Issue Twenty-Four

In This Issue

Ferrari 430 Scuderia – The unique features of the 430 Scuderia truly transform this car into a much more focussed supercar.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage – The sound of the V12 is spine tingling.
Audi R8 – Unique styling is still breathtaking and has aged extremely well.
Porsche Cayman GT4 – The Porsche of 2015 in detail along with the problems caused by limited production and ‘qualified buyers’.
BMW 1M Detailing Guide -Mike at Minutia Detailing in Croydon goes into detail about working on one of the modern M-Power greats.

Note from the Editor

We thought we’d bring 2016 in with a bang by featuring the best cars from Ferrari, Aston Martin and Audi in the last decade. All three are formidable ownership prospects, providing that supercar experience and relative stability in values for the foreseeable future.

The 430 Scuderia was Ferrari’s replacement for the epic Challenge Stradale and it didn’t disappoint. It still featured a sonorous V8 mounted mid ship, this time coupled to the F1 automated manual, which is actually a perfect partner to the powerplant. The differences from the standard F430 totally transform the car, making it a perfect road and track partner. The carbon seats and direct steering really do connect you to the road like few other cars. The secret is out though, from the beginning it was praised by all, which is why you’ll struggle to find one significantly below the original sticker price. I believe it still represents excellent value for money, as Ferrari are now restricted to turbo charged engines and exploring electronic wizardry.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage was a truly special car from the British marque, they took arguably their greatest and most successful model of all time and added a touch of thuggery by shoehorning a whopping great 5.9 litre V12 in place of the 4.7 litre V8. Such behaviour is normally reserved for the upstarts and more bespoke manufacturers. True, the added weight did take away some of the finesse of the Vantage, but I think it more than compensated with the soundtrack and ungodly acceleration on tap from the baby Aston in any gear and at any speed. The limited run V12 Vantage convertible was the one that many were waiting for, Aston didn’t disappoint. They released 101 cars, all of which quickly found homes among fans. The V12 Vantage S, which took away the manual transmission and replaced it with an automated manual is also a great car, it offers a different experience to the earlier model but it is just as intoxicating and memorable. We feature it side by side with the convertible in this issue.

Raj Hunjan