Alfa Romeo Spider 2.2 JTS from R6,850.00 pm

Drive an Alfa Romeo Spider 2.2 from R6850.00 per month Terms and conditions apply*.

The terms of this payment plan are as follows: R6850.00 per month – 10% deposit – 25% balloon payment – Linked Rate – 60 months – Finance subject to bank approval – Mandatory insurances are not included. Alfa Romeo Financial Services is a division of Wesbank – A division of First Rand Bank Ltd. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP20

Terms and conditions apply, offer valid while stocks last, offer ends 30 April 2010.

Opinion on Alfa Romeo Spider offer

This is rather a strange approach from Alfa, as these kind of special offers are usually reserved for slightly cheaper cars, advertising for only R1000/month or R2000/month etc. From first glance this doesn’t look like the greatest offer as R6800/pm is quite heavy, also noted is the Alfa Romeo Spider 3.2 for R8500/pm which is even heavier on the wallet.

The Alfa Romeo Spider is styling and a pleasure to drive but anyone looking for some kind of bargain is probably better off picking up a second hand version. There will be 70 000 to 80 000 on the clock but the money saved will be huge. I imagine anyone looking to buy an Alfa Romeo Spider new probably isn’t too worried about the price in the first place, so I don’t see Alfa’s target with this kind of a special.

New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet unleashed

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet is the latest addition to the E-Class family. The open-top two-door model, deliveries of which start from 27 March, features a classic fabric soft top, making for a stylistically pure cabriolet feeling. Viewed from the side, the new model is an intriguing proposition – with its clear proportions and a flawless cabriolet silhouette.

All seasons possible for new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

In keeping with the motto “four seasons, four passengers”, all-year-round suitability was right at the top of the developers’ list of priorities. With the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet, the cabriolet season lasts the whole year because, while many cabriolets tend to disappear from the roads of Western Europe in the autumn, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (length/breadth/height: 4698/1786/1402 mm) provides driving pleasure and comfort whether the roof is open or closed.

New features include:

AIRCAP® automatic draught-stop: always on board and easily controllable at the push of a button, it reduces turbulence substantially for all four seat occupants

Modified AIRSCARF® neck-level heating system

Acoustic soft top fitted as standard

The soft top can be opened and closed fully automatically within 20 seconds – even when driving at speeds of up to 40 km/h. The cabriolet roof is stowed in a special compartment behind the rear panel. A retractable cover separates the soft top compartment from the boot area; this cover must be closed in order to close the soft top. If the roof is to remain closed, the cover can be slid rearwards, in which case the boot capacity is increased by 90 litres to 390 litres. A through-loading feature is included as standard for the new Cabriolet, as is EASY-ENTRY – a manually operated entry and exit aid for the rear passengers.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Podiums in Daytona

Rockstar Makita Suzuki again made its way to the podium in both the Supercross and the Eastern Regional Lites classes at the Daytona round of racing. With both Ryan Dungey and Austin Stroupe nabbing the second spots in their races, the team is making its intentions to win championships abundantly clear.

Big results for Rockstar Makita Suzuki

Dungey put together 20 fast laps in the Supercross main event after winning his heat race. Dungey came out of the gate third and had his work cut out for him trying to pass his way into the top spot. By the end of the phenomenal race, on the track designed by Ricky Carmichael, Dungey crossed the finish line in second and holds tight to his lead in the overall points standing. “I felt great, but I needed to get a little bit of a better start,” Dungey said. “I felt great, the team did a great job, and we have a great setup, but I came up a little short. Fitness-wise and bike setup-wise, I felt awesome.”

In the highly competitive Eastern Regional Lites class, two riders have been dominating this season and one of them is Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Austin Stroupe. Stroupe got the holeshot in the Lites main event and battled for the entire 15-lap race to stay out front. Stroupe ended up getting second, which places him securely in the second spot in points for the class. “I felt good; it was a tough track but I rode to another second place,” Stroupe said. “It’s getting a little old, but hey, I’d rather be here than DNFing. I’m building on a lot of things I’ve lacked the last two years, so the team is helping me and we’re working together. I’m ready to race every weekend.”

A new addition to the team, Ryan Morais, has been added to race the RM-Z450 in the Supercross class. Morais is contesting the Western Regional Lites class, but on the East Coast races he’ll be aboard the fuel-injected 450. In his first Supercross-class race of the season, Morais battled a few early-race mishaps to finish 10th. “Daytona is always a tough race and I wanted to come out of this race safe and in the top 10,” Morais said. “I feel like I could’ve done better, but I’ll build off of it and get better from here on out.”

Look for Rockstar Makita Suzuki to be perched on top of the podium next week when the series travels to Toronto.

New Ferrari 599XX conquers international media

Maranello, 4 March – Just a couple of days before her official debut – on the Homestead circuit (Miami) on 13 and 14 March – the new Ferrari 599XX is already the international media’s darling. This extreme non-homologated supercar, planned for exclusive use on the track, is a proper high-tech lab car Ferrari fitted with a series of extremely innovative solutions.

New Ferrari 599XX gets positive media coverage

Journalists from all over the world agree that the new Ferrari 599XX is the true implementation of the Ferrari philosophy of technology transfer from F1 to cars with wheel cases, with the highest expression of sportiness on the race track. Thanks to the 599XX’s sophisticated content, the Quattroruote specialist magazine writes, it is a car “made and thought to reach just one objective: going faster.”

The German Sport Auto points out that the new Ferrari 599XX allows “even non-professional drivers to exploit the car’s potential for the pleasure of one’s senses,” underlining the capacity of the technicians from Maranello to build a car with extreme potential, guaranteeing extraordinary driving emotions and driving pleasure at the same time, while Autocar, the British weekly with its numerous international editions, writes in its typical British style, that the new Ferrari 599XX and the experience one makes with it, are absolutely priceless.

Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro revealed

INGOLSTADT, Germany, Mar 4, 2010 – Fascination taken to a new level of intensity: The Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro combines breathtaking performance with the experience of open- top driving. The 386 kW (525 hp) V10 engine accelerates the high- performance sports car with the lightweight cloth top to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313 km/h (194.49 mph). The Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro features a fascinating package of technologies, including the Audi Space Frame (ASF) made of aluminum and carbon fiber composite, quattro permanent all-wheel drive, LED headlights and the innovative seatbelt microphone.

Audi R8 Spyder is a Lean Machine

The Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro captivates from the very first glance. Its lines offer a unique interpretation of the dynamics and emotion of a high-performance sports car. Two distinctive silver cowls, into which the large air intake openings are integrated, give the long back a powerful profile. Unlike the Coupé, the Audi R8 Spyder has classic air intakes behind the doors. The rear side panels and the large cover over the storage compartment for the cloth top are made of a carbon fiber composite.

TheAudi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro sports a cloth soft top in classic Audi style. The soft top’s approximate weight is a mere 42 kilograms (92.59 lb); it thus keeps the vehicle’s total weight and center of gravity low. When closed it melds harmoniously into the design line – it ends in two slim fins that extend toward the rear and have a contour similar to that of the Coupé hard top.

The top is suitable without restriction for high-speed driving and is quiet. With the standard electrohydraulic motor, the top opens and closes within 19 seconds, even while driving at speeds up to 50 km/h (31.07 mph). The heated glass window is integrated separately into the bulkhead and can be raised and lowered via a switch with the soft top up or down. Audi also provides a wind deflector that can be installed in just two steps.

The bulkhead includes integrated rollover protection in the form of two pretensioned plates. The aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) body of the R8 Spyder is reinforced at important locations, yet it tips the scales at a mere 216 kilograms (476.20 lb) – just six kilograms (13.23 lb) more than the Coupé. Equipped with a manual transmission, the high-performance sports car weighs only 1,720 kilograms (3,791.95 lb).

Performance

The new top-of-the-range Audi R8 Spyder offers incredible performance. The free-breathing V10 with the aluminum crankcase features direct gasoline injection. The 12.5:1 compression ratio that the FSI concept enables contributes to the high performance and good efficiency. Dry sump lubrication, another motorsport technology, ensures the reliable supply of oil even at the maximum lateral and longitudinal acceleration.

The 5.2-liter engine produces 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm and 368 kW (525 hp) at 8,000 rpm. Its specific power output is 100.9 hp per liter of displacement; each hp only needs to move 3.3 kilograms (7.28 lb) of weight. The R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313 km/h (194.49 mph). The engine offers amazing thrust and hangs tenaciously on the throttle in every situation accompanied by that unmistakable ten-cylinder Audi sound.

New Opel Corsa offers more power, greater comfort, less fuel

The new Opel Corsa range has been rejuvenated to provide more power and more driving fun with less fuel consumption. Opel engineers have given the Corsa a complete make-over, introducing an enhanced powertrain line-up that reduces fuel consumption by up to 13 percent, significant chassis improvements and a new steering calibration. In addition to its agile handling and greater ride comfort, drivers will appreciate engines that give more pulling power.

Pleasing styling for new Opel Corsa

The new Opel Corsa comes in two distinct body styles, the coupé-like three-door and the family friendly five-door. Inside the cabin, the Corsa continues to offer one of the roomiest and most attractive interiors in its class. True to Opel’s philosophy, it also features innovative technologies at an affordable price, including halogen Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL), a heated steering wheel, active front head restraints, Hill Start Assist, a Panorama sunroof or the integrated FlexFix bicycle carrier which is unique to Opel.

More power with improved fuel economy

The powertrain line-up for the new Opel Corsa consists of a wide offer of gasoline engine from the 1-liter 3 cylinder (48 kW/65 hp ) entry level version to the turbo charged 1.6-liter on the new Opel Corsa OPC (141 kW/192 hp). On the diesel side, different versions of the 1.3 and 1.7 CDTI motors offer outputs ranging from 55 kW/75 hp to 96 kW/130 hp all with fuel consumption under 5 liters per 100 kilometers. The Corsa ecoFLEX 1.3 l CDTI offers exceptionally low CO2 emissions of just 98 g/km for the 3-door variant, 99 g/km for the 5-door.

Opel engineers have developed the engines to give greater torque, while at the same time reducing their appetite for fuel and lowering CO2 emissions. All gasoline engines, and the new 1.7 CDTI diesel, comply with Euro 5 emissions standards.

Upgraded chassis and steering

Opel chassis engineers have upgraded all major suspension components and the steering system. The result is improved ride comfort, more precise steering feel and greater directional stability – without compromising new Opel Corsa acclaimed agility.

Dampers, springs, anti-roll bars, the rear axle, the electric steering gear and its calibration software all have been optimized. All the changes apply to Essentia, Enjoy and Cosmo variants, while versions equipped with the Sport chassis, GSi and ecoFLEX models benefit from additional improvements to the rear axle and steering. The Corsa OPC took over the changes applied to the steering gear.

Aprilia struggles at Phillip Island GP

The Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team experienced a weekend of ups and downs at the debut of the SBK 2010 World Championships. Following a difficult Superpole, which ended with Max Biaggi in eleventh position and Leon Camier in sixteenth, the Aprilia RSV4s returned to their competitive nature out on the track.

Aprilia fights for position

In Race 1 Max Biaggi recovered from tenth position and ended up with a good fifth place finish after a long battle for fourth position. Leon Camier took his Aprilia RSV4 to eleventh place after overshooting and being forced to re-enter the race and catch up. In any case, both of the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team drivers showed that they are able to keep up with the times turned in by the top drivers.

Something quite similar also occurred in Race 2. This time both Biaggi and Camier paid their dues for running of the track (during the fourth lap for Max and during the ninth for Leon). Despite the severe handicap, both re-entered the tight group that was following the five leaders and battling it out the sixth to twelfth positions, and managed to race once again after setting excellent paces. The race ended with Biaggi in eighth position and the young Brit finishing eleventh.

The results left somewhat of a bitter taste, but they also provide some important points in a world championship that even this early on is proving to be extraordinarily balanced.

“It didn’t go very well,” stated Biaggi. “In Race 2, I went straight for the little curve, where Camier went off the track twice, because I was at my limit, and in these situations, a mistake is right around the bend. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m not going away disheartened or discouraged because we are aware of our own potential and we know we can surely do better when once we have eliminated these problems.”

Ferrari California for Green Performance Motoring

Ferrari at Geneva: a stand dedicated to innovation and the environment

Unveiled the Ferrari California with Stop & Start and the HY-KERS Hybrid vettura laboratorio

Geneva, 2 March – After the huge success enjoyed by the 458 Italia, a car that combines performance and sportiness with maximum efficiency to the extent that it boasts class-leading emissions and specific power output – 307 g/km of CO2 and 127hp/litre respectively – Ferrari is showcasing two major additions to its green credentials at the Geneva Motor Show. The first of these is the Stop & Start system sported by the Ferrari California, an industry first on a high-performance sports car, while the second is the HY-KERS, a “vettura laboratorio” (experimental vehicle) which reveals to the public for the first time the hybrid solutions being developed by Maranello’s engineers.

Ferrari California with reduced Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions

Introduced with effect from March for the Ferrari California, the Stop & Start System cuts both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 6 per cent in the ECE + EUDC combined cycle, emitting around just 280 g/km, an excellent value for a high performance naturally-aspirated sports car. The Stop & Start cuts in virtually instantaneously – just 230 milliseconds, a time so fast that the driver barely notices the engine restarting.

This solution is a further step in Ferrari’s on-going strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by working 360 degrees on all aspects of the cars. For example the Ferrari California direct-injection V8 boasts very low levels of friction. Purge valves in the crankcase counteract the differences in pressure below the pistons which normally increase losses. Other solutions also reduce friction, such as the DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) treatment of the valve followers and the highly polished cam lobes, an innovation that has now been adopted across the range.

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept Shown in Geneva

Presenting a high-performance mid-engined concept sports car with ultra-efficient, low-emission drive technology, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is further increasing the Company’s competence in hybrid technology.

The Porsche 918 Spyder concept combines high-tech racing features and electro-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities: An emission level of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometres (equal to 94 mpg imp) truly outstanding even for an ultra-compact city car, on the one hand, combined with the performance of a super sports car and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) plus, and a lap time on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in less than 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT, on the other.

Porsche 918 Spyder – Features

Engine Power

This open two-seater is powered by a high-speed V8 developing more than 500 bhp and running at maximum speed engine of 9,200 rpm as well as electric motors on the front and rear axle with overall mechanical output of 218 bhp (160 kW).

The V8 combustion engine is a further development of the highly successful 3.4-litre power unit already featured in the RS Spyder racing car and positioned midship in front of the rear axle, giving the car the right set-up for supreme performance on the race track through its good balance.

Power is transmitted to the wheels by a seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungs-getriebe also feeding the power of the electric drive system to the rear axle. The front-wheel electric drive powers the wheels through a firm transmission ratio.

The energy reservoir is a fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery positioned behind the passenger cell. The big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that the battery can be charged on the regular electrical network. A further point is that the Porsche 918 Spyder kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy fed into the battery when applying the brakes, thus providing additional energy for fast and dynamic acceleration.

Driving Modes

A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among four different running modes: The E-Drive mode is for running the car under electric power alone, with a range of up to 25 km or 16 miles. In the Hybrid mode the Porsche 918 Spyder uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine as a function of driving conditions and requirements, offering a range from particularly fuel-efficient all the way to extra-powerful.

The Porsche 918 Spyder also comes with further innovative functions such as the Range Manager. After being activated in the Center Display, the Range Manager uses the map in the navigation system to present the remaining range the car is able to cover, naturally allowing the driver to influence that range through the appropriate choice of power and performance. In cities with environmental alert areas the Range Manager also states whether the driver is able to reach a certain destination on electric power alone.

Applying this information and using further info on the availability and location of special energy filling stations, the driver is then able to choose his personal style of driving as well as the right battery charge and filling strategy.

Offering a unique combination of extremely low fuel consumption, supreme performance and long electric range, the Porsche 918 Spyder represents an essential milestone in Porsche’s strategy on the way to genuine electro-mobility.

MINI at 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010

Celebrating the world debut of the brand’s fourth model, MINI is setting one of the outstanding highlights at the 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010.

MINI in the spotlight

The MINI Countryman carries over the driving pleasure so typical of the brand into a new dimension. This is the first MINI with four doors and a large tailgate as well as a variable interior offering space for up to four occupants. At the same time the MINI Countryman is the brand’s first model measuring more than four metres (157”) in length and available as an option with ALL4 all-wheel drive.

Given all these qualities, the world’s one and only premium car of its kind exceeds the limits to urban mobility, adding new features to that feeling so characteristic of MINI and winning over additional target groups.

The new MINI One Convertible is another of the new models being presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show from 4 – 14 March 2010. With its 72 kW/98 hp four-cylinder power unit, this new version of the Convertible offers a particularly economical opportunity to enjoy the thrilling openness and fascinating agility on the road again so characteristic of the open-air MINI.

MINI Engines

Like all other petrol engines available for the MINI, the MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible, the power unit of this new model has also been optimised in the spirit of MINIMALISM for superior performance and efficiency all in one. All of the brand’s petrol engines now fulfil the EU5 emission standard and offer a – in some cases significantly – improved balance of performance and fuel economy on the road.

The MINI One MINIMALIST also making its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show is a particularly outstanding example of sustainable driving pleasure the owner will enjoy for a long time. The new entry-level model is available with either 55 kW/75 hp or 72 kW/98 hp and in both cases offers an outstandingly low CO2 rating of just 119 grams per kilometre quite exceptional on a petrol engine car.