Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback (2009-) Review

We last drove the Ralliart Sportback as a pre-production car and even then it was shaping up to be a good compromise for someone who can't stretch to an Evo.


The prototypes had their flaws, though. The Ralliart's auto 'box blunted the 237bhp 2.0-litre turbo's performance, while others complained that Mitsubishi had gone too far in softening the Ralliart to make it palatable for the Golf GTI buyers and the like.


Mitsubishi listened and got to work. The finished Ralliart still sprints to 62mph in 7.1 seconds, but now boasts better gear ratios. Even more significantly, engineers have found the 'box is strong enough to take the full 253lb-ft of torque without the need for the pre-production car's torque limiter on first gear, promising for harder acceleration.


If that's not enough, the brakes have been boosted, suspension tweaked and it's competitively priced from £21,649 - that's £7,000 cheaper than the cheapest Lancer Evo and about £1,300 cheaper than the five-door Golf GTI.

So has Mitsubishi succeeded in providing an appetising cut-price alternative to one of the fastest, most accomplished four-door saloons ever made? Read on to find out.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback (2009-) Review

We last drove the Ralliart Sportback as a pre-production car and even then it was shaping up to be a good compromise for someone who can't stretch to an Evo.


The prototypes had their flaws, though. The Ralliart's auto 'box blunted the 237bhp 2.0-litre turbo's performance, while others complained that Mitsubishi had gone too far in softening the Ralliart to make it palatable for the Golf GTI buyers and the like.


Mitsubishi listened and got to work. The finished Ralliart still sprints to 62mph in 7.1 seconds, but now boasts better gear ratios. Even more significantly, engineers have found the 'box is strong enough to take the full 253lb-ft of torque without the need for the pre-production car's torque limiter on first gear, promising for harder acceleration.


If that's not enough, the brakes have been boosted, suspension tweaked and it's competitively priced from £21,649 - that's £7,000 cheaper than the cheapest Lancer Evo and about £1,300 cheaper than the five-door Golf GTI.

So has Mitsubishi succeeded in providing an appetising cut-price alternative to one of the fastest, most accomplished four-door saloons ever made? Read on to find out.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Road test:Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (2009-) Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano won rave reviews in mid-2006, but to keep the car at the top of the exotic GT class the Italian company is now offering it with an optional handling pack and minor cosmetic changes for your £200,000 outlay.

Performance from the headline 620bhp Enzo-derived engine is unchanged. with 0-125mph achieved in 11 seconds, but work - mainly on reducing internal friction - on the engine has reduced CO2 emissions and improved overall fuel consumption from a scary 13.2mpg to slightly more socially acceptable 15.7mpg.



The real goal though was to make it an even sportier, faster-reacting car but not too much at the expense of ride comfort.


Wider front wheels, a new rubber mix from Pirelli for the PZero tyres, new calibrations for the suspension dampers and a 10mm drop in ride height to lower the 599s centre of gravity are the main changes.


Roll stiffness, up 19%, and pitch by 16% together with a faster (85milliseconds) paddle gearchange make the HGTE pack car 0.6 seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 'standard model.


Prices for the Ferrari 599 GTB equipped with the HGTE pack start from £207,194.

Road test:Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (2009-) Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano won rave reviews in mid-2006, but to keep the car at the top of the exotic GT class the Italian company is now offering it with an optional handling pack and minor cosmetic changes for your £200,000 outlay.

Performance from the headline 620bhp Enzo-derived engine is unchanged. with 0-125mph achieved in 11 seconds, but work - mainly on reducing internal friction - on the engine has reduced CO2 emissions and improved overall fuel consumption from a scary 13.2mpg to slightly more socially acceptable 15.7mpg.



The real goal though was to make it an even sportier, faster-reacting car but not too much at the expense of ride comfort.


Wider front wheels, a new rubber mix from Pirelli for the PZero tyres, new calibrations for the suspension dampers and a 10mm drop in ride height to lower the 599s centre of gravity are the main changes.


Roll stiffness, up 19%, and pitch by 16% together with a faster (85milliseconds) paddle gearchange make the HGTE pack car 0.6 seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 'standard model.


Prices for the Ferrari 599 GTB equipped with the HGTE pack start from £207,194.

Mercedes SL Evo II by KICHERER

This Mercedes by Kicherer is not the new SL. It is not the SL 63 AMG. It's all Kicherer. At least, that's what the German tuner claims. And we make no arguments against that.

The Kicherer Mercedes SL Evo II is based on the old Mercedes SL R230. But Kicherer has made it its own, with a carbon fiber rear wing and front skirt, hand-made, lightweight cast wheels and a few other in-house goodies.

The whole package also includes new side air intakes to make the SL Evo II breath a little easier and carbon fiber aerodynamic paneling all around, including a rear diffuser, lessen air resistance. The lightweight rear wing makes up the patented KICHERER Downforce-System, an electronically controlled flap that optimizes down force on the rear axle for maximum performance and stability.

For even stickier handling, a suspension lowering by an additional 25 mm is made possible through a re-programming of the electronic suspension system.

SPI 997 SLEDGEHAMMER 1000 hp Porsche Conversion Package

Switzer Performance Innovations (SPI) of Ohio, USA, is a renowned tuner of Porsche products, specifically for the Porsche 996 and 997 models. At some point SPI, through owner Tym Switzer wondered what the limits of a tuned 997 would be, how much horsepower a stock engine could take.

Soon SPI was working on this ‘experiment' and the results are here for all to see. The car aptly named the SLEDGEHAMMER makes over 850 all-wheel horsepower running on racing fuel. That translates to over 1000hp at the crank. The figures were produced from a 997 twin turbo engine through extensive ECU tuning, the use of SPI-developed headers, a sports exhaust system, an intercooler package and SPI-tuned GT30R turbos. Every part of the system was constantly metered and tested by SPI during development.

On tar the SLEDGEHAMMER creates something close to what would be considered magical numbers. The 0 - 60mph time is consistently in the mid-2 seconds, and its massive tractability is shown by a 60 - 130mph time of less than 5 seconds. The quarter mile is trashed in 9.796 seconds and 195mph was almost achieved at the Texas mile, an abandoned air strip in Texas.

Project Kahn Drophead Coupe

The folks over at Project Kahn have just sent out some photos of their Project Kahn Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe. Shown in Black Diamond, this version of the two-door was originally introduced back in July.

These new photos show the elegance of the DHC. The model already sold by Rolls Royce is meant to completely encompass the passenger in luxury, privacy, and quiet, while the driver is able to focus on the road with no distraction.

Project Kahn puts a highlight on the car with their Silver Mist wheel. The large, custom alloy measures 9.5" by 22" making it wider than the stock wheels. This is meant to give "a more sporty and aggressive feel." They also have another, darker grey tone wheel available in the same size. The original Rolls Royce center cap fits in the new wheels.

If you buy the car through the tuner company, it will come new with Elm Cluster Veneer Wood paneling and dash, Rolls Royce embossed front headrests, Piano Black steering wheel spokes, iPod connector, and a polished front radiator grille. Lambs wool rugs are also included, but only the lord almighty knows how to get them clean. Make sure you wipe off your patent leather loafers before stepping in.

You can buy the Project Kahn Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe for £316.000, including taxes.