Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Fast Car

Supercar engines have always been a bit of an arms race. The bloodline of Lamborghini’s monstrous V12 motors can be traced right back to the company’s origins in the 1960s, their legend being so strong that some critics reckon the incredible V10-engined models ‘aren’t proper Lambos’. Which is silly, really. But certain people have always been cynical about this sort of thing. When Jaguar announced the XJ220 back in the early 1990s, it was mooted to have a V12; when they changed their minds and told customers it’d have a V6 instead, lots of people cancelled their orders. Today’s XJ220 owners are obviously having the last laugh now… The world’s different today though. Downsizing with the aim of blending performance with efficiency is key – that’s why you’ll find a…

This isn’t just a car. The Czinger 21C is the future. Impressively, this fledgling company has developed its own new engine, a twin-turbo V8 that revs to a ludicrous 11,000rpm; the hybrid system features two axial flux motors, and the whole lot is good for 1,233bhp. But that’s not the incredible part. Nor is the super-lightweight sequential transmission, the 1,200kg kerb weight, the central driving position, or the performance figures (0-62mph in 1.9 seconds, quarter-mile in 8.1). No, the truly amazing thing is that quite a lot of it – including much of the chassis – is 3D-printed. This means that parts can be super-strong and lightweight while also minimalist; this leads to some truly unusual shapes, with the suspension wishbones looking like titanium muscle tissue. And unlike every other…

We’re so used to seeing S14 Nissans built into drift cars that it can come as a surprise to find one that’s set up for grip rather than slip. And when it comes to track-focused S14s, we’d defy you to find a more comprehensively specced and aggressively built example than this one. You see, for Rich Nelson, this was always destined to be a serious track project, the massive #TrackAddict graphics emblazoned upon the car speak volumes for his circuit obsession, and the 200SX in particular has always played a major part in his automotive passions. “Like all petrolheads, I’ve been into cars since I was a kid,” Rich explains. “I was always getting in the way of my dad working on his cars! He never believed in paying a…

It takes a lot to stand out in today’s busy show scene but with its eye-catching wrap and stunning interior, this R53 certainly attracts attention like no other. There’s good reason for that too, as the car has been lovingly developed from a standard JCW into a show star by its passionate owner, Lex Harris, over the last 10 years. Lex, a true petrolhead, bought the car back in 2009 after a chance encounter whilst in his highly modified Peugeot 206, which was, as he puts it, ‘Max Power style’. “I was sitting at traffic lights in my 206 with a MINI Cooper S next to me. When the lights changed, it left me standing! So I booked a test drive a week later and as soon as the supercharger…

LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger, £89.99 Is there a better way to spend lockdown than starting a fresh LEGO project? We think not, and the Danish block-making legends have just launched a treat for all us Fast and Furious fans with this 1,077-piece replica kit of Dominic Toretto’s wheelie-popping 1970 Charger. And the fun doesn’t stop once the building is complete, because fans can try out Dom’s cool stunts and recreate the high-speed chases from the Fast & Furious movies with the model. And when the streets need a rest, the model can be proudly displayed in its famous wheel-stand position. The authentic replica of Dom’s all-time favourite car is packed with the same realistic details seen in the films. Just like the full-size version, the hood of Dom’s Dodge…

When the Mk7 Fiesta was launched in 2013 it became an instant hit and scooped more awards than Ant and Dec. And seven years on, its reputation has only got stronger; it’s now regarded as one of the best hot hatches of all time! And that’s a mighty big claim but just check the stats… It could hit 60mph in less than seven seconds, and the 180bhp, 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine could propel the baby Ford to an impressive 139 mph. All in a car that costs less than £140 a year to tax and has a combined mpg of 47.9. The good news doesn’t stop there as prices have just started to dip under £6,000, making the Mk7 ST a bona fide bargain. Don’t go thinking that the much revered…

“I like to use this car for special occasions,” says its proud owner and builder, Wolfgang Koller. “Like quarter-miles, half-miles, and weddings…” Only a few moments in his effervescent company and already we’re awestruck by the quality, malleability, entertainment value and sheer audacity of this build. After all, while blushing brides are famously quite keen to get to the church on time, the idea of lining up alongside the Christmas tree lights in full wedding regalia and catapulting up the strip is presumably not something that gets mooted all that favourably. Finding a car that can excel in both of these entirely diverse scenarios is a rare treat indeed, and Wolfgang’s wonderful creation is frankly something of a marvel. Perhaps the best part of all is that people really have…

It’s true to say that nothing has changed the show scene over the past decade quite as much as the availability of amazing air ride kits. But, while there are plenty of modern innovations, that’s not to say that the idea of air suspension is a new thing. Air ride systems have been around for about as long as cars themselves. Initially conceived to allow carrying heavy or uneven loads in relative comfort, there are examples as far back as the early 1900s. Various aftermarket kits have been on sale since the 1920s, and it became extremely popular with American bootleggers and whiskey trippers in the ‘30s and ‘40s for maintaining stock ride height with a boot full of moonshine. Nowadays, of course, you’ll find OEM applications on everything from…

After last year’s epic battle, the UK’s most famous detailing duo are back for round two… Last season Tom’s R5 GTT build just pipped Dale’s awesome W114 build. And now Dale wants his revenge. So, they’re both back with their new projects, and, of course, we’re here to document the builds. The deadline for the finished projects is Players Classic at Goodwood on the 20/06/2020. This might seem like an age away but when you find out what they’ve got planned, there’s really not much time at all. Let the battle commence……

Ah, bugger. I guess we all saw it coming really, but it’s sad to have it officially confirmed – unfortunately, Japfest 2020 has been postponed until further notice. Absolutely the right thing to do, of course; if we’re all under lockdown then no-one can go to car shows anyway, and it’s not a great idea to be mingling in crowds when we’re all meant to be keeping our distance from one another. We’ve got to keep each other safe, that’s priority one. Staying in is the new going out. Still, it’s not all bad news – Japfest has not been cancelled, merely postponed until it’s safe to go ahead, which we can all probably agree is the best move all round. All tickets for the show will obviously still be…

New: £17,190 Now: £2,500 How good are these looking these days? The Mk4 was basically the car that the Astra always should have been; far more modern than the Mk3 it replaced, addressing a lot of the criticisms by significantly improving the handling and ride comfort, and its impressively strong construction shook up what everyone thought they knew about Vauxhall build quality. Here was a cheap-ish family car with a 4-star Euro NCAP rating, built to last, and all the buttons usually worked. The crisp body lines have aged pretty well, to the extent that if you park up next to a clean example in the supermarket car park today, you wouldn’t immediately assume it was almost a couple of decades old. The GSI was a bit of a bruiser…

A few years ago, Jaguar Land Rover announced that they were going to make a two-door version of the flagship Range Rover – an ultra-premium niche, limited to 999 models, with the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 and a crazy-posh interior. But ultimately the SV Coupe was axed, because it seemed unlikely that nigh-on a thousand people would be prepared to pay £240,000 for a Rangie that’s deliberately impractical. Rich people, however, don’t like to be told they can’t have something. So now the Adventum Coupe exists – a bespoke creation by Netherlands-based coachbuilder Niels van Roij Design. Yes, it’s got the supercharged V8, and yes, it hasn’t got enough doors. It’s all fully customisable, with options including teak flooring, custom umbrellas, electric recliners in the rear and so on – and…

We seriously love our audio gear here at FC and why wouldn’t we? There’s a lot to be said for some big bastid boom boom in your boot, right? One thing that often comes as a problem with massive installs, though, is real-world practicality. Having a load of banging subs in the back is all very well for show cars, but what about us mere mortals who need the boot for other stuff? Important stuff like tools, pets and panic buying bog roll, pasta, baked beans and crates of bottled water? What all this creates is a rather sad world where many miss out on hearing the whole of the audio spectrum, and we can’t very well have that now, can we? Nope, so here’s a great solution, and likely…

Nope. We’re not going to offer you half the trade price for your car, like those websites. Instead we want to give you the chance to be featured in the best modified car mag on the planet! So, if you own a cool-as-a-cucumber car you think is worthy of Fast Car, we’d love to see it. Please send a selection of good quality images and a spec to jules.truss@kelsey.co.uk, with ‘Feature Car’ as the subject. If we like it, we’ll get back to you to arrange a photoshoot. Simples.…

When it comes to next-level builds on a scale that you can’t really wrap your head around, SEMA takes the cake. Every single car on show there is absolutely incredible, it’s a non-stop assault on the senses and when SEMA rolls around we always brace ourselves because we know we are going to see some of the best BMs anywhere in the world and we know they are going to blow us away. To stand out from a crowd of that calibre, then, really takes some doing and, even on the scale of SEMA projects, George Dalmakis’ (@m3ane30) truly astonishing 2002 left us absolutely breathless with its levels of sheer insanity, ambition and attention to detail. This is truly a car that is the very definition of a custom build…

ADAM BRACEGIRDLE’S R35 NISSAN GT-R FC says: The R35 has been around for a few years now, but time hasn’t done anything to diminish its impact – it’s still a ridiculously effective and eye-wateringly rapid machine. And Adam’s is more frantic than most, thanks to the fact that it’s now running a meaty 700bhp! He’s pursued a comprehensive carbon fibre theme, with the racy weave appearing on the diffuser, splitter, steering wheel, spoiler, sideskirts, wing vents, spats, centre console and plenty more. The looks are on-point too, perfected by a 5-stage machine polish and 5-year self-healing ceramic coating. If you want to see more of Adam’s GT-R give him a follow on insta (@gtr_br55acy). Top Mods: Carbon spoiler, carbon diffuser, carbon steering wheel, carbon everything ANDY NICHOLSON’S SUBARU WRX STI…

If you drew a Venn diagram of people who’d driven a new RS4, and people who reckon it’s a bit soft and needs toughening up, you’d probably find that the crossover is quite small. But sitting happily within that sliver is legendary modding outfit ABT. If you’re not familiar with the name, ABT Sportsline was founded as a tuning and motorsport operation in 1991, although the company’s roots can actually be traced way back to 1896! In recent times they’ve developed such impressive models as the Audi R8 GT R (basically a road-legal race car) and the savage RS5-R among much else, as well as running Audi A4s in the DTM. Essentially, when ABT tinker with a car, you know it’s going to be good. And what they’ve done here…

How badass is this? Those mad scientists at Liberty Walk have had a crack at applying the LB Works treatment to the Lexus LC500, and the results are pretty damn devastating. Even in unmodified form, the LC500 is an absolute weapon – its super-clever 5.0-litre V8 runs on the Atkinson cycle and uses D4-D direct and port injection, and it’s good for 471bhp. Added to this, you get an interior that’s so swanky it makes the average plutocrat’s mansion look like a piece of crap. On top of all this opulent splendour, the LB Works kit adds mighty bolt-on overfenders, splitters, and a ducktail spoiler, all available in either FRP or CFRP, and inevitably it’s bagged for maximum awesomeness. If you’re lucky enough to be running an LC500, you know…

It’s a tricky one, the coronavirus. For years, we’ve believed that the way to deal with the apocalypse would be for us to go to The Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all this to blow over. Except that we can’t. The Winchester’s closed and we’re not allowed near each other. These are strange times, we’ve never dealt with anything like this before, and it affects pretty much every aspect of our lives… not least our fondness for doing silly stuff with cars. After all, for a lot of us the calendar year is dictated by a specific sequence of show dates. And many of the shows are getting cancelled. At the time of writing, there’s still a fair few that are scheduled to go ahead later…

When it comes to washing your motor (especially at this time of year after a rather heavy winter), the pre-wash stage is probably the most important part of the process. But then, having already read the spring-cleaning guide on page 38, you’ll already know that. What’s important here is that there’s two common types of pre-wash products: snow foams to lubricate and lift off muck and TFRs (traffic film removers) to chemically dissolve grime. Both are devastatingly effective. This new item from Auto Finesse is firmly in the latter category, but what’s so special about it? Well, this could be the most cost-effective pre-wash product out there. And, there’s a whole load more to the story, too… THE PRODUCT Such is their effectiveness, that there are quite a few TFRs…

Fitting Time: A couple of hours and you’ll be done… and then a few more to let the paint cure. Costs: From £25 Foliatec Caliper Painting Kit. First thing’s first, you’ll be needing some paint. There are many specialist products out there, and they’ll either come in a spray can, or a tin ready for brushing on. What’s most important here is that caliper paints aren’t like traditional car paints: they’re actually more of a high-temperature gloss enamel that’s been designed for extreme endurance. You can use a normal VHT (very high temp) paint, of course, but very often these have a matte finish that won’t stay clean for too long with all the brake dust and grime flying about. Sprays aren’t a bad option if you don’t mind masking…

There’s an old saying among stuffy classic car bores: ‘It’s only original once’. The idea is that an unrestored survivor is worthier than something that deviates in any way from factory standard. Some crusty enthusiasts will tell you that painting your car the ‘wrong’ shade, changing the wheels, or doing anything else to alter the original spec is a big no-no; those even more committed to the nebulous concept of automotive purity will baulk at the idea of repairing dents and scuffs as they tell part of the car’s story, and will be horrified by the idea of using non-standard wiper blades or the incorrect grade of windscreen washer fluid or what-have-you. These people, quite frankly, can be safely ignored. We don’t have time for that sort of judgemental nonsense.…