Just 152 examples of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari will be available in right hand drive form in Britain. Priced at £29,600. On the outside the new car’s livery is inspired by Ferrari’s models, with carbon wing mirrors and Corsa Grey wheels and front air intakes, very nice, although here at Stiff we are secretly craving a pure red one.

Powered by a 1368cc turbocharged engine, producing 180bhp at 5500rpm and 250Nm torque at 3000rpm, the 695 Tributo Ferrari can accelerate from 0-62mph in seven seconds and has a top speed of 140mph. However, the frugal engine can return 43.3mpg on the combined cycle meaning you can dump the Prius and go and have some fun whilst feeling good about yourself.

Here’s what you can expect:
• five airbags
• electronic stability programme (ESP)
• torque transfer control (TTC)
• Sport button
• power steering
• automatic climate control
• Xenon headlights
• Blue&Me hands-free infotainment
• Abarth leather steering wheel
• ‘Record Monza’ dual-mode exhaust
• Abarth Corsa by Sabelt seats
• 17-inch alloy wheels

Mounted behind the steering wheel are the paddles for the electro-hydraulic Abarth Competizione gearbox which has manual and auto modes. Pressing the Sport button on the dashboard activates a more racy setting for the gearbox, engine control unit and steering for an even more responsive drive.

“Abarth and Ferrari are both iconic names in Italian automotive history,” says Ivan Gibson, head of Abarth in the UK. “Their passion and dedication helped to create a reputation for sporting excellence in Italian cars around the world, and this new Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari upholds that tradition with some style.”

The Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari is available to special order only, through Abarth’s 17-strong UK dealer network.

Don’t wait too long to make this decision, go to the website now!

I’ll be brutally honest, I was expecting to hate it, but to my shock – I was actually very impressed.

From the moment of being handed the keys it was plainly obvious that the RCZ has really been thought about by it’s designers. With it’s smart and spacious interior, sporty driving position and firm handling in my opinion, the RCZ has been designed in a way that will only help sell itself. Peugeot will know only too well that their latest sports model has a couple of well established competitors but regardless of that, I think its going to sell rather well. Unlike its sporty competitors it is a front wheel drive car but it’s very flat and low which means it still has a good driving stance and grips the road very nicely. Whilst i wouldn’t say its going to top the TT’s and MX-5’s in handling and performance, it’ll definitely cause a significant dent in their buyers market due to the ‘price for style’ ratio.

Over all, my conclusion of this weeks STIFF Rapid Review is that If you’re specifically looking for a stylish competent handling roadster where money is not an issue, treat yourself to an Audi TT, if your able to sacrifice rear seats and want a car that is slightly cheaper but handles like a hero…get the new MX5, but if your after a small roadster that looks great, won’t break the bank and are not too fussed about track spec handling and drivetrain, buy the RCZ – I mean it, go test drive one, you’ll see what i mean. Its really rather good!

John Marcar

Building on Chevrolet’s iconic US Heritage, the retro-styled Camaro has been on sale in the USA since 2009, and has already seen sales in excess of 200,000 as American retailers cleared their waiting lists.

With looks that draw heavily from the styling of the legendary 1967-69 Camaro – immortalised in song in Bruce Springsteen’s Racing in the Street and on the silver screen in both 2 Fast 2 Furious and Transformers – the car is a full four-seater, with an interior that also takes significant cues from the look of its forebears.

The Camaro will be available only in top level V8 trim – the 6.2-litre 426bhp powerplant is as much of a legend as the Camaro itself. It promises a top speed electronically limited to 155mph, and a 0-60mph time of less than five seconds, coupled to a dynamic chassis that, thankfully, owes little to the layout of more traditional muscle cars.

Final specification details and prices will be announced closer to the car’s 2011 launch. In the meantime, potential customers can register their interest at www.chevrolet.co.uk

And, if you’re still reading this wondering what all the fuss is about then checkout the rather awesome US built drift Hankook Camaro, maybe Chevrolet will be looking at building a UK drift version?

Tim Hutton

Full article below

The programme launches with MUGEN parts for the current gen Civic Type R, including wheels, brake pads, suspension upgrades and quick shift kits, as well as body kits. So if you like the rasping, fire breathing Mugen Civic and don’t have £40k spare, this is the next best thing!

The dealers involved in the programme are:
·        Avonvale Honda (Midlands)
·        Bristol Honda (South West)
·        Inchcape Honda (South East)
·        Brayley Honda (Home Counties)
·        Two Mills Honda (North West)
·        Phoenix Honda (Scotland & Borders)
·        Ewens of Cornhill (Highlands)
·        Donnelly & Taggart (Northern Ireland)

Colin Whittamore, from MUGEN Euro, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with some knowledgeable and enthusiastic Honda dealers who will bring MUGEN products to a wider audience.  Although MUGEN has been in Japan for over 35 years, we are a relatively new company to the UK market, and outside of motorsport and serious tuning enthusiasts, we may not yet be a household name. Through this programme we are looking forward to attracting new and existing customers to experience why MUGEN has been renowned for many years as a world leader in motorsport.”

Original MUGEN parts for other Honda models will be introduced over the next 12 months.

John Slavin // News Editor

Powered by a 4 litre Rover V8, it’s capable of 0-60 in 5.8 seconds. That’s pretty fast, really. The 300STR is utterly at home off the road, with four wheel drive, heavy duty diffs, 5 point harnesses, and obviously four wheel drive. But don’t let that put you off, it’s got air-con and iPod connectivity for those odd days when you decide to use the tarmac to get to work, instead of opting for that old adage ‘ the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.’

Boss of Qt Services, Dave Marsh, said “If you consider that the 300STR is essentially a two-seater, there are a number of options open to you and this first production 300STR has been specified with rear storage for the new owner’s golf clubs.  We’d love to be there when he rocks up to the clubhouse and parks it next to the Astons and Mercedes! Definitely a head-turner.”

For more information, visit www.qtwildcat.com

John Slavin // News Editor

When launched, the Lexus IS-F was due to be a competitor to the mighty BMW M3. it was never going to be an easy fight, since the M3 has built up somewhat of a cult following since the early 1990’s. Now up to the E92, they are as prominent as ever. With bulging bonnets, wide wheels and of course that famous hammer sound exhaust system. If Lexus wanted to be in with a chance on grabbing a percentage of the M3 buyers market, they were going to have to put together something pretty special. And in my opinion, they did. However, the sales figures back when the car was first released suggested otherwise, with the M3’s outselling the IS-F by a staggering percentage. So why am I talking about this now?

I was handed the keys to the IS-F at the world famous Millbrook Proving ground, an almost magical playground for testing new, prototype and current models or car and car components. Having not actually driven an IS-F previously I had an open mind but again, there was already a level of biased opinion from myself with its main competitor being the M3. I have previously tested the BMW and was blown away by it, it’s no secret that I am a bit of a BMW advocate(I even own one!) so this was going to be interesting.

First things first; the styling of the car. Its true to say that Lexus’ design department have really stepped up their game over the past few years, and the IS-F came at a time when this was most obvious. It’s an incredibly good looking car, with aggressive headlamps and wide bodied stance. The interior follows suit with its bold and confident surfaces. There is a definite feel of very high quality about the IS-F. The seats almost hug you into place and the location of all the components and gadgetry just feels right and well thought out.

Upon driving the car, the expectations I had after giving it a good look over weren’t just met, they were exceeded. I guess the most accurate word I can use to describe it is ‘solid’, I know it’s not exactly the most creative wording but it is exactly that. The car feels like it has a real purpose, when you throw it into a corner the car feels like it’s supposed to be there, it’s ready and composed for anything you can throw at it. Then of course there is the noise. Its savage. You can drive the car quietly, you can even accelerate up through the rev range hearing just a gentle rasp and subtle growl, but when you want it to, you can open it up for so much more. Planting your foot in the IS-F is takes everything up a level, the torque levels from the engine push you back into the forgiving seats, the whole car appears to hunker down and the noise is simply phenomenal, suddenly you really do feel like you’re driving something very special, and I have to admit there was quite a bit of childish giggling as I was throwing it around the tight and twisty roads on Millbrook’s alpine course.

A lot of journalists have written about the IS-F and given it some pretty heavy criticism. Yes there are annoying beeps and bongs warning you about the fact that your door is open and that shortly you might have to change up a gear. And yes much of the noises and visuals you see on the car are overly manufactured and in places even fake, but all round nobody can deny this is a superb luxury sports car. But that’s not even the best bit yet, nor the reason I’ve decided to write about it.

Here’s the thing; once I got back to the office after driving the IS-F, I got straight onto a popular used car website and did a little bit of searching. I looked up the cost of the IS-F’s production rival, the BMW E92 M3, and the results brought up over 50 cars averaging at a cost of around £45,000. I then decided to search for the IS-F as a used car. The number or cars for sale was less than half of that of the M3, and the prices we’re as much as £15,000 cheaper too! With the economic climate the way it is and an ever growing fashion to be individual in your choice of car, I have to say the IS-F suddenly looks like a cracking purchase.

A week ago, if anyone searching for a used sports saloon asked me what to buy with £50,000, I’d have said the M3 without even hesitating. But now, honestly speaking, with the Lexus’ price to performance ratio in mind, if it were my £50,000 I had to spend on a used sports saloon…sorry BMW but I think my mind might be inclined to give the IS-F some further thought.

John Marcar

The in 1994, the Range Rover P38a series went on sale, before being replaced in 2001 by the current model. Usually fatness comes with middle age, and you’d expect that perhaps the Range Rover would be the same, especially with the amount on school runs, never leaving the urban sprawl. But that’s not the case at all!

“The Range Rover is really four vehicles in one,” says managing director Phil Popham. “It’s a seven-days-a-week luxury motor car; a leisure vehicle that will range far and wide on the highways and noways of the world; a high performance car for long distance travel; and a working cross-country vehicle.”

And he’s right, I can vouch for him personally. At the famous SMMT Test Day at the Millbrook test track, I was lucky enough to be taken over an extremely challenging off road route in a Range Rover. Despite being full to the brim with the latest tech, with everything from TVs to heated and cooled seats, the Range Rover took anything that could be thrown at it, from crawling down steep hills covered in loose gravel, to wading through a lake. It’s a true ‘go anywhere’ vehicle.

So happy birthday Range Rover. Here’s to 40 years more!