www. l i f eonca r s . b l o g spo t . com

I s s u e 1 2I s s u e 1 2 n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 2n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 2

ENgLAND ExpEctS......the new Range Rover to be one of the Brit stars

shaking up the motoring world next year

INSIDE: Classics galore!The best pictures from a

summer of great showsacross the North West

ALSO INSIDE... Exploring the wonderful roads ofWales in three very different cars

Burnouts at Cholmondeley: The dragsterJCB was one of the unexpected hits of CarFest North, a charity car show organisedby Chris Evans. For more see page 122 Life On Cars

David Simister

THE NIGHTS are drawingin, the leaves are fallingand the air’s gettingchillier. All of whichmeans it’s time for mostof the more exotic cars togo back into hibernationfor the winter. No moreshows for us petrolheadsto peruse.

But what a greatsummer of shows it was. Ican honestly say that I’vebeen to more shows in2012 than any summerand I can remember, andseen scores of stunningmachines in a host ofdifferent settings.Whether it’s the TVRs inthe Lake District, the roarof the racing machines atthe Ormskirk MotorFest orthe glimmer of the Astonsand Jaguars at either oftwo big events inCholmondely, it’s been asummer that’s off thescale for great motoringevents.

That’s why I’m keen toshow off just a few of thehundreds of photos I andother Life On Cars

contributors have takenover the past few months,meaning almost everyshow in the North West

has been covered. It’s agood thing the old clichéof a picture being as goodas a thousand words istrue, otherwise this issuewould be the thickest yet!

So that’s it formotoring events? Err, no,because a bit of a newdeparture for Southport –and for me, because I’venever organised as charityevent before – is on theway. The Life On Cars pubquiz, as far as I know theonly motoring-themedpub quiz to be held in theregion, takes place inSouthport on Sunday,November 18, givinglikeminded enthusiaststhe chance to have anatter, show off theirknowledge and raise afew quid for the NationalAutistic Society at thesame time.

There’s also a flavourof the sort of questionsI’ll be asking on the night,if you turn to page eightand have a go at guessingthe cars.

Otherwise, have a lookat the back page for moreinformation about theevent itself. Hopefully, I’llsee you there...

Editor, Life On Cars

3Life On Cars

Coming soon4The fastest Ferrari ever, a fire-breathing version of Volkswagen’s Golfcabriolet, and a frantic RS version of Audi’s A4 Avant are all on the wayfor Britain’s speed freaks. Brave pills at the ready...

In this issueIn this issue

Fire up the...6...one of the most exciting and affordable driver’s cars for years, in theform of the much-hyped Toyota GT-86

Guess the cars8How much of an automotive anorak do you reckon you are? Put yourknowledge to the test with this full-throttle identity parade

British Invasion9The UK star cars which have been dominating the headlines - with andwithout the motorshow hype

It’s showtime!12Or rather, it has been all summer. Life On Cars guides you throughsome of the highlights of this year’s motoring events in a six page special feature dedicated to the best automotive draws of 2013

Welsh wonders 18The thrills of driving three very different cars on the stunning roads ofNorth Wales en-route to the scene of a cult Sixties TV hit

Get quizzical!20Join Life On Cars in Southport for a pub quiz with a difference - andhelp raise funds for a very good cause while you’re at it

4 Life On Cars

uLtrA vAuxOpen top giant takes Vauxhall into new territory

And it’s not just Vauxhall...IT MIGHT be cold, darkand rainy outside but thathasn't stopped Volkswagenfrom announcing a newopen-top version of itslatest Beetle.Sensibly, the new Beetle

Cabriolet won't go on salein the UK until nextspring, but the company

has confirmed this weekthat it will be availablewith a traditional soft toproof rather than a foldingmetal hard top, and beoffered with a choice ofseven different engines,including four petrolpowerplants and threediesel units.

Prices and specificationare due to be announcedby Volkswagen closer tothe car's official launch inthis country. Life On Cars test drove

the hardtop version of thenew Beetle back in Mayand was impressed withits style and solidity.

VAUXHALL has confirmedthat its Cascadaconvertible will go on salenext March, just in timefor the spring sunshine.Last month the company

announced details of whatwill be its largest everopen-top offering - longer,in fact, than an Audi A5Convertible - but now ithas revealed what thenew arrival will look like,and that it will bepowered by a new 1.6turbo petrol unit amongother engines.Duncan Aldred,

Vauxhall’s chairman andmanaging director, said:“Cascada is set to changepeople’s perception ofVauxhall once again.”The full-size

convertible sector tendsonly to be occupied byvery high-priced cars frompremium manufacturers.With Cascada, we’reoffering customers highlevels of equipment,technology and luxury butat an affordable price.“While the company has

offered large convertiblesbefore - both the MK1 andMK2 versions of theCavalier could be boughtas al fresco models - theCascada is the first timethe company has designedand engineered such amodel without outsidehelp since the 1930s.

5Life On Cars

In othernews...

SOURCES close to the OrmskirkMotorFest have confirmed thatthe Lancashire event is set toreturn on Sunday, August 25 for a2013 event, subject to it beingfully ratified by co-organisersWest Lancashire Borough Council.Our special edition focusing onthe event (pictured above) wasthe most successful Life On Cars

magazine to date, having beenread by over 5,000 enthusiasts.

MotorFest 2013

FARMERS in and motoristsin rural areas will beamong the hardest hit byGovernment-backedproposals to make carsgreener by revamping theroad tax system.That's the claim being

made this week by theCountry Land andBusiness Association, orCLA, who said that whileplans to replace VehicleExcise Duty with a one-offpurchase tax wouldencourage car companiesto make more eco-friendly models, it wouldhit rural residents, whodepend on larger 4X4vehicles for theirlivelihood, hard bymaking their vehiclesmore expensive to run.Douglas Chalmer, CLA

North director of policyand public affairs, said:“These requirementssignificantly restrict thechoice of vehicles to buy.Purchasing a Land RoverDefender under this newsystem would add around£10,000 to the purchase

price. Many ruralbusinesses simply cannotafford this raid on theircash flow. The cost savingof having to pay no roadtax would only be realisedif the vehicle were keptfor twenty years.“It is hard to argue

against a drive to makevehicles cleaner andgreener, but any proposedmeasure must be ruralproofed to preventanyone who has to use abigger engine from beingunfairly penalized.”The proposals, which

have been drawn up bythe think tank The CentreForum and have alreadywon the backing of Energyand Climate ChangeMinister Ed Davey,propose replacing thecurrent tax system with aone-off tax where buyerswould pay £50 for everygram of CO2 the car'sengine emits over94g/km, in a bid to forcecar makers to come upwith cleaner engines.The writer of the Centre

Forum's report on thescheme, Tim Leunig, said:“This scheme gives everymanufacturer anincentive to make everycar more economical, andgives every individual anincentive to buy a moreeconomical version of thecar they were planning topurchase.“Broadly speaking the

lowest emission cars willdo better under thisscheme, and the highestemissions cars will paymore. Since the chargewill be impossible toevade, honest motoristswill gain at the expenseof tax evaders. Mostimportantly, because thisscheme will reduceaverage fuel use, it willalso reduce petrol costs.We estimate that thispolicy will lead thetypical car to use 450fewer gallons of fuel overa 100,000 mile lifetime.This translates into asaving of around £2,700for the motorist.”

tAxED Off thE rOAD?

Think tank’sideas to reviseroad tax get a

cool receptionfrom rural 4x4

owners

Ford closuresThe Blue Oval is to close its lastvehicle plant in the UK, afterconfirming that as part of aEurope-wide move to cut coststhat it will close its facility inSouthampton, which makes theTransit. Production will betransferred to Ford’s factory inTurkey.Ford’s Dagenham plant stoppedmaking cars in 2000, while theformer Escort factory atHalewood now produces the LandRover Freelander and Range RoverEvoque.

A3 gets practicalA ROOMIER version of Audi’s A3 isexpected to go on sale next year.The A3 Sportback is closelyrelated to the existing three-doorhatchback but gives buyers alonger wheelbase, an extra set ofdoors and an extended rump,making it a sort of cross betweena five-door hatchback and a smallestate car. Crucially, it can carrymore than the three-door A3,offering up 1,220 litres of luggagecapacity.The A3 Sportback, which costs£620 more than its smallersibling, starts at £19,825 and canbe ordered now from Audi'sshowrooms.

Life On Cars6 Life On CarsLife On Cars

NO SUPRA. No Celica. NoMR2. Not so long ago, itlooked as though Toyotahad left the sports carbusiness for good.In one of the very first

motoring articles I wrote aToyota dealer told me thishigh performance trio hadbeen banished because oftheir high emissionslevels, and that theJapanese giant's nextsports car would be ahybrid to suit a leaner,greener age.

bits of the Ford Capri in amore modern package andyou won't be far off; arear-wheel-drive coupewith a sleek, purposefullook to it, aimed more atgiving it goodaerodynamics and a lowcentre of gravity thangood looks alone.While it's got plenty of

poke in a straight line -the dash to sixty's over in7.7 seconds, and flat outit'll crack 140mph - theGT-86, a coupe closely

But their comeback kidisn't a hybrid at all. It's adriving tool that'sdefinitely from the oldschool.The GT-86 doesn't have a

clever hybrid powerplantor a socket to plug it intothe mains but it has beenmade with some rathermore mouthwatering ingredients instead; a

limited slip differential, asix-speed gearbox, and afour cylinder petrolengine, albeit one with 16

valves, double overheadcamshafts and no lessthan 197bhp to play with.It's also got all the

creature comforts you'dexpect of a modern day coupe contender -

electric windows, cruisecontrol, climate controland options like heatedleather seats and a rearview camera - but thisisn't a gadgets ‘n' gizmosluxury car to waft you toyour destination. Think of it as all the best

...tOyOtA gt86fIrE up thE...

7Life On Cars

Jointly developed withSubaru, the GT86 harksback to Toyota’s sports

car past. Has it beenworth the long wait?

...tOyOtA gt86related to Subaru's BRZ,isn't really about thesheer grunt from theengine. Nope, this is a carthat sets out to prove Toyota's still got a sense

of fun, and it shows. Whatit lacks in performancesuperlatives it makes upfor with the feel it givesyou the corners, theeager-to-please nature ofits rev happy engine andthe intoxicating noise ofits exhaust note. Thenovice driver might get

caught out by its tailhappy nature, particularlywith the traction controlswitched off, but it'sexactly what fans of thissort of car look for and -in the right ircumstances,of course - it's an absolutehoot.Forgive me for going

along with the hype that'salready made Toyota's first performance car for

nearly a decade such aneagerly awaited motor, but in terms of feel and

handling the GT-86delivers more thrills than some cars costing twice

as much as it does.Which, seeing as you're asking, is a whisker

under £25,000.Plushly trimmed and

politically correct it isn'tbut the GT-86 is the steal of the century if

you're looking for adriver's car with a sense of mischief. It's been

worth the wait.

guESS thE cArS...Can you identify the cars on this page? Each correct answer will get you twopoints; one for the make, and one for the model. The maximum score is 20.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)

Life On Cars8 Life On CarsLife On Cars

Turn to the back page for the answers...

They say: “ Thenew Jaguar F-Typerepresents a returnto the company’sheartland: a two-seater, convertiblesports car focusedon deliveringperformance,agility andmaximum driverreward.”

We say: “Jag givessports car fans thefocused two-seaterthey’ve waitedyears for. Looksgreat, but it’s ashame it’s pricedwell above PorscheBoxster territory.”

9Life On CarsLife On Cars

thE brItIShArE cOmINg

The stars of this year’s Paris Motorshow are stylish new carsmade in the UK. Are they ready to take on the world?

Jaguar F-Type

Life On Cars10 Life On CarsLife On Cars

They say: “Its twodoors and largetailgate, powerfulproportions anddynamicallystretched linesallow the MINIPaceman to performthe role of thesporty yet elegantindividualist in thepremium compactsegment.. ”

We say: “It’s still aCountryman in aparty frock. Thatsaid, it looks goodand - like the restof the MINI range -should be fun todrive too.”

MINI Paceman

11Life On Cars

They say: “This is a vehicle that will take us to the next level ofsuccess. Range Rover is our flagship and a true British success story,designed, engineered and built in Britain. Its distinctive design,breadth of capability and class-leading refinement and comfort havealways made it unique.”

We say: “The styling may be evolutionary rather than revolutionarybut the big changes for the Range Rover are in its engineering,including managing to shave nearly 500kg off its predecessor.”

Range Rover

McLaren P1

They say: “Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolutetop speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding seriesproduction road car on a circuit. It is the true test of a supercar’sall round ability and a much more important technical statement.Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, mostcapable, most technologically advanced and most dynamicallyaccomplished supercar ever made.”

We say: “McLaren resists the urge to go Veyron-chasing andreclaim the title of world’s fastest car in favour of taking onFerrari’s forthcoming hypercar for thrills and lap times. Given theaccomplishments of McLaren’s previous two models - the F1 andthe MP4-12C - this should be one to watch.”

Life On Cars12 Life On CarsLife On Cars

whO wANtS tO bEA mILLIONAIrE?Life On Cars takes a look, in pictures, at some of the moststunning cars from a summer of car shows, starting with thismouthwatering collection from Chris Evan’s CarFest North

13Life On Cars

carfest north

Cholmondeley Castle, CheshireSeptember 8 and 9

What happens when you let Chris Evans

organise a car show...

Life On Cars14

bank hall 2012

Bretherton, LancashireJuly 15

A great community feel at this show,

held to fund Bank Hall’s restoration... woodvale rally

Southport, Merseyside

July 28 - 29

Managed to attract hundreds of car

nuts despite a change of venue...

15Life On Cars

ultimate classic

Oulton Park, CheshireJuly 15

Classics of all ages converge at this

growing Cheshire event...

pageant of power

Cholmondeley, CheshireJune 16 - 17

The North’s answer to the Goodwood

Festival of Speed. One to watch...

gold cup 2012

Oulton Park, CheshireAugust 28-29

Motorsport action as classic race and

rally machines take to the track...

Oulton Park pictures courtesy ofGareth Connerty and Katie Massam

Life On Cars16

ormskirk motorfest

Ormskirk town centre, LancashireAugust 28

250 classic cars, bikes and motorsport icons

take over a market town for the day...

tvr in the lakes

Newby Bridge, CumbriaMay 6

A gathering of Blackpool’s finest rock

up at the Lakeland Motor Museum...

17Life On Cars

tatton park 2012

Tatton Park, CheshireJune 2-4

The cream of the region’s classics at a

well established gathering...

lydiate classic show

Lydiate, MerseysideJuly 8

Small but friendly fundraiser for Cancer

Research, packed with great cars...

thE StOryOf wALES

What’s themost thrillingway to get toPortmeirion?

Discuss, usingthree very

different driver’s cars

Life On Cars18

19Life On Cars

THIS wasn’t where wewere meant to wind up.The road betweenPentrefoelas andFfestiniog wasn’t the onewere supposed to be on.Not that it mattered,

because in straying awayfrom the squiggly,fluorescent lines ofhighlighter ink on our mapand off the beaten trackour convoy of cars haddiscovered somethingmuch better. The B4391,after an eternity offarmyard gateways, cattlegrids and errant lambs,taken us onto a twistymountain pass, completewith hairpins, sheer dropslined only with dry stonewalls and – best of all – aglorious view toPorthmadog and the IrishSea beyond. It’s probablyone of the best roads I’vedriven all year.Best of all, we had a trio

of tools perfectly suitedto the job in hand. In theblue corner, my 1990Mazda MX-5 MK1, a ragtoproadster keen petrolheadswill be familiar with asone of the best balancedsmall sports cars of alltime. In the, err, evendarker blue corner isFord’s Racing Puma, ahand built, motorsport-orientated take on thefeisty coupe and a bit ofa classic-in-waitingbecause the Blue Oval,having been ambitiouswith its pricing, only sold500 of them. Finally,there’s the wildcard in theform of the Saab 9-3, anda diesel one at that. Itdoesn’t sound like muchof match until you realisethat it’s got 150bhp, 240ft lb of torque and a turbothrown in for goodmeasure.Our destination is the

picturesque Italianate

village of Portmeirion,best known for its use as afilming location in cult ITVshow The Prisoner in the1960s, but between it andour overnight stay inBetws-y-Coed is mile aftermile of the sort ofgloriously open road NorthWales seems to do betterthan anywhere else. Notonly is it staggeringlybeautiful, it’s also theperfect place to safely puteach of our three carsthrough their paces.A few things become

immediately obvious – forstarters, it’s obvious theSaab is the quickest,particularly when theroads straighten out,thanks to the sheer wallopfrom its turbo motor.From where I’m sitting atleast, the Racing Pumamakes by far the bestnoise, and while all threecars look great it’s therally-inspired Ford, withits flared arches andwidened track, whichlooks the meanest. And the Mazda? Well,

even I’ll admit that it’sthe oldest car here, themost likely to twitch itsrear end in a tight bendand – thanks to onlyhaving 115bhp to playwith – the slowest in thistrio. What it doeswonderfully, however, ismaking 50mph feel morelike twice that, meaningyou can have all the fun inthe world withoutbothering the speedcameras.The three couldn’t be

more different - wind-in-the-hair sports car, tarmactearaway coupe or salooncar-shaped roadgoingmissile. The jury’s out on which

is best, but I think I knowwhich is the most fun onthese stunning roads...

pEtrOLhEADpub quIz

Are you a bit of an expert onall things motoring?

Do you know your stuff whenit comes to motorsport,driving and car culture?

Then help Champion motoringcorrespondent David Simisterraise vital funds for theNational Autistic Society inthis motoring-themed pubquiz - and get the chance towin prizes too, of course!

IN AID OF

Sunday, November 18

7.30pm onwards

£2 per person

The Cheshire Lines Inn

King Street, Southport

Find out more at www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com

ANSWERS TO GUESS THE CAR:

Renault Floride, Porsche 914,

Nissan Pixo, Tata Safari, Dare DZ,

Venturi Atlantique, Mazda Xedos,

Austin Gypsy, Maserati 3200 GT,

Volvo 262 Bertone.