2008 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG

We have a neighbour who changes his cars like some people change their underwear and we like him very much. We won’t mention any names for fear of embarassing the chap but we help him find a lovely set of wheels and then six months later he is asking us to find him his next dream car. If only all car buyers were like him and the recession would be a long distant memory.

Anyway our latest task is to dispose of his tasty C63 AMG and replace it with an equally scrummy Audi R8. So what is the C63 like? Well, it sounds like a violent thunderstorm and it goes faster than anyone in a sane frame of mind would dream of doing so on a public road. So we love it.

We went to Mercedes World at Brooklands the other day and tried the E63 and C63 AMG’s round the track there. If you have any doubt about how well these cars perform then treat yourself to a visit and leave with a mile-wide smile. 

Our neighbour’s C63 is painted in Metallic Steel Grey with Black nappa leather interior so it looks all mean and moody. The car has only done 12k miles and he loves his cars more than his lovely missus (only joking L!) so it is in mint condition.

It is also very rare. Just take a look at the classifieds and this is one car that has not sold in big numbers during the recession so residuals are likely to remain firm for some time yet. 

For further details on the sale of this stunning C63 AMG call us on ++44 1474 854490 or click here to view the car on our website. For slideshow of over 30 images take a look here. 

Porsche Panamera

Finally got to drive the PP at last. We’ve just bought three of them for a corporate customer of our’s and our local friendly dealer let us have a blast in a 4S and a Turbo for the afternoon. The black one in the picture above shows what they look like before the PDI.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The car is not pretty but it doesn’t offend the senses. Sometimes it looks all cute and cuddly then suddenly you walk around the back end and go whoa! But let us not pre-judge because every review of the car so far has raved on about how well the Panamera drives and drive well it does.

First up was the 4S in black (which makes the car look smaller) with so many toys that it takes you several minutes to take it all in just like a small child in Hamleys. The interior is comfortable. Supremely comfortable. Four bucket seats and plenty of headroom. Enough said. Sitting in the back there was no sense of claustrophobia and the side and front views would keep any car-sick prone individuals from spoiling the carpets.

Depending on the driver’s penchant for ‘comfort’, ’sport’ or ’sport plus’ it is pretty conclusive how the rear passengers are likely to feel during the nip down to Sainsbury’s. The Panamera is predictable for a big car and will go wherever you point it and whatever the ride setting it is mightily impressive. It is a car that will flatter the most inept of drivers.

Sitting at the wheel the layout is easy to understand with little or no confusing ‘electronic’ interference such as i-Drive et al. A nice touch is the ’window’ to the farthest right in the instrument pod which is able to provide a variety of useful status displays including the satnav screen. 

There is a stunning array of good old-fashoined buttons that do what they say is written on them. Refreshingly simple. The build-quality is exemplary and beyond any criticism. The 4S felt quick until we stepped into the ‘Yachting Blue’  Turbo.

They told us at the launch that the car was almost as quick as a 430 round the ‘Ring and it is easy to believe. The acceleration is instant and in yer face. An easy license points accumulator so beware. Strangely the Turbo did not come with the ‘Sports Exhaust’ button as featured on the 4S which emits such a nice angry snarl that it is hard to think why you would not have it on all of the time – so why have a button?

Talking of buttons the ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport Plus’ are badly positioned. Only a small criticism but it would have been so much more convenient  (and safer) to be able to change the setting from the multifunction steering wheel. Taking your eyes of the road to search for the right button was sometimes a bit tedious and highly distracting.

So there you have it. The forthcoming Rapide will win all of the beauty contests when it arrives in town but the Panamera (here’s a guess) will have it licked on interior comfort. The PP is definitely a car that is better from the inside looking out.

2007 Rolls Royce Phantom

FAB1 – that’s what the latest Phantom looks like! Anyone who remembers the Thunderbirds TV series from the 60’s will definitely recall the very pink Rolls Royce owned by Lady Penelope and driven by the very drole Parker. The towering grille, squinty headlamps and massive road presence give this Roller the same esprit de corps. There is something that RR seem to pull off that nobody has yet managed to emulate. Price isn’t everything, witness the Maybach. This car says I am here and you had better move aside just because you know you should. The Phantom should really be de rigeur for gangsters but instead it tends to waft the highest levels of royalty and the seriously monied from their splendid front doors to somewhere else equally splendid. Us Brits don’t really want a revolution because who would be left to buy a Roller? We know it’s not right but the car is just so damn impressive even if you couldn’t bring yourself to drive one. A bit like FAB1 in Thunderbirds really. If there are any of the recession-proof minority reading this post then reach for your cheque book because we know of a low-mileage (900 miles) example looking for a new owner for less than 180k GBP which is a massive saving over list!

Come on , don’t be shy now and give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 to arrange a very private viewing or click here for more details or here for a slideshow of images.

2002 Bentley Arnage Mulliner LWB

For sale: office with Internet, phone (two of them), fax facility, drinks cabinet, TV (two screens), air conditioning, plush leather furnishings, lashings of burr oak veneer, oh and a 400 bhp V8 engine. 

Yes this  is a special-bodied Sapphire Black Mulliner Bentley Arnage which makes most apartments seem sparsely equipped by comparison. You could park this car outside the Grosvenor and the world would think Simon Cowell was in town. This is indeed a special car and the current owner has asked us to find a suitably-qualified new owner for this grand lady.

We thought the Screaming Yellow Mustang topped the attention-seeking charts but this Bentley has it licked. You can see people bowing and scraping out of the corner of your eye as you waft very conspicuously along Her Majesty’s highways and even the net curtains at Buck House would twitch at the arrival of this beauty at the front door.

The specification of this long wheelbase conversion of the Arnage is mind-boggling. There just simply enough space in this post to tell you about the details. The car reputedely cost over £200k when new and quite frankly it is easy to see where the money was spent.

We saw a Maybach the other day which costs over £350k brand new. Save your hard-earned pennies and invest in a set of non-dating plates and £45k for this Bentley. It makes the MB look like a Chinese import. An ugly one to boot.

If you would like to know more about this unique Mulliner Bentley then just click here or call us on 0044 1474 854490 for more details. You can click here for a slideshow of over 30 images in the meantime.

2005 Ford Mustang GT Supercharged

I don’t think we have ever driven a car that has had so much attention. Small boys point and shout, people at bus-stops wave, old ladies skip and dance, eco-warriors shake their fists – yes, this is a day in the life of a bright yellow (appropriately called Screaming Yellow) left hand drive Ford Mustang GT.

This particular one is a little bit special though because it has a Saleen Supercharger strapped to its already mighty V8 which punches out a Lambo-busting 550 BHP with a totally intoxicating exhaust note. Mmm, nice. 

We have been asked to sell the car on behalf of the owner who tells us that a whole host of modifications have been done to cope with the huge increase in power which will catapult the beast to over 200 mph (allegedly!). These mods include Stoptek racing brakes, light aluminium propshaft, racing camshafts, Steeda racing bonnet and Quick-shift gearbox, bonnet catches and the car has been lowered by 40mm.

All professionally carried out of course and fully serviced by Mod-UR-Stang. Finished off with 20″ dark chrome alloys and painted-on Midnight Purple stripes with stencilled graphics. This is an enormous amount of fun for less than £25k and will have you grinning like a Cheshire cat after a fish dinner.

More details can be found by clicking here or give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 for a friendly chat about the car.

Old Flames – Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Series 1

Whilst being fashionably ‘teased’ by Jaguar over the impending launch of the new XJ saloon and fretting over how good the car will have to be to usurp the German class-rulers let us cast our minds back to 1968.

That is when Jaguar launched the Series 1 XJ6 which was the finest luxury saloon car in the world period. No arguments or counter-points. This was the best car that Jaguar had ever produced and the world went all slack-jawed over the car’s looks, performance, ride dynamics and affordability.

Its feline shape was about as close as Jaguar’s designers, under the strict captaincy of Bill Lyons, could get to the famous ‘leaping-cat’ profile and it looked gorgeous from every angle. Judging by the teaser videos of the new car the only leaping-cat we are likely to see will be the boot-lid badge as seen on the XF.

Modernists will say this is a good thing of course and that it’s about time Jaguar moved on from its retro designs (funny how Porsche have got away with the 911 after all these years). Our money is on Jaguar returning one day to its cat-like ways because there are only so many times you can re-invent a Lexus. 

Project XJ4 as it was known back in 1963 only needed one point of reference for inspiration and it was right on its own doorstep.

During the previous four years Jaguar had launched the Mk2, Mk X, E-Type, S-Type and Daimler  V8 250 to world acclaim so the gene pool was well stocked to spawn the XJ6. Refinement was paramount and when the press finally got to test the car they eulogised over the silent, cosseting ride and more often than not hailed the car as ‘the best in the world’.

With prices starting at 1797 GBP the XJ6 was a stonking bargain too. The equivalent ‘competition’ from Merc and BMW would set you back almost twice that amount. Long waiting lists of prospective buyers soon built up and Jaguar realised it had an absolute winner on its hands.

However, industrial disputes and economic troubles in the early 70’s saw Jaguar rationalise its range of cars but the XJ has remained a key player for the company right to this very day.

Great things are expected of the X351.

If however you fancy a trip down memory lane we know of a 1970 Series 1 4.2 XJ6 that is for sale with less than 10,000 miles on the clock – that’s right less than 10k! The car is maroon with a light tan interior and is totally original having been looked after by its last owner since 1987. To find out more about this stunning XJ6 give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 or send an email to sales@thecarspy.net.

Click here for a slideshow of images.

2002 Ferrari 360 Spider F1

If there was one car manufacturer whose image was inextricably linked to one colour it has to be Ferrari. However, it would be vaguely interesting to see what proportion of Ferraris produced were actually not painted in Rosso Corsa.

The significance of the choice of red by Enzo apparently lies with the emergence of  ’country colours’ in the early days of motor racing. Green for Britain, blue for France, yellow for Belgium, silver for Germany and of course red for Italy.  But yellow is the colour for Modena and hence the background colour of the Scuderia shield and don’t Ferraris look nice painted in Giallo?

Anyway with enough money and kudos you can have the factory paint your new car in any colour you wish (within reason and as long as Enzo did not consider it tasteless). Eric Clapton is one of those people that is well known in Modena. Not so much for his guitar-playing skills but he just loves Ferraris and he doesn’t always order one in Rosso Corsa.

Take the 360 Spider that we are selling on behalf of the current owner. The shade of metallic grey (grigio) on this car is unusual because it wasn’t a standard colour for the 360. Eric decided he liked the colour so much from a previous Ferrari he had owned that he asked for his new 360 Spider F1 purchased in 2002 to be painted with the same colour and the factory duly obliged.  The following year he bought an Enzo painted in yellow, so there!

Today the same car is up for sale and has now done just over 30k miles. The interior is finished in Beige leather and the service history is impeccable. Lancaster’s have just carried out the 31k service and the cambelts have been changed at the same time. Give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 or click here for more details.

In the meantime click here for a slideshow of images.

Old Flames – The Rover P6

Anyone remember when the first European Car of The Year award was held? Well, it was 1964 and it was won by a bloody Rover! Now those who only know Rover from the past decade or so will find that quite astonishing since the latter day image of the company is far less flattering than it probably deserves as a whole. 

You see Rover used to be up there with Jaguar and when the P6 was launched in 1964 it leap-frogged the leaping cat as far as automotive technological developments were concerned.

Rover had a reputation for building decent, solid cars back then and the P5, particularly in V8 mode, was a truly desirable carriage. In fact if you are looking to purchase a decent, restored P5B Coupe you will now need deep pockets. But more of that another time.

The P6 was intoduced to complement the succesful P5 and to see off those lairy Mk2 Jags and its upwardly mobile cousin, the Triumph 2000. From a technology point of view the P6 had them all licked. Bolt-on body panels, all-round disc brakes (inboard at the rear), De Dion rear suspension, and syncromesh on all gears.

The styling represented a move away from the trad British-look of the time with its four-headlamp set-up and ‘eggbox’ grille. There was something Citroen DS-like about the way the roofline tapered towards the rear and some of the subtle design details suggested that Rover’s engineers had been quite infatuated with the French Goddess.

Passenger safety was never a high priority for designers back in the early 60’s but the P6 came along and won all sorts of awards long before Volvo became the Health and Safety kings. The P6 pioneered run-flat tyres for goodness sake!

So there you have it. The Rover P6 was a well-deserved winner of the COTY award in 1964 and that is forever inscribed in automotive history.

So what is the car like today? Well if you opt for the 3.5 litre Buick V8 engined version you get a mighty impressive car that is comfortable to drive and sounds delicious too. The cockpit is surprisingly modern particularly where the instrument dials sit. OK the steering wheel is the size of the London Eye but that is all part of the car’s period charm along with the chunky rotary dials for lighting etc.

The P6 will be remembered fondly by the Police too. In fact if there was a poll for ‘Best Police Car of All Time’ the P6 would romp home. It almost became as iconic as red Routemasters and black Taxi cabs. The goodies in the Rovers chased the baddies in their Jags and Ford Zodiacs. Life was much simpler then. No plain clothes jiggery-pokery, SWAT-teams or helicopters – just screeching tyres, revving engines and nee-naw sirens.

Trying to find nice original one today is not an easy task. The P6 could rot badly eventually and the task of restoring one can be a very expensive one. There is however a thriving owner’s club and spare parts, particularly engine bits, are still obtainable.

And so we need to tell you about a Monza Red 1974 3500 V8 that has done less than 23,000 miles and is currently up for sale. The car is completely original and has never been restored or welded and was once part of a Rover collection. If you would like further details of this totally stunning P6 give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 or send an email to sales@thecarspy.net.

In the meantime click here for a slideshow of images. 

Brand New Porsche Design 3 Cayenne GTS

TheCarSpy.Net are delighted to announce that we have a cancelled order for a UK delivery of the fantastic Limited Edition Porsche Design 3 Cayenne GTS! These cars have a limited production of just 1,000 examples worldwide and are finished in Lava Grey metallic. Our example will be available from the end of June 2009.

This car has a massive specification as follows:

Black leather and Alcantara Interior Trim
Heated Seats
Sports Seats
Embossed Porsche Logos on Headrests
Porsche PCM Navigation
Light Comfort Pack
Universal Audio Interface (iPod Connection)
Panoramic Roof
Powerlift Tailgate
Six Disc Autochanger
Cruise Control
Air Suspension
Porsche Entry Drive
Sunblind on Rear Windows
Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes
Four Zone Climate Control
HomeLink
Magnesium Gear Selector
Seat Belts in Guards Red
Porsche Rear Seat Entertainment
TV Tuner
Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control
Reversing Camera including Park-Assist
PCM Telephone Module
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Porsche Vehicle Tracking System

Please note:  these are options in addition to the standard spec!

For additional information about the Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 please click here

This car has almost every conceiveable extra totalling £85,611.62!

If you wish to know more about this particular car please call us on ++44 1474 854490 or email mark@thecarspy.net

Old Flames – The Ford Capri

Happy 40th birthday Ford Capri! ‘The car you always promised yourself’ according to Henry Ford back in 1969 has come of age so time for a little nostalgic reflection.

It is hard to grasp both the relevance and importance of the Capri’s arrival to a gobsmacked public back then. In 2009 not a day seems to pass without the announcement of yet another ‘Sports Coupe’ to add the burden of choice faced by the modern car purchaser. Back in the 1960’s, however, the car-hungry public were fed a monotonous diet of sensible, dullard four-door family saloons.

OK by the late sixties the Mini had arrived to offer a little bit of light entertainment but it was Ford that sensed the market’s desire for something a little more ‘dangerous’. Their marketing bods therefore gave us the two-door Cortina, Cortina GT and the Lotus Cortina. Spot the recurring theme?

But in 1969 the Capri was launched and it melted a million hearts. Everybody wanted one. For slightly more than the price of a Cortina the public were being offered the European interpretation of the American Dream. No other manufacturer had offered such a stylish car aimed specifically at the mass market.

Many of the car’s design cues were taken from the US Mustang with its aggressive long bonnet (totally phallic in those days), fake air intakes and sports interior. But where the Ford boys had really pulled off their master stroke was in the massive range of options that allowed the purchaser to virtually customise the car to their own specification.

Nowadays, of course, you could do the same with a Chevrolet Matiz but back then choosing from a list of options was a revelation. Metallic paint, vinyl roof, Rostyle wheels, 1.3, 1.6, 2.0 or 3.0 v6 litre engine in L, XL, GXL or GTXLR permutations left the purchaser slack-jawed and goggle-eyed.

And so the scene was set for a car that was to survive until 1987 having passed through Mk1, 2 and 3 incarnations. Yours truly had bought three of them – a 1.6XL, 1600 GT and a 3.0S in Daytona Yellow.

The Capri’s demise, however, seemed like a funeral that nobody had bothered to turn up to. The car had been a real victim of its own success and there were just too many of them. The car was no longer special in the mid-eighties and a more affluent society moved its affections to anything with the letters B, M and W in its name.

In spite of the Capri’s all-round ability on the road and the track – Jochen Mass won the 1972 European Touring Car Championship in one – the car was no longer to be further developed by Ford who by now was playing with Cosworth and turning its Sierra into a dragon-slayer.

The Capri will be remembered fondly as a star in The Professionals and of course as the car that Del Boy had always promised himself in Only Fools and Horses. Sadly that was the knife in the back as far as the street cred was concerned. 

But the very last cars are interesting to the point where especially in 2.8i guise they are comfortable, fun to drive, pretty to look at and the ‘Del Boy’ image seems to have all but disappeared. Many of the 1.8 million built have either been crashed or left to rot so there aren’t many good examples left. Ergo values are increasing.

The 2.8 litre fuel-injected V6 produces 160 bhp which doesn’t sound impressive at all by today’s standards. But packaged with a rear-wheel drive chassis and no traction control you can see why stunt drivers used them with such rubber-burning visual effect in the cops and robbers TV programmes of the 70’s and 80’s.

If you can find the limited-edition Tickford version then snap it up quickly because it is believed that less than 100 examples were sold. The Tickford Capri was a highly modifed version of the 2.8 and was fitted with a turbocharger to boost the output to 205 bhp. Laden with luxury extras such as leather trim and Wilton carpets the car came with an excessive price tag that virtually priced it out of the market. The modified bodykit also made the car look a little bit lardy.

Today, however, we know of an extraordinary original 1987 2.8i Capri in black that has covered only 19,000 miles from new with one owner! The service book is fully stamped and every MOT certificate is available. Give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 for further details.

In the meantime click here for a slideshow of images.