Hot Hatch Heaven

LV XR5 Focus is here

Michael — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:24:22 +0000

Seems that some of the XR5Turbo crew are receiving there shiny new LV XR5’s. We’ve been waiting quite some time for these to hit Australia shores, and finally they’re here!

Congratulations to 30LHC she just received delivery of her car, which I think is possibly the first LV in the country in a colour that we never had the honour of having. I must say it looks very sexy in white.

The LV is essentially a face lift to bring the designs in line with the rest of the Ford range. It has a few new nifity features, with some changes to the center console, start button and keyless entry.

Yarra Ranges Cruise 2008

Michael — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:53:50 +0000

What else to do on a rainy and cold winters morning? Take out your hot hatch for a drive through some of best roads Victoria has to offer.

Typical Melbourne winters day, cold, wet and horrible. Yet that didn’t stop a fantastic turn out of hot hatches on our cruise through the Yarra Ranges. 20 or so cars came along for the cruise, mainly XR4’s and XR5’s but we were lucky to have a very sexy SRi Turbo and WRX come along as well.

Peugeot celebrate Le Mans with the 207 SE

Paul — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:43:28 +0000

One might say on the back of dominating the front grid of the Le Mans 2008, Peugeot have dazzled many with the release of the Le Man 207 Special Edition. I’m a little more sceptical on the coincidence, still one can’t argue with the final product - a tasty hot hatch that’ll no doubt appeal to many.

As the best looking 207 for some time, the Le Mans 207 SE has received a number of cosmetic upgrades including a colour coded sporty body kit with the front bumper accented with a shadow chrome grille and headlights. A long vivid red racing stripe runs the vertical length of the 207 SE whilst additional decals include logo stripping on the doors and on the rear. Available in either Banquise White or Obsidien Black the exterior highlights are topped off with special multispoke 17-inch Pitlane aluminium wheels.

Additional images available on the click through.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Official images of the next Focus RS have surfaced.

Michael — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:47:18 +0000

Ford have released a few more images of the next Focus RS. The pictures have been taken at the Nurburgring and I must say the car is looking very aggressive.

“The new Focus RS is as much a car for driving enthusiasts as the one before it and classic Ford RS models of the past. We’re staying true to the core RS principles of a no-compromise, affordable high performance road car you can live with. The new Focus RS will have the muscles, heart and soul of a genuine RS and will be exciting to drive every day,” Jost Capito - Team RS

Some more details can be found here

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

Michael — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:14:33 +0000

Like the new EVO X but you need somewhere to put your dog? Look no further, Mitsubishi will be debuting the production version of Lancer Sportback (AKA Prototype-S) with the rest of the Ralliart range at this years Paris Motor Show.

The Ralliart Sportback will feature the same twin Clutch SST automated transmission and Active Center Differential (ACD) as the EVO X and will also be powered by the same turbocharged 2 litre, 4 cylinder engine, which has been detuned to achieve 240hp and 343 Nm of torque. Nothing to worry about, I doubt it’ll be long for after market tuners to unlock the engines full potential.

Handling wise we can expect it to be good, as the AWD system is taken from the previous EVO IX, a car that has proven to be able to carry insane speeds through corners.

This is going to be a great car, with 5 door practicality, very sporty looks and hopefully all at reasonable price, It’s definitely going to be a very good alternative to the softened WRX.

I have a dog and a big one at that, he didn’t fit in the Colt Ralliart, but if I can jam him in the boot of one of these, I know where my money is going.