New Ferrari 599 GTO- bringing the passion back

Ferrari unveiled it’s brand new road racer at the Geneva motor show. The Ferrari 599 GTO. And boy is it something. The brand new car is a road going version of the racing 599. the 599XX, and it fits snuggly between the two. The new car has a six speed formula one style gear box and supports the engine from the legendary enzo. Apart from the fact that the enzo’s 6-litre V12 contains around 650 break horse powers. The GTO, however, can summon 661 at the press of a pedal. Add this to the fact that the GTO has gone on a crash diet and shed off 100 kilograms from the 599 and there is quite a recipe. Being 100 kilos lighter, 40 horsepower greater, higher revving and having double the aerodynamic down force, will make a difference. A big difference. This car, with all it’s add ons and take-offs is Ferrari’s fastest ever road-going production car. Around the Ferrari test track, it laps a second quicker than the Ferrari enzo! But shhhhh! Don’t tell the enzo drivers! This car will rocket from 0-100 in 3.35 seconds and hit a top speed of over 335km/h.

Therefore, this car not only looks the part of a racer, but goes like one too. Under the axe-cut bonnet there lives a monster, capable of producing 493Kw and a mind-blowing 620Nm of torque. Now we know all you hardcore racers out there are going to complain and moan- ‘the front is no place for an engine. It should be in the middle.’ And yes, we do agree, however this car still manages to hold a 47-53 weight distribution and with the added down force and shed weight, I’m sure this car will have no problem staying planted to the road.
There is something else though… it costs 3.7 million rand. Now that’s actually quite cheap, it is! I mean people paid nearly double that for the enzo and I would much prefer this. However an enzo is much more discrete. Driving this car around would give you the same hatred and bounty on your swollen head as you would claim from squatting down and dropping a load on the president’s desk. It’s showing the world what you can afford and they can’t. And there is no greater danger to a wealthy car owner than young people with a grudge. What’s more, this car will continue to steel your money even when you’ve paid off the last of your debt. This car will do 17 km/l. now surprisingly that’s an improvement on the original 599, but still poor. And those figures are not including driving it fast.

But who cares? This is old Ferrari. This is the passion. The Ferrari passion that was missing from the enzo and the 599. Sure you can’t drive it every day, but when you do drive it-with that glorious soundtrack and that tremendous speed- you remember it, and you won’t forget the passion and performance until the next time you pull it out. But be careful, I’m willing to bet that everyone you pissed off last time doesn’t forget you either.

Audi Q7 Facelift - Who said bigger wasn't better?

Audi is soon to release the the new Q7 facelift, and I like what I see. Not many changes have been made but Audi has incorporated the LED's (Daytime Running Lights) in the front lights and in the rear lights. Another change is a new grill, those are the more distinctive changes found on the new Q7. The interior remains basically the same and is still very typical Audi, everything is where you need it to be and you feel very safe and relaxed. The Q7 is a very large car, available in 5 or 7 seater options. Although it is not the best car off road, it will fulfill basic off road needs. When it's on tar the Q7 is an absolutely fantastic car, it's smooth, silent, well at least till you put your foot down, it has tremendous power under the bonnet, especially if you take the bigger and better of the 5 engine choices. The engines available are the 3.0 TDI, the 3.6 FSI and then there are the V8's. The 4.2 FSI and the 4.2 TDI, the two V8's have plenty power and the TDI is surprisingly smooth and silent for a diesel. The fifth, last, but most certainly not least engine is the uber powerful 6.0 TDI V12 beast, the V12 has relentless power and an amazing 1000Nm of torque, this makes it the most powerful diesel engine ever found in a production car. The v12 rockets from 0-100 in 5.5 seconds, the only problem with it is the price which will burn a decent hole in you wallet. The Q7 price range starts at R615 000 for the 3.6 FSI and ends at a gut wrenching R1.46 million for the V12 beast, but it is a worthy price to pay as you are getting the always brilliant Audi quality and a stupendously powerful car. These prices do not include those optional goodies so be prepared to pay even more..

A Bio-Fuel Masterpece. Koenigsegg CCXR

Imagine driving the fastest production car ever made. If you have one of these you don’t have to imagine. This car will reach a top speed of an unbelievable 417km/h!
It leaves the bugatti veyron well behind as it screams past anything on the road today.
It gets does 0 – 100 in roughly 2.9 seconds and 0 – 200 in 9 seconds! There are three main reasons why it goes so fast. One, it is extremely light, the whole car is made from carbon fibre and the heaviest thing is the one behind the steering wheel. The car only weighs a little over a ton. It can, unlike the previous car, put its power down. It has a huge rear spoiler that looks as if it came off the back of something NASA was creating, so the car has no trouble in forcing those massive rear tires into the ground.
This car also has the drag equivalency of a fish so it is very slippery.
The main thing that allows this car to be hurtled down the road at such speed, is the heart and soul of this magnificent machine, it’s biblically monstrous engine. It has a twin-turbocharged mid-mounted 4.8 litre V8 under the bonnet, which churns out a whopping 662kw, but this is when you run it on petrol, when you run it on the environmentally-friendly bio fuel, it will kick out an enormous 759kw, which amounts to about 1018 break horse power!
Honestly there is nothing that could stop this car…apart from maybe the breaks, which are the size of small planets. They allow you to break in the middle of a corner rather that before it. This makes the CCX-R astonishingly quick around a track and has allowed it to set the record for the quickest 0 - 300 - 0 time ever recorded by man.
There are only ever going to be six made in the world so you can imagine a lot of detail went into making it like nothing else out there today.
Those beautifully crafted wheels have been repeatedly polished for maximum contrast agenised the carbon fibre body work. That badge on the front of the bonnet has been made to match the wheels exactly but when you move to the side of the car the badge seems to morph into a beautiful emerald.
The seats on the interior are a glowing red so you feel like you’re sitting in some sort of futuristic spaceship. The exhaust looks like something you could fit a whole other car into, and when you change gears at high speed it spits fire like a dragon out of a medieval horror story. It does, however, have a much more, every day use, kind of side to it though.
For example, has been for numerous safety tests including the test for pedestrian safety, which is the only car of its type to have passed. Those beautiful scissor-doors open with no difficulty, perfect for those tight parking spaces. All of this however does come at a cost. This car, with all its luxuries, will set you back about R30-million. Ouch!