PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, REX FEATURES Book CARS OF 2008
your
test drive now
We’d like to introduce
you to the awesome
new motors that will be
gracing UK roads this
year. By Alistair Weaver
on’t be fooled by the
mumblings of tree
huggers across the
globe. The car industry
is alive and well and all
manner of phenomenal
machines are emerging from its
carefully polished doors. Over the
coming months, Britain’s roads will be
beautified by some precious new metal,
and they won’t all be tedious hybrids. In
fact, there’s never been a better time to
splash out and invest in a real piece of
motoring history. Here is ShortList’s
breakdown of the most interesting cars
to arrive in showrooms, and no doubt
get Clarkson spluttering and sweating
excitedly, over the next 12 months.
D
AUDI TTS
When Audi redesigned the TT last year, it
was determined to inject some sporting
machismo into a car that had drifted
dangerously close to ‘hairdresser’ territory.
Now Audi is about to unleash the TTS – the
new flagship to the TT range. The engine
is a tuned version of the 2.0-litre turbo unit
found in the standard TT but now kicks
out 268bhp. Quattro four-wheel drive is
standard, and if you opt for the semi-auto
box the TTS will pummel its way from
0-60mph in just five seconds, with top
speed limited to 155mph. It will be available
as a roadster or coupé with a substantial
body kit. Price: £33,380
24 / www.ShortList.com
Sunglasses:
compulsory
MERCEDES SL
The default choice of zesty old folk, the
Mercedes SL has carved itself an enviable
niche – the company has flogged over
630,000 since 1957. The sixth-generation
SL arrived in 2001 and it’s about to be
given a major face-lift.
Gone is the slightly effeminate nose
to be replaced by something more butch.
You get go-faster gills on the flanks and
an aerodynamic diffuser at the back.
There’ll be a vast range of engines,
from the 231bhp SL 280 to the powerful
603bhp SL 65 AMG. The new model will
be available from April. Price: between
£60K and 160K
BMW 1-SERIES CONVERTIBLE
First there was the five-door, then there
was the three-door, then there was a coupé
and now, finally, the 1-Series convertible
has arrived. Unlike the 3-Series, the baby 1
features an electrically powered soft-top
in place of a folding hard-top, and it’ll go
topless in just 22 seconds.
The 1-Series convertible seats four –
just – and will stand toe-to-toe with the new
Audi A3 cabriolet. It’ll be offered in April
with either a 170bhp 2.0-litre engine (120i)
or a 218bhp 3.0-litre, confusingly called the
125i, but a twin-turbo 135i and even a
diesel will follow. Price: from £24,055
“Can’t talk, I’m
driving on the back
of a giant whale”
SL loved a
paddle
ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COUPE
There is something utterly absurd about the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé.
No two-door car has any need to take up this much space. But those who can’t
afford it should show some respect – this is a fabulous piece of engineering.
The Coupé is based on the Drophead Coupé soft-top and that, despite, its
gargantuan size, can handle expertly. And because this car’s so whisper
quiet and comically rapid, you won’t be able to hear the protestations
of the public as you power by. Long live the class system, and long live
high-end two-door limos. Price: £250K
Evo X:
far from
camera-shy
MITSUBISHI EVO X
Finally, after years of blathering around
with concept cars, Mitsubishi has
unleashed the Evo X. After spending
episodes I to IX fiddling with the details,
the boffins have come up with something
bigger and more grown up, yet still with
an awesome arsenal of hardware and a
truck-load of acronyms: Super All-Wheel
Control (S-AWC), Active Centre Differential
(ACD), Active Yaw Control (AYC), ASC, ABS
and a SST gearbox with a semi-automatic,
flappy-paddle shift, offered in the UK with
300, 330 or 360bhp. Price: between
£27,499 and £38,000
RENAULT LAGUNA COUPE
The standard Renault Laguna is a
hatchback, but the new coupé is different.
It was shown in concept form at last year’s
Frankfurt Motor Show and – barring the
silly scissor doors and ‘concept car’
interior detailing – it will go into production
later this year virtually unchanged.
It will seat four and pose as a cut-price
alternative to the BMW 3-Series coupé
and Audi A5. There’ll be a decent range
of engines, including some diesels and
a V6 petrol. But it’s to be hoped that
Renault’s technical boffins can work some
magic on the Laguna’s suspension before
it hits the market. Price: around £20K
“Y’know, I’m
not sure this is
the front…”
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.