Renault Megane 1.9 DCI cc
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RENAULT MEGANE a/c, p/s, e/w, ABS, a/bags a/c, p/s, e/w, ABS, a/bags Price: R 149995 Contact: Renault East Rand 011 841-4500

Toyota Auris 1.6 RS
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TOYOTA AURIS a/c, p/s, r/cd, c/l, e/w, Bal of Service Plan a/c, p/s, r/cd, c/l, e/w, Bal of Service Plan Price: R 149995 Contact: Akson Prestige Inspectacar 033 392-8500

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Today, 04 November 2009

› ANC expells mayor

› Zuma on corruption

Yesterday, 03 November 2009

› 'Share Sexwale's wealth'

› 'Come home' Boesak

› Joost was 'living a lie'

› 'Boesak worse than Zuma'

› Minki to get divorced

Port Elizabeth might be small in comparison to the major cities in South Africa but thanks to its accessible harbour, the windy city ranks high on the list when it comes to prolific motoring production. During its heyday Ford was based there, GM still has a large operation, VW South Africa is situated down the road in Uitenhage and suppliers like Goodyear, Continental and many others have sprung up around the motoring giants.

While these big plants are well known, it is one of the smaller motoring manufacturers operating out of PE that has put the city on the international map. By manufacturing the acclaimed Noble M400 for the international market the Hi-Tech facility has etched its name in the minds of many a motoring enthusiast. Jimmy Price has transformed his Hi-Tech manufacturing plant into the largest privately owned specialized automotive manufacturer in the world.

Besides churning out the Noble M400, Hi-tech is also responsible for turning childhood dreams into reality with an awesome reproduction Cobra, GT40 MK2 and Daytona Cobra Coupe. To date the majority of cars rolling out of Hi-Tech have been exported but following a pooling of resources and knowledge, these beasts will now be available locally from Retromobile.

Retromobile was launched at the recent Auto Africa motor show with the purpose of promoting and creating awareness of specialist, high performance retro cars in South Africa. The names behind Retromobile read like a who’s who in the South African motoring world.

Peter Lindenberg, multiple powerboat and circuit racing champion will assist customers on the competition side, while the man behind the legendary Perana, Basil Green, will spearhead the research into other retro car possibilities. Green’s son Brad will handle the retail side from his Edenvale showroom and historic racing campaigner Anthony Corin will advise customers on the most appropriate of their drive train packages.

The fifth partner is Colin Lazarus who brings with him the motor retailing knowledge picked up from his Lazarus Ford – the largest Ford dealership in Africa. Three brutes greeted me as I arrived at WesBank Raceway. A Noble M400, the GT40 MKII hot off the Auto Africa stand, and a gleaming Shelby Daytona Coupe.

And before you go thinking I am attaching hallowed names to replicas let me point out that these icons are in fact licensed by those names and carry original chassis plates and in the Coupe’s case, are included in the Shelby register.

Squatting firmly, resplendent in its black and GT striped paintwork, the GT40 immediately spoke to me as the ultimate sportscar. Everything is how and where one expects it to be in a supercar.

A thumping mid-mounted V8 is perfectly placed so that if the sound wasn’t enough to give you Goosebumps the sight of the air filter in the rear view mirror will. Seats are low to the ground and GT40’s seating position is seriously reclined. What is more it is all housed in a well-proportioned sleek body and sits on tasty original Hallibrand alloy wheels complete with knock-off hubs.

The car is extremely accurate, 90% of it is interchangeable with the real thing, so much so that when the likes of Adrian Newey prang their original GT40s, replacement parts are sourced from Hi-Tech. The chassis is made from around 250 steel components and is identical to the original. That means that a two-piece pressed roof encloses the central tub cockpit and the sills are not just decorative, but rather structural. Even the spacing between the ribs on the sills is accurate.

Getting into the GT40 is not as difficult as it looks as the doors swing wide open and the roof cut-away means you don’t have to be a gymnast. Sliding into the laid down bucket you suddenly realise that you’re sitting in a no-nonsense racer. A three-spoke Moto-lita steering wheel proudly shows off the GT40 badge, Smiths Gauges inform the driver of the car’s vitals with the speedo placed to the far left but angled towards the driver and dauntingly displaying the 200mph (320km/h) mark.

The only interior accessories that look out of place when you compare the Retromobile against the likes of those seen in the movie Le Mans would be the three 12 volt sockets dotted around the cabin. These are there for the American market and are a gentle reminder that theGT40 can accommodate cell phone chargers and be used as a road car.

Every detail is right, even down to the dimensions of the pedal box that matches the original.

For day-to-day traffic, GT40’s clutch is a bit on the heavy side, but acceleration is smooth and consistent. Believe it or not Air-conditioning, with controls hidden in the door panel, and an immobiliser/alarm come standard!

In this particular car the 380 or so horses (285kW) come of a 392 cubic inch (6.86-litre) Ford V8 topped by a whopping great Holley carb and exhaust as per original but a bored and stroked Ford 351 option will deliver even more kick…

Stopping the beast is a massive set of Willwood callipers on big vented discs to bring braking up to modern standards, but suspension is once again a-la the original.

The Retromobile GT40 MK2 is almost too good to be true – it’s brutal, beautiful and evocative and in the controversy-filled world of real versus replica, the Retromobile GT40 MK2 is king thanks to its exact replication along with full FIA validation to compete in international historic events.

As mentioned, the Shelby Daytona Cobra that Retromobile sells is indeed a certified Shelby product. It is so good that the man who introduced the Cobra to the world way back in the sixties put his name to it. Like the GT40 this particular car is a road legal vehicle and air-conditioning comes standard and to help manoeuvre the beast on those massive Hallibrand style wheels, power steering is also stock.

The interior is surprisingly well finished while fit and finish is better than decent and once again original type gauges, in this case Stewart Warner, have been sourced to complemented the leather-rimmed MotoLita and Cobra’s various toggle switches.

The chassis is a made from round tubing and is designed for a Ford 351 (5.7-litre) Windsor motor, although This car features the bored and stroked 427 (7.2-litre) unit that’s been breathed on by Roush to produce in the region of 500Bhp (370kW). That ‘s good enough to propel this Shelby Daytona to 100km/h in around 3.8 seconds. A manual six-speed is responsible for transferring the power to the back wheels and although modern technology is on hand it somehow manages to retain that old-school notchiness.

Brakes come straight from off the latest Corvette and fully independent suspension combines with specially developed Bilstein coil-over front and rear for a brilliant ride versus handling compromise. The Shelby is not as hard as you’d think and it definitely is an alternative to the more mainstream weekend supercars.

The Noble M400 has been a success in our local market. When Lazarus Ford took up the sales and marketing of the Noble, Hi-Tech’s Jimmy Price was under the impression that Lazarus would sell seven or eight. To date, more like thirty of these monsters have driven out of that Centurion showroom in just two years…

The Noble may not boast the breeding of the other two cars here, but it has quickly asserted itself as a car to be reckoned with in the supercar world. Besides sprinting from 0 to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds the Noble is a class act in terms of finish and quality. It is not a backyard special by any means.

A Biturbo V6 churning out 320kW and 510Nm of torque to the unbelievable tune of its raspy-six exhaust note sharply followed by the whirr of the turbo and a loud pop every time you change gears…

Each change on the short throw gear lever is positive and direct, and clutch feel is as smooth as the proverbial babies bum.

Handling is the M400s next big trick. It is sublime. Although twitchy under acceleration the spaceframe chassis, sophisticated coil-over mono-tube dampers and double wishbones ensure this predictable and confidence inspiring, yet tail-happy machine is totally drivable and easily controllable. Although produced at the same facility as the GT40 and the Shelby, the Noble has a more modern feel and approach to it.

Retromobile will market Noble and the Hi-Tech GT40 MKII, Shelby and Daytona Coupe through Brad Green. All three are top quality and of an international standard and each is a thrill to drive.

Personal preference will be the decider. The GT40 looks and feels the real part of a true classic. The Coupe is a brutal car for the dreamer and the Noble dare I say it, is the most refined of the lot…