CAR PCOTY

British car magazine, CAR, whose editors proclaim on the cover that they offer the definitive view, has named their Performance Car of the Year.

If you're looking for consistently sound opinion, CAR may not be the place for you. Once known and perhaps even renowned for a magazine that centred on dynamic peformance, CAR has evolved into what seems to be a car-as-a-conversation-piece style magazine, with none other than Piers Morgan contributing.

Nevertheless, the PCOTY feature is certainly suggested reading. The Audi R8 was joined in the final three by the BMW M3 and Honda's Civic Type R. The Audi overcame some high-strung group members (Caterham 7 R400, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3 RS) and the M3 and Civic didn't put up enough of a challenge.

Having already battled the Renault Clio F1 Team R27, Vauxhall Corsa VXR, and a Mini Cooper with Works package, the CTR was relegated in the final round despite obvious credentials. "A great hot hatch.... but not quite torquey or communicative enough to feel really special in this company," said the judges.

And the M3? CAR says: "Because, as good as it is, it doesn't move the M3 game on massively. Yes, it's quicker than the old car, more refined, practical and as sideways as ever, but we expect all those things from the M3."

So the R8 takes the crown. One paragraph by Chris Chilton makes very clear the overall reasoning for Audi's win. "And then I pointed the R8 home and knew we picked the right car..... The icy white markings on the dials glowed back from the dash, the Bang and Olufsen hi-fi murmured quietly, and I tried to figure out how this car costs only £76,000. It's still a lot of money in anyone's reckoning, but not for a car of this calibre. In the context of an M3 that costs £50K, a Lamborghini that shares many of the R8's parts and costs over three times as much, and a Porsche that costs £94K but can't be driven in the rain, the R8 easily cements its place as a worthy winner."

In order of their lap times around the Cadwell Park circuit (as driven by British Touring car great Matt Neal), here are CAR's candidates and a brief summary by CAR and the inevitable GoodCarBadCar take as well.

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PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS: "Even Neal thought it was too hot to handle; naturally we wanted to marry it." GCBC says: "A regular GT3 is enough 911+, the RS adds way too much cost for way too little improvement."

CATERHAM 7 R400: "Like being hardwired into the tarmac; if lapping circuits is your thing, nothing beats it." GCBC says: "Proof that a little less weight will do you good."

LAMBORGHINI SUPERLEGGERA: "Couldn't beat the GT3 on the road but was even more exciting on track." GCBC says: "Amazing that extreme examples of extreme cars can face such competition now, such as the GT3 RS, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and 911 GT2."

AUDI R8: As happy chasing Lambo's on the track as tailing eVextra's on the M25. Brilliant." GCBC says: "Audi now has more than power, looks, and Quattro on its side; the R8 is a pure driving experience."

BMW M3: "We still don't like the steering but what fun - and what an engine!" GCBC says: "The original M3 had a four fewer cylinders and a lot less luxury....."

SUBARU IMPREZA RB320: "Last of the saloon Impreza's divided opinion. Mighty fast but hard work." GCBC says: "Showcasing passion that may never be revealed on the new WRX's or STi's."

NISSAN 350Z: "Quick, but far from the sideways here at Cadwell its roundabout antics suggest." GCBC says: "The Z, as usual, laps with the big dogs for a substantially smaller cash outlay and looks good doing it."

AUDI S5: "Old style Audi - safe and competent but not fun on track; A5 TDI better on road." GCBC says: "Not fun on track, true. But stinking fast and heart-wrenchingly beautiful."

VAUXHALL VXR8: "Bargain V8 saloon better on road than on track." GCBC says: "What was CAR expecting? I'm expecting the Pontiac G8 to be very good indeed."


HONDA CIVIC TYPE R: "Almost racer-like in its responses but amazing VTEC engine needs another 40 bhp." GCBC says: "Needs a communicative chassis and steering before it needs another 40 horsepower, but it looks sweet."

RENAULT CLIO 197 F1 TEAM R27: "A proper oldschool hot hatch and great at Cadwell; but hardwork on the road." GCBC says: "If the weight remained equal to that of the old Clio, then the long-titled new Clio would be in with a shout."

MINI COOPER S WORKS: "Great to look at but minimal power increase from Works kit and poor under braking." GCBC says: "Pray the Mini brand doesn't go soft. It hasn't... yet."

VAUXHALL CORSA VXR: "Torquey engine and smooth ride great on road but VXR outclassed on circuit." GCBC says: "Have you seen this little sucker go 'round the Nurburgring?"

CAR DESIGN PART I

So all the AutoCAD has got you down. Car styling ain't what it used to be. I remember when every new model year meant significant changes, say you. They didn't used to explain why it looked good, you just knew when you laid eyes on the car, say others.

Well, I wondered. And I wondered. And I wondered some more. And then I edited some pictures to (mainly) show the profile of a dozen or more vehicles. Plenty of people suggest that a typical midsize sedan, especially those built in Japan or America, or just carbon copies. The designer of the Nissan 350Z said, on that car's debut, that a car's design impact derives from a singular profile line.

I'm going to show you the profiles of multiple "family" cars, all priced under $30,000. Then you can look at the profiles of multiple mid-engined, high-dollar sports cars. Where has design evolved the most? Where has modernity struck heaviest? Who designs with cookie cutters? Which design group resides 'in the box'? Does anybody?

INEXPENSIVE FAMILY VEHICLES

MID-ENGINED SPORTS CARS

From the top: Citroen C5, Nissan Altima, Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Saturn Astra, Koenigsegg CCX and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.

LAMBORGHINI MAY NEED FRANCHISEE - WILL PRODUCE ESTOQUE

On the same day Lamborghini lets out that the Estoque four-door concept will be produced (thank goodness), the planet's best-selling Lamborghini dealership announces its doors will close. Shut. Lock. Firmly.

Santa Ana, California's Lambo store accounts for 10% of worldwide sales. Imagine for a second that were true of a Chevrolet dealer. Okay, now picture the profits attributed to this one dealership. Now picture Lamborghini's consternation at the thought of that dealer closing up. Okay, now start collecting donations from your friend so you can re-open that very same Lamborghini dealer. Because quite clearly, sales were not the issue.

True, Lamborghini doesn't sell a lot of cars. Typically, however, the vehicles sold cost above $200,000 and sometimes close to $400,000. Usually, OC Lamborghini could sell 240 cars per annum in modern Lambo times. With a middling profit margin of, say, 4%, OC Lamborghini would easily pull in more than $2,000,000. You could nudge that 4% upward safely and nudge up the earnings for "used" Lamborghinis and and servicing too. 

So, real estate issues are the suspected culprit. Many formerly rich Californians are just that: formerly rich. Perhaps the issues affecting OC Lamborghini are completely disconnected from sub-prime meltdowns. Nevertheless, there's never been a better opportunity to confront Lamborghini brass with a few million in coin with a suggestion that you run the OC Lambo biz. Get on the phone.

OTHER EXOTIC POLICE CARS

Don't take any of these as a serious part of your local police force's method for tracking you down next time you crack 100 in a 60. The Caparo T1 police-edition inspired me to find some other great "paint-and-lights" jobs, most of which are publicity stunts to one degree or another.

500+ bhp Lamborghini Gallardo's do a fantastic job of transporting kidneys and livers down the autostrada. All-wheel drive helps the driver ignore the rain, too.


High horsepower numbers is not a part of the Lotus Exige game. Granted, the S version isn't exactly a weakling. But for crossing the Yorkshire Moors behind too-fast Mitsu Evo's and Subie STi's, nothing will work as well as Lotus' racer for the road.



Brabus is a renowned Mercedes-Benz tuner, probably the most famous aftermarket Benz manufacturer now that AMG is in-house. The Brabus Rocket truly shares characteristics with a high-powered space machine - humanity has never moved so fast (730 horsepower, 360km/h) in a sedan before. Oh... forgot, Mercedes calls it a coupe. Sorry, Benz. It ranked #1 in yesterday's Top 5 Cars Bought for Beauty. You won't see Brabus CLS Rocket's cruising by your 330d on the autobahn but you will see it used as a German tool (like the Techart 911 below) to encourage safe tuning of automobiles.


More than the CLS or Exige - but perhaps less than the Gallardo or Caparo - this 911 really handles the polizei livery quite nicely. I'm not a 911 drooler; but I am a Porsche respecter. And this 911 looks about as good as any.

I'm curious to know why the car enthusiast world gets so enthusiastic over a fast police car, whether it reaches your local constabulary or not. Drop a line to goodcarbadcar@gmail.com or share your thoughts with the GCBC Nation by clicking the Comments button below.

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4 FOR ITALIAN POLIZIA - 20 PICTURES

I know exactly what you're thinking: apparently the Italian troopers were insatiable. The regular Gallardo wasn't good enough? In 2004, a Lamborghini Gallardo began a stint in the police service with tasks that - generally speaking - weren't related to tracking down high-octane speeders. Transporting organs for transplants was one of the Gallardo's more likely tasks, in theory. 

That first Gallardo has almost 88,000 miles on its odometer. A second Gallardo used in more northern areas since '05 has almost clocked almost 70,000 miles.

Check out the older Gallardo along with other wild police vehicles here 

and here along with police vehicle suggestions here

Apparently Lamborghini and the polizia believed more everything was required. The upgraded LP560-4 features 59 more horses than the original Gallardo with fewer pounds to propel. Thirty officers are trained in driving the Gallardo as well as in the use of its medical equipment. Thus, police personnel accustomed to Fiat Bravos won't be seen steering the LP560-4 off a cliff at 200mph.

FOUR DOOR LAMBORGHINI ESTOQUE IN PICTURES

Along came the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, and.... multiple drum rolls pleeeeeeeeez.... the Lamborghini Estoque. 

Sporting four doors, a sporting reputation, and a super-luxury pricetag, this segment is about to be blown wide open by a Lamborghini four-door that is oh-so-very Lamborghini. It's modern, aggressive, and unlike anything else available to mankind. Expect all-wheel drive and a high-octane V10, although Lambo is good at surprises.

L'Auto Journal has pics. Because of poor quality, GoodCarBadCar.net has switched them to B&W and boosted the colour a bit. This'll help show off the lines.

YOUTUBE AUTOMOTIVE

Google says that YouTube videos were viewed 9 billion times in July. 382,000,000 of those 9,000,000,000 were automobile related. D'as right - people love to watch cars. So do you, because you are people. And so here's an opportunity: follow this link to a German-language video on YouTube of one very strong man holding back a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Typically, GoodCarBadCar likes to embed the videos so you don't escape from the GCBC Nation, but today you're allowed to leave if you promise to return. The video isn't short, but as per typical YouTube clips; it ain't long either.

This man isn't pulling a Lamborghini, oh no. That's easy. I mean, anybody can do that. Dude is actually restraining the Murcielago, which, with constant high revs from its high-horsepower engine, eventually roasted the clutch.

Murcielago's never possess anything less than 572 horsepower. Once the clutch on the Murci' dies, its predecessor enters the ring. The Diablo forces the man to let go of his hold. But only after much smoking of tires and revolutions of engine.

MILLION $ BODYKIT BY LAMBORGHINI

Lamborghini loves to name its cars after bulls. Reventon killed Felix Guzman in Mexico back in 1943. So, in typical outrageous Ferruccio Lamborghini style, the Audi/Volkswagen-owned Italian supercar maker debuted a Murcielago offshoot named..... wait for it.... the Reventon.




Curiously, the Reventon costs $1.4million USD. There will be but 20 Lambo Reventons. Even more curiously, the Reventon has 650 horses, all-wheel drive, and a 6-speed transmission. Same as the Murcielago LP640 with a really small smidgen of extra horsepower. But it costs more than a million extra dollars. What is this new body made of? Gold? Gold-encrusted diamonds with platinum accents?

I love a Lambo as much as the next horsepower-hungry junkie. However, I can't justify this purchase. I was doing some calculations, see. And here's the issue. If I were to pay for the Murcielago LP640 over a 60-month period at a 7.42% interest rate and the 14% sales tax I'm stuck with in my neighbourhood; with nothing down and no trade-in; the payment would be a somewhat manageable $7295.98. But for the bodykitted Reventon, I'd be stuck with a payment of $26,600. And that's with no interest. Lamborghini Financial may not be comfortable with that part of the scheme.

This is the meanest looking Lambo available, though. Nasty. Vicious.

LAMBORGHINI LP560 - NEW BEST VIDEO ON THE WEB

Lamborghini knows what they're doing. Man, they can design a car. Man, they can engineer an engine. And my goodness, but do their vehicles ever look good in motion. This recent addition to YouTube (barely) makes it through as GoodCarBadCar's best video on the internet. Good humour, amazing footage, great car, all-around awesomeness. 

For the previous unofficial title holder, check out this Subaru Impreza on the mountain with snowboarders. Wicked. 

DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT..

Believe this guy, Stephan Winkelmann. He says, "The future is less about adding horsepower and more about improving the power-to-weight ratio. We need to get the weight down, use different materials, and improve performance and drivability."

Perhaps you trust The Good Car Guy enough to believe him automatically. But if you must have a second opinion, there it is. Mr. Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. 'Nuff said.

If you, by any chance, become or are the Prez of a supercar maker - especially one as wild and aggressive as Lamborghini - then feel free to make the case for increasing horsepower. Otherwise, take what Mr. Winkelmann has said and run with it.

Here's the case: Almost every new car is heavier than the one it replaces. It is a rare treat to discover a new vehicle that weighs similarly to its predecessor, and a special delicacy when a vehicle weighs less than its forefather. For auto manufacturers to cover up their weight increases, they add power and torque. If they didn't, cars would be getting progressively slower with each successive generation.

Looking around at the cars of my family members, it's an easy thing to spot. My mother's car is a 170-horsepower Pontiac, since replaced by a vehicle with 200. My father's Subaru was replaced by a vehicle with 79 more horsepower available. My brother's car has 40 more horses than its progenitor.

The technology and research automakers possess in 2007 makes 10 or 20 or 30 more horses a somewhat easy thing to come by. Nevertheless, horsepower does cost money. And if the only investment into engine tech was to increase the internal combustion engine's efficiency, the lightweight materials divisions would receive an infusion of cash.

That's not just what I'm saying, the CEO of Lamborghini agrees. Take your car, however slow or fast, and strip 100kg away. Your car will be faster. Lamborghini has made good on their CEO's statement. The Gallardo Superleggera will save 22 pounds over the regular Gallardo in Europe. It will have better handling, more speed, and nicer steering. Can't complain.