The last Bank Holiday of the year is done and summer is over! Officially, at least. If it has turned autumnal outside already, there are plenty of stories to catch up on from the week including new cars from Skoda, Renaultsport, Mercedes and more. But if the weather is more pleasant, then get yourself down to Brighton for the Speed Trials. Keep a look out for the Mexican track car...
The MQB derivative generator goes again!
Renaultsport is slashing prices and rearranging
the Megane range
. The Trophy and 265 Cup are gone, replaced with the Nav and 275 Cup-S versions. That's a car we know to be exceptional on track but its little brother, the new
Clio 220 Trophy
, was an unknown; to Oulton Park for the answer!
Elsewhere on planet hot hatch, Skoda's Octavia vRS is now available with more power and the VAQ locking 'diff'; welcome the vRS 230. There's a new Ibiza Cupra to battle that Clio Trophy as well.
The Skoda, as always, represents great value for money; additional power and useful equipment for not much more. The Aston Martin DB9 GT BondEdition, on the other hand, looks to be pitched more cynically. Not in a Bond film, distinguished by a watch and a suitcase and not even a single ejector seat... Still very appealing, but then so is the standard DB9 GT.
Also this week PH was granted access to the Vuhl 05 for a very brief spin ahead of an appearance at the Brighton Speed Trials today. More to follow on that in the next few days...
The colour is Wasabi FYI...
Any new product from Singer Vehicle Design is guaranteed to attract attention now, but especially so on PH when the car is heading to the UK. Its latest reimagined Porsche 911,
the Manchester car
, is the first in the UK to use the 4.0-litre, 390hp engine. Dreamy.
The Frankfurt show is close now, with Jaguar at last releasing an image of the F-Pace before the full debut. All well and good, but the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet is rather more up our street. Or should that be boulevard? It's been a very long time since Merc has offered a big four-seater drop-top but it looks set to be exceptional.
PH has been racing overseas too, with Dale competing in the Zolder 24-hour and Dan preparing for another MX-5 Tsukuba epic this weekend. Good to keep your eye in, right? Finally a Brit that will be abroad but is very much at home for now, the Bloodhound SSC will be shown to the public for the first time later this month in Canary Wharf. Get your free tickets here.
Since moving, Dan is spending more and more time on the road. Being on the road for so long means
encountering roadworks
. But are these smart signs really helping make life easier?
Going from the massive Audi S8, PHer contributor Al Suttie enters the latest round of the Leaders Hillclimb challenge in a brilliant Heritage GT86. A car Matt is in fact very keen to try in a comparison with 'his' GT86 Primo. It won't surprise you to learn he's pretty keen on the little red Toyota!
This week's PHTV episode sees Dan test the new Audi R8 at Portimao, a good old England v. Germany drag race and lots more. Shed is a track-prepped Citroen Saxo VTR with plenty of potential. Pic Of The Week features England v. Germany round two with a Lotus Exige Cup and Porsche Cayman GT4 taking centre stage. Four doors is the common denominator in our Spotted and You Know You Want To with a tasty MaseratiQuattroporte Evo and a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat respectively. Because four doors are cooler, right?
Finally for this week, we have a very special new Sunday Service to announce. PH has teamed up with the Revolve24 cycle race to host 500 PHers at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks. It promises to be a fantastic event, so get your name down immediately!
- Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the UK
- Jaguar XJ220 PH Heroes
- Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe tested
- Frankfurt motor show