Alex Unleashed on Cars

  A quick reminder before I begin, this blog focuses on political which can be a very volatile issue so I shall be looking at the topics today from an impartial perspective. I shall also include links to any sources I refer to, in case some accuse me of making them up. Question 1: Is the Conservative Party, really the “party of the motorist”? Short answer. No. they are not. Realistically, no political party is a “party of the motorist” as Labour’s idea for road pricing back in 2003/4 would have charged people for taking children to school or going to work. I sight two examples as to why the Conservatives are not the party of the motorist. Reason 1: Speed cameras were introduced under the Conservatives in 1994 and reason 2: their 2003 manifesto. During 2003 the Conservatives said that if they came to power they would “up the motorway speed limit to 80 MPH, do away with the vast majority of speed cameras, a purge of speed bumps and abolish the M4 bus lane” (*). None of these ...

  The general consensus is that upstart car makers will at some point go bust. This has very much been the case for multiple manufacturers. But if like me, you grew up in the 2000’s then there are 4 upstart brands that both resonated with us and are still here today. Those are: Noble, Ariel, Koenigsegg and Pagani. Interestingly the story of how the Pagani Zonda both took the fight to the established supercar brands and bring about a second supercar renaissance actually starts in the 1980s. Horacio Pagani previously worked for Lamborghini in the composites department so he already knew a lot about making supercars as well as the mechanicals that go into making a good one, he also owns Moden Design which helped provide the carbon fibre used in the Zonda’s construction.   You could actually argue the Zonda C12 came out too late as by 1999 all the 200 MPH hypercars were gone except its main rival, the Lamborghini Diablo. But on to the car. The engine is a 6 litre Mercedes V1...

  Forza Horizon has always been one of my favourite franchises as it takes the freedom of the open road and combines it with the content of a simulation racer. But I’ve generally been rather unsatisfied with the franchise’s offerings over the past few years and the latest offering, Horizon 5 feels lacking in multiple area’s. So let’s break the game down with what’s good and what needs changing. First off, the map is fantastic. Horizon 4’s UK map was fairly dull likely down to the location not having varied types of terrain being in the UK. Whereas Horizon 5’s Mexico map is more like Horizon 3’s map where we have a jungle, a desert, a volcano, beaches, and mountains as well. The variety is also coupled to a well-designed map with plenty of long straights and winding roads that encourage driving just for the sake of driving, and that I like. Next the custom events are a welcome addition. I have never approved of the change from Horizon 1 to 2 in that events don’t require cars f...

  If I told you that the Noble M12’s engine was from a Ford Mondeo, you wouldn’t think too much of it. But if I told you that it will do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and has 2 turbochargers, then you’d perhaps take notice. The M12 was the second car made by Noble, the first was the M10, a rather puffy looking cabrio targeted at Boxster & Chimera buyers. But when the M12 came out in 2000 it was targeted at more upmarket cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, TVR Cerbera Speed Six & BMW M Coupe, but it wouldn’t be too much of a push to suggest it could hold its own with a 911 Turbo or Ferrari 360, Why? Because it weighed 1080 KG, had a 310 BHP and 320 Ib ft of Torque  2.5 litre V6 with twin turbos and would top 160 flat out, not to mention the highly praised handling and vented disc brakes.  It's also important to note that the M12 was mid-engined (which was very unique for a British sports car) and that helps with weight distribution and stability. Upon launch the M12 was in...

  Now the Jaguar XJR-15 of 1991, that was what the XJ220 was supposed to be. It may have only 450 BHP but because it weighs the same as a TVR Griffith, it can match the more powerful XJ220 from 0-60 and will top 200 flat out. But what the XJR-15 lacks in top speed it makes up for in cornering and braking, provided it’s not in full 700 BHP LM spec. The XJR-15 is more like the F40 in being a back-to-basics kind of car, focussing on race car technology such as several components being borrowed from the XJR-9 Group C car as well as the full carbon fibre body, but it’s not the greatest from this period. The Bugatti EB110 (also launched in 1991) packs both brute force, technology, and luxury. It’s 4-wheel drive system provided plenty of grip off the line and in the corners. It’s 60 valve 3.5 litre V12 with 4 turbos makes 550 BHP and despite being garnished with plenty of wood and leather it will top 210 MPH and in stripped out Supersport form it can get close to 220 MPH, firmly putting...

  The original Ford Puma is a very interesting car. With humble Fiesta running gear and a small 1.7 litre engine, on paper it wasn’t going to be too much to squawk about especially compared to the exotic looking Alfa Romeo GTV and ballsy Nissan 200SX and yet it was a massive success.  The Puma had been conceived as a driver’s car, manual only, low weight and a punchy but small engine meant it was agile and a hoot drive according to almost anyone who drove/owned one. What’s more, build quality was leaps and bounds ahead of other cars in the Ford range and the sleek New Edge styling gave it an almost spaceship like design, and above all else, it was good value, it was just as much fun as a Fiat Coupe or Nissan 200SX but at halve the price of either. Then in 1999 the Racing Puma was unveiled. Limited to 350 units it was a smash hit, featuring mild upgrades to the engine and suspension which only cemented how fun the car was. Nothing this side of a BMW M3 or Nissan Skyline was a...

  Today Skoda is a well respected member of the VW empire representing the budget option in the range. But as anyone who knows about motoring history will tell you, Skoda was a laughing stock prior to Volkswagen acquiring the make.  Although the Favorit did gain VW’s input upon acquiring Skoda, the early cars were as bad as could be. But the first sign of improvement came in 1995, when Top Gear revealed the results of it’s yearly JD Power survey and the once mocked Skoda Favorit came 13 th out of 70 and the motoring world was shocked that what was the laughing stock of the motoring world was now ranked better by owners than the likes of the Subaru Legacy, Jaguar XJ6 and Audi 80. But despite it’s success the shadows of the past still remained, the new Skoda would have to prove that good Skoda’s were to last. And that’s exactly what the Felicia did, from 1997 to 2003 the Felicia consistently ranked well in customer satisfaction surveys beating far newer cars like the Peugeo...