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NOVEMBER 2018 - € 8,00

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AUTO
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NOVEMBER 2018 - # 7 1

CONTENTS

6 NEWS 56 A1FA ROMEO 4C

22 ELEMENTAL RPI 68 ABTSQ5

28 DS7 CROSSBACK 78 GINO LUXURY & MOTORSPORT

36 FORD ECOSPORT ST-LINE 82 AUTO EMOTO D'EPOCA PADUA

40 CATERHAM SEVEN 275R

Fl 'S H E I R
lt ha, bttn r..-vealed as the heir of the Pl, but above all the

nephew of the Fl, the famous superrar with central dn­

vmg position that opened a new world and a new concept

of understandmg the word, perfonnance and spttd. The

Spttdtail has finally bttn unveiled and represc,nt• the fa­

stest and most powerful McLaren ever produced until now

Defined a, hyper GT because ,t can combine a maximum

spttd of 402 kph with the convemence of a great tourer

able t
o coex,st with the real world, the Sp.,.,dtail IS the

pmnade of McLaren's engmet,nng and technological

resc,arch, with almost infinite pos.s1b1hty of personali­

zation thank,; to a program that w,11 follow the requests

and n.,.,ds of its ....ealthy clients As for the Pl

we have a hybnd power umt that m th1'1 case

delivers l,035 horses, while from the legenda

ry Fl picks up the dnvmg poS1t1on, with �

dnver SJtlmg m the middle and m front of the

two passengers, one on each SJde. The active

aerodynam,cs, a chassis and a car body enh

rely made of carbon fi�r. acllve alwmnum

suspension and powerful carbon-cerarmc

brakes help movmg and stopping the l.430kg

of the Speedtail at hyperspace speeds, taking

advantage of a dean, mmimahst and d1ame

tncally opposed design to the edgy one (and

more track-focused) seen with the Senna.

As part of the Ultimate Sene., the most exdu

sive segment of Wokmg's brand, the Spttdtail

will � produced m Jllill l 06 umts, iust hke the

ongmal production of the Fl, each of them

starting from I m1llion and 750,000 poun

ds In case you started checkmg your savm

gs, resign rourn,lf, they have all been sold.

 FERRARI 488 PISTA

SPIDER

lt .seems hke yesterday that "

"' learned

to know properly the ov,,rwhelmmg po­

w-,r of the twm-turbo VS of the 488 GTB,

exceptional heir to the 458 ltaha. And so­

mething hke yesterday Ferran gave birth to

the 488 P,sta, the most hardcore berlmet­

ta ._..,.,, came out of the gates in Maranello.

Well, now ifs the tum of the topless version,

obviously named 488 Pista Spider and ready

to me.s.s up your hairstyle m a defimt1ve way.

The rN:tpe ts basnl on the 488 Ptsta coupe and

therefore made of a settmg more prone t

o the

pumit ,;,,arch for performance, +50 hors-,po­

wer compared to the GTB (720 m total) and

the ability t
o reach 8,000 ,._..,._ Also m thIS

cas,,, as for the coupe counterpart, there are

mneaSN! mtercoolers, turbos with mtegratNI

reVll s,,nsors, as well as upgrades to the bra­

king system and transmission, as w,,ll as an

aerodynarmcs worthy of its racing stepsuter

TOPLESS PERFORMANCE
Another nde, another gift ... so to Sf"'ak. To

be honest, nothing specific is yet known about

the final pnce, but we hypothesize that sin­

ce this is a limited .ser,e., the pncc tag will cer

tainly not be comparable to that o( the new Ma­

can 1,984 of those will be produced, m honor

of the year in whKh the adventure began and

among the first colors on display we ha"" the

Guards Red that characterized the "88 911 Sp.,.,d

ster, an authenhc ,con m the Stuttgart catalog.

To make •P"cial a seemingly simple 9l\ based

on a Carrera 4 Cabnolet .,.,e have cha..,,, dnve

tram and gearbox o( the GT3, but abo,·c all the

epic 500-horsepower flat -su coupled to a 6-sP""'(I

manual transmission. There arc dedicated al­

loy wheels and special retro style rear-view mir­

rors, as well as a lightweight canvas roof and the

dassJC domes that charactenu the Speedster

and relegate on boo.rd fon for two people only.

lt has bttn pr�ntNI at the Rennsport Reu­

mon at Laguna �ca. We are talking about one

of the many gifts for Porsche"s 70th anmversary.

Paying tnbute t
o the legendary 935/78 which

was prec1sdy mcknamed Moby Dick be-cause of

its unmense aerodynamic5, ,t IS nothing more

than the result of a work m complete freedom

for deSJgners and engmttrs, who were able to

give free rem to their mnennost desitts, sm­

ce thIS car will not he rq;;1sterNI for road use.

Based on the new GT2 RS - one of the most

dudly performance weapons out thue - only

77 will he produced and will he the ultimate

Joy of those who will not kttp them colle-ctlng

dust m some luxunmis garages. Through a

sort of collage, thank.. t

o the LED headlights

of the 919 Hybnd LMPl or the mirrors bor­

rowed from the 91 l RSR, Moby D,ck conti­

nues 1ts tributes to the ongmal race car with

wheels mspucd by the design fittNI on the

model that racNI at Le Mans on at end of

the 70s, while m the cockpit there are refe­

ttnces t
o the c-qually mythical 917, for exam­

ple the wooden lacquered gear lever knob.

In addition to havmg the pos.s1b1hty of askmg

11 with a second seat, there ,s obviously a sa­

fety structutt. six-pmnt belts and au cond1-

t1omng, while the engme {borrowNI from the

GT2 RS) is a J 8 flat six twm-turbo, able to

deliver 690hp through a 7 speed dual-dutch

PDK gearbox Finally, seYeral posstbH1t1es

to set dnvmg aJds and choose first-hand the

levd of hero you want t

o be Pnces starting

from JUSt over E 700,000 (exdudmg taxes).

As ,f the already numerous v:anants were not enough, Porsche has punctually given birth to that

sort of mtennediate step that m all respects r,,presents the ,deal compromise m the whole range,

th,s lime the GTS tr,,atment goes t

o the Panamera and the Panamera Sport Tumnno Under the

hood both have the same 4-hter twm-turbo VS of the Turbo, but detuned to deliver 453 horsepower,

exactly 97 less than the top of the range model and +20 compared to the previous generation GTS.

We have four wheel dn"" comhmed with an 8-spttd dual-dutch PDK gearbox and the ability to

accelerate from Oto 100 kph m JUSt 3.9 seconds, despite the fair weight that both vanants carry with

them. As for the aesthetics we find the typical pack.age that charactenre,; and makes the Porsche

GTS versions much more sports-focused and therefore Sport Chrono pack.age, Akantara's mtenor,

thre,,-chamber air suspension and sports <'Xhaust and Panamera Design 20-inch wheels, all startmg

from€ l 19 879. Also m thts case, the GTS badge manages to combme sportiness and performance

without g,vmg up the comfort that the sedan and the shooting brili can offer t
o ,ts customers.
 I
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Smc.- ,t has s.-en th.- hght, th.- RS has always repres.-ntnl at bes
t the traits of the typ,cal super­

car with mus.cl� and lmrs.-power, but perfn:tly ab!.- to be used """Tf day, thanks to ao ncd­

lent on board ""luipm.-ot, plenty of comfort and an aggr.-ss1ve look all m all sober, in per­

fect Aud, style With the s.-cond sen� pres.-oted m 2015, th.- performance bar has been raJSt"d

even more aod now '" the moment of th.- mid-life facd,ft, with the mtroduct,on of nume­

rous aesthet,c and mn:hamcal touches that kttp ,

t among the best today's super sports cars.

lb.- front has bttn partially revis.-d thanks t

o the oew and wider smgle frame mask aod with a

new layout of"'' intakes, new splitter and slots at the base of the hood. 1her.- are oew 19-mch

wheels and you can opt for a s.-t of 20-mch ultralights, as wdl as for the carboo c.-ranuc system,

but what matt.-rs most beats obvmusly b.-hmd th.- dnver's Mal, wher.- you cao hav.- an asptra­

te<l YID FSl capable of del,vermg 570hp aod SSONm of torque or a 610hp aod 580Nm VlO of

the Performance verSJoo. Both, mdudmg th.- sl"der boast a O 100 m the order of 3 steonds (3.4

and 3 5 r�pect,vely f
or the 570hp Coupe and Spider, 3.1 and J 2 for th.- Performaoce Coupe

and Sl"der) aod top speeds r:mgmg from 322 per hour to 331 of the most performing of the two.
lt has bttn m mrnbat1on for a long time Over 5 meters lnng and 2 meters wide In cuddle

and nnt too far from the re]eas,, of ,ts cou­ dnver and passengers with the utmost techno­

Mn, the Roll, Royce Cullman, ifs finally here. lngy and the most metirulous attention to de

BMW shows how i

t intends tn keep ,ts name tail, thank,; In fine leather and noble matenaJ.,

alongside that of the SUV -"'gment The X7 as always supported by a new generation mu]

" a very delicate suhJecl, not only hecau"" llm..dia system with a 12 3-mch Live Cockpit

it ts alm..d at an extremely wealthy diente­ display m front of the dnver To push the new

le, hut because it IS ready tn combme at best CLAR modular platform there will he -"'Vera[

the grandeur of a giant on whed, smtable engmes, both die""l and petrol, with power

to accommodate 6 or even 7 people, depen­ between the 26Shp of the xDnve 30d and

ding on the rnnfigurallon of the rear ""ats. the 400hp of the MS()d. Pnces will obvious.ly

he challenging, but given the offer that

BMW puts m the game, ,t se,,ms pretty leg:il

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

ELEMENTAL RP1

TRACK-FOCUSED

STREET-LEGAL BARCHETTA

\Vords by Max Gonzaga Photos by Tim Brown

lt s.ttm• havmg another ultralight commg We will not talk about the vu-s1on with the

from ..,me ham lost m the Bnttsh countrysi­ more peaceful I O Ecoboost, but the angry

de and m fact it's pr..-tty much hkc this, if only st•ter driven by the 2 hter, still Ford-sourced,

,t were not for the mamacal work earned out and able to deliver the beauty of 320 horses,

behind the RPI project, where ..,me ex Mcla­ once selected the most aggressive map Yes,

ren and ex Ford men arc moving around. The because making the driving cxpenence even

Elemental takes a rightful step - m the true more nigagmg there ,s precisely the possibility

sense of the word m that volcano of track day of scttmg different param..-ters of the car, such

weapons crowded by BAC Mono. Anel Atom. a• suspension (double wishbone) and power

but a1.., Cater ham and Rad,cal, enJoying a ro­ delwery, whKh on a total weight of6J-Okg ma­

ckmg nigmecrmg and regular hcensc plate to kes a pretty interesting difference. Everythmg

drl\'<' on the road, maybe on a Sunday after­ revolves around a structure entirely made of

noon after having set a fast lap on the track carbon fiber, m wh,ch two ng,d hke marble sc­

ats are immersed and mounted with ad,agonal

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

23

angle that nffer• you the same approach ynua

ha,·e on a Formula I car Right over your bot­

tom there is the petrol tank and this guarante­

es an ophmal 50-50 weight distnbut1011 As for

the cockpit, do not expect to find any kmd of

comfort, ,mce the Elemental is reduced to the

bone, with a srnall steenng wheel with paddle

,hiften, a digital display and buttons fo

r the

rnam fu11ct1ons m the center of the "dashbo­

ard'; among wh,ch you find "Map+· and "Map

-· through wh,ch muease the power supply

and mh1b1t traction control, while the pedals,

,tra1ght hke those of a racmg car offer the pos­

sib,hty to choose for an even more racing bra­

ke Just by varymg the car's response y

ou im­

mediately nohce the difference m behavior and

you start feeling the fury of its 450Nm actmg

011 a bunch of pounds more than half a ton.

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

ELEMENTAL RPI

La)OUI

mid-rear engmed, rear wheel dnw

Engine

4 cyhnder 2.<kc - turbo

Transmission

6 speed sequential gearbox

Power

320hp

450 Nm@l 2.000 rpm

Weight

630kg

Accderation

< 2,5 sec.

Top Speed

265 kph ca.

Price

from 90 900 f. (tax excluded)

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

25

Ki.ssmg the ground and with an extn,mely low cen

ter of gravity thanks to the fact that 11 IS a "barchet

ta� the RPI IS a real rocket and after having pro

perly heated the lire• 1t allow• you to start takmg

measurements through corners, where only when

you accept the fact to go beyond what until mmu

tes before attmed the gnp hmit, fun really starts.

It " able to generate up to l ,200kg of downforce

and th1S suggests that ,t IS one of those hardcore

weapon in whkh the rule IS "the fastu you go, the

more the car will be glue<I to the road". Even thou

gh ,t has no conspicuous aerodynamic appenda

ges ,t IS JUSI hi«, that and once you move the first

few meters helpe<I by the dutch pedal, you can

chmb gears simply hy calling the next one from

the paddle behind the non servo-ass1Sted steering

wheel, wh,ch transmits you every shght change on

the ground. Movement• are sudden and although

the nm• measure 17 inche, at the front and l 8 m

ches at the back, the Elemental does not seem to

follow at all costs the imperfecllon• of the asphalt

hi«, many of ,ts comrades, but greatly supports the

inputs of the dnver - another aspect which maUs

it all m all user-friendly from the first approach

AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

A crazy car llM the RPI, however, must be

taken with strong manners and after a bit 'of

pull and spnng you have to go beyond that

step that divides a discrete pace from heart

attack s�Nis. It is very fast and not only be­

cause ,tis able t

o go from Oto 100 ID I= than

2 seconds and a half or to reach a top spet,d

of 265 kph, but because 11 changes dtrn:l1on

with the same 1Dstantaneousness of thought,

all without the slightest uncertamty and alwa�

mamta1Ding a �rfect balance, useful to set the

next curve and attack ,t m the most feronous

way possible. Like all these weekend to�, al­

though the Elemental ., regularly eligible for

use on the road, ,t IS not cheap and ID fact re­

qmres at least 90 thousand Euros (exdud1Dg

taxes), but ,f you are lookmg f

or good excu­

ses to offer your wife, know that the space on

board is not limited as on other cars of thIS

type and that the eng1De/transm1ss1on group

IS made even more reliable by the fact that

there is a dn:tromc control umt that prevenl.'i

errors ID sh1ft1Dg, otherwise potentially fatal.

 .....
I

�"DS7 CR

Words by Richi Mackie

The DS7 Crossback Is the product of a completely white shee ,

taste, fantasy and desire to amaze. At the wheel acts as a compact
that takes advantage of tlie experl"!'Ce of the PSA group, awtl:etlcally
Is a breath of fresh air ancl sure lnsplratt11t for tile enttre seg11ient.

'
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

To let you know something about the new

DS7 Cros.shack, l could start out in thousan­

ds of different waf", but no one would give a

good idea of what kmd of rar you are fanng.

Maybe, 11 would be appropriate to start from

the bottom and 1mmed1ately make it dear that

,
t is one of the most interesting cars we have

ever had at our office. Why? you are won­

dering For all that brings together with 11,

for the way in which ,

t manages t
o deal with

the neccs.s,ties of daily use, but also fo

r bemg

able to satL'lfy those who arc look.mg for so­

mething more, something the DS brand -

luxury branch of Citroen and authentic spe­

arhead of the PSA group - proves to be able

to do, year after year and model after model.

The DS7 Crosshack ts defined crossover, but

Judgmg by ,ts size, the Imposing front and

the decent height from the ground, ,t would

be more correct to call 11 a compact SUV. In

any case, apart from rategorizatmn, we ace

talking about the most ambitious model of

the French house, a proicct that sits in a dense

segment and crowded by fierce competition.

For ,ts part, the DS7 resides in a still rather

affordable pnce range. another important

aspect for a car that has everything to prm·c.

Price tag that enters deddedly more important

terntones, bemg dragged during the chm­

cc of the optmns or looking among the most

exclusive packages. a bit hke with our test

model, the ,deal one to touch a product that

refreshes a very umfonn segment , regardless

of the various brands that fill ,t to the bonier

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

4.57meter,long, l.63 meters high and I 90 meters wide, Returning to a purely aesthetic analysts, the SJde profiles

the DS7 i• not afraid to show off ,ts=, also focusing and hack arc less particular than the front. but no less

on an impressive presence thank,; to a massive front, elaborate, with DS logos scattered here and there and

made such thanks to a honeycomb trapezotdal gnlle, two showy chrome frame, that incorporate the exhaust

authentic f
ocal poml that gives character and sportiness tips. If you ar
e starting to convince yourself that thts

to the whole car. In between, the large chromed DS logo Crossback JS a special car, wait unttl you open the door

shows off and all around you can appreciate the squa­ and get on board. I can hardly believe ,t myself that a

r
e shapes created by the interse-ction of the profiles and transalpine car can impregnate a similar luxury, perfu

the LED running hghts. lt ts prec1sdy here that you can me leather and let itself be caressed as usually happens

notice one of the first styhstJC features of the DS7, nght with a Bentley or an Aston Martin. And yet 11 JS just hke

when you tum the engine on and ,

t gives way t
o the ro­ that and as [ dose my mouth wide open in amazement,

tation of thre,, diamonds per stde, whKh show that the I start to admire the surfaces of the dashboard, the

designers not only have left nothing to chance, but wan­ shape of the steenng whe,,l and the central tunnel that

ted t
o make a car practical and at the s.ame llme able to seems borrowed from a Lamborgh,m. Wanting t
o be pi

amaze and intngue. The DS7 ts in fact a completely new cky, at least on the first dnvmg occasions, this setting ,s

model, the result of a white she,,t that ha, given shape not enllrely intmti,·e, but after understanding where to

to a car with a thousand facets and undoubted dynamic find the button• you wtll use more frequently. your love

qualities. Although petrol engines are available, l think for the DS7 will increase dramatically. There are two

the diesel (at least for the moment) i• the nght chmce and 12-inch displays, one nght behind the steering wheel

the 4 cylinder 2-hter with 180-hp we are testing Sttms and through which you can control instruments such as

to be best in the lot, at least waiting for the new hybnd the satellite navigator, on board computer or the most

umts, which should take the four wheel dnve with "em, classic instrumentation composed of a tachometer and

perhaps the only real gap on an SUV of thts caliber. rev counter, while the second 1s located in the middle of

the dash, touch screen and allows you to manage all the

other parameters of a car full of gadgets and complete

with every devilry you would expect to find on board. At

 2473m

81140

•
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

33

DS7 CROSSBACK

Layout

front-engmffl, front-whecl-dnve

Engine

m-hne 4 cylinder l.997cc - turbod,esel

TransmiS&on

8-speed automatic gearbox

Power

l 7 7 h p @ 3 7 50 rp m

400 Nm @2.000 rpm

Weight

l.610 kg

Acceleration

9,4 sec.

Top Sp<'Cd

215 kph

Price

from €30.650 (€ 53.350 as tested)

the bottom of the scrttn there are a dozen phy51-

cal buttons that act as shortcuts, nseful to recall

the mam funcllon., an aspect that 51mphfies

,
ts nse. especially with the car movmg around.

Fmally, to accentuate the sense of refinement,

there I
S a soft leather mtenor that I
S part of one

of the exclusive packages offered by DS. the "Ri­

voli", wh,ch ,s completed by 18 mch Gmevra

wheels and the Advancffl Traction Control sy­

•lem, not identical t

o an all-wheel dnve system,

but better than a traditional front-wheel dnve.

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

34

PreS!lure on the power button and something that seem to be created exclusively for sports whJCh quJCkly become 1,800 with two peop\o,

amazes me again, a B.R.M. chronograph ma­ cars. In thIS last case, ,

t IS prensely the fact that and the,r luggages on board. Finally, starting

kes ,ts entrance, the dashboard hghts up hke a ,t IS an unusual model and full of innovations from about £ 30,000, the DS7 CroS!lback IS

Christmas tree and I can finally move the han­ that mako,s this Cros.sback the ,deal compa rightfully a bargain, olfenng a great deal with

dy gear lever m drive to walk the first steps ma mon for chmbing on some mountain pass. 1he a more than hono,st expense,. 1he specimen of

c:rr that smells offuture from every pore I( the ground clearance and the discrete shoulder of our test, top of tho, range and enrn:hed by tho,

2 hter turbod,esd is not very qmet when sta­ the !,res solve without problems the need to Rivoh treatmo,nt and by any sort of optional

honary, once m motion ,t never annoys and the face some stretch of rough road, but only with costs £ 53,35-0, now a pretty important figu­

8 speed automatic transm,s.s,on works throu­ the arrival of the all whttl dnve hybrid we will re, which overcomes the ,mtial amaument to

gh the gears without ever requmng the inter­ be able t

o understand 1f this model will also be iusttfy itself without maior problems. You will

vention of the driver, still possible through the excellent off-road or on snow-covered roads love the DS7 Crossback, rm sure. And do you

two paddles behind the steering wheel. There know why! Because, ifs wonderful. Just the fact

is a lot of fun playmg bet>,ttn the various fun­ ofhavmg d""oted more space to ,ts many de­

ctions and the drivmg modes of the DS7, but Infrared cameras and adaptive suspensions arc tails than tho, excellent dnving skills, demon­

l decided t
o concentrate ma:mly on drMng, iust among tho, many aspects that make the DS7 strates how much ,t amazes and brings with ,t a

a fundamental aspect of a car that repro,snits one of the most :mto,resting innovations of r
o, real breath of fresh arr of whJCh the whole SUV

such an important challenge for the brand. Tho, co,nt years, while in terms of fuel consumption world will benefit and should take msptrallon.

177 horsepower of this model does not mako, ,t w,, found values in the order of those declared

a blaster, but in any case no owner of compact by the brand, exco,pt when wo, have required

SUV s mako,s their purchase based on the 0-100 moro, spnnt t

o tho, engino,, for example during

or the maximum speed, respectively of 9 4 ..,_ our daJ"' on tho, mountains ln the nty you cover

corn!,; and 2 I 5 per hour. Rather, we reason in about l OOkm with 5 61 of diesel, in o,xtraurban

terms of usability and :m th IS case the DS7 pro­ area consumption is 4.41/IOOkm for a comb,

ves to be agilo, in ntytraffic, fast and convenient ned cycle of 4 91/IOOkm, not had ,f we kttp in

on long distances and even fun on thos., roads mind that you carry around l .6 l Okg of weight,
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

Words by Carlo Brema Photos by Bartolomeo Lazzarini

First seen m 2013 and updated at the begm­

mng of 2018, the Ecosport represents Ford's

umon l,.etween a compact budget car and an

all-round crossover, now also available with

four wheel dnv,,, as long a• you choose the

12S hp TDCl. We had the opportunity to dnw

what m the pnu hst sits ,mmed,ately 1,.efore

that, the I.Sec diesel with 100 horsepower, with

traction only on the front axle and a 6 •peed

manual transm1Ss1on, a compromise that does

not know ahout g,vmg up to anythmg, ,mce

the Ecosport keep• ,ts excellent abiht1es on city

road, a• on dirt roads, thanks to the corunde­

rable height from the ground of about 16 cm.

Bwlt m Rornama, the Ecosporl contmues the

speech undertaken five years ago. making avai­

lable to future owners a car that can respond

positively to all requests, but without costrng

unattainable figure .. It has l,.een improved m

aesthetics, where above all the new front fa­

SC13 gives ,t an aggres.s,ve look. emphasized

by the ST Lme aesthetic package of the model

of our test, also finished with two-tone parnt

and burmsh.ed rims. Optional to neglect that

of the spare whttl hanging on the tailgate,

always hmged on the left and that despite of­

fering an mtenned,ate opemng step, ,s not

the best solution when you haw parked m

front of another car and you realize havmg

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

FORD ECOSPORT ST LINE

Layout

front-engme, front wheel dnve

Engine

m-hne 4 cylinder L49&c turbod,esel

Transmission

6-speed manual gearbox

Po..-cr

100 hp@3.750 rpm

215 Nm@ 1.750 rpm

Weight

l.357 kg

Acceleration

14 sec.

Top Speed

160kph

Price

from E 25.250

left somethmg m the large trunk. On board the

situation has improved considerably too, with

the use of softer plastics and a better overall as

sembly. What above everythmg else milis co

habitation with the Ecosport better than before

ls the new multimedia system, the same you find

in the new Fiesta and with an 8" touch screen,

more responsive and m tune with ,ts competitors.

1here ,s room fo
r five people and a wink t
o con

sumpt1on, with a mixed cyde of 4.21/lOOkm of

diesel, also thank,; to a weight and that does not

exceed a ton and a half with the drwer on board.

1he dutch ,s very prense. the manual transm,s

s,on t
oo {there"s an automalK ophon, but only

on the 125hp) and despite only l 00 horses, the

Ecosport manages to free mtersecllons without

t
oo much difficulty. The torque rurve ,. a bit h

mid, with only 2l5Nm, but what really matters on

thIS type of car is the fact that i

t offers dnver and

passenger comfort worthy of a higher segment,

but with half the cost, almost. The prices of the

new Ecosport start from around€ 19,000 for the

version with 3-cyhnder Ecoboost, but rise with a

handful of options and diesel engmes A specimen

hke that of our test, set up with ST Lme package

and a I .S.cc 4 cyhnder, asks you to spend at least

£ 25,500, while the ,·ers,on with all-wheel drive

ruches € 30,000. ln any case, a big step forward

has been taken, whKh no longer relegates the

Ecosport t
o be Ford's ugly duckling, but milis

,t a real alternatiw m the crossowr battlefield

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 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

Today I
S very hot, the sun I
S high m the sky

with ,ts ,mpassiv,, at11tude and every patch of

shadow I
S hke an oasIS m the desert. The hot

asphalt glues the tires and turns the curves min

a kmd of track, on whKh the Caterham can

draw Imes of any kmd, without the slightest ef­

fort If
s me, l still hav,, to first understand how

to dnve a Seven, compromise with its anorexK

body and that constant fedmg of makmg you

fttl pmseJ on the blade of a razor that ran cut

you at any moment 1he fact ofbemg s,thngclo­ ' '

•

se to the ground IS the umptttnth comprom= •

that you have to accept t

o embrace the glory of •
• •
••
maximum dnvmg mvolvement on a rar equip­ •
. ...
ped with a slttrmg wheel and four wheels.
'
That's ,t The Caterham I
S not stuff for famt of
'
heart, the hard dutch or the damn stiff suspen­

sion are inst a couple of examples, let alone if l

mtend to be mtmudated by one of the hottest

days of August. I will thmk about the possible

sunstrok<, later, now I'm too busy to kttp th.­

small Enghsh bullet on the road, something

that when the asphalt becomes d1sconnn:ted,

you bett.-r not take ,

t for grante<l, especial­

ly when you're Sltlmg so dose t

o the ground.

Forget all the fantasies about the Austrian

countryside, forget th.- fresh an of VIilages do­

mmated by mount:uns and immaculate mea­

dows, do it for at 1.-ast a moment or at least ,f

you dende not to stop m the most dass,c Al­

pme locahon, but heading north-.-ast towards

Lmz.. wher.- Caterham welcome<l me for the

test o(the 275R, a more than valid step for tho­

se who are ready for thnr first contact with the

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

Britt,h manufacturer. You know very well what

,t ts, but ,f you have just awaRned from a deep

sl'""p, Caterham l.'i a small Brittili manufactu­

rer that ha, detected the project Seven from

Lotus, however kttping ,t fmthful to the "less

"more" ultimate mantra, where m thts cas.e m

add1t1on to engine, gearbox, ,u,penSlon and

brake,;, there" really httle el..,. This translates

mto an overall mas.,; that remain,, kilo more

kilo Jes.,;, around 500kg and with a whole ran­

ge of pos.s,b,htu,s to make your Seven a httle

but devastating rocRt, capable to spank Por­

sche and �mm on track and kick you along

the way home, taking advantage of the fact

that ,
t " peifectly usable on everyday road,.

In a world a bit "wend we would drive a Se­

ven to go from home t

o the office, but our back

thanks the extstence of sedan,, wagons and

any other type of car that doe, not force you

to unspeakable acrobatJCs for getting on board.

1bat saJd, I'm JUSI Jumping at the wheel of the

27SR, a• said probably the best one in terms of

power/weight ratio available m the Caterh:un

price hst, more powerful and reactive than the

entry level 160 and Jes.,; nervous and deman­

ding of the .310, 360 or the exaggerated 420 and

620, where do/nding on the country there,.

a further d1fferent1at1on, JUSI a• in the cas.e of

the old contment (UK excluded) where mostly

you"d find the 275 or the 485. Time t

o figure

out in my mind what really mean• a Slmtlar

power/weight relationship and l find my,..,lf

literally glued to the httle but all in all comfor-

•

-
• •
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

45

table leather =ts The adjustments are nnt

their strong pnmts, but while comenng they

hold you tight, especially thanks to the 4-pomt

belts that once connected allow to move your

legs and arms for one purpose only dnve

1he Caterham Seven is a car that does not

show one bit the 50 years of ,ts ongmal de

sign. h's JUSl updated and made contempn

rary thanks to aesthetic mtervent,ons that do

not dL'!tort the appearance and that keep alive

the spark that gives you the courage to throw

yourself headlong mto a twisty road. 1he car

m my hands IS not a standard 275R, but has a

whole senes of upgrades that make 11 even pu

.. �.
rer, a 6-speed manual transmission (mstead of

5), venttlated disc brak,,s, I 3-mch Apollo whe

els and lO extra horses, iust because the basic

135 seemed a few I'm ioklng of course, but l

...
properly realize this only after a few kilometers

spent takmg measurements, where I learn not

t
o anticipate too much the corners and above

all to trust a gnp apparently unknown to any

other car that costs at least over E 150,000. In

addition t
o me and the photographer by my

side there ts a l.6 hter Ford Sigma engme,

a 4-cyhnder coupled to a manual transm,s

s,on and rear-wheel dnve, of course, what

did you expect� On the nght side the exhaust

pipe spits out a l>oarse vrnce, barely covered

by the air that overhangs the small passenger

compartment m wh,ch only the bare es.sen

tials are placed. I'm talking about the small

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

Momo stttnog whet,l, a ceotral tunnel covc­

rNI m soft leather, the very short gear lever

and a carbon fiber dashboard through which

to control what you net,d to achieve heart at

tack spttd m the most ms.ane way possible

�hmd the wheel there IS a spttdometer and a

tachometer, with addillonal LED indicator that

helps when you turn off your common sense

and you can't for any reason in the world take

your eyt,s off the road m front of you. Next, ml

md,cator, water tcmpaature and fuel gauge,

but [ doubt you"ll look at "

em while spttdmg.

The roads around Munzbach seem to be de

signed csp«ially for Caterhams, with a fairly

rough asphalt to allow the small A,'Dn tires t

o

bite and take advantage of the high tempaatu

res m their favor. Now, after a few kilometers

of dnvmg, I f.,.,l I can smk more dec1S1vely on

the throttle and explmt a greater range of engi

ne revs and 11 is here that l reahze how much

the Seven 27SR ,s capable of It IS a car to dnvc

with strong manners, you have to be rough m

your movements, JUSI hke when the widemng

of the rear rcmmds you that there IS not even

electromcs helpmg you out there No electro­

mcs means no external control, it's only you

and the proof that 500 horses arc not always

 -
\
•

. -
...
•
CATERHAM SEVEN 275R

Layout

front-engmed, rear wheel dnve

Engine

m-hne 4 cylmder I 596cc

Transmission

6 •P"NI manual gearbox

Power

145 hp@6.900 rpm

160 Nm@ 5 200 rpm

Weight

525kg

Acceleration

4,9 sec.

Top SpcNI

201 kph

Pric�

from£ 31 095 (€ 47.645 as tested)

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

the ans,,.,er for gmng fast, let alone havmg fun.

I put down and lighten � heavy dutch as 11

should be, thi,; i,; � ,deal way to bnng a he­

art attack to those next to you, with the road

that IS seen from a lowu perspective than

usual and without any kmd of harner betwe­

en your face and the ro

w s of tree,; on the Si­

des. The engme almost seems to emit a hissmg

sound and every mimmal mechanical fricllon

., perceived nght to your spme. 1he steering

wheel must be kq,t tight as ,f 11 were the only

barrier bet......,en you and a iliameful end (m

fact ,
t '" so), but once you start gettmg the

feel, the Seven does not fear narrow and tor­

tuous roads JUSI like longer and faster stralghl'l.

which give way to keep down the gas pedal, al

least as long as you have the hver to do that.

Although the Caterham IS mOJe a car f

or dn­

vmg involvement, rather than pure perfor­

mance, the numbers of the 275R ar

e equally

1mprc,;S1ve, with a 0- l 00 kph of JUSI 4.9 se<:on­

ds and a top speed that i,; dose to 200 per hour,

but here ,
t really takes a lot of hair on the sto­

mach. The one rm testmg also features a lowe­

red floor, although efforts to make the driver

seating poS1hon comfortable end exactly whe­

re the fun begms and that means immediately.

1bere IS a lever to acllvate the md,cators and

you will ask your pas.senger to deactivate it as

soon as possible, given the deafening nmse 11

emits, but these are details. small nuances of

a much larger unage that can be appreciated

even when loosen your seatbelts you'll pro-

 -
- .
• -- • •

- • •
 hably have to book a �,on with the osteo­

path commg down from the small codq>lt.

Moving a few meters the car and you will

earn a standmg ovation from env1ronmenta­

hst.s, smce we preferred t

o put in neutral and

push, rather than restart the Sitting procedu­

re from scratch The doors are removable m a

second, but m thIS w:a

y you give up the rear­

view mirrors and a small but comfortable shel­

ter from pebbles that evade the front fenders.

There is no glove compartment, you haw to

look behind your back and stow e,..,rything

under the conwmently folded roof, m the

luggage compartment that surprisingly can

accommodate at least a couple of backpacks.

The Caterham IS a demanding car, especial­

ly ,f you want to expl01t i

t at least at 60% on

what i
t ts able to offer, but in return it giws

you a completely different view of ""erythmg

on four wh�l• that money can buy. You can

touch the ground with your hand without

moving from the dr1ver's seat, you can shp

mto comers hke a crazy missile, all with low

runnmg costs thanks to the minimum weight

--
•
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

54

with wh,ch the braks have to oppose. And then the engine IS still a I 6-hter Ford, but a� evcrythmg without electromcs, wh,ch IS not a httle,

"'pecially for those wl>o love to gd their hands dirty m the garage. A 275 comes home with you with at least E 31,000, but if you get c.uTJed away

and check the "R Pack" then 11 reqmr"' E 6.000. A specnnen hkc the one of my test comes to cost a httle less than 50 thousand Euros, which IS by

no means httle money for a toy, d.,.p,te being so exceptional, v,sceral and umque \\'hat IS certain is that ,f you have the opportumty to try one,

a world that you did not believe could exist will open and you will be assailed by the feeling ofhav,ng to learn everything from scratch, wh,ch in

fact IS so at least m part. You iust nttd a fast car for dnving fast, to go fast with a Seven you must be able to pull the tngger and face the conse­

quenc.,.. You do not have to fear to see the bumper of a truck a few inches from your nose or dust a barrier with that tail that lov"' t
o go side

ways and allow yourself t

o be pulled away by the narrow muzzle betwc.,n the two partially-covered front whttls. You have to get your hands on

it, you"ll not be able t

o master it man afternoon, but once you get dose t
o 11 you"ll get richer (in experiences) than before At that pmnt you will

miss it, you will accept the back pains and you will want t
o come back on board, not necessarily between the curbs, 'cause you can also enJoy that

part of the ioumey that does not relegate the Caterham t

o be a racing track instrument, but the best way to feel happy behind a stc.,ring wheel.
 DON'T KISS THIS PAGE

,'131
�

� 0 0 MARVIN
0
WATCH C 1850

WWW MARVINWATCHES COM I REF M119 13 94 67 I SWISS MACE NEW TIME. NEW CODES.
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

58

The little Alfa Romeo coupe is a rough diamond. It must be taken with

violence and in return will know how to repay

with a driving involvement that knows no compromises.

Words by Chnsllan Parodi Photos by Andy Williams

Fiv,, years have paSSfi! (,t was 2013), sm­ this ts a defect, stop readmg now. With the 4C that m one way or m the other case 11 ts one

ce Alfa Romeo has first re\eas,,d the 4C, the you deal with somethmg de,ugned and cn,ated of the best sports cars ever llVed at our office.

pun, hghtweight sports car paymg homage to with the sole obJecllve of dnvmg, to taki, the

the golden age of the Italian Company. Only wheel violently and transform every moment We drov,, a good bunch of 4Cs, coupes and SP1-

a handful of Y"ars later a couple of other cars mto somethmg special, not JUSI a mm·e from ders, but this white lady who catches my eye is

of a dIStmctly sporty nature such as the Gm­ one pomt to another The 4C, as ,t should ht-
, undoubtedly the best aample we've ever had

ha QV and the Stelv,o QV SUV }Otned, but is a car that not only divides, but literally sphts available. Specced as a launch Edition with a

neither share with the small coupe what for a m two and accentuates the gap between ,ts ad plethora of carbon fiber details, 11 is also rqmp­

dnvmg enthu,uast represents the fulcrum of a muers and detractors. It's not a perfect car, no ped with the optional Akra:povic sport exhaust,

visceral expenence and mhmate hke the one doubt about this, but ,ts flaws are probably tho somethmg that further raises the volume of the

that only a m,d-engmed superhght can offer. se nuances that will make you fall m love, whKh small 4-cyhnder, ready to roar hki, a dark and

No fnlh, no compromises, there is no room for will peek mto your mght dreams and that at obscure bantone as soon as 1t mm·es ,ts first

anything other than necessary and ,f you thmk least for us here at Auto Class have sanctioned steps, but that dean and screams roughly as
AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

59

the revs mcrease, up to the r

ed \me, where a

mighty puff of air escapes from the titanium

tailpipes aod shoots you agam as the speed

mueases and the expeneoce begins to sculpt

through your whole body. The 4C IS a sensory

car ba:ause you can feel ,t through all of your

five senses, and what you can not feel phyS1cally

comes at you emohonally the precise moment

you approach that low and wide white Sl!houet -

te edge<! by the black of the fiber The edges and

curves of ,ts design ar

e here even more accen­

tuated and the different aerodynamic appenda­

ges do not JUSt seem wantmg to mak,, 11 more

pressed to the ground, but almost to msllll a

fear that I had not felt during the previous tests.

I declare myself and I get a last ride, a last dan­

ce, before d,scovermg how much we wlll have

the good fortune to ha,·e this fantastic mo­

del, an apensive toy that does not hate your

midweek comm1tments, but that certamly will

not be the ,deal solutton to go to the grocery

store or accompany grandparents at the ai­

rport 1he recipe IS based on the Lotus verb -

J
es,, is more - so the carbon monocoque allows

you to k,,ep the center of gravity low and to

hm1t the total weight of the 4C around 990kg.

This aplams why you do not nee<! a big 8

cylmder or an equally expensive and cumber­

some 6 cylinder Immediately behmd the two

seats beats the l,7SOcc 4-cyhnder turbochar­

ged that "" saw on the Giulietta Veloce, but

you already know ,

t It delivers 240 horses and

,s mated t
o a 6-spttd dual dutch gearbox, ma-
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

nagcable automatically or sequent1ally, via the

small plastic paddles behmd the stttnng whe

el. For thos,, who had hved on another planet, I

emphasize that the fact of not having any kmd

of comfort IS also reflected by the absence of •

unnecessary extra weight and therefore then,

IS no power st.,.,nng to help dunng maneuver,

the only time when you accuse the heaviness

of the front axle. Once moving everything

changes, but this does not make thmgs simple

With DNA in Dynamic mode and the g'box

m manual [ head for thos,, roads that make

the 4C an absolute star, it's not time to hve on

catwalks or capture the looks of thos,, who

have not yet undentood that Alfa Romeo has

returned to the lustful ones. Today ts the big

day, she IS dressed up and I want to take all [

can from thlS last dance 1he exhaust mum

bles behmd us and whtle Andy (Williams,

the photographer) has given up most of his

eqmpment, stowing what he could m the small

luggage compartment iust behmd the eng,

ne. [ ask the DNA to exclude traction control

through the us,, of the Alfa Romeo Race mode

The digital display changes again and gives me

mformation hke the G force exerted through

cornen, but I'm too focused on keeping the

small steering wh.,.,l tight, always eager to fol

low the imperfections of the road below us We

are sittmg on a table, an expensive carbon ta

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

ble used fo
r the most important task that a car

can recewe, amuse ,ts crew. The turbo htssn

and when you reach ,ts torque peak, at around

2100 rpm, the httle Alfa pushes like a posses­

sed woman. 1bts is a lady at first sight, but

under the elegant dress there are witch daws

and destre to hurt you at the first distraction.

Through tight comers you have to use all your

energy to touch the ,deal Imes and make the

most out of the 350Nm of torque, when there

ts a stretch hold down the gas and you rely on

the ucellent brakmg system, entenng faster

than y
ou would with any trad1t1onal sports car.
ALFA ROMEO 4C

Layout

mid-rear rngme, r,,ar wheel drive

Enginr

4 cylinder l.75<kc turbochargOO

Transmission

6-speed automahc gearbox

Pown-

240 hp@) 6000 rpm

JSO Nm@ 2100 J7SO rpm

Wright

'}95 kg

Accdrration

4,5 sn:

TopSperd

258 kph

Prier
•
from€ 65 000
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

65

Do not fear d1rcct1on changes. not even the most

sudden. but 1f you widen the tail. i

t is there that

the light l,.ecomes more exntlng. The absence of

power stecnng does not faahtate the spttd of

mO\·ements necessary to keep the nose straight

and is one of the many controvermal aspects of

the 4C. Some call ,t a defect. hke the fact that

they complam of a lack of commumcatlon

from the stttnng I rail 11 punty and as such

11 1s not always predictable, but ,

t must b<, m

terpreted, understood and tamed Inside of me

I'm wntmg some of the !,.est chapters of my ex

penence as an automotive journalist, all thanks

to a 65 thousand Euro toy, at least as a starting

pnce. without the extra carbon lil,.er and the

optional features of this model. All m all. cm

braced by a fantastic r
ed leather saddlery and

even ,f the mstrumentation m front of my nose

,. pure plasllc. I prefer to possibly recr1mmatc

the savings on the climate controls. but to pra1

se the emotions [ feel and the mcred,ble tight

ness ,t grants me through comers of all kmd.

A car that takes 4 5 seconds from O t

o 100 kph

,. a real sports car, but t

o reach 260 per hour m

this and a few centimeters from the ground With

a steering wheel that trembles as if t

i were bitten

by a tarantula takes a good dose of courage.1he

hardest th.mg, once at the wheel of the 4C. is t

o

stop. You wtll have to ha,·e a good reason to get

off this carousel for overgrown children and 1f ,t

were not for the small "'"' of the tank, the stops

at the gas station would b<, even less than the

photographer next t
o me would ask for I look

nervously at the dock and I realize that the hours

escape qmdJy, l decide that the time has come

to go 1,.eyond that hmlt that marks a day at work

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

66

from a day destined t

o be mine forever. She dances betWttll the curves.. with her nervous behavmr

and that destre to scream all her power and trust me that 240 hors.es on a weight hke this., are a good

amount of6re. Ok, a handful more would be perfect, but ,t IS here that I realize that despite the exci­

tement and the involvement that can give, is not exempt from some small flaw. Time to talk about ,t?

Let's start with the fact that the choice of the engme IS conecL The turbo makes 1t hvdy, ,tis simple

and inexpensive t
o main tam and contnbutes to the cause m favor of the hghtnes,; of the car itself.

Putting hands m there and managing the umt can lead t

o cut that gap that would make ,t ""en

sharper, without becoming t

oo nervous That ,
t is not practical we do not care, but ,f you have

to sacn6ce some baggage, at least the two people on board wdl be comfortable and not suffoca

ted. After all, the only real defect of the 4C hes in ,ts drivmg prec1S1on, where after some logical

measurements starts to give exciting fun, but you always perce,.,.e that roughnes,; m the dnver/

stttnng marnage And ,f ,t wue Just the nervousnes,; that makes the beautiful ltahan lady who ts it?

Sometimes unpredictable, almost dangerous, but still able t

o draw a smile on your face. Beautiful,

incredibly beaullful, no1Syand unwdhng t

o compromise, you already know that everyllme you get

o go from home to the office. And if that

on board ,twill be an adventure, ""en ,f you JUSI ha"" t

was the scenario, the 4C JS the car that lets you write the story, makmg sure ,t h"" a proper plot.
 Q
VICTORINOX
SWISS ARMY
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

If before the SQS was a wolf in sheep's clothing,

now it is a werewolf thrown in the middle of a flock.

Words by Alessandro Marrone Photos by Giorgia Rossi

Wh""ver s,ud that entertamment is Just for a you can find m the Aud, catalogue lf befor-,

fewr And abov,, all, who states that you can't the SQS was a wolf m sheep's clothing, now 11

combme practKality and perfonnance? Cer­ IS a wernmlf thrown in the middle of a flock

tamly not Aud, bos.ses, which a,; you know

were among the first t

o fit what was anything

that a boring engme m a seemmgly qmet fa­

mily car, all thanks to a valuable collaboration For the record, your editor has JUSt left the

with Porsche thu, giving birth t

o the legendary wheel of the crazy RS4-R, one of the mo,t vi­

RS2 Avant But we haw, alr-,ady talked about vid dnving expenences I've had the good for­

this on our February art,de dedKated t

o the fu tune to hve m recent times and I find mysdf

nous four rmgs station wagon, while about its havmg to reset my thoughts before gomg to

ultimate heu, the ABT RS4-R, you find a pretty the following one. Although the type of car

interestmg review on September's Auto ClaSli IS not so different - we go from a wagon to a

1bis time we enter mtovery contemporary ter­ medium sized SUV - the two cars emphasize

ntones ,uch as those of the SQS performance the distance between the two ongmal models

SUV, the sports mcarnat,on of the best selling {RS4 and SQS), where the first one turns itself

medmm s,:r.e Aud, has to offer, designed to tac into a race car lent t
o the road and the second

kle any kind of road without however carrymg instead manages to mamtam all round quah­

weight and st:r.e m excess. But ,fthe traditional t1es on n·ery day roads, thanks to the advan­

SQS hides an exceptional versatility behmd a tage of a slightly better ground clearance. Of

sober look, once passed under the daw,; of ABT co=, ABT put all of its usual and meticulous

the musK takes a completely different tone, t

o attention to detail, immediately puttmg body

the benefit of dnvmg involvement and purest and soul to make the look of the SQS much

entertamment At this poml the que,t1on ts more aggressive than before. To g1v,, ,..,nt to

o keep mtact the

"Will they ha,.., managed t this desue f
or greater charactenzat10n "" haw,

ability to represent a complete car, or the spmt a wide body kit in duding a new front bumper,

of adventure have taken over, leading to some more generous wheel arches, side skirts and a

logKal renouncement in terms of usabil,tyr new rear bumper that mcorporates the sports

exhaust system with two couples of terminals

fimshed in carbon fiber and ,unk in the middle

of a showy diffuser. Option• indude the use of

To be hone,t, when you ar-, deahng with a ded1Cated 20 or 21-mch wheels, or the mam­

car out of the ordinary, the last of your thou­ moth 22 mounted on the umt of our test and

ghts goes t
o the typKal home-work route, but whKh fit equally generous 265/35/R22 tires

smce ABT ts not a Simple tuner, but the most

authontahve personahzat1on Signature for the

VW-Aud, group, tickmgout all the ,tem,at the

bottom of our personal assessment table will Needle.,, to say, at first glance ,t seems to be in

be important to en,ure the succeSli ofthts SQS front of a completely different car from the on­

on stermds. And ,f you gave a sneak pttk even gmal one, every comer ha, been ,trengthened

on a Single photo you understand that ther-, ts and the myriad of ABT badges spread all over

a maSli1ve use of steroids here, smce an SUV also continues m the cabin, where [ am wel­

that before leaving Kcmpten would have pas­ comed by an environment more faithful to the

sed completely unnotJCed m traffic, now do,,s ongmal but still able to earn that bit of sporti­

nothmg but attract the glances of passersby and o the beautiful rhombmdal
ness thanks t pat­

other dnvers, not canng about the useless low­ tern embroidered on comfortable leather seats.

profile attempts by the beautiful Nardo Gray, But how ,s th,s SQS dnve! Yes, the mam que­

one of the Simplest but most distmct,ve colors stion that we asked ourselves at the begmnmg
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

70

seems to have gone mto the backgrouod and

all that mterests me IS to start the 3 liter V6 and

give frtt rem to the performaocc package that

pours petrol on the fire The TFS! was brou­

ght from 354-hp to 425-hp with a consequent

I 0% increase of the maximum torque that goes

from SOONm to 550Nm It IS a conSJderable re­

sult, rspcc1ally takmg mto account that,,...., have

to move a mas,; that does not exceed 2 tons and

plays with adjustable suspenSJon that can vary

from 35mm t
o 60mm less than before All this

mean,; that when you select the "DynamJC"

mode and move the big gearbox knob into

sequential mode, 11 will seem to be back on a

pure sporl.'i car 1he height from the ground

re<luced to the bone IS JUSt one of the key

points of the dnvmg experience and the power

and readiness of the V6 do the rest of the Job.

I throw myself in the curves and in my eyes

there IS only space for the next one. The SQS,

whKh previously knew how to behave admi­

rably, has turnNI mto something 11log1Cal and

damn fun. 1he exhaust releases the fury of

the 425hp and every shtfhng IS accompanied

by an addictive explosion and a steady pro­

grrss,on towards some of the most isolated

roads south of Kcmpten. We were also lucky

enough to find an area dosed to traffic, v.he-

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

71

r
e [ could push even mnre on the throttle and

touch with my hands how 11 is not necessary

to Sit a couple of centimeters from the ground

to fed adrenalme flow through your vem,. The

8 spet,ds dual dutch gearbox IS the best ally

and supports the ,deal exploitat,on of an engi­

ne that finds its red lme at around 6,500 rpm,

tracllon ts v,rtuallyendless and combined with

the enonnous gnp exerted hy the fat tires ma­

kes you enter and a,t comers at spttds you

would never thmk possible m a car that ts das­

Sified as "one of the qmckcst ways to brmg your

children to school� In th1S case, after the ABT

treatment, you can afford to have breakfast

five mmutn before the bell nngs, regardless of

the kilometers that separate your house from

the school, prov,ded that no one suffers the

unleashed pace that this SQS ts able to offer

In an ,deal world, each of us would have the

poss1b1hty to prmt cash m the cellar, but un­

ar - 11 d� not Sttm to be the

fortunately- so f

case, and so ,t IS good and nght to tackle the

costs argument. After all, we ar

e sttll talkmg

about an SUV and not a traditional sports car

wh,ch would better represent a big toy use­

ful to get a smtle on your face every lime you

ABT SQS 3.0 TFSI

layout

front eogmed, all-whed-dnve

Engine

V6 cylmder 2.995<:c - turbocharged

TransmiMion

8-•pttd automalK gearbox

Power

425 hp f 550Nm

'
W eight

l.900 kg ca.

Accderation

5,2 s.ec.

Top Speed

250kph

Prke

from € 86 800 ca.

(lat ABT as t�ted, from£ 16.998 VAT md.)

 - --
�
.,
2
-, '
-, ·
-

-·--.. ':>
-
' •
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

76

get on board. On the other hand there is the

polyvalence of its 5 seats, the large trunk and

all the comforts deriYed from a latest genera­

tion multimedia system. virtual cockpit and lo­

gically the QUATIRO four-wheel drwc system

always ready t
o face the winter or some slippe­

ry roads. Takmg mto account the 69 thousand

Euros needed for a standard SQS, the ABT pri­

ce hst imposes 3,117.65 £ for the perfonnan­

ce upgrade and 5.747,90 £ for the aesthetic

Ju
t (mdudmg assembly, exdudmg VAT). 1he

immense 22 wheels, wh,ch are demanding du­

ring parkmg maneuvers, add an extra value to

the car's macho look rnstmg E 3,899.16, wh,ch

added to the rest of the package natlable on

the model of thIS review bnng the conversion

kit at around 17,000 £ (VAT not mduded). At

thi,; pomt it depends only on you and what you

look for m a car, regardless of how you UM 11,

but we know very well that the fun factor ts

deadly important m hfe and despite not bemg

a small amount of money, the extra Euro you

haYe to put here radically transform a good car

m a more than excellent car ready to d,spen­

se fun at the whed, maybe on a daily basis.

•
•
•

\ •
1'
•• 1
-
•. '' ,,
'
•
•

'
 AUTO ct,
MAGAZINE

- --,

DRIVING I N P-IEIJ
. �

=Will HAVE A TRUlY D I F .

•
AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

GRUPPO GINO

NEW FRONTIER

ASTON M A R T I N M I L A N O

Photos by Luca R,va

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

79

Gruppo Gmo, important plarer m the field of Many prestigious news that make us '""en

I
luxury cars smce l 959, enhancrs ,ts luxury and more proud to� part of Aston Martin's futu

Motorsport project byiommg the British brand r

e stratq:y m Europ,, and esp,,cially m Italy"

Aston Martm through Aston Martm Milan Italy ts an important market for luxury cars

m Europe. The products already availabl.- m

Born m 1913, the Bntuh automaker Aston the Aston Martm range and the new ones that

Martm has �come over the years an ch will � mtroduced m the next few yeaJS wtll

t
e rderence m the panorama of pttst1gious surely sec Aston Martm Milan playmg a lea

sports cars. "We are thnlled to represent dmg role m the growth of the brand, both for

Aston Martm and ,ts JComc and art,s.anal ma po!llhonmg and sales. In Aston Martm Milan,

sterpieces m the Italian market," says Ales the Group Gmo has found a strong passion for

s.andro Gmo - �neral Manager of Gruppo the brand and an excellent knowledge of the

Gmo. "After the recent mtroduction on the product and of all the models of the range

Italian market of two extremely mterestmg

new products, the Vantag.- and the DBI I Vo

lante, the new DBS will soon � presented

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

81

"BEAUTIFUL IS ABSOLUTE: Its t,.,auty lea­ Also on display there was the brand new DB l \, With this brand of pnrnary importance m the

ves no room for doubt." Here IS the philoso­ designed to excite with ,ts mim,table and re­ panorama of luxury and performance grand

phy around whKh the new DBS Superleggera cogmzable design thanks to the immense po­ tourers, the Gruppo Gmo enter,; the Milan and

develops With a stunning hexagonal gnlle wer of ,ts VS or Vl2, and then the Vantage, Italian economy and business beatmg heart.

and rapllvatmg and elegant Imes, the DBS Su charactenud by an cxcepllonal class and the "1hts IS one of the most t,.,autiful challenges

perleggera features a carbon-fiber shell hon beating heart of a supercharged 4 hter VS. for us m the next few years and we are happy

net, which reduces weight, lowers the center to be able to start i

t wi th the help d support
an

of gravity and expels hot air through a senes With 4 cars aV31lable for testmg m the Mi­ of ton
As Martm", concludes l
A es sandro Gm o.

of intakes can,ed m the same paoel. ThlS su lan showroom, special attent1on to the cu­

perrar allows you to live ao unforgettable ex­ stomer ts a key factor, focusmg on the dn­

penence thanks to the powerful 715bhp en vmg emotions transmitted by the rars of

gme and the mcomparable sound of its V 12 an ,come brand such as Aston Martm.

Just m recent days th1S new aerodynamK ma All this and much more will represent the new

sterp,ece has been tested, with test dnves orga­ strategic approach of Aston Martin Milan, with

nized byGroupGmo and AstonMartm Milan m a partKular focus on the recently used product,

the exdustve sett mg of the Castello di Guarene Classic and Future Oassic, thus creating a se­

On that ocraston, some customers of these two cond market fo

r a product that w1ll mcreas,, and

prestigious compames v.ere able to appreciate emphasize the value of the Aston Martm brand,

what the DBS concept has always represented considering the timeless mterest m classic cars.

smce the beginning of its legacy: maximum

elegance, speed, comfort but also performance

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

82

AUTO E MOTO D ' E P O C A

PADUA

A J U M P I N T H E PAST

A N D A LOOK TO T H E F U T U R E

words by Tommaso Mogge Photos by Giorgia Rossi

That of Padua ts an unmissable event for enthu- for those who want to buy, ..-11 or Slmply talc.- a even if someone tries t
o ask ynu 2(1'!1, more out

51asts, whether th.-y love two or four whed,, or trip m the past, always givmg a look toa future of the latest kiosk's rdeases, 11 is always wnrth

for th<>M" who n� to refre,h their memory mnr.- and more turned towards susta111abihty. bringing horn.- a souvemr a l/43 car will not

about thos,, cars that hav.- wntten the htstory make ynur wif.- angry after all. Ynu leave th.­

of motorsport, m partKular the world of ral­ fir.;! two pavdion• and you are assaulted by th.­

hes. Th.- 2018 Millon allo....00 th.- Auto.- Moto 1he well ..-! paVIhons make it easy tn .-nter, perfumes nf the f
ood stands pork meat, s.auc.-s

D'Epoca fair to reach the 35th birthday, a no­ 1mmeTS111g ourselves straight 111 th.- spare parts of all kmds and then the Sicilian confect1oners,

teworthy accomphsh.ment by itsdf, if it were not ar.-a, but if ynu ar,, nnt restnnng anythmg you whKh are confirmed as nn.- of the undtsputed

for the r,,cord entnes that touched the 120,000 can still spend hour.; between metal plat.-s, highlights of the whole show, diet apart. On th.­

vmloT!l 111 th.- 4 days of the .-vent. Of cour..­ v111tage sign• and pieces that wdl ,urcly rermnd out5lde area there ar-, s.-veral cars brought by

we could not m, .. 11 and we took advantage of you of the exntmg days of your childhood. retatlers and private look111g for the nght custo­

the pn,VIew day to cxpenence the true .-s.sen­ Die-cast models, finally more orderly and l
ess mer or perhaps an exchange that can still mak.­

ce of th.- Padua fair, authenlK rder,,nce po111t labyr111thm.-than before, ar.- anoth.-r must and the Venetian tnp us,,ful. Wid.- space for bigg.-r
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

83

retailers m the other covered pavilion,. where

although we recogmze some pieces that haw

already tread the ground m Padua la,t year and

sometimes even the one before and the one

before that, we find W4'U-preserved model, at

pnces not always optimistK as last year or so.

Let's be honest, someone really need to under­

•tand ,f they want t

o coUect cars., or JU•I sell it.

Not iust das.sic cars, because along11de Italian

classics, Enghsh, German and a handful of

American muscles. we also haw more recent

models, the inevitable youngtuners (today's

fashion) and more recent supercars., indudmg

a LaFemm Spider. Probably th,s will not have

bttn the most photographed this year, mamly

because of the bunch of Stratos which were

nothing short of impre,s,ve, especially when

placed nut t
o a Lancia 037 Stradale or a Del­

ta S4 Stradale. The •makelannagreatagam �­

wr help• revaluations a lot and in m ca.s.e of

s.ales makes two people happy mstead of only

one, but pas.smg nut to some Group B rally

cars you really get goosebumps Porsche could

not be mis.sing the appointment, no doubt

those that have undergone a maior revalua­

tion (or JUSt pnce-leap) in recent years, with

models rangmg from the first 356 up to the

latest 911 GT3 RS. Catchy has been the EC.

OnlyOne sttlmg at the Mistral Motors stand,

along with the das.sic lot of ,upercars and

other interestmg pieces, not t

o mention the

91 l 3.0 SC Roth mans Rally not f

ar from there,

still marked by one of the many battles faced

before findmg ,ts well-deser.·ed retirement.

 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

Padua has always been a pomt of rderence for

car maken and their official dealen. which

take advantage of the occas,on to celebrate the

most vaned anmversanes and so "e admired

old glories from Citroen, Peugeot, Volvo and

the FCA group - represented by its Heritage

branch - nght next to new models that aim

t
o write the history of the brands m the fo
l

lowing years. Alpme was there t

oo with two

A I !Os. the grandmother and the new one,

not to mention Bentley and Mclaren and the

undisputed star of this edition. Mercedes

Benz. who took care not only to all the de

tails with an 1mpress,ve array of new models

and classics - mdudmg the legendary Ci l l

prototw - but allowed vmtors to comple

tely namers<, themselves m a vmtage world

thanks to the total mvolvement of those who

want to retrace the history of the three pom

t
ed star. between mfo displays and the hkes.
 AUTOCLASSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018

86

Fmally, the pusttgious confirrnat100 of Bonham,

auchon house, with total sales exceeding 2 rnilhoo

Euros, mdudmg the 1960 Ferran 250 GT Sem,s

ll Coupe sold for€ 508,197 Quantity therefore,

but �tter quality than prev10us years I'd say, for a

fair that has managed to carve out ,ts position as a

rnam event m the dass,cs panorama and beyond

The feeling was that of a greater awareness on the

part of many (not everyone though) exhibitors

and unlike other occasions there seemed not to

� a dominant trend by wh,ch aim mg to mcrease

the value of one or two models only It was a fa,r

to visit, fun t
o experience and that has certamly

made more than a f

ew people happy, rcgardlcs.s

of whether they came bade home with their dre­

am car or have only been able t

o admire 11 closely.
 ,. I
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