The P1800 helped build much of the aforementioned Volvo reputation, and is a match made in Heaven between Swedish engineering and Italian styling, courtesy of Frua.
Well, yes and no about it being a Frua design. It was designed by a Swede named Pelle Petterson. His father was an engineering consultant to Volvo who was in charge of the P1800 project. Volvo only acknowledged Petterson designed it in 2009. However, Pelle was employed by Frua at the time, so it is technically a Frua design, but not an Italian design.
Review time! Took me a bit more than usual, but I only managed to take very forgettable and not-pleasing shots yesterday... And besides, I was distracted by this humdrum caused by the PC patch leaks, and a certain car which is a joy to drive at any speed.
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Hot on the tail of the A70 Supra added last month - which, sadly, wasn't the Group A homologation special - is this R31 Skyline - which is.
The GTS-R may lack the natural charm of the earlier, silhouette-inspired RS Turbo, but makes up for it with its innovative spirit and excellent performance. While Nissan hadn't grown the confidence to reintroduce the famous GT-R badge yet, this glorious turbo machine served to introduce many of the elements which would eventually make its way on the world-famous R32, like an energized RB-series engine and four-wheel HICAS steering. What the GTS-R lacked, however, was a 4wd system - and drift lovers will be able to exploit this fully to send this Seventhsu flying past tight corners.
Before Mad Max, there was Max Rockatansky, a police officer fighting for peace on the mean streets of a dystopian Australia. And before the V8 Interceptor, he drove a car very much like this one.
The XA Falcon GT HO wasn't, perhaps, a car suited for the sensibilities of 1972 Australia - with newspapers and politicians calling it a "bullet on wheels" and asking for a blanket ban on the new-fangled Supercars - but it would fit perfectly in Immortan Joe's caravan of guzzoline-guzzling, flame-spitting post-apocalyptic rides. And when the moral scare passed, Ford was ready with the revised XB, the "last of the V8 Interceptors" and a fitting end to a golden age of Australian automotive insanity.
One thing is certain: this Falcon is a bullet on wheels, outperforming by far its predecessor and soaring high above many cars of its age, some actual supercars included. All the good things about Australian muscle cars apply in spades here: a very predictable and decently precise handling is paired with a loud, aggressive, high-torque high-power engine which will leave you wanting for nothing.
Over the years, Volvo built a well-deserved reputation for ruggedness, practicality and a calm, understated presence which makes theirs very well suited cars for people who want a ride that won't give them any problems as they commute daily from their home to their workplace, maybe stopping halfway through to pick up the kids at soccer practise or do their groceries at the local farmer market.
But like any respectable Swedish person Volvo, too, has a dark, violent side which they rarely show; one made of 242 Evos and 850 Rs. And in recent years, this dark side has awoken again, with the new Polestar sub-brand shoehorning oversized engines and 4wd systems in mid-sized sedans, after their vision of the C30 was met with praise.
It's a bit like IKEA started selling Panzerfausts.
There is not much to say about the V60, if you've already tried the S60 - it performs much in the same way as its sedan sister, offering lightning acceleration and very predictable handling, with just the faintest hint of easily-compensated understeer. It even looks practically identical. But hey - it's a wagon, so it's even better!
That SUVs and crossovers will inherit the world, that much is clear at this point - it is a fate even the staunchest Caterham fan has probably resigned himself to. After the denial - "oh, look at BMW, they think they can sell a luxury offroader to soccer moms!" - and the anger, comes the bargaining. For me, it comes in the form of accepting that some manufacturers - like Jaguar and Alfa Romeo - are trying to break into this lucrative market, while ignoring that some other - like Maserati and Porsche - also stuck their name to an overfurnished jeep.
The Bentayga is, however, the first SUV that I actually like; and that's because it challenges our perceptions of the genre. In the end, how different is this thing from a Continental GT? It looks gorgeous, it still hits 300kph, and accelerates from nought to 100 in 4 seconds. And in a way, I feel like it fits Bentley's mission statement more than any other car in their range - after all, the cars of the "winged B" brand were never supposed to be lightweight, or sporty.
Well, I'm a believer now.
Trophy Trucks are easily some of the funniest cars to drive in Horizon 3; this new toy, equipped with a body styled after that of some generation of Ford pickup, is not any different.
With an added light bar on the roof and some courage, this F-150 will cross any obstacle at any time of the day, while sounding like Thor's alarm clock and spitting fire every time you even think about letting the revs drop. It's a radical machine for the man who dislikes nature with a passion, and really wants to make it very clear by running all over it with a massive set of offroad tires.
Speaking of radical vehicles, here's the Radical RXC Turbo (He hehe).
Because of course, Radical couldn't help but make their first fully street-legal car, also their most extreme yet. With looks that rival those of LMP3 racecars and a very turbocharged 3.5L Ford Ecoboost V6, the RXC will melt your brain, either with its linear acceleration, or with its lateral one.
I can't wait to try this insane trackday toy in Forza Motorsport 7 - where I'll be sure to get it around the Nordschleife at least a zillion times - but even in Horizon, where all cars behave a bit like it, it's still good, solid fun for the competitive player who really wants to set a low laptime on that tight tarmac circuit.
The long-awaited and highly-demanded BMW i8 is a car that, in a way, harkens back to a future past. With its predatory stance and futuristic powerplant, its smooth, yet muscular lines and laser headlights, its blue accents and rear flying buttresses, it's the most cyberpunk car money can buy.
The performance won't perhaps leave you filled with awe - it doesn't behave much differently than a BMW M4 does for a faction of its price - but the technological and stylistic daring involved in this car should. And if they don't, maybe the fact that it's a drop-dead-gorgeous sportscar which does as well as a M4 does with a 1.5 litre inline-3 engine under its sculpted hood will.
Just... Please. Don't go around screaming "Kaneda" like a madman when you finally start driving it around.
The P1800 helped build much of the aforementioned Volvo reputation, and is a match made in Heaven between Swedish engineering and Italian styling, courtesy of Frua.
The mechanics come straight from the 120-series Amazon - and the B18 engine is not only incredibly peppy, but it's also good for about 5 million kilometres. Or so it would seem.
I wasn't really expecting to see a new car appear as a Barn Find, and I was expecting the P1800 even less, but as someone who is absolutely in love with vintage Swedish metal, I'm really glad to finally be able to take it for a virtual ride, and I'm really happy with all aspects of the experience it represents. Mine probably already has a thousand kilometres, and I'll probably start looking for another one for cheap on the AH soon!
Well, yes and no about it being a Frua design. It was designed by a Swede named Pelle Petterson. His father was an engineering consultant to Volvo who was in charge of the P1800 project. Volvo only acknowledged Petterson designed it in 2009. However, Pelle was employed by Frua at the time, so it is technically a Frua design, but not an Italian design.
That is a very good observation. I was referring not to Pietro Frua, but by Frua's workshop, which like many other Italian coachbuilders and design firms at the time, followed an ages-old artisanal mentality. Petterson was an apprentice looking to master his craft by matching as close as possible the style of the reputable and renowned master of the bottega, Frua, and it shows clearly in the P1800 - just like Da Vinci's early Annunciazione looks so much like a painting of the Verrocchio's shop, it was attributed to the latter painter until well into the 800s.
Alas, Pelle didn't continue his very promising career in automotive design by opening his own firm or continuing is apprenticeship at Frua, choosing to sail and design boats instead. What a crying shame.
