Inside Lane

“Blast From The Past”

Issue 29 BWM 328

Hello folks and welcome to another issue of the Inside Lane magazine. This month we bring you great and bountiful gifts in form of the latest news from the automotive forefront. Aston Martin rolls out the V12 Zagato, BMW create a 328 Homage, Ferrari revive the Superamerica nameplate and much more...

Also we have launched our new reviews page on the site that now offers an even easier way to view our opinions on the cars we got the keys to.

The Pikes Peak hill climb event is

hotly contested by a vast array of

machines. Everything from trucks to

hatchbacks, concepts to custom built

rally cars all fight for the fastest time

over some of the most treacherous

terrain. Amongst these entrants will

be an unlikely candidate from the

much mocked brand of Dacia. Don’t

write it off however as it packs more

power than Lamborghini’s new

Aventador.

Based upon the Dacia Duster this car

is named the “No Limit” and has an

incredible 838BHP crammed into its

body. Dacia’s links with Nissan

means that the GT-R’s 3.8 litre V6

engine is actually what is under the

bonnet. The 26th of June is when this

car will launch its bid to be crowned

king of the hill. Don’t go thinking that

a car with a spoiler this big doesn’t

take itself seriously, they are here to

win.

POWER

POWER

POWER!

The Monster Within...

“500 BHP, more than enough to put you in your place”

The German’s… Stereotypically

efficient, logical and always on time.

Over the past few decades building

cars has become a particular

strength as today people will climb

over each other to get the keys to a

solid piece of engineering wearing a

BMW, Audi or Mercedes badge.

Another word you would use to

describe German cars is sensible,

well that was until now as Audi

smash that trait with the A1 Clubsport

Quattro.

Serving as a precursor to the S1 to be revealed later this year this Concept car is nothing short of epic. It’s

aggressive rally styled bodywork is more than enough to scare children aged 7 and under. The beating

heart of this little upstart is a 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine that produces an almighty 496BHP. 496BHP in a

car small enough to be mistaken for a shoe!!! The end result is a power to weight ratio of 356.8BHP/tonne,

incredible. Torque is also of biblical proportions with 487lb-ft. Even more impressive is this cars 0-62MPH

time of 3.7 seconds making it the second fastest accelerating car in Audi’s range after the R8 V10.

Lotus VS Lotus

Formula One may be the worlds largest

annual spectacle trotting the globe at

200MPH but at the end of the day it is still

a business. The teams must fulfill their

contractual obligations from their

sponsors in order to gain revenue and in

turn build a car. Naturally the sport is

shrouded in politics and the biggest who-

ha of the past year has been between

Team Lotus and Group Lotus. To set the

record Team Lotus, green and yellow,

borrowed the name Lotus Racing last year

from Group Lotus. Groups Lotus, black

and gold/ responsible for Lotus road cars,

then entered F1 this year and revoked the

use of the name Lotus Racing as they

were in the sport. Team Lotus changed

their name to what it is today resulting in

the vast legal battle of “who is Lotus?”

Today a judge came to a conclusion…

The results are in and we have a winner.

After months of throwing punches it has

been establish that Group Lotus who build

the road cars are the undisputed owners

of the name “Lotus” and are free to race in

the iconic livery. No other team can call

their cars “Lotus” on its own. Team Lotus

have been allowed to keep their new

name for use in F1 only and have also had

to pay damages to Group Lotus for breach

of contract. Team Lotus can not brand their

new ownership of Catherham as a “Lotus”

product and only Group Lotus may use the

Lotus insignia.

So that is the end of that? Noooo, don’t be

silly! Of course Team Lotus want to

appeal.

British Beauty

The Italian’s are well known for making

great food and having vast quantities of

culture. But an Italian at their best is

when they have a pencil in their hand.

Many beautiful designs have been

crafted by these people on something as

mortal as paper and in the motoring

worlds their art is just as valued.

Legendary design house Zagato has

pared with Aston Martin once again to

create something rather special.

This is the Aston Martin V12 Zagato and

it is both beauty and the beast!

The delectably sculpted body really is

something to admire as it pulls of the

juxtaposition of aggression and

elegance. This car marks 50 years since

the last Zagato-Aston collaboration. The

signature double bubble roof, gaping

side vents and assertive lights all add to

the theatre of this car that we absolutely

love. It is powered by the V12 Vantages

engine but Aston Martin say that this is

just a taste of what is to come as a GT3

racing variant will take to the track very

soon.

If enough interest is generated the

British company say that the V12 Zagato

will make a limited production run.

BMW 328

The Mille Miglia is one of the most

prestigious races in history. The road race

today comes in many forms but back in the

day it was all about who got to the finish first

and that meant averaging a high top speed.

Till this day BMW hold the record set in 1940

by their 328. 75 years later and the race

bred machine hits the twenty-first century

with a bang.

The is the BMW 328 Hommage and it has to

be one of the most beautiful designs on

wheels not just this decade but ever.

Somehow the clash of old and new forms

this angelic carbon fibre based sculpture

that is just awe-inspiring. Taking elements

from the original car make it undoubtabley

its modern day incarnation. The 328 is

powered by a 3.0 litre 6 cylinder engine and

its wide aggressive stance dominates the

road beneath it.

Sadly BMW has no intentions to build this

car to a number any greater than one but

then I guess like diamonds thinks of rare

beauty are hard to obtain.

Ferrari’s are a symbol of wealth and status on the road.

Regardless of whether you value them as performance

machines or not the bottom line is that everyone knows

what the prancing horse represents. But with places

such as Abu Dhabi sporting so many Italian stallions the

ultra exclusive models are the ones to keep an eye on.

Remember the 575 Superamerica? Well Ferrari have

just unveiled the car in its new reincarnation.

Based on the 599 this beauty is called the

Superamerica 45 and is a one off built in-house by

Ferrari. The roof, much like the 575, is one single piece

that folds back or can be stored in the boot when

detached. Why the 45? Well the man who

commissioned the car is using it to commemorate the

fact that he bought his first Ferrari 45 years ago. Other

unique features include those delectable chrome/body

colour rims, new side vents and revised rear quarters.

Ferrari Superamerica 45

Feeling The BUZZElectric car incentives are popping up

left, right and centre in a bid to make

the world a greener place.

Governments are offering to pay for a

chunk of the car, dealers striking off

VAT and guarantees on batteries longer

than that on many components of a

conventional car. The Nissan Leaf is

doing particularly well with strong sales

in Europe and just yesterday claimed 5

starts in the NCAP crash tests. Now we

hear that Leaf owners can fill up for free

in London.

Charging an electric car doesn’t cost very much at all, the Leaf can do 100 miles worth of travel

for about £3. Despite this low cost if you live within 40 miles from a London charging point and

you have just bought a Leaf you are entitled to one year’s worth of free charging. This deal has

been struck up between Source London charging and Nissan themselves to provide further

enticement for prospective electric car owners.

Topless Model...

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is by far and away

one of our favorite supercars on the market today.

Offering luxury and relentless power the GT with

those Legendary gullwing doors naturally has a

waiting list longer than Farther Christmas’ beard.

The car was designed from the offset to be both

coupe and convertible and so when the roadster

goes on sale later this year performance will

remain unhindered.

Officially revealed the SLS Roadster packs the

same 563BHP punch as the coupe and can get

from standing to 62MPH in 3.8 seconds. Top speed

sits at just under 200MPH thanks to weighing just

40KG more than the coupe. The roof can do its

thing in just 11 seconds and as long as you are

traveling at under 30MPH the SLS is more than

happy to do it on the move. Boot space only drops

by 3 litres with the roof down making the

transformation from coupe to convertible a

stereotypically German “efficient” affair.