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Collectible classic cars are always in demand especially those that have been persevered for decades but look as though they had just rolled off the showroom floor. One such car is a 1989 R107 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL with only 1538km on the odometer. Considering that this particular Merc is close to 30 years old, the mileage says a lot about how often it was actually taken out on the road.

This right-hand drive example of the R107 is said to be one of the last ones ever built and was replaced by the R129 series the very same year. Launched in 1971, the R107 was based on the E-Class W114 sedan but utilized larger and more powerful engines from the S-Class. It is the second longest running model in the company’s history and was a favorite among those who wanted a refined luxury vehicle but with the brute power of a sports car. This particular car has a 5.0-litre V8 that produces 242bhp.

Built at a time when Mercedes-Benz engineers were obsessed with perfection, this over-engineered vehicle features “Tempomat” cruise control, air-conditioning, green-tinted sun-deflecting glass, heated seats and a separate hardtop . Amazingly, it still has its original tool kit, book pack and two hardtop release handles.

The car is currently being put up for sale by London classic car retailer Hexagon and is touted as the best example of the R107 Merc in the world right now. The car is being offered with a price tag of £94,995 (RM521,969) at Hexagon Classics’ showroom in London. The lucky buyer will definitely be getting his money’s worth with this R107.

For the fifth time in a row, Fortune magazine has recognized Goodyear as the World’s Most Admired tyremaker and also as the No.1 ranked US based company and ranked No. 2 overall in it’s category. It even finished ahead of its key global competitors in overall score and in seven of the nine categories.

Fortune magazine’s Most Admired list was first introduced in 1983 and considered “the definitive report card on corporate reputations”. Companies that get on the list after a rigorous assessment by 3,800 executives, board directors and securities analysts who make their decision after considering a company’s overall reputation by evaluating innovation, people management, and use of assets, social responsibility, management quality, financial soundness, long-term investment, product/service quality and global competitiveness.

Goodyear began selling its products in Malaysia in 1929 but it was only in 1972 that the company established its own manufacturing plant in Shah Alam. It went on to become the tyremaker’s first facility to be certified for ISO 9002 standards in 1992 and now Goodyear is one of the leading tyre companies in Malaysia producing and selling a wide range of products for various types of vehicles.

As a means to promote the power and agility of the new turbocharged Vento, Volkswagen will initially be taking its small yet powerful sedan on a road tour across the three states.

The company believes that the only true way to convince potential buyers of the capabilities of the new Vento, would be for them to try it for themselves.

The tour will provide the general public with the opportunity to be up close and personal with the new car and drive it to its fullest potential. Besides giving the general public a feel for the car, the tour’s objectives include educating potential buyers on car safety and driving skills. This would include proper seating positions for drivers, correct steering wheel placement, emergency braking, defensive driving skills and how to maneuver through slalom courses. Taking it one step further, VW will also allow members of the public to participate in various stunt demo sessions.

The company will also be bringing along a number of other models for the public to see and test drive. So if you are interested in attending the tour, plan your weekends around the following dates of the first three tours:

18 – 19 March
(10.00a.m – 7.00p.m) -Aeon Bukit Tinggi, Klang

13 – 14 May
(10.00a.m – 7.00p.m) – Mydin Ayer Keroh, Malacca

29 – 30 July
(10.00a.m – 7.00p.m) – Stadium Darul Makmur, Kuantan

The Vento Turbocharged Tour is free of charge and open to the public but only those who have valid driver licenses are allowed to take part in the driving activities. In case you were wondering, the Vento comes with a 1.2-litre TSI turbo engine which is mated to a 7-speed DSG (Dual Clutch) gearbox. Touted as the vehicle with the highest torque in its class, the Vento is said to offer premium power at an affordable price. So, if you are interested to know more about the car, visit the VW Malaysia website or your nearest VW dealership.

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) has officially launched the new 3S Porsche Centre Penang on 16th March 2017. The 35,575 sq ft facility is located along Jalan Baru in Seberang Perai and can be accessed from Penang island with the use of the first Penang bridge.

The RM15 Million facility boasts impressive capabilities such as a showroom with a capacity to display 10 cars, two air-conditioned dialogue bays and an after sales reception equipped with a Carrera Lounge. The service section of the facility features 9 service bays and a warehouse for spare parts. A welcomed addition to the centre is the Porsche Driver’s Selection shop where visitors are able to shop for their favourite Porsche branded apparel, personal accessories and toy models.

Speaking of the new facility, Arnt Bayer, Chief Executive Officer of Simer Darby Auto Performance, said, “We are thrilled to be moving into Penang with our third Porsche Centre in Malaysia.” He later added, “This new 3S Porsche Centre will enable us to deliver a higher level of customer satisfaction and a unique ownership experience for all Porsche owners and enthusiasts in the northern region.”

Martin Limpert (above, right), Managing Director of Porsche Asia Pacific, said: “The new Porsche Centre Penang marks another milestone for the Porsche growth in Malaysia and is a bold statement of SDAP’s commitment. I strongly believe in the long-term potential for Porsche in Malaysia and I am convinced that this latest addition to the Porsche dealer network will support our growth path and assure an outstanding customer experience.”

If your pockets are deep enough to own a Porsche and you happen to be in Penang, take the time to visit this impressive facility to enjoy all the ammenities that the centre has to offer.

We’ve known for sometime about the impending launch of the all new Grand Carnival, and now Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd, has confirmed that it will be sometime soon as it has just opened bookings for its people carrier.

A refresh of the original Grand Carnival is a welcomed addition to the rather stagnant MPV market, and by the looks of things, it could spice things up quite a bit. The new vehicle, looks very different from the one it replaces as Kia sought to fuse decent looks with family carrying capabilities. Kia says that its engineers spent extensive time designing the interior to offer decent legroom and ample luggage space even when fully loaded with eight occupants.

Other than the extensive redesign both inside and out, some of the more notable features of the Grand Carnical are the leather seats, power sliding door and tailgate, 3rd row passenger easy access system, push start button and HID head lamps with Daytime Running Lights. Kia didn’t skimp on safety either as the vehicle comes equipped with 6 airbags, electronic stability control and hill-start assist system. It also boasts receiving a 5-star rating based on the crash tests conducted by the ANCAP (Australiasian New Car Assessment Program) and NHTSA (National Highway Traffice Safety Administration).

Kia managed to bag a number of awards including JD Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) award, Top Safety Pick from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the 2015 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors award.

Speaking of the new Grand Carnival, Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group Chief Operating Officer, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd., said, “Despite 2016 being a challenging year for Kia in Malaysia, we managed to contain a better percentage than the national total industry volume’s negative growth. For 2017, we have foretasted our sales volume to increase by 25% and the All New Grand Carnival will play a pivotal role in achieving this target.”

Under the hood of the Grand Carnival is a 2.2-litre CDRi turbodiesel engine with a variable geometry turbo. It produces 190bhp and 440Nm of torque, which should prove useful when lugging the family around and especially when its to Genting.

Potential buyers can make their bookings at any Kia dealership in Malaysia including those in Sabah and Sarawak. So, if you are interest a Peter Schreyer people mover, head on over to your nearest Kia dealership.

Naza Quest Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Chevy vehicles in Malaysia has launched a new sales promotion called the “Double Bonus”.This promotion provides a rebate of up to RM6,000 and 3 Years/60,000km complimentary Parts & Labour Service for all variants of the new Chevrolet Colorado. Buyers are eligible for the deals from 1st March 2017 onward.

Chevy’s high spec Colorado is offered with a 2.8-litre Duramax VGT engine that produces 190hp and 500Nm of torque is priced at RM112,788. The variant offered with the 2.5-litre engine on the other hand develops 180hp and 444Nm of torque and is priced at RM90,188.

Features for the various variants of the Colorado include Engine Remote Start, 8-inch infotainment touchscreen system with four speakers and compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Traction Control, Front Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and 3 airbags (Driver, passenger and knee).

Chevrolet Malaysia is also offering a comprehensive 5 Year/ 200,000km warranty and 1 year complimentary Chevy Assist Membership on all variants of the new Colorado as part of the manufacturer’s Complete Care programme. Visit your nearest Chevrolet dealership to learn more.

The ever popular all-electric family hatchback may have received some added appeal. Nissan has launched a new variant of this ev, dubbed the Leaf Black Edition. As enticing as the name plate maybe, there don’t appear to be any performance upgrades for this variant over the standard car.

The Black Edition receives a number of exterior features such as 16-inch black alloy wheels, LED Headlamps, black door mirror caps and black rear spoiler. Inside, the only notable addition is the blue-stitched mats on the floor which is said to offer a more “premium” finish.

As it is with the rest of the line up, the Black Edition receives Nissan’s latest innovative technologies as standard including the NissanConnect EV telematics system and intelligent Around View Monitor.

 

 

Speaking of the latest edition to the Leaf family, Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles of Nissan Europe, said “The new LEAF Black Edition perfectly showcases Nissan’s commitment to making smart, premium quality products accessible for all. This stylish black number combines dynamic styling, with Nissan’s innovative zero-emission technology to offer customers a city-savvy intelligent mobility solution. Its sleek design compliments an exciting drive, delivered through high-class engineering, demonstrating that you don’t have to compromise on style or performance when purchasing an electric car.”

Unveiled in 2010, the Nissan Leaf was the first mass-market electric family car and as of today, there are 250,000 them on the road. Powered by a 30kWh battery pack, the Leaf is able to travel 250km on a single charge, which should be more than adequate for most city dwellers.

The Blue Oval has decided to issue a safety compliance recall for about 6,000 of the 2017 Ford Mustang cars made, for an inspection of the left interior door handle return spring. Apparently, cars affected by the recall may have had their left-hand door handle built with a disoriented return spring which could increase the potential for the return spring to become unseated.

According to the company, if the return spring does become unseated, during a side-impact crash, the impact experienced by the interior door handle may cause the door to unlatch and inturn increase the risk of injury.

As of now, there are no reports of any accidents or injuries that are related to this issue. There are about 5,470 affected vehicles in the United States, 20 in Mexico and 266 in Canada. These vehicles were built at Ford’s facility at Flat Rock Assembly Plant from January 13, 2017 to January 31, 2017.

It’s very rare that true driver enthusiast movies actually do grace the silver screen. Movies like Bullitt, Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) were the select few where great emphasis was placed on realism when it came to the plot, cars and the driving physics. Their story lines may not have been nail-biting or edge of your seat stuff, but the action scenes, the screeching tyres, realistic collisions and spectacular explosions made them some of the all time best car movies.

These days thanks to CGI and over the top Hollywood gimmicks, most car movies lack the appeal of those from yesteryear. But every now and then, a true gem comes along worthy of being called “noteworthy” and one such movie is Baby Driver.

Slated for release towards the end of 2017, Baby Driver’s cast features some big time hollywood actors including Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx. The movie’s main protagonist is a young getaway driver, named Baby played by Ansel Elgort, who you may also know as the guy from the movie The Fault In Our Stars. Baby is part of a crew headed by Kevin Spacey, that go on carefully planned heists in the city.

Baby, despite his rather boyish demeanor, is a skilled driver of a Subaru Impreza WRX who is quite adept at handling high-speed getaways albeit the WRX’s driving dynamics did lend him a helping hand. Based on the trailer, and like a number of such movies, baby decides that after several missions, he no longer wants to be involved with this line of work. However, that is easier said than done as the team view him as a very valuable asset. Well, we aren’t going to ruin it for you, so take a look at the trailer and you be the judge.

But we think that the action sequences depicted in the trailer are pretty amazing and should make for one awesome movie when it is eventually released.

Italian automotive giant, Fiat, has added a new variant to its pick-up truck stable called the Fullback Cross. The company says that the latest addition is meant to “further broaden the appeal of the Fiat Fullback with lifestyle users”. As such, it come with a slew of upgrades and enhancements.

The exterior upgrades include a new grille fitted with matte black ingots, a satin silver skid plate and revised larger side steps. An exclusive add on for the variant is a textured black sport bar which lends a space age look to the vehicle’s silhouette. The truck also comes with a new all-black car cargo space which features a Fiat logo, in case you forget who made it. Fitted as standard are Bi-Xenon headlights, front fog lights and LED daytime running lights.

Inside, Fiat has fitted this pick-up with leather upholstered seats, steering wheel and gear knob. It has also been kitted with automatic dual zone climate control and heated front seats which offer six-way electric adjustment on the driver’s side. Gracing the centre stack is the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that offers DAB CD/MP3 Radio, Bluetooth and USB port. The system is also integrated with the vehicle’s rear parking camera and satellite navigation.

Fiat’s Fullback Cross is offered as a double cab and comes fitted with a 2.4-litre commonrail turbo diesel engine that produces 180bhp and 430Nm of torque. Buyers can choose to have either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission which offers a sequential mode and dashboard commands.

As for safety features, the Fullback Cross comes with ABS with EBD, TSA (Trailer Stability Assist), LDW (Lane Departure Warning), seven airbags and cruise control, which should make it a very capable truck.

Fiat says that the truck will be launched later this year and prices will be announced closer to the launch date.

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