Welcome Back: 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports

This is spooky...

The fastest and the most outlandish car Bentley has ever made. The Continental Supersports has its rear seats removed, racing bucket seats trimmed after the Duke of Westminster's smoking jacket, carbon fiber on the dashboard and the result that it weighs about the same as a three-bedroom terrace house. 

It comes with the same 6.0L W12 engine from the original but now it churns out 630PS (621 bhp) of power, 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 204mph even you fill this up with vegetable oil. (?) Really? Because the 6.0L W12 engine uses FlexFuel technology that allows this car to run on petrol and E85 BioFuel. If you're using an E85 BioFuel on the Supersports, power retains the same but CO2 emissions are reduced by 70 percent. Sounds wonderful if you believe in this carbon malarkey but there is a problem because there are only a few gasoline stations in the world selling biofuel.

Anyway, the Supersports do come with the carbon ceramic brakes, new suspension, and anti-roll bars. The 4WD system has been programmed so now, most of the power is coming at the rear wheels.

This car was reviewed by Jeremy Clarkson on the Series 15 opener of Top Gear and when handed to The Stig, it set a lap time of 1.24.9 at the Top Gear Test Track, even though the clip was inadvertently interrupted by some Hyundai hatchbacks playing car football.

Vuvuzela sounds too disturbing for me but driving the Continental Supersports is too disturbing for me because the handling is too harsh and it takes mastery to throw this heavyweight champion round the corners. It takes some left hook, uppercut, right hook, jab, straight, and a bit of gibberish only a rival boxer would understand.

About the TVR T350C

A TVR you can use everyday

Although it's still a TVR because of its lunacy, raucous styling, and loud brutal sounds along the way as well as the typical TVR interior which when you get in, you can't find a way to get out until you find a button that opens the door, this TVR T350 is more of a different league judging by how it feels. Even though this old fella doesn't have airbags, ABS, or traction control, the suspension has been tweaked to make it more comfortable on normal roads. It feels more matured and it's well behaved but only on the road. So what is it then this T350?

It takes mastery to learn the T350's fundamental

Produced from 2002 to 2006, the TVR T350 is based on the TVR Tamora, and is powered by TVR's Speed Six engine in 3.6 litre form. Wanna know what's what about this Speed Six engine on the T350C? Here goes...

Bore/stroke: 93 mm (3.7 in) x 83 mm (3.3 in)

Compression Ratio: 11.8:1

Power Output: 350 bhp (261 kW; 355 PS) @ 7200 rpm

Torque Output: 290 lb·ft (390 N·m) @ 5500 rpm

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 304 bhp/ton

0 to 60mph in a scant 4.4 seconds and top speed of about 280kph. It was mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox and integrated limited slip differential. Although a 5-speed gearbox may not be enough for a supercar but as a TVR, this is highly eccentric. Because it only weighs about 1187kg, the old TVR T350 is about um...87kg heavier than the Mazda Roadster NC but faster than that because the Roadster NC we have on GT5 produces 167HP of power.

Style-wise, the T350C is a bit more like a Tamora but a bit more like um....a larva of a fly. I mean look at it, it looks like a fly larva because the face kinda looks like it. Perhaps imagine this car when it grows up, it became a giant fly that was smothered with some radioactive nukes and posing a bigger threat to everyone, especially the Health & Safety. That looks uncool to us but in that TVR fashion, that is highly eccentric. No wonder the Sagaris, which GT5 doesn't have one until further notice, inspired some of its design from the T350 but with a million times more bonkers.

It sure loves to cut down the Hammerhead...

As before, it feels more matured and it's well behaved but only on the road. How about on the track? It feels a bit too dynamic if I'm honest. It maybe the most user-friendly TVR you can drive but remember, it has some Blackpool blood running through its veins. If you keep pushing your T350C, you'll making a hash for it because it has some understeer on it. Think of it like spiraling a Harrier Jump Jet in full 360 degrees.

However, if I drive this one on a wet track, I'm thinking that there was some grim reaper seating next to me, clearing his throat, ready to see me off. In short, the T350C is dangerous on a wet track and it requires a brave concentration to master.

The T350C has some of its TVR genes but surely, it loves to cut down every single curves. This car was featured on Top Gear and when handed to The Stig, it lapped round the Top Gear Test Track in 1.27.5.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A's

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
The MOVIE 2nd A's

As with the first ever Nanoha movie two years ago, the second chapter of the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha story has given it a silverscreen treatment and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's (日本名：魔法少女リリカルなのはthe Movie 2nd A's) was made to be as interesting as the first one two years ago.

Just like in the TV series, Nanoha Takamachi (played by Yukari Tamura) and Fate Testarossa (played by Nana Mizuki) are now friends and they share stories about what's going on in their world and the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Upon Fate's comeback, Nanoha and the gang faced the Belkan Knights; consisting of Signum, Vita, Shamal, and Zafira, who are ordered to fill the pages of the Book of Darkness and defend their master who is none other than Hayate Yagami. Nanoha, Fate, and the Time-Space Administration Bureau are on a mission to discover what lurks behind the Book of Darkness, the Belkan Knights, and the master.

Although it feels the same as the second Nanoha TV series but because it was remastered for silverscreen use, it packs more cuteness, more humor, and more thrills that the TV series never had. From every angle of the movie, this movie adaptation of the second series is just the perfect balance of lunacy, appeal, and the X factor Nanoha fans really need.

To be honest, this is the best movie to watch during a rainy Japanese summer holiday and the soundtrack wasn't bad either. Couple that with the opening theme song, which titled BRIGHT STREAM by Nana Mizuki, and the closing theme song, which titled 微笑みのプルマージュ by Yukari Tamura, and you have an astonishing feast to enjoy the whole movie.

CAST

- Nanoha Takamachi (CV: Yukari Tamura)

- Fate Testarossa (CV: Nana Mizuki)

- Hayate Yagami (CV: Kana Ueda)

- Chrono Harlaown (CV: Mikako Takahashi)

- The Book of Darkness (CV: Sanae Kobayashi)

- Signum (CV: Kaori Shimizu)

- Vita (CV: Asami Sanada)

- Shamal (CV: Ryoko Yuzuki)

- Zafira (CV: Kazuya Ichijo)

Let's Do The News! (July 14, 2012)

Seriously, Forza did made a mistake that the CTR2 is rear-wheel drive instead of four-wheel drive as Gran Turismo depicted it.

Why is that possible. I checked in various websites that the RUF CTR2 is a rear-engine four-wheel drive car but how can we state that this car is RWD instead of 4WD?

It's complicated but as told earlier, the RWD layout for the CTR2 is standard but the 4WD feature was an option. Sadly, we don't have the conversion to do so...

(awwww)

That's all bull to us but hey...this is the first time we encountered a mistake. Anyway, let's do the news!

Right and guess what? The Aston Martin V12 Vantage gets a roadster variant. There it is, look...

2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster

You get the same features and the same 6.0L V12 engine but now, it's a roadster version so you can drive it with the roof off, making it a perfect long distance cruiser with the wind blowing over you.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/Aston-announce-the-V12-Vantage-Roadster-2012-07-11

That bothered me about the V12 Vantage. This is the car that Jeremy Clarkson thinks that its the end of supercars as we know it. This here, is an alternate ending to the Series 13 finale of Top Gear. Get it? Alternate ending. The V12 Vantage Roadster alters up to Jeremy's sad story

(audience laughing)

Some say, Aston Martin took three years to prepare a roadster version of the V12 Vantage, unlike the McLaren MP4-12C Spider that took them one year.

Three years? What's the result?

The same as the hardtop model.

(audience laughing)

Anyway, mga mars! What's next?

You guys heard that Slovenia now made a supercar and oh my...this one's called the Tushek Renovatio T500.

Tushek Renovatio T500

Slovenia? I never heard of that country before. Anyway, is it European?

It is. Right in the heart of Europe, next to Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Not to be confused with Slovakia, which of course, the home of Dracula.

(audience laughing)

You may also remember that a few years ago, Pinoy Big Brother swapped one of their housemates with some one of the housemates from the Slovenian version of Big Brother.

Oh wait, I get it now! Anyway, what's what about this....Tushek Renovatio T500? Feels more Ridge Racer-ish by the looks of it but it appears it was designed by some Amazonas...

(audience laughing)

This new kid on the block has a 4.2L V8 engine that produces 450bhp @ 7,900rpm of power, 428Nm @ 3,200rpm of torque, 0-62mph in 3.7sec, and top speed 193mph. It's mated with a 6-speed transmission from the S5.

I see, some bits of Audi were on it but anyway, what's the price?

300,000 Euros or about 15,407,700 Philippine Pesos but it's limited to 30 units available because they're working on a new machine. Sadly for me, this car won't be perfect to park at the Monte Carlo casino square or impress a girl who dressed as Doctor Who's Amy Pond.

(audience laughing)

You're saying it again! You kept saying the Amy Pond name! Why do you keep on mentioning that Doctor Who character?! (laughinig) What? Do you have a crush on her?! Bad news. Someone's having a crush on Miss Karen Gillan...

What are you talking about? Few days ago, BBC America's ANGLOPHENIA blog did post an article about how to dress like Amy Pond from Doctor Who. I even tried to think that aside from having a girl dressed as Amy Pond to bring at a convention, I had to think that it could be perfect to pose next to a really really fast car, especially exotics.

Yeah right. You're just imagining Amy Pond like Ridge Racer's Reiko Nagase with a million times more manageable. TINDI MO, TOL! TINDI MO!

(audience laughing)

Tindi? No, this is just a way for spending too much time hooking on BBC. In my mind, I'm picturing something...Some lucky gal dressed as Doctor Who's Amelia Jessica Pond posed herself next to something Italian, something German, something British, something American, and something French...

Uh, you're talking about supercars, right?

Bing! You're correct. As told many times, Doctor Who's Amy Pond is our Ridge Racer's Reiko Nagase with a million times more manageable. Having a gal dressed as Amelia Pond posing next to a hot car and what do you call?

Uh...something rubbish?

Nope. It's called ♫MOVIN TO THE BEAT! MOVIN TO THE BEAT! STEP BACK TO RIDGE RACER!♫

(audience laughing)

Okay, what's next, have her sitting to the Ariel Atom V8 while you drive and have her face blown off?

(audience laughing)

Anyway, forget about it and let's move on because mga mars, TVR, British automaker run by some wealthy Russian business boy, some say it was revived to have Corvette-sourced engines on it but we heard the news that TVR axed plans to restart production, which is a shame but whatever.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/A-sad-day-TVR-is-officially-no-more-2012-07-12

(awww)

Can't believe that TVR is officially officially no more but hey what comes next?

Some say, the wealthy Russian business boy, Nikolay Smolensky, focusing assets on...wind turbines?

(wow)

Wind turbines? TVR will be focusing on wind turbines?! Very funny...

Oh wait, here's a letter from Top Gear to TVR...

Dear TVR,

We read the news yesterday of the end of the TVR badge on anything other than wind turbines. It was upsetting. But have you thought this through? 

Because we've just discovered this. It's called the Blackbird and it combines both ends of your disparate businesses. On the one hand, it is a car (well, a land yacht). On the other, it is a wind turbine. 

It's fast, too. And, not unlike some of the older TVRs, a bit baffling. It was developed specifically to prove that it is possible to sail dead downwind faster than the wind , powered by the wind only. Which surely bends the laws of physics to breaking point, but such a beast has been built, tested, and works.

On July 2, 2010, Blackbird set the world's first certified record for going directly downwind, faster than the wind, using only power from the wind. Then, earlier this month, Blackbird boss, Rick Cavallaro, and his team went to California and clocked a top speed 2.01 times faster than the wind speed when headed upwind. 

So there you go - wind turbines and cars in perfect environmental harmony. And you can watch it below. 

Yours sincerely, TopGear.com

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/top-gear-solves-tvr-problem-2012-07-12

That was awkward to see that. Can't believe TVR moved on from cars to wind turbines. (laughing)

(audience laughing)

Anyway, while waiting for the next Golf, SEAT, which is the Spanish arm of the Volkswagen Group, unveiled the next generation of SEAT LEON, which is the first to use VW's MQB Platform. Here's the pic...

2013 Seat Leon Mk3

Nuevo Seat Leon....it's kinda like the enlarged version of the facelifted Ibiza Mk4 to us but hey, good job for that, first to use VW's MQB platform.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/07/2013-seat-leon-first-official-photos-of.html

No doubt about it but hey, is this new Seat Leon Mk3 going to be that good in these conditions? Well, you know, Spain is taking a battering during the Euro debt crisis and downgrades, but is this new model going to work even though its homeland is in deep financial woes?

Not quite sure but let's just wait. Moving on, now Oxigin, a German aftermarket firm, paid tribute to the legendary Gulf livery and smothered it on the 997 Porsche 911. Here's the pic

Oxigin 911

Although, no further details for now but this Oxigin 911 is more of a tribute rather than being just a modified version of the...911 Sport Classic?!

From the looks of it, we think it is. It does look like a modified version of the 911 Sport Classic but my gosh, I wanna have one...

(audience laughing)

Anyway, more of the tuning scene and now, famed BMW tuner, AC Schnitzer, got bored on what to do on the all new 2013 BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe and now, they made the F06 some new clothes and the result is this...

AC Schnitzer Gran Coupe

(oooohhh)

My gosh, that never looked good!

What they did is some engine upgrades, available sports exhaust system with a set of chrome-trimmed tailpipes, performance braking system with 8-piston fixed calipers and a sports suspension with a lowering spring kit, aero kits, and a selection of 19-, 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels in a choice of different designs.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/07/ac-schnitzer-adds-some-pizzazz-to-bmw-6.html

I have to say that this AC Schnitzer Gran Coupe is perfect enough to wow the crowd, even those who drive were a bunch of bling bling idiots in their baseball caps reversed. 

(audience laughing)

We getting a bit hungry right now aren't we?

Right, so what should we eat?

How about some cheese top burger?

CHEESE TOP BURGER? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

I don't know. Couple of months ago, I heard that KFC Philippines made the world's first hamburger that has chess on top, which is the CHEESE TOP BURGER. I know it's a bit idiotic to come up with that but hey, this was the most unique hamburger I have ever heard.

Cheese top burger? That's a crazy idea. What's next? Chicken in softdrinks?

(audience laughing)

That's gross. Anyway eating a cheese top burger can be a bit messy because of the cheese on top...Get it?

I really don't want to eat a cheese top burger.

(audience laughing)

Okay, forget about cheese top and move on because I heard from someone that Haagen-Dazs, the brand that offered the expensive but classy ice creams we love, shutting down their Philippine operations, which made us sad to hear that.

Haagen-Dazs is closing down in the Philippines

Can't believe that Haagen-Dazs is withdrawing their Philippine operations. Why?

Because the sales are a bit too sluggish and in today's economy, there's no room for this. We only buy Selecta, Nestle Ice Cream, and others but not Haagen-Dazs because they a bit too expensive.

Aw man....

(awwww)

Anyway, before we left, I just wanna say that back in February, I drove Rampage Jackson's Challenger, and I found out that it wasn't that bad for a car owned by some mixed martial artist. Can't believe that a few months ago that Rampage Jackson watched the most disappointing Pacquiao Bradley fight. Anyway, let's see how fast Rampage's SRT8 goes around the Top Gear Test Track...

We assure that Rampage's SRT8 did it in 1L25.161. Anyway, though I just heard that pre-orders for the Forza Horizon game are now up and I picked up that when you pre-ordered one now, you'll receive a code for the specially designed Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 for use in FM4.

Scoop: http://forzamotorsport.net/en-us/Forza_Horizon_Preorder/

So, where are you going to preorder Horizon?

Amazon.com but it appears that the Forza Horizon Limited Edition wasn't listed on Amazon.com so I have to wait.

Okay then.

Right, so THAT'S THE NEWS!

"Personalan" with the RUF CTR2

Back in 1995, RUF had a dilemma; How do you improve upon the extraordinary brilliant CTR Yellowbird? The answer was this, the RUF CTR2.

993-based CTR2 is shining through

The CTR2 is a Porsche 993-based sportscar that follows the CTR's footsteps. Most of the body panels were swapped for carbon-fiber or Kevlar ones for weight loss. The interior comes with a rollcage to make it sturdy as if it was not free-standing but integrated to the cabin.

It comes with a custom-built KKK twin-turbo armed to the 3.6L B6 that generates 513HP of power and 505.5ft-lb of torque.

Too much grip...

Although the Porsche 6-speed MT was standard, RUF offer them an optional electronic clutch system called EKS. The standard CTR2 is rear wheel drive but a 4WD layout is an optional feature.

There was a track-only CTR2 and a road-legal CTR2 Sport as well. Both come with new bodies but the race-spec CTR2 comes with a Spec II unit that generates 533HP.

Stig in the CTR2

Now as you may saying, oh my gosh, this is just like what happened to the Mazda 787B, they stole this car from GRAN TURISMO, (gasp). For an eagle-eyed player may have spotted the problems about the CTR2 because that one we have on GRAN TURISMO is 4WD but this CTR2 we have in Forza, that's RWD. Yep, RWD but did they made a mistake that they said that this is 4WD but in the game, it's RWD instead of AWD? Oh dear... but let's not forget that in reality standard CTR2 models are rear wheel drive but a 4WD layout is an optional feature. Confusing isn't it? What we have here, for the first time ever, a controversy because the RUF CTR2 supposed to be 4WD as T10 claims it but in the game, it was RWD! (Gasp)

What's next for Forza to bring? The 2000 RUF RGT? RUF 3400S? Oh no, please no. We really don't want to see one but in the meantime, time to bring this rear-wheel drive CTR2 round our track...

"NAY GISING!"

In the July 13, 2012 episode of Bubble Gang;

- Circus gags

Circus

- Would you rather buy a new house that is....a bit poor by the looks of it but practical by the feel?

Girapi Homes

- Shooting for some drama is getting a bit of a hassle...

- This program is brought to you by KABAYO ESSENCE...

- Nay! Gising! Bubble Gang does Joy Ultra with the power of Safeguard by spoofing this commercial as CHOY ULTRA WITH THE POWER OF SHAPEGUARD! 

- A comedian at the comedy bar meets his match....

- This program is brought to you by KABAYO DERM

- This man knows how to treat a car right...THAT'S OKAY, BOY, THAT'S OKAY, BOY....

- This program is brought to you by KABAYO FLU

- It's the temptation that indulges them...

- As with our 10D Cinema last week, Bitoy shows us another cool stuff which is some kind of TV that makes it more REALISTIC...

- IyoTube in ULAN

- The magician showcases some of his magic tricks...and scaring away his scary-looking assistants

- 

Welcome Back: 1995 Porsche 911 GT2

Driving the 993 GT2 is more fun...

Porsche's 993 GT2 is the stripped-out, 2WD version of the Turbo. By throwing away the 4WD layout and swapped into a RR layout, it gained benefit of significant weight savings to the competition car.

Since its launch, the road-legal GT2 comes with the same turbocharged 3.6L B6 engine as the Turbo but with higher boost pressure that resulted a 430BHP of power. Noticing on the rear deck lid of an original GT2, it says "911 GT" instead of "911 GT2", which can be somewhat misleading.

This car was used by Tyler McQuarrie from Hankook Tire drift team during the 2007 and 2008 Formula Drift Pro Series.

Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) Vol. 39

Can't believe that after moment of peace and silence, our blog's been attacked AGAIN! This time, I'd picked up a bullet hole that leads me to the blog's severe damage that says "name of song in toyota 86 commercial."

Uh hello? There's no such thing as a Toyota 86 commercial, you know. If you look at the TOYOTA 86's official site at http://toyota.jp/86, you can see that there's no link directing to the TOYOTA 86's TV commercial. Sorry because Toyota never made an 86 commercial, yet.

What? Oh! You mean the ad from Australia? Oh sorry but really, we really don't know the name of song in Toyota 86 commercial. We tried searching for the lyrics and the results are benign. Although we heard that studio SONG ZU were responsible for the music from the Aussie Toyota 86 ad, it might be best to ask them what was the title.

Anyway, to fix this damage, we will showcase you another five DRIVING MUSICS or Car commercial songs;

5) I'm A Believer by Smash Mouth - from the Volkswagen "The Beetle" Reincarnation TV Ad

4) Execute by Excision - from the Subaru Canada BRZ Scorched TV ad

3) Ave Satani by Jerry Goldsmith - from the 1988 Opel Kadett GSi TV ad

2) Push It by Salt-N-Pepa - from the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Commercial "Easy on the eyes" TV ad

1) Ceux Qui N'Ont Rien by Patricia Kaas - from the Honda Ascot Japanese TV Ad

...And there we are. Another set of five DRIVING MUSICS. Can't believe every moment when there's a new car commercial and when they hear some very interesting music on that ad, they keep battering my blog everytime. Instead of battering my blog, why not contact me at leopaul_delr@hotmail.com

How to dress like Amy Pond...

This is it! BBC America's ANGLOPHENIA blog (finally) posted one of the Doctor Who how to cosplay articles. This must be the moment every petrolhead wants to have their gal dress as Amelia Jessica Pond. It really is a big moment because BBC America ANGLOPHENIA blog finally told us HOW TO DRESS LIKE AMY POND. Let's read...

1: Hair – let’s be honest, if you needed me to tell you how to do this bit, you’d be fairly lost. But just in case: long and red, please. No bangs, but you can side-part the front and tuck it behind your ears. As with River Song, if you get the hair and the posture right, you’re basically there.

2: Jacket – a brown fitted leather number with elasticated cuffs and waistband.

3: Top – tight, short burgundy v-neck sweater, with a kind of crocheted neckline, under which Amy is wearing a washed out purple v-neck vest. If these are proving to be hard to find, and you have a big baggy red jumper, or a red plaid shirt (and tight blue jeans), or an open grey/blue plaid shirt with a black vest underneath, you could try those instead.

4: Below the belt area – Amy likes to get her legs out. So if you’ve got denim shorts or a denim miniskirt, dig ‘em out. And some sheer pantyhose, because you never know if it’s going to be cold in space (note: it’s ALWAYS cold in space).

5: Shoes – tan cowboy boots, although you can probably get away with Timberlands if you’re stuck. As I said, it’s all about the hair and the posture.

6: Accessories – a long burgundy scarf would be good. tan belt (if you’re going with the denim miniskirt), a small necklace and a gold bracelet. Heck, put a wedding band on too, if you really want to get in character.

Scoop: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/07/doctor-who-cosplay-how-to-dress-like-amy-pond/

It looks so composed. There's no drama out here but okay, we're thinking that it looked perfect that most people dressing as their favorite Doctor Who characters for the upcoming 2012 San Diego Comic Con. Speaking of which, there was a BBC America booth in that venue where Doctor Who stars, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, are here for some Q&A and more regarding the upcoming season and the program's 50th year.

Speaking of which, that gave me thinking...aside from having your gal dressed as Amy Pond for conventions, what else we can use? Oh yes! A petrolhead's dream come true! HAVE A GAL WHO DRESSED AS AMY POND TO POSE NEXT TO FAST CARS! Better!

Oh wait....you're making it KALADKAREN. You're thinking that Doctor Who's Amy Pond is definitely your very own Ridge Racer's Reiko Nagase with a million times more manageable. Still, I'm glad they've posted it about how to dress like Amy Pond from Doctor Who.

A lighter, more powerful Porsche (bleep)-ster - The Cayman R

This is the first time Porsche made a model that has the letter R on it. R for responsive and refined - but most especially for racy. Introduced at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Cayman R comes with the new body kit, new 19 inch lightweight wheels, lighter aluminium doors, lighter bucket seats, and with the removal of the radio, storage compartments, air-conditioners and door handles, it weighs 54.8 kilograms lighter than a Cayman S. Of course, a radio or aircon maybe considered options.

If it's colored lime, it feels like playing Fruit Ninja

Powered by a 3.4L B6 Direct Fuel Injection engine, this produces 330 hp (246 kW) of power and it can do 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and with the optional 7-speed PDK dual clutch transmission and the Sport Chrono package, it can achieve 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Cayman R 6MT's top speed is 175mph while Cayman R PDK's top speed is 174mph.

Fruit Ninja-like reflexes

This car showed up in a drag race part of Top Gear's BMW 1M Coupe review alongside the Lotus Evora S and sadly, both the Cayman and the Evora lost the race against the 1M.

Getting shot by the goons?

It was also appeared on Top Gear's 2011 DVD, Top Gear at the Movies, where Richard Hammond drives the Cayman R alongside the BMW 1M in a challenge where these cars must avoid gunfire at all places. Due to spinning, the Porsche Cayman R sustained more damage than the BMW 1M.

Sure, this stripped-out version of the Cayman R may not have the luxury features from the standard Cayman but it handles brilliantly. Not too mild, not too dynamic, just a standard handling even though this is a midship Porsche, making it a decent weapon of choice for Forza players who want a better handling lightweight car but it takes skill to master this curve-cutting knife on the edge. I can't deny that even though it not as good as the BMW 1M, the Porsche Cayman R loves to slice various corners like a fruit ninja.

Nissan Fairlady Z/370Z (Z34) Phase II

When the Nissan Z34 was launched in December 2008, this new model is more dinosaur-ish and a bit more Jurassic than the old Z33 but needless to say that I was getting fascinated with this kind of model thanks to its new 6-speed SynchroRev manual transmission that combines the tactile reward of shifting your own gears with the perfectly orchestrated downshifts of an automated manual or an automatic. Now, however, there's a new version...

2013 Nissan Fairlady Z

Here it is and of course, it's very dramatic by the looks of it. This latest minor change features a number of enhancements designed to keep the legendary sports car fresh and exciting. Like the old one, the new Z34 is available in coupe, Roadster, and Version NISMO configurations.

2013 Nissan Fairlady Z

2013 Nissan Fairlady Z interior

So, what do you get for the latest minor change? Well, you can expect refreshed front fascia with vertical LED daytime running lights, red reflector added to rear fascia, revised 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, new 18-inch wheels, red-finished brake calipers, dark-finish fuel gauge trim, and Euro-tuned shock absorbers,

Not much of change on the VQ37VHR engine that produces 336PS of power and 365Nm of torque. It can be mated with either a 7-speed paddle shift transmission, which is kinda annoying to us, or the hairy chested 6-speed SynchroRev manual transmission that combines the tactile reward of shifting your own gears with the perfectly orchestrated downshifts of an automated manual or an automatic.

2013 Nissan Fairlady Z Version NISMO

On the Fairlady Z Version NISMO though, you can expect a race-inspired cockpit, a specially tuned suspension and unique super-lightweight forged alloy wheels. The VQ37VHR engine has been tuned to add 19PS of power to the standard engine courtesy of the exclusive H-configured exhaust system design, muffler tuning and optimized ECM (Engine Computer Module) control. The 6-speed SynchroRev manual transmission is the standard transmission available which allows rev-matched heel-toe-like downshifting while the 7-speed AT is an available option.

Depending on the variant, the new Fairlady Z Z34's available colors are; Premium Sun Flare Orange, Premium Deep Maroon, Dark Blue, Brilliant White Pearl, Brilliant Silver, Dark Metal Gray, Diamond Black, and Vibrant Red.

The new model starts at 3,675,000 Japanese Yen for the base model with 6-speed MT up to 5,240,000 Japanese Yen for the Version NISMO model with 7AT.

My comment:

With such subtle new look, we can say that the 2013 Nissan Fairlady Z Z34 in coupe, Roadster, and Version NISMO variants, are trying to look at its best since its 4-year tenure. I really want this car more than anything else because it has a high stakes to compete against the European sports cars of that size.

Photo: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.

A is for ADAM!

This is their answer to the Fiat 500 and the Mini. This is the 2013 Opel/Vauxhall ADAM. Manly about the name but not so manly about the sizing.

2013 Opel Adam

2013 Vauxhall Adam

2013 Vauxhall Adam interior

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-opel-adam-officially-unveiled-ready.html