevor van de Ven. Again. They bring us the announcement news for  the 2010 World Car of the Year, Renault, and a partnership that might give birth to a Mercedes-Benz Twingo or Smart NP200.

Tuck and Christo have also driven the Mistubishi Pajero Sport. Find out why it’s name lets it down a bit, and why Tuck derides it but also wants one so badly…

Letting the name down or holding the side up, that is the question.

Episode 70 hi-fi download (20MB)
Episode 70 lo-fi download (10MB)

Oh and HEY! Why haven’t you mailed us? Or started following us on Twitter? Remember – ZACS loves you. Without our loyal listeners, and their feedback, we’d be nothing. Tell your friends, ask us questions, share the podcast, go hog wild.
Follow us on Twitter, here.
Join the ZA Car Show fan group on Facebook, here.

Show notes and links after the jump.In episode 70 we discuss:

World Car of the Year for 2010, and quite possibly South Africa’s next car of the year: the Volkswagen Polo [via: World Car of the Year]

Polo Wins

Renault, Nissan and Mercedes Benz join forces for the development of new small engines and platform sharing [via: New York Times] – great blog post on the partnership here

Renault launches the Laguna Coupé in South Africa [via Wheels24]

Think of it basically as a Nissan 350z...

...but much prettier.

Ford invests R3-billion in South Africa for exports  [via: Business Day]

Driven: Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Is it good enough to command a premium over the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest? What about it’s name, is the Pajero moniker enough?

ZACS Car of the year challenge: This episode we cover cars from 1970.

It’s all about Formula 1 this week, with a smattering of news from the local scene. The team is joined by South African F1 Guru Sasha Martinengo, Absolute F1, Top Gear Live MPH presenter and 5FM DJ (@F1sasha – for the Twitter fans). He joins the team for the second time to discuss cars, the absurdity of the BMW 5-Series GT, a very old Ferrari and, of course, the 2010 Formula 1 Season.

@F1sasha joins the @zacarshow team for a second time. Much fun and laughter ensues.

BMW 5-Series Grand Turismo launched in SA this week.

Not the worst they could have done, not the best either.

After great feedback from last week, we’re going to continue offering a lo-fi version of the show, to save on bandwidth. This week’s show is quite long – 1h14mins, but well worth the megabytes.
Episode 67 hi-fi download (34MB)
Episode 67 lo-fi download (16.5MB)

Remember, we WANT your feedback. Send us your questions, requests, complaints and spy photos to info [at] zacarshow [dot] co [dot] za.
Or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacarshow, where we break news, post updates and share info.

News and show notes after the jump!

Hummer brand is shut down as the deal with the Chinese suitor falls through [via Autoblog]

SAAB and Spyker seal up their agreement and things get rolling. Small hatch is rumored to be the first for the pair [via: Automotive Business Review]

Renault dealers love their brand, and CAR magazine loves Renault too. The French carmaker has won a brand of the award.

Toyota will have some of its rarest models on show at the Franschhoek Motor Museum this weekend – including a 2000GT, Sport 800 and Conquest 4×4.

Fiat has repackaged the Panda lineup. A facelifted version of the million-plus selling Panda 1.2 Dynamic is now joined by a model with an MTA (manual transmission automated) gearbox, while the 1.1-litre and Panda 4×4 have fallen away. Some more changes coming in March, for this brand…

A facelift for the baby Italian.

And an automatic (with manual shift) as new kit.

SA Launch: BMW 5-Series GT – the car that no one thought they needed until now – Click here for a link to the price and spec sheet (PDF file)

Like individual opening windows in MPVs that are a novelty more than anything, we wonder if this boot will be the same?

BMW always does interiors well. The GT is no exception; who cares what it looks like on the outside when it looks like this on the inside?

2010 Formula 1 Season Overview with Sasha Martinengo

The cars that defined 1967, a couple of Italians, a German and an Aussie – what an eclectic mix.

This week’s also been busy, with news from abroad that Porsche - fresh with new ideas like a hybrid track car – that it will launch the new Cayenne in two wheel drive form. While the local market gets introduced to the new Volvo S60, available in 2011, some new Mercedes diesels, a Fiat Sed… Suzuki SX4 four-wheel drive and a new Renault Clio. Listen to the whole show for the ZA Car Show head-to-head of what the team believes to be two of the most influential cars in a compact sedan segment.

Episode 66 direct download (25MB) – or subscribe via iTunes here.

As an experiment, we’re going to offer a low-quality version of the show for a few episodes. A few listeners have expressed disdain at having such “large” files, so we’re offering a very compressed version of the show, at roughly half the file size of a regular show.
So, click here to download the low-quality version of ZA Car Show, episode 66 (13MB)

Again, we encourage feedback from you, our faithful listeners! Please e-mail us with your comments or queries, and we’ll respond via mail or on the show. Our e-mail address is info [at] zacar [dot] co [dot] za. Alternatively, we can be reached (or read) on the Twitter microblogging service (where we post all our breaking news in between shows) – simply go to http://twitter.com/zacarshow.

For news, show notes and pictures click ‘more’ New Porsche Cayenne accidentally leaked on its car configurator site? [via: MotorCrave via Motor Authority]

Silly configurators, last week it was the BMW F10 pricing in SA, this week it's an entirely new model

Porsche plans to make a run at a 23 percent cut in efficiency for its petrol engine range. Toward that end, Porsche will equip the new Cayenne with three engine options: a 300 hp 3.6-liter V6,  a naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V8 worth 400 hp for the Cayenne S and a twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 churning out 500 hp for the Cayenne Turbo. A 240 hp 3.9-liter V6 turbodiesel and a Cayenne S Hybrid packing a 330 hp 3.0-liter V6 with a 47 hp electric motor will join the pack later on.

South African Volvo S60 lineup [via Wheels24]

Three engine derivatives will be on offer: T6, 2.0T and D5. The flagship 3.0-litre inline six T6 produces has an output of 224 kW and 440 Nm while a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0-litre will be the initial entry point into the range with 149 kW and 300 Nm on tap. The 2.4-litre D5 engine kicks off the model’s diesel assault with power of 151 kW and 420 Nm of torque.

Famous Renault Clio S model designation to make a comeback in South Africa (we never really had the original in the first place I guess, but it’s good to bring back the heritage) [via: Renault.com and World Car Fans]

Renault's bid to market cars that deliver sporty appeal at affordable prices has led to the return of a version of Renault Clio that proved highly popular in the 1990s, namely Renault Clio 'S'. Like its predecessor, today's Renault Clio 'S' features an overtly sporty feel thanks to a competitively-priced package of exclusive and distinctive design details.

Merc’s 4 cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engines

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel-fueled engine, the manufacturer releases a brand new twin-turbo diesel engine for its C- and E-Class models. In its most powerful variant, the new four-cylinder twin-turbo unit for the E250 CDI BlueEfficiency musters up 150 kW, while torque is up by 25% from 400 to 500 Nm.

2010 Suzuki SX4 Four-Wheel Drive [via: Suzuki]

Fuel Levies increased in SA while government imposes 120g/km emissions tax. Craziness since there are few new cars which will comply.

Driven: Kia Cerato 2.0

Driven: Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 LT

- a happy place to be

Forget about Polo Sedans and Corollas, this is where the future lies.

Now with that out of the way, the fourth podcast of the year sees a team reunited. With all the seats filled the show is packed with more comment on Toyota’s recall in South Africa, a fresh onslaught of new vehicles expected at Geneva in a couple of weeks and ZA Car Show bring you the pricing of the BMW F10, BMW’s new 5-series. This came about as a glitch in the online virtual dealer on the local BMW ‘site revealed the pricing and spec-options ahead of the vehicle’s local launch.

MINI-rival will probably be better have fewer rattles and drive better

Episode 65 direct download (28MB) – or subscribe via iTunes here

For news and show notes click ‘more’

Audi A1 officially revealed ahead of the Geneva Auto Salon. The MINI-competitor was officially unveiled as a concept in 2007 and Audi has had the following showcase on its website for some time now. Click here for the Audi site. [News via EVO]

Renault revealed its Twingo-based coupe/convertible, the Renault Wind. Stop making jokes about  farts. Click here to go to the official Renault Microsite 12-seconds open to coupe to convertible makes this one of the fastest folding roofs in the business. [via Topspeed]

MX5-competitor: this Twingo based coupe will be a cracker if it's even half as good as the Twingo RS.

Renault reveals that the Megane will become available at the end of 2010 in South Africa.

Nissan Juke is not a Joke. Baby sister to the Qashqai and more than likely a MINI Countryman competitor [via: Automotorblog].

Ugly Stick: This was hit by it.

Porsche GT3 R-hybrid [via: Auto123]

KERS for a Porsche, don't let the Hybrid tag fool you.

GM strikes a deal with NASA to build a humanoid robot for space adventures. Perhaps it should strike a deal which will see it build cars that people want before committing to pie in the sky ideas.

BMW 5-series pricing leaked by accident. Listen to the show to find out more.

Rolls Royce Ghost officially unveiled in SA to exclusive customers (I guess all Rolls Royce customers are exclusive anyway).

Competition prize, courtesy of Have2Have.

ZA Car Show Challenge: New cars for R200 000 or less. Each member of the crew picks a car they’d most likely spend their money on. Just for interest’s sake, some rough numbers:

• R200 000 financed, with a R30 000 deposit: 60 repayments of about R4 000 each. Insurance should cost around R900 – R1 200, depending on the relationship with your broker.
• R160 000 financed, with a R30 000 deposit: 54 repayments of about R3 300 each. Insurance is slightly less, at about R600 – R900.
• The average price for a cheap 16-inch tyre? R1 000 or so.
• Prices for 15-inch tyres: R500 – R1 300.
• Service costs: Thankfully most of the cars we look at have service plans, but bank on between R1 100 and R2 000 for a regular service.

The new Sorento. A handsome beast - bits of Subaru Forester and Mitsubishi Outlander, in there.

More notes and pics after the jump!

Direct file download (21MB)

Kia’s new Sorento briefly discussed. Watch this space for a road test.

Volkswagen’s Amarok pick-up is now the official Dakar competition vehicle, replacing Giniel’s championship-winning Touareg.

A practical interior. They're gonna need those walkie-talkies.

A huge load bed. Strangely, they have all the wrong tools in there.

Perhaps the racecar won't have those lights. Or wheels. And way more stickers.

Mercedes Benz sets up five AMG performance centres in SA. To give customers a special experience. You know, unlike what they’re going to get a regular dealership. Just kidding – apparently these performance centres will be for enthusiasts of the brand. You know, unlike… nevermind.

The new AMG Performance Centres even have their own website.

Could this AMG brand exercise have something to do with the new Mercedes Benz GP team – formerly Brawn GP? We also discuss other F1 drama, including the driver shuffles and possible speculation about Herr Schumacher returning to the thro… we mean wheel.

The original Mercedes racecars - the Silver Arrows.

Road tests:

The fantastically zingy and fun-to-drive Renaultsport Twingo. 98kW from a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated motor always spells fun. But it’s not perfect…

A cute little city runabout. With dynamite under the bonnet.

The Dynamite.

Unfortunately we will not be able to get this playful pedal set as an option in SA.

A huge big rev counter. With a shift light. Just what your sporty hatch needs.

Tuck, our resident bakkie expert, spent a week with a Daihatsu Gran Max pick-up, to see how it stacks up to other vehicles. He likes it, and sings its praises.

This is NOT the SA-spec Gran Max. We're just making sure you're paying attention, here.

Take two: Des Fenner of General Motors South Africa joins the ZA Car Show team of Patrick, Christo and Trevor for a very informative chat on the GM business in South Africa, even giving us a bit of insight into new models and what will happen to the GM brands which have been unbundled in the past couple of months.

Show notes, pics and links after the jump

Direct file download (21MB)

Race of champions

Toyota departs from F1 – Renault is rumored to have similar plans

BMW GTS – a club sport racer for the people with deep pockets [Via Carversation]

Clubsport racers. Cool.

Volkswagen: Death of a legend or good riddance to bad rubbish; South Africa ceases production of the Golf Mk 1-based Citi Golf:  Good Bye Shiti

Interview: Des Fenner: Product Communications Manage General Motors South Africa

Bugatti Galibier: Eight exhausts for your supersaloon.

And lots of shiny chrome bits, too!

Click “more”, and get more pics, plus a wrap-up of other news in this episode.

Direct file download (28MB)

Frankfurt roundup:

Bugatti Galibier

Aston Martin Rapide

Audi R8 V10 Spyder

Bentley Continental GT Series 51

BMW X1

BMW EfficientDynamics Concept

BMW 5-series Gran Turismo

Ferrari 458 Italia

Forza 3

Ford CMAX

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Volkswagen Golf R

Mini Coupé

Mini Roadster

… and a few others.

More of Bugatti's new grand tourer...

Audi's electric R8 concept, the E-Tron

So hot. Obviously, because the sun is beating down on you.

The Continental GT Series 51. Looks sorta plain, doesn't it?

The Rapide, from the outside...

... and a less-boring interior than you'd expect.

The maddest car in the whole wide world.

A Mini with a bigger boot.

BMW's answer to Audi's A5 Sportback.

A baby off-roader. Will no doubt be bested by a Jimny.

The hottest hatch of all? Who knows?

A game... about cars.

Local launch:

Chevrolet Cruze

The new Cruze, from Chevrolet. A bold choice for people in the Corolla segment.

It has a sexy interior to match the striking exterior.

Reviewed:

BMW 323i

The facelifted E90 3-series. This time, in 323 guise.

Lexus GS450h

Lexus' full-hybrid luxury saloon.

What a pretty car. This is what good car design is about...

Ooh la la

For more images, links to news stories and useful info click the ‘more’ tag underneath this here line…

Direct file download (26.8MB)

IIHS Roof strength test results: Small cars [via: Autoblog]

Super strong thanks to the Tridion cell

World Health Organisation release results on primary fatalities in different age bands, guess what, cars kill quite a number of people – number one global killer of 15-29 year-olds [via: TTAC]

Seat releases its hottest Cupra yet. We predicted green will be the next performance car colour; we were right [via: Topgear]

One hot Spaniard and it's not Fernando Alonso

Lexus CT drawings leaked. Small Lexus is set to compete with mid-sized hatchbacks and expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show [via Topgear]

Porsche reveals its new GT3RS track monster, little boys will have wet dreams about this car

Perhaps there’s a bit of Arab influence in the colour and design themes? [via: Auto News Europe]

Bentley shows us its latest model. This is a proper Bentley

Click on the coloured and underlined words for the link to the Bentley microsite for the Mulsanne

Audi launches its new S4 in South Africa, will the BMW 335i competitor have the boost to compete on power and price?

Suzuki’s pocket-sized Alto launched in South Africa. The 3-cylinder mini-car will hopefully woo some customers to the brand which seems to be gaining in popularity

Renault launches its newest revisons of the Clio 3; cuts the model line to two from ten

Driven: Nissan 370Z [click for link to Nissan site for specs and details]

Great looking exterior and fantastic performing engine

...is let down by a bit of a low-rent interior

The motor industry also celebrated a significant milestone, hybrid and electric vehicles and some Chinese investments.

The union of Autos has hit the ton.

Underrated, crazy power.

Underpowered, overrated.

Direct file download (27.2MB)

More pictures, news and show notes after the jump.

In Episode 43 we discuss:

Audi hits the ton. 100 years of sensible cars.

Honda’s producing a hot hybrid and confirmed it will be coming to South Africa [via Motoring] but the FRV is being canned [via Wheels24].

China’s Chana is committed to investing in South Africa.

BMW makes the X6 Xdrive50i available. Twin turbo V8 power for the coupe-like, four door, four seater SUV.

Right engine.

Wrong car.

Driven: Chrysler SRT8.

Underrated, crazy power.

The heart of the beast. Great value for money this is.

Driven: Renault Sandero 1.6 Dynamique.

Great car, kind of, just don't get the top spec - better cars at that price.

Familiar place to be, if you've driven an old Renault Clio.

Driven: Renault Logan.

Suprising car, Trevor Tuck liked it...

Despite an interior that is not so hot.