Issue Thirty Five
In This Issue
Dodge Viper ACR – One of the most focussed track cars to come out of the US.
KTM X-Bow – Carbon fibre monocoque construction and aero design sets the X-Bow apart from the rivals.
Mercedes-Benz CLK63 Black Series – The large capacity, normally aspirated AMG engine is a masterpiece and sounds epic.
Lotus Exige Sport 380 – The Exige Sport 380 is definitely not for the timid. It boasts a potent power-to-weight ratio of 352 bhp per ton, the new, pure-bred Lotus has been conceived to out perform and out manoeuvre supercars.
Market Update – We take a look back at how the year has fared in the classic and sportscar market.
Print
The digital version of the magazine is available here
Note from the Editor
This months selection of cars is very special indeed. All three are icons. Some would regard them as being ’left field’, but their abilities on tarmac should earn them mainstream appreciation, in my opinion. The limited supply of these cars and their special nature ensures their collectibility now and in the future.
The first car is the Dodge Viper ACR. ACR stands for American Club Racer, which gives a very clear indication of the car’s intentions. It is the ultimate track orientated V10 sledgehammer from Dodge. Every inch of the car has been overhauled and honed for circuit driving. The aero is one of the most aggressive packages to ever feature on a road car. I love the fact that this American car still houses a mammoth 8.4 Litre V10 under the hood, I can’t think of another car in production with such a large capacity power unit. This feature sadly is probably the reason why Dodge have decided to discontinue the Viper altogether when this generation is phased out. Emissions play a huge part in the cars and direction of automotive makers. What this means is the desirability of the last extreme Viper will remain strong indefinitely, there will not be another. If you’ve always hankered after a Dodge Viper, my advice is to order one of these now while you still can!
The KTM X-Bow (pronounced crossbow) is one of those cars that looks like it has come from another planet, totally alien to what people expect a car to look like. Our owner contributor Tanvir hasn’t had his that long and he is still in shock by how much attention it draws on the road, from everyone, not just car nuts. It’s ability on track is unrivaled for the money and its trick aero design and carbon tub construction make it a very special piece of kit to own and drive.
The third car is a bit of a black sheep, the Black Series edition of the CLK63 is for all intents and purposes a track orientated car, yet the value of them means that most will never have seen a track mile. Everything about the CLK63 Black Series is exquisite, the engineering and build make it almost jewel-like, I see it more as a high end luxury watch, you know it can dive to 500 metres, but the chance of you actually testing that is pretty unlikely!
Raj Hunjan
