Snippets:
- Leclerc wins Monza F1! Hamilton not happy. Also, water is wet. Sky is blue
- Meanwhile… Fernando Alonso is testing for Toyota SA's Dakar team
- Ferrari unveiled the F8 Spider, one of two new roofless supercars
- Next Yaris gets Toyota's TNGA platform
- VWSA announce they've produced 200,000 new Polos
- Suzuki's Ertiga gets the GLX treatment. Fancy
- Meanwhile in Japan, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa resigns
We need to talk about the GWM P Series
We've said it here (https://www.carshop.co.za/reviews/wanderlust-episode-one-road-tripping-in-the-haval-h6-c) and here (https://www.carshop.co.za/reviews/haval-h9-review), that the Chinese have caught up in quality and performance, with GWM and their Premium division Haval essentially leading the way.
Which is why the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max have good reason to be concerned. This is the P Series and as you can plainly see it's a double cab to properly rival the establishment. With north of 800 vehicles sold each month in SA, you'd be a fool to ignore the threat from GWM Haval - especially when you consider their aggressive approach to value for money. In other words, how much car you're getting for your money and in that instance the P Seies is bigger than a Hilux, so you do the math.
The styling is mildly reminiscent of the Ranger, and will be loaded to the rafters with tech, toys and gear. Power will come from the firm's successful turbocharged 2-litre with 140kW and 310Nm, with cogs swapped via a ZF auto transmission. They'll simply have to find a diesel powerplant somewhere if they really want to challenge the stalwarts here in Mzansi, but as a lifestyle 4x4, the P Series is looking mighty impressive.
Koenigsegg a threat to Bugatti?
It's called the Jesko and it has barely been conceived but it’s already knocking on Bugatti's door.
The door in question belonging to a rarefied, heated up rendition of the Chiron, which went on to hit just about 305mph recently, a world first. Koenigsegg still hold the crown officially, their Agera RS managed a record holding top end run in both directions, a non-negotiable factor to be entered into the Guinness World Record book.
If Bugatti tries to take it from them with an official (two way) run in the Chrion, you can bet Koenigsegg will roll out their Jesko to counter it. No matter who loses, we win.
We're on the brink of Tesla's Electric Bakkie
Elon Musk calls it "the coolest car he's ever seen", and it's due in November 2019.
This is not the only compliment he had to share, including gems like "it wouldn't look out of place in Blade Runner," and that it has a cyberpunk design. Well, it's been over two years since that original leak and if we're honest, the design we've seen harks back to a certain sentient truck from the 80s Sci-Fi tv-circuit and that's no bad thing either. Bring it.
But make quick because Ford are about to market their own electrified version of the F-150. Pricing is unclear but we're anticipating a figure around R750,000.
50 years later, a roofless front-mounted V12 Ferrari
Meet the Ferrari 812 GTS and as we've just mentioned it's the first Ferrari in this configuration in half a century.
The car preceding it was the 1969 365 GTS4, lovingly referred to as the Daytona Spider – a moniker it earned when the Forza took their legendary victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. Here two works 330 P4s and the NART-entered 412 P took the chequered flag side-by-side to occupy the entire podium.
The new car makes a damn sight more power than any Ferrari of that era with 588kW and 718Nm, and you can wind its 6.5-litre twelve-cylinder symphony all the way up to 8900rpm. It features a retractable drop top with drop dead looks partly thanks to an array of aerodynamic enhancements to make it cut through the air as quickly as it would with a roof.
