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Give automotive fans an opportunity to speak, and they are always eager to debate on which sports cars they think are the greatest and most attractive. Of course, with a seemingly endless number of cars that have been produced over the better part of a century, there are a plethora of memorable vehicles that will be tossed up in discussion. Even so, one car pretty much gets namedropped at every conversation, bearing the numbers 9-1-1. Since its inception in 1963, this iconic machine is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sports car world and has been a tour de force ever since. Whether you agree with it or not, there is no denying that Porsche has made the quintessential sports car, and there are good reasons to believe that. The question, then, is how exactly has this remarkable machine managed to remain the preeminent sports car for over half a century? Engine’s Out Back Honey
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WHY THE PORSCHE 911 IS REVERED AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL SPORTS CAR

IN Porsche, 911, Porsche 911, Sports Car, 2023, Burnpavement

Spend the best bit of 70-odd years perfecting a rear-engine, rear-drive sports car format that shouldn’t work as well as it does, and out comes out a true masterpiece.


The automotive industry as we know it is now at an impasse. Gone are the days when screaming internal combustion engines were commonplace, now being silenced, literally, by the soulless whirrs of new-fangled electric technology. Electric cars can be extremely quick and efficient, but you just cannot replicate the mechanical symphony of a fuel-burning engine. The vibrations, the aural pleasure, these are elements that define generations of petrolheads. Eliminating it, to me, is downright sacrilegious. But, like many things in nature, the art of survival finds a way to break through the monotony. And this is exactly what Toyota has done. In the face of an electric revolution, they created a true gem of a car, one that excites the senses and provides a scintillating, visceral sensation. And it’s called the GR86. The quintessential essence of what a sports car should be
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Toyota GR86 - This One's For The Fans

IN Toyota, GR86, Singapore, Reviews

The Toyota GR86 is less of a sports car and more of a love letter to car and driving enthusiasts.


Following the endurance classics at Daytona and Sebring (both USA), this marks the first and shortest sprint race of the year. Fresh from a podium finish at Sebring, BMW M Team RLL heads to California with momentum, and will again field two BMW M Hybrid V8s in the GTP class. Over in the GTD category, three BMW M4 GT3s will also line the starting grid.
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BMW Motorsport Joins Sprint Race Foray At The Start Of The IMSA Season

IN BMW Motorsport, IMSA, 2023, Season

The third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season will take place on the street circuit at Long Beach (USA) on Saturday, 15th April 2023.


Reigning FIA WEC LMGTE Am class champion TF Sport and fellow Aston Martin Racing partner teams NorthWest AMR and D’station Racing contested the 6 Hours of Portimão event on Sunday with a trio of Aston Martin Vantage GTEs. The Vantage GTE is the prototype version of the British-built race car derived from Aston Martin’s critically-acclaimed ultra-luxury sportscar and shares the same aluminium body frame and a specially-tuned version of the four-litre V8 turbo-charged production engine. Aston Martin is aiming for its first podium at Portimão on its final visit to the Portuguese track before the class switches to GT3 machinery in 2024.
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Aston Martin Vantage Aims High FIA WEC and IMSA GTD series resume

IN Aston, Martin, Aston Martin, Vantage, FIA, WEC, IMSA, GTD, Series, Racing, Race, 2023

Aston Martin’s multiple championship-winning Vantage returns to action in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the North American-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with four


Though ingress and egress wasn’t exactly a cinch, I’m happy to report that it is rather easily doable without having to worry about throwing one’s back out, which is more than can be said about some other low-slung sporty/sports sedans and coupes. At over half a million dollars before COE, the 911 Carrera finds itself going up against the likes of the BMW M3 and M4, an historic rivalry that still continues to this day. From a practicality standpoint, the Bimmers naturally have the upper hand, but they’re both sedan-based and taller, whereas the Porsche is ground-up a lower-slung sports coupe. Outside
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Porsche 911 Carrera - Base Isn’t <i>Just</i> Base

IN Porsche, 911 Carrera, 992

The 992 Generation of the 911 Carrera shows why it is still THE daily-drivable premium sports coupe.


On top of offering a free trial for their streaming app, SPOTV NOW, fans can enjoy 2 weeks of live streaming on SPOTV NOW for free when they sign up during the period of 22nd March – 4th April 2023. This will not only garner free access to catch all of the action from the highly anticipated opening MotoGPTM race in Portugal and MotoGPTM Argentina race, but also the Formula E Prix in Sao Paulo Brazil. 2023 is poised to be the biggest year of premier class motorcycle racing yet, as the 2023 MotoGP™ World Championship will not only mark the 75th edition in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship, but also the 1000th Grand Prix at Le Mans in May.
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SPOTV kickstarts 2023 MotoGPTM Season with free trial on SPOTV NOW

IN SPOTV, 2023 MotoGPTM, Season, Free trial, SPOTV NOW

Sports fans in Southeast Asia are in for a treat as leading sports entertainment platform, SPOTV, kicks off the new MotoGPTM season this week.


The Kia Stinger first made its debut way back in January 2017, and it took the world by storm. A Korean sports sedan that wants to challenge the likes of other prominent German brands, were they insane? Oh yes they were, and it truly paid off. Designated as a performance liftback sedan, the Korean model actually became a worthy opponent to some more well-known German cars. Think something something S5, M5 and E43 . Even with impressive performance figures and practicality, sales of the Stinger were lacklustre worldwide. Competitive pricing by others meant the Stinger never got the spotlight it deserved, and the fact it has a “Kia” badge on the front didn’t help either.
Happenings

2023 Kia Stinger Tribute Edition Marks End of Production Run

IN Kia, Stinger, Tribute, Edition, Final, 1000

Limited to 1,000 units, say goodbye to one of the most underrated sports sedans on the market.


Since its unveiling in 2019, the Model Y has become the best-selling electric SUV in the world, and is currently one of the safest cars on the road thanks to perfect 5-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). With Tesla’s latest addition to its fleet, it marks a critical step in the company’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy in the city.
Happenings

Tesla Begins Model Y Deliveries in Singapore

IN Tesla, Model Y, SUVs, EVs

Tesla’s long-awaited compact sports utility vehicle finally hits the roads here.


In Singapore, eMotorsports has even greater significance, given our lack of any racing scene (karts and grassroots gymkhana/autcross aside). Disappointingly, manufacturer-backed eSports events are extremely thin on the ground here, with one of the few being Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Gran Turismo Cup.
Happenings

Toyota Gazoo Racing Gran Turismo Cup returns to Singapore for 2022

IN Toyota, Gazoo Racing, Supra, Yaris, GR86, Gran Turismo, Sim racing, Simulators, Esports

Catch Singapore’s fastest sim racers battle it out in the Toyota GR86, Yaris, and Supra.


Ok, so it isn’t a full-fat M car like the M3 or M5, but rather a warmed-over M Performance model, like the M340i and M440i. Hence the double digit number in the M badge, and the demure bodywork. Still, with the ease with which electric drivetrains develop power, the i4 M50 is the brawniest model in the 3/4 Series range… For a very short while at least. One of its driving modes is called Sport Boost, which unlocks the car’s full 400kW/544hp and 795Nm of torque for up to 10 seconds at a time, a fair bit more than the M3 and M4 Competition’s 510hp and 650Nm. Otherwise, the i4 M50 normally puts out 350kW/476hp, and 730Nm.
Happenings

BMW i4 M50 launched in Singapore

IN BMW, I4, EV, BMW M

The first all-electric model from the company's performance sub-brand made its local debut at the BMW M Driving Experience


The SUV in question is the Škoda Kodiaq vRS. The latter suffix is the Czech carmaker’s performance sub-brand, not unlike BMW’s M division or Mercedes-AMG. Perhaps, Škoda parent company Volkswagen’s GTI range might be closer to the concept of vRS. Speaking of which, vRS apparently stands for “victory Rally Sport” and the other fun fact is that the vee in vRS is actually supposed to be silent! So it’s simply referred to as, ‘RS’. In fact, in Škoda’s official communications, the the v is omitted altogether. It seems that not only is the ‘v’ silent, it’s invisible, too.
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Bear market: Skoda Kodiaq vRS review

IN Skoda, Kodiaq, RS, VRS, SUV, Performance SUV

Skoda’s renown vRS performance line expands to its flagship SUV


Toyota also revived the Supra to much acclaim, but although it’s the flagship of a now thriving Gazoo Racing sub-brand, one thing about it stood out compared to its lesser brethren: it was not available with a manual transmission.
Happenings

Toyota GR Supra to get manual transmission

IN Toyota, Supra, GR Supra, Gazoo Racing, Save The Manuals

Toyota goes doubles down on the #savethemanuals movement, but what does this mean for BMW?


Described as a British car that’s been “raised globally”, the Eletre was designed and engineered by several teams in the UK, Sweden and Germany, and will be the first Lotus built outside Britain - in a brand new factory in Wuhan, China. Don’t forget of course that Lotus is now owned by Geely, as is Volvo and its luxury EV offshoot Polestar.
Happenings

The Lotus Eletre is a 600hp, 2-tonne, all-electric inevitability.

IN Lotus, Eletre, EV, SUV

Lotus’s first ever five-door car is a Lamborghini/Aston Martin/Ferrari-rivalling hyper-SUV.


The redesigned model will come in seven colours, including WR Blue Pearl which is unique to the Subaru brand (in other words, not available with the Toyota GR86 – which is available in Neptune and Trueno Blue in other markets).
Happenings

BRZ to arrive in Singapore soon

The second-generation BRZ is due here soon. The 2.4-litre boxer engine in the new BRZ will push out 232 bhp and 250Nm of torque.


Eurokars Group is well known for premium automotive brands in Singapore. Now, Pagani Automobili joins the portfolio that includes McLaren, Porsche and Rolls-Royce sold by the multi-brand car company. Eurokars Supersports Pte. Ltd. is looking to grow the Pagani brand in Singapore and Southeast Asia while serving existing clients locally and regionally. In the world of exotic hyper cars, a brand like Pagani is regarded for a level of artisanal quality, performance, and exclusivity and often compared to rarefied competitors such as Bugatti and Koenigsegg. Although Bugatti can't be registered for road use, the Swedish-made Koenigseggs have been known to transact in the region of SGD 5 million.
Happenings

Pagani zooms into Leng Kee...

IN Pagani, Singapore, Eurokars, Leng Kee

... with its new official dealer Eurokars Supersports Pte. Ltd.


This time however, the LC 500 finds itself in a slightly different world. By the time COE and a few options such as an alloy wheel or paint colour of your choice are added the new 992-generation Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, you’d be knocking on the door of $700k. There is however, an even better reason to be considering this car, the LC 500 Convertible. If you want the purity of a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, this is the only game in town. To the uninitiated, this means that there’s less plumbing to get in the way of the exhaust noise to make its way out.
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A V8 to Savour | Lexus LC 500 Convertible

IN Lexus, LC, LC500, Lexus LC, Lexus LC500, Convertible, Lexus LC Convertible, Lexus LC500 Convertible, Borneo Motors

We may never get to hear a V8 unadulterated by turbochargers again. That alone is reason enough to buy this car while we still can.


Available at launch (and shown in these pictures) is the Morgan Plus Six, a 3.0-litre six-cylinder two-seater roadster with a starting price of S$415,888 without Certificate of Entitlement; NB Auto has confirmed that the Plus Six has cleared the Land Transport Authority’s homologation process.
Happenings

British sports car maker Morgan arrives in Singapore

IN Morgan, Singapore, Sports cars, New cars, Launch

355hp, S$415k (w/o COE) Morgan Plus Six heralds the 112-year old company’s first-ever official presence here; S$325k Plus Four to follow in Q2 2021.


That’s where the S60 T8 R-Design comes in. It’s the most powerful Volvo you can buy today, with the sort of on-paper figures that might give warm sports saloons like the Audi S4, BMW M340i, and Mercedes-AMG C43 a right old scare: 402hp, 640Nm of torque and 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds. Except, the S60 doesn’t follow your traditional sports saloon recipe. It’s a plug-in hybrid you see, which means a twin-charged 315hp 2.0-litre engine driving the front wheels, and an 87hp electric motor powering the rears. And that, I’m afraid, is the S60’s undoing as a performance car.
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Plugged In | Volvo S60 T8 R-Design

IN Volvo, S60, Volvo S60, Hybrid, Plug-in hybrid, PHEV

402hp makes the new S60 T8 plug-in hybrid the most powerful Volvo ever sold in Singapore. But is that enough to make it compelling for keen drivers?


Similarly, when it comes to tyres, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a brand that was completely new to me. Davanti, is a relatively new UK-based tyre company which designs and develops its products in Great Britain.
The Pit

Silent Screamer | Davanti DX640 Tyre Review

Psst! Want to know the best-kept secret in Ultra High-Performance tyres? Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the Davanti DX640.


With the exposure brought by professional drivers around the world blurring the line between racing in the real and virtual worlds, it’s clear that sim racing is here to stay, and we hope, expand further in 2021 to offer more aspiring racers an alternative path into a racing cockpit.
Happenings

From couch to cockpit: why sim racing isn’t child’s play

IN Porsche, Sim racing, Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo, E-sports, Gaming, Simulators

Growing manufacturer support highlights how much sim racing has grown in 2020, with Porsche Asia Pacific recently concluding its first eSports racing tournament.



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