Blogs Posts

Toyota’s rally icon is a smart-buy bargain – for now Words ROSS ALKUREISHI Photography CHARLIE MAGEE Seven steps to buying a Toyota Celica T200Buying Guide Bag a bargain Toyota Celica before prices climb into collector territory It should be an icon. In GT-Four form the Castrol-liveried MkVI Toyota Celica dominated the 1994 World Rally Championship with the likes of Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol behind the wheel.

Dating from its launch in 1990, this shot of the 964 Turbo also shows its principal creators, Paul Hensler (left) and Friedrich Bezner. As 911 project manager, it was Friedrich’s idea of filling the gap left by the abandonment of the 969 with a 3.3 Turbo 964. Paul was readily supportive and oversaw the modifications to the 930 engine to ensure that it delivered a sufficient power margin over the 250ps 964 Carrera. Both career Porsche men, they arrived at the company from different backgrounds.

Forgive us this diversion, but whisper it… other car brands do exist. Hell, there are even other Porsche models out there, and there’s every chance you’ll have one, or at least have experienced them at some point. While we’re not going to stray too far from our favourite brand here, this month’s trawl of the classifieds has seen us take a bit of a tangent because we’ve been looking at Audi RS2s. It’s unlikely you’re unaware of the RS2, but here’s a recap – just in case.

Russia has deservedly been at the receiving end of some genuinely awful press over the last few months. However, if there’s one thing we should definitely stop blaming Russia for, it’s the Alfasud’s now legendary proclivity for terminal rust.

For many British businesses, especially those trading overseas, the fallout from Brexit has been an administrative nightmare. “Trade with customers in the European Union presently accounts for approximately thirty percent of our turnover,” says Karl Chopra, founder of independent Porsche parts and accessories retailer, Design 911.  “Previously, we could fulfil orders for clients in mainland Europe within two or three days.

Big and bold, the X6 in xDrive 40d E71 guise is a real beast. But it will look after you whatever the situation Why not release your inner extrovert, with an E71 X6 xDrive 40d? Packing enough torque to rival an X6M E71 (despite possessing far superior fuel economy) most examples come laden with optional extras courtesy of wealthy original owners – so you can really indulge yourself – and you will never be caught short in terms of performance.

This is the end, beautiful friend…” so said Jim Morrison and The Doors all the way back in 1967. The song – The End – was, of course, part of the soundtrack to Apocalypse Now and while I’m not quite as unhinged as many of the film’s characters become I am deeply saddened that after 28-years BMW Car will be closing its pages for the very last time.

Let me introduce you to Doris the Daimler. More precisely, a 1954 Daimler Conquest. Gloss black, with gold, hand-painted coachlines added to relieve the boredom. We met via a nearby dealer's website in the spring of 2019, dated, and have been going out together ever since. Social climberLegend has it that the Conquest, fitted as standard with a six-cylinder engine and pre-selector gearbox, was so-named because of its £1066 ex-factory price tag.

A photograph can tell a thousand stories, and this can be especially true at auction. Want to complain about that scratch you didn’t know was there? “Sorry Sir, it was clearly in the image on the internet...

The Nineties hot-hatch legend is still surprisingly affordable for an icon. Words JAMES WALSHE Photography MAGIC CAR PICS ARCHIVE Buying Guide Snag yourself a Nineties icon – the Renault Clio Williams – with confidence Just as the Peugeot 205GTi 1.9 bowed out of production in 1992, the Renault Clio Williams took on its mantle as the king of the hot hatches. It became an instant icon and prices reflect its increasingly collectible status.

Porsche’s patented VarioRam system is an ingenious way to alter geometry of the induction manifold according to engine needs under different operating conditions. Here’s how it works… Words Shane O’Donoghue Photography Adrian Brannan NOW WE’RE TORQUINGVarioRam is the name Porsche gave to its advanced variable intake system when the technology was first released in 1994.

The 993’s historical journey is well known. Peter Falk, the famed Porsche engineer, produced a Lastenheft in the late 1980s that found the incoming 993 would have to achieve new levels of agility and responsiveness – not to mention refinement – and so the new 911 was born with its multi-link rear axle and six-speed transmission, among other improvements.

Aerodynamicist and sage Norbert Singer recalls how every new Porsche boss was keen to make their mark as quickly as possible. When the ambitious Ulrich Bez returned to Porsche as head of engineering, changes were expected. And changes there were: Porsche’s limited motorsport budget would henceforth concentrate on F1.  From his vantage point at BMW, Ulrich had been impressed by Porsche’s collaboration with McLaren, which had resulted in two manufacturers’ and three drivers’ championships.

Unveiled at the 1999 IAA show in Frankfurt, Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes – PCCBs for short – first appeared on the 996 model GT2 of 2001. This was the first production sports car to use the technology. Disc brakes may have been patented in 1902, but it took until the middle of that century for production cars to perfect the technology, including Porsche’s development of the ventilated disc brake, first used on the 906-8 Bergspider of 1965 and utilised on the 911S the following year.

Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016. Despite ongoing wrangling, the general consensus is that Brexit is indeed done. What impact has that decision and the many economic changes had on the 911 market? Sales debate“That’s an interesting topic,” says Jonathan Ostroff, sales manager at Hexagon Classics. “Brexit hasn’t affected the UK right-hand drive car values, as they were never very sought after by our EU partners (excepting Eire, Cyprus and Malta),” Jonathan rightly points out.