Car of the day: 458 Italia

This two minutes to five stallion comes kitted with a spoiler kit from Liberty walk and a set of 21 inch and 22 inch (rear) ADV1 wheels courtesy of Race SA.

Lamborghini hits another bull's eye

Two months ago, our photographer Toby Strange was commissioned by car customizing veterans Sportech to capture a few work progress shots of a rare breed from the Italian fighting bulls they had been working on in partnership with Llumar. 

Any entry level Lamborghini Aventador raises eyebrows and has people sweating in unorthodox places on any sunny day. After the Murcielargo’s replacement came into existence, a few other versions followed suit including the roadster then came the 720 horsepower 50^th Aniversario which had an advanced aerodynamic kit that personified an aesthetic and scientific marvel. We can’t obviously overlook the spaceship that is the LP750-4 SuperVeloce which epitomizes futuristic automotive design from every angle.

Going back to the entry Model, Lambo partnered with their long-time ally Pirelli tyres, who have been dressing up raging bulls with premium hooves since 1936 back when the Italian automaker use to roll out tractors and created this special edition that mark a milestone in the two giants’ longstanding partnership.

The exterior has a two tone colour scheme which comprises of a gloss black roof which comes standard with every Pirelli edition model then the colour for the rest of the body is solely dependent on the customer’s requirements. Sportech was given the task of applying a layer of protective film on the Pirelli Edition Aventador to safe guard the meticulous paint scheme.

The conventional leather treatment in the interior was replaced with premium suede you will find in the murcielargo Super-Veloce and Reventon. To keep the fine fabric together, red thread was utilized to complement the Pirelli logos on the backrests and the side edges of the center console.

Lastly, the shoes of course had to be extra special. The wheels mounted are usually found on the LP720 or optionally provided on the regular Aventador. The tires’ design was first observed on the most expensive road car ,the Veneno and for this special bull ,the same Pirelli p-zero designs wrapped up the 20 inch App Tech manufactured wheels.

 To our knowledge, only one thus far has made it to this side of the hemisphere and this one in particular shall adorn the man cave of a deep pocketed ZA auto head who shall remain nameless.

Word has it this was an 8 bar transaction between the owner and Lambo SA, keep watch of your rear-view mirror.

KAWASAKI H2R

Meet the Kawasaki H2R hypersport, the most insane hyperbike as of late. 321 horsepower and an estimated 400km/h+ top speed will have you anywhere across any space now. This is the type of bike that pops up on the traffic officers’ database with a don’t bother to chase sticker on its image, okay not really. I do however doubt that even the Dubai police, with all their hyper car fleet would even try to catch up. The monster you’re looking at happens to be the only one in the country as of late and the owner is willing to depart with it, at the right price of course. The only place in SA where you’ll see so much carbon fibre on anything will be at Denel’s composite material plant. The body finishes are either a full carbon fiber composite or a mirror finish black. Mirror finish isn’t some simple alternative to a scientific paint color name,you can literally see the reflection of any object next to the body. As of now, this is the Bugatti Vittesse of bikes. In fact, with a 400km top speed, wouldn’t you love to see it take on the Bug? Contact Race SA and make it yours for R 795,000.00.

Here’s a link to a drag race between the two monsters:

Check the specs:

Engine-Liquid-cooled, 4 stroke in line four

Displacement: 998cc

Bore & Stroke: 76.0 x 55.o mm

Compression ratio: 8:3:!

Fuel system: DFI 50mm throttle bodies x 4 with dual injection

Intake system: Kawasaki Supercharger

Ignition: Digital

Transmission: 6 speed, return, dog ring

Final drive: Chain

#WayBackWednesday:2014 Shell V power nitro fest

In February last year ,petroleum giant Shell brought out the Ferrari F60 scuderia and partnered with SA's Ferrari car club to bring out their weekend toys.Thousands gathered to bare witness to one of the most prestigious high-end auto fests Hosted by Shell and their Long-time partner Ferrari. The black stallion brand brought their F1 racing test driver Marc Gene to give SA fuel junkies a taste of Formula one Grand Prix. The event was a flagship for Shell to market their newly advanced fuel , which they utilized for their formula 1 exhibition.Ferrari racing’s test driver Marc Gené (pronounced jour-neigh) piloted the F60 scuderia around a to a Shell filling station around the block to juice up the 800hp ,aero dynamic influenced wind cheater with the same fuel you put into your grocery fetching jalopy. Aside from the multifarious tip toeing stallions on display, Local Djs, Warras , Spectacular and Kwaito O.G Bouga luv fed the crowd with local and global tunes to complement the harmonious notes from the exhaust tips of the Maranello clan. With the whole Ferrari formula 1 crew chiefs out in full throttle at the pit to give South African followers a taste of the magic they get to perform for a living.As expected , Marc went through numerous sets of rubber which the crew chiefs swapped at literally a few blinks before doing a classical doughnut at the end of his run. Here are some images of what went down.

Car of the day: 2009 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG

One of the most powerful super cars to emerge from the Stuttgart factory and at 600+ horsepower, it outpaces some of its Italian competitors beyond its price tag.

0 to 100 ,3.7 sec.

Car of the day: 1946 Hudson Truck

Images: By Toby Strange

Some of the cleanest engine bays at Classic car show

After attending the the recent classic car show ,we decided to present you with a few compartments that house the neatest engines we spotted out there.

Observe: 

Mark 1 Golf

Lowrider VW Caddy

Subaru

1963 Corvette engine bay

Seat Leon

One percent cruiser

 In the global financial society, you can either be part of the 99 percent that is controlled by the one percent or vice versa .for the owner of this bike ,he could have stuck to the idea of believing that the manufactures has done all there is to do on the bike and his role is to just cruise into the sunset like every rider. That would be giving into the same system that continues to breed the have and the have nots.

Working on a blank that was in a form of a victory motorcycle, the original clear coat was scraped and prepped for some air brush artwork. The fuel tank has been given graphics of a boxer boxing together with success principles to live by. Front and rear fenders were treated with rebellious skulls that seem quite happy to have their faces on the bike.

All stainless steel pieces have been polished/chromed for that mirror finishes together with the custom grill with blazing dice.

Some aftermarket mirrors coupled with custom handle bars complement the chrome and paint scheme of this tainted cruiser. If this is how the one percenters get to ride as oppose to the masses, then by all means necessary let the customs roll.

Words & Images: Toby Strange

The automotive experience at RAW photographic expo

Given that the expo took place the same weekend as coveted Clarkson ,Hammond and May live (formerly known as the Top gear festival) which Gymkhana , stunt and rally driver Ken Block came on board as well , it wasn’t a fair choice between the two. I was able to attend the Nikon expo, which didn’t sit well with my fellow petrol heads on social media.

Apart from being enticed with the latest full frame camera bodies and 200k Lenses, as well as half a million rand next generation-type drones from premium defense system the RAW expo added other elements to the event which anyone whose passion lies in document anything should make an effort to attend the entire three day event.

Considering that 85% of auto writers were in Northgate on this particular weekend, I’m quite certain you’ve read up about it in every possible angle. As from the expo these are a few few automobiles that were on show.

These two set a few meters from where I was enjoying from Shwarma from ANAT ,trying hard to restrain the 552 horses in their engines.Jaguar has certainly created the perfect competitor for the less than 2 million rand super car market which includes the R8-V8 ,BMW M4 ,Porsche 911 and the Mercedes benz C63 coupe to name a few.

Land rover did their traditional make shift hill climbing with the discovery 4, but we’ll get to that some other time.

On more pressing issues:

Last month, Daytona group formally launched the Rolls Royce Ghost series 2 in Sandton to a crowd of deep pocketed folks whom you won’t be seeing on tabloid magazines. 32 days from then, someone decided to cruise through the dusty roads of Heldersfontein estate to give our eyes a break from all the lenses staring back at RAW. Perfectly parked next to the river and tree at the venue, the car provided various angles for great image composition. Before the multitudes could come through, these are a few snaps I acquired of this silent ghost.

From a performance point, the double R’s youngest (and cheapest) sibling still utilizes the same 12 cylinder, 563 Horsepower engine as the series 1. On the aesthetics side you still have the optional brushed aluminium hood/bonnet and of course the traditional coach lines. Unlike the gigantic Phantom, the series 2 retains the same appeal as most sedans within its class and below, so you won’t be mistaken for a chauffeur while you’re cruising through Melrose arch.

 There’s of course the extended wheel base for that extra rear leg room if you prefer to take care of business while on the road and let Alfred do the driving.

The visible change is evident on the headlights which have given the ghost more of a slightly aggressive appeal, as if Casper lost his friendly eyes. Pity the owner wasn’t around, it would’ve been nice to have a better look of the interior, as oppose to squinting through the partially tinted glass. Taking a look between this model and its predecessor, there isn’t much distinction as oppose to what the dealership might offer you on the bespoke program. 

Specs:

Engine: Turbo 6.6L V12

Power: 420kW

Torque: 575 pounds of feet @ 1 500 rpm (780 N.m)

Transmission: 8 speed

Drivetrain: Rear Wheel Drive

Words and Images: Toby Strange