Behold the mighty Toyota Hilux GR-Sport
And yes, it will be coming to South Africa as soon as July 2019.
That’s GR-Sport - where that GR nomenclature stands for Gazoo Racing, and so naturally thoughts will turn to the victorious Dakar cars. So, you’d anticipate some decent off-road hop-ups and you’d be right, marginally. In fact, the alloys have dropped a size from 18 to 17 inches, thanks to rebound—resistant suspension.
Visually, you get a massive Toyota brand across the grille, plenty of black trim and motorsport livery inspired graphics. Even the bonnet is black. Because racy. Power comes from the already established 2.8-litre GD-6 turbodiesel mill, good for 130kW and 450Nm mated to the six-speed auto transmission so it isn’t exactly a Ford Raptor competitor. Still you can expect all 535 units to be snapped up lickety-split. Further upgrades include a start button, GR-branded mats (in fact you’ll find this logo liberally applied just about everywhere), and perforated leather seats. Pricing to follow.
We have pricing for the new BMW Z4
So the entry level four-potter will launch at R759 500, but you just want to know what the M40i will be sold for don’t you? How does R1,036,700 sound? This is also the price being watched by Toyota Supra pundits, since it is in effect the same car under the tin, minus some of BMW’s premium elements.
Then at R1,158,000 there’s also the for the First Edition – which includes BMW Individual’s Shadow Line package and more. You’ll get wireless smartphone charging, a Harman Kardon sound system, BMW’s Live Cockpit display and much more. The performance again on the turbocharged inline-six 3.0 litre is rated at 250kW and 500Nm, good for 4.5 seconds to 100kph and a top speed of 250kph.
Say hello to Aston Martin's third agent
003. Agent 003. That’s the name of Aston Martin’s latest hypercar because the Valkyrie is so 2018.
Also, the other car was too extreme, too limited – whereas the Agent 003, well – that’s meant for the masses. So - luggage space, comfort and refinement.
“It was always the intention for the Aston Martin Valkyrie to be a once-in-a lifetime project,” is what Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer had to say. “However, it was also vital to us that Valkyrie would create a legacy: a direct descendent that would also set new standards within its own area of the hypercar market, creating a bloodline of highly specialised, limited production machines that can exist in parallel with Aston Martin’s series production models.”
And for this privilege we’d be surprised by a sticker price under R16million. More info to follow ahead of its 2021 launch.
It’s the final hurrah of the Mercedes SLC with the Final Edition
In a list of very masculine AMG things, the SLC (nee SLK) has historically been a bit of a farce.
Don't get me wrong, with its flagship V8 configuration it has no shortage of poke, and when seen at pace does a good job of emulating a mini SLS, with this latest iteration’s styling clearly derived from the supercar, albeit penned here in mascara. The new car is based on the AMG aesthetic including LED daytime lamps, darkened rear clusters, red stitching hither and thither in the cabin, chequered flag dials plus that more aggressive aero. Tucked into each arch you’ll find 18-inch alloys, and behind those are upgraded AMG brandished perforated-disc braking systems.
Sadly, at the end of the day it's still not the kind of car to blow your hair back. Insert ‘hair dressing’ joke here – and it looks like Mercedes-Benz have finally come to terms with this, with the Final Edition.
