Search Results

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

New

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.

This is also the first time the Philippine national anthem, Bayang Magiliw, was played during a professional podium ceremony. 18-year-old Bianca, racing in the #16 PREMA, had an exceptional weekend in Valencia, showcasing her impressive skills and determination.

Bustamante began her weekend with excellent performances in both Free Practice sessions and continued her form into Qualifying, setting faster lap times each time around the 4km Grand Prix circuit. However, despite securing P2 and P5 in both race grid-setting sessions respectively, she was later classified P8 in Q1 and P13 in Q2 due to post-session lap time deletions caused by track limit infringements.

New

Milestone weekend for Bianca Bustamante in Valencia with maiden career victory

IN Bianca Bustamante, Valencia, Victory, Asian, 2023, F1, Academy

The second round of the 2023 F1 Academy series witnessed a historic moment as Filipina racing driver Bianca Bustamante secured her maiden victory in Race 2.

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

New

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.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are undoubtedly the future for the automobile – at least for the next decade anyways, until governments and manufacturers come around to e-fuels…

However until then, if or when, the car industry is firmly committed to producing EVs. Like everyone else, I’m all for anything that is an improvement over whatever it replaces and so EVs ticks almost all the boxes.

One very big box that remains unchecked, however, is the business of charging. If you are an apartment dweller like me, who doesn’t have regular access to a personal wall box or is using your EV for a road trip, then you’ll know that you have to set up an account with the charging provider, and store your credit card number. And since there are several operators, it would be prudent to hold several accounts to minimize the chances of not being able to charge your EV when need to.

Oh, on road trips, charging stops have to be planned lest you be stranded with a dead EV.

Compare this with the convenience of refuelling conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars. The drive down the I-5 to Los Angeles takes you through one of the most uninhabited places in California. Yet, you could still find a gas station with no more than 25 miles between them.

You can drive up to any station, use any method of payment, including cash – imagine that, fill up and be on your way for the next 400 miles or so. All in 10 minutes or less.

While EV charging technology is getting faster, and over time will be more common, the business of paying for the charge is ridiculously complicated to paying at the pump. No amount needed, just hand over your money and go. How is this progress?

Okay, I’m sure someone is working on making EV charging more convenient. Wake me up when September ends.

Testing the hybrid theory

Until charging an EV becomes as convenient as refuelling, perhaps hybrid cars will be relevant in the sense that they offer all the advantages of an EV without the drawbacks. This proved to be the case when I drove a 2023 BMW 330e from Los Gatos to Los Angeles.

The car was chosen on the assumption that its 107hp electric motor would be sufficient for pottering around the city while the 181hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine would have the legs to handle the endless stretches of Interstate Freeways without breaking a sweat. Working in tandem with the electric motor, there’s a combined output of 288hp and 310Nm at its driver’s disposal.

Over 300 miles or so of interstate driving, the motor, along with regenerative inertia and braking would have plenty of time to charge up the batteries so I essentially could cruise in the city.

New

2023 BMW 330e xDrive: The Really Easy e

IN BMW, 330e

A drive from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles shows why plug-in hybrids still make sense in a growing EV world.

Happenings

Toyota's AE86 Icon Revived With New Hydrogen and Electric Variants

IN Toyota, AE86, Hydrogen, Electric, BEV, Concepts, Tokyo, Auto, Salon, 2023

Gas Gas Gas... but not really. Toyota is showing us once again that saving the planet doesn’t necessarily mean giving up fun and exciting cars to drive, as shown by these AE86 concepts.

Upon arriving at CEC, the first sight to greet us was a fleet of Scoobys parked up and on display. These included the modern-day enthusiasts' choices, in the BRZ, WRX Sedan and WRX Wagon.

Happenings

We Attended The Subaru Advanced Technology Drive...

IN Subaru Advanced Technology Drive, CEC, Changi Exhibition Centre

... at Changi Exhibition Centre, and BOY are we glad we did

Valentino Rossi certainly needs no introduction. He is a nine-time motorcycle world champion, and is one of the most successful motorcycle riders of all time and has a whole roster of records to his name.

His successes on the racetrack and his personality have quite rightly made him a living legend.

Some may not know this, but Rossi has also proved that he is an excellent driver too. He has since shown that car racing has become his second motorsport home. Now, swapping his two wheels for four, he will be joining the BMW M Works driver roster for their 2023 season.

Happenings

Valentino Rossi Set to Become New BMW M Motorsport Works Driver

IN Valentino Rossi, Valentino, Rossi, BMW M, Works, Driver squad, 2023

Valentino Rossi, one of the greatest MotoGP riders ever in existence, will be joining the BMW M works driver squad for the 2023 season.

Where the Ur E9-generation BMW 3.0 CSL was actually built in 1972 as a homologation special, to enter the European Touring Car Championship of the time, the new car celebrates five decades of racing expertise from BMW M GmbH concentrated in a highly emotional package.

The ‘C’ and ’S’ in CSL stand for ‘Coupé’ and ‘Sport’ respectively, while ‘L’ stands for Leichtbau or lightweight. To make the original 3.0 CSL lightweight, the monocoque was made of thinner steel, trim and soundproofing were removed, the doors, bonnet and boot were made of aluminium alloy and the side windows were made of Perspex. Altogether, these features helped the 1972 original weigh in at just 1,270kg.

Happenings

The Batmobile Is Back - BMW 3.0 CSL

IN BMW, 3.0 CSL, Batmobile, 2023 BMW 3.0 CSL

Rear-wheel drive via a 6-speed manual makes us go: "na na na na na na na na".....

After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SGRETROCAR is resurrecting their esteemed GT-Rally charity drive event with our Northern neighbours’ re-opened borders. This charity drive is scheduled to be held from 2nd December to 8th December 2022.

In order to participate, one would have to own a car which is above 25 years old. However, unlike previous iterations, this year’s itinerary would be more exclusive, as the group is limiting total convoy capacity to just 8 cars.

Classics

SGRetroCar Cross Country GT-Rally 2022

IN SGRETROCAR, Classic, Cars, Charity, Drive, 2022, Thailand, Donations

8 Cars. 2200km. One big retro car charity drive adventure.

Okay, enough with the ’toenail’ jokes already…

While understandable why phonetically it may LOOK that way, especially to those who aren’t familiar with Italian pronunciations, it is pronounced tow-NA-ley. Tonale.

Now with more plug-in hybrid electric vehicle-ness (PHEV) on-board, Alfa Romeo calls it the Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4, with Q4 being representative of their all-wheel drive variant. For our purposes, ease of understanding and avoiding repetitious mouthfuls, we’re just gonna call it the Tonale PHEV instead.

Happenings

Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV debuts screaming

IN Alfa Romeo, Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4, PHEV

Alfa Romeo’s Tonale PHEV answer to the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 promises to be as fun to drive as it is fuel efficient.

There used to be a time, up until the early 2000s, or thereabouts when you could tell you were driving a BMW just by how the steering felt and how the car handled. It didn’t matter which model you were behind the wheel of; 3, 5, or 7 Series, maybe even a Z4 or early X5, every model was united by an unmistakable steering feel and way the controls fell to hand.

New

BMW M240i rolls back the years

IN BMW, 240i

This sporty two-door shows that the Bavarian automaker hasn’t forgotten how to make a great driver’s car

Still quick in this day and age

Despite being a model that has existed since the early 2000s, the R8 has remained competitive against its rivals. The mid-engine sports car can catapult itself from 0-100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds, accelerating until it reaches a top speed of 329 km/h.

At the heart of the new R8 is the same familiar naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 FSI engine, known for its incomparable sound, lightning-fast response, and immense accelerating power. In the R8 V10 performance, the engine delivers 570 bhp and 550 Nm of healthy torque, which is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 7-speed S-Tronic gearbox.

Happenings

The New Audi R8 V10 RWD Is The Last Of Its Kind

IN Audi, R8, V10, Supercars

It’s another sad day for enthusiasts, as Audi has announced that their latest R8 V10 performance RWD will be the last high-performance rear-wheel drive flagship that will enter production.