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I participated in the very first #EvoEnduro in 2017, an epic “Mille Miglia” type drive which would see participants travel from KL to Phuket, Thailand in the span of one day, stopping only for fuel and food. I participated with my 35-year old Mercedes-Benz (W126) 280SE (above), which made it to and fro flawlessly, and folks, it really was one of the best drives of my life…

Here’s the official video from #EvoEnduro 2018, which asked (and answered) the question “Why do we love cars?” Why do we indeed! I’m already looking forward to #EvoEnduro 2019, so stay tuned for the announcement on that! Check out the #EvoEnduro 2017 photo gallery after the video…

Evo Enduro 2017 Photo Gallery…

The Gran Premio Nuvolari, a regularity rally only open to historic cars built between 1919 and 1972, will be held from 13 to 16 September on a route which starts and ends in Mantua, the birthplace of Tazio Nuvolari. The Maserati Levante (above), the brand’s first SUV, presented in the MY19 version at the 25th edition of the Festival of Speed held at Goodwood from 12 to 15 July, features a restyling that has combined important technical updates, such as the new, improved short-stroke paddle shifters, the adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights, with the addition of the GranLusso and GranSport trims and the introduction of new contents such as “Pieno Fiore” leather, the new external colours, the new wheels and a wider selection of interior trims.

Participant in Maserati 6C with 6-cyl, 3500 cc engine

The Maserati cars taking part in the event include: the A6 1500 Berlinetta designed by Pininfarina and built in 1949 – the first Maserati road model, a sports car intended for gentlemen drivers, with a “1500” engine that provided the basis for Maserati racing and road cars of the following years, starting with the A6 GCS; and a Quattroporte built in 1968 – a car that marked a milestone in the history of Maserati, since the first Quattroporte generation, in 1963, created a completely new market segment, that of the luxury sports sedan. Maserati will also be opening the parade of over 300 teams taking part in the GP Nuvolari by organising the Maserati Tribute, a “race within the race”, with the cars in the current range – the Quattroporte flagship, the Ghibli sports sedan and the Levante SUV – lining up on the front row.

“We are delighted to be Main Partner of the Gran Premio Nuvolari, which commemorates legendary Mantua-born driver Tazio Nuvolari, who won major victories with Maserati,” commented Umberto Cini, General Manager Maserati EMEA Region. “It gives us great pleasure to drive Trident brand cars over more than 1000 kms of roads unrivalled anywhere in the world, through beautiful Italian landscapes, in a unique blend of history, passion and tradition, all values expressed to the full by Maserati, which is also proud to reaffirm its role as international ambassador for Italian excellence.”

The 2018 edition of the GP Nuvolari, held this year for the 28th time, offers a new-look route with the first stage from Mantua across the Po Valley and the Apennines to the Adriatic Riviera, the second stage from Rimini through the beautiful landscapes of Tuscany, Umbria and Marche regions and back to Rimini, and the third stage from the Adriatic Sea through the towns and cities of Emilia Romagna to the finishing line in Mantua.

 

It was a dream come true for technician Khairil Anuar Abd Rasol, 35, (above) when he found himself the proud owner of a brand-new Ducati Monster 797 motorcycle in the recent Shell Advance Buy & Win Consumer Contest. The contest, which ran from April 1 to May 31, 2018, was open to motorcycle owners who purchased any Shell Advance 4T motorcycle engine oil or gear oil worth a minimum of RM25 in a single receipt from authorised Shell Advance retail channels. An on that same day, Velu Kumar Suppan, 54, (below) won a brand-new Kia Picanto as the Grand Prize Winner of the lucky draw held in conjunction with the Malaysia Autoshow 2018 organised by Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI).

 

“My discipline did payoff. I have always only used fully synthetic Shell Advance Ultra as it goes further without impacting the performance and makes my bike feel lighter and more powerful. I was surprised when I received the call informing me of the good news. I am so thrilled as I did not expect to win the Ducati Monster,” shared Khairil, the Grand Prize winner and proud new Ducati owner. The Shell Advance Buy & Win Consumer Contest was aimed at rewarding passionate bikers who choose to trust Shell Advance for complete protection of their motorcycles’ engines.

As for Velu Kumar the winner of the Kia Picanto, he was one of the 215,853 visitors who attended the fourth edition of the annual Malaysia Autoshow at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) from 26th to 29th April 2018. “The new Kia Picanto is timely as my current car is quite old.  I look forward to using it as my daily commute to work in Subang Jaya,” he said. Mohd Sazali bin Mohamed Amin, Chief Financial Officer, MAI presented Velu Kumar the keys to his car during a prize giving ceremony at the MAI headquarters in Cyberjaya. Aside from Velu Kumar, 30 car buyers at the autoshow also won fuel vouchers worth RM1,000 each.

 

Nasim Sdn Bhd (Peugeot Malaysia) telah mengumumkan harga baharu bagi model-model tawaran mereka di pasaran Malaysia yang kini telah dikemaskinikan dengan Cukai Jualan dan Perkhidmatan SST. Cukai SST sebanyak 10% ini telah pun bermula pada awal bulan September 2018. (more…)

Kereta jenis MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) paling laris dan juga paling berpatutan kini telah dikemaskinikan untuk tahun 2018 dengan pelancaran generasi terbaru Perodua Alza. Kini dengan empat varian berbeza, Perodua Alza 2018 kini boleh didapati dari RM51,490 hingga RM62,690 (harga atas jalan tanpa insurans). (more…)

Manuals. Manual Tranny. Sticks. Stick Shifts. Three Pedals. Call them what you will but chances are you’ll be calling them out in futile. As more and more consumers opt for the ubiquitous automatic-transmission, the good ‘ol manual transmission seems to be going the way of the dodo bird… hell, you can even apply for an ‘auto-only’ drivers license now.

Apart from the first and second national car makers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a ‘new’ manual transmission’d car these days, thus along with countless others, I often scour the online classifieds for used ones. Sentras and Corolla SE’s (above) have been piquing my interest lately…

Even Porsche, despite its famed PDK, realised the allure of a manual transmission, and offered it as an option in its 911 Carrera T (above) overseas, but of course, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get one here. So it seems, in the new car segment, unless you’re willing to fork out buku-bucks for a Honda Civic Type-R or Toyota GT86 (or this bad boy above), there’s not much to be had.

But all is not lost, because just like its main rival the Mazda MX-5, the Abarth 124 GT (above) does come with a good old-fashioned 6-speed manual transmission! Here’s the story and photos from AutoExpress UK… (click link for full article)

There’s a new range-topping version of the Abarth 124. The GT is limited to just 50 units in the UK, and the most striking thing that sets it apart from the regular model is its hard top roof. The new carbon fibre lid weighs just 16kg, and Abarth claims that it adds a little structural rigidity to the open-top chassis – and more body control as a result. It houses a heated glass rear screen too which, being wider than the one you get with the standard fabric hood, makes the GT easier to see out of. The roof is removable, so if you still want to enjoy open air thrills, it’s just a few screws (and a cleared space in the garage) away.

The engine is unchanged from the regular Abarth 124, so there’s 168bhp to play with from the a 1.4-litre turbo engine. It’s at its best in the mid-range – there isn’t a huge incentive to rev it to the red line as you would in the Mazda, and the engine feels tardy when it’s off boost. However, it’ll crack 0-100kmh in under 7-seconds, and 45mpg real-world fuel economy is entirely achievable. It’s mated to a wonderful six speed gearbox, and pedals which are well positioned for heel-and-toe downshifts. For the full article click here.

Abarth 124 GT Photo Gallery (Photos from AutoExpress UK)

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