Have You Seen Any Interesting Cars On The Road Lately?

[Darrell]

Is this the new SL?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Is this the new SL?View attachment 139204

Indeed it is.

 

[Darrell]

Indeed it is.

 

[TTManUK]

I saw a brown Lotus Esprit with a big decal down the side this morning in my local petrol station, which I am assuming was the unwrapped version of this which lives locally:

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

My thoughts entirely. The SL43 AMG, allegedly. Two litre turbo. Gives you change from £120k

I've looked at a low of new German cars this year, and the best that can be said is that they're obviously intended for the - very important - Chinese, Indian and South East Asian markets.

If you think the outside is ugly, you should take a look at the interior and console.

Mercedes-AMG SL 43

 

[del320]

From memory, that one has the rover v8 in 3.5l form, the superperformance, like the factory five, is well known for having a "perky butt".

Not this one - full fat seven litres (count 'em) in a 1200kg car - 400bhp give or take ...

 

[Darrell]

Not what you generally expect to see in the Earlston Co-op car park:

View attachment 139202
A full-fat Superformance 427 built pretty well to original mechanical spec. No side pipes but it made all the right noises.

Not for the faint-hearted and all for a tenth of the price of an original!

What actually is the original mechanical spec?

 

[del320]

Apparently, it's down to the engine, gearbox, and back axle. For example, many replicas use Rover V8s and a Jaguar back end. This one had the pukka Ford 427 and rear suspension as per the original. Which is why Superformance cars are built under licence from Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. And, yes, it's a fibreglass body.

At any rate, you should buy one at £100k and save yourself £900k over an original!

I had a long chat with the owner - an old boy c60 or so, and I've no reason to doubt him.

 

[Darrell]

Apparently, it's down to the engine, gearbox, and back axle. For example, many replicas use Rover V8s and a Jaguar back end. This one had the pukka Ford 427 and rear suspension as per the original. Which is why Superformance cars are built under licence from Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. And, yes, it's a fibreglass body.

At any rate, you should buy one at £100k and save yourself £900k over an original!

I had a long chat with the owner - an old boy c60 or so, and I've no reason to doubt him.

So it’s as near to the original as you’re going to get?

 

[del320]

So it’s as near to the original as you’re going to get?

Pretty much - for a tenth of the price. You get modern niceties such as digital dials and, I think, ABS.

 

[Darrell]

Pretty much - for a tenth of the price. You get modern niceties such as digital dials and, I think, ABS.

But the body is plastic?

 

[ToeKnee]

Not this one - full fat seven litres (count 'em) in a 1200kg car - 400bhp give or take ...

I was pretty sure that one had a rover v8 engine, plus when he was alive, shelby would licence anything if he was paid enough

 

[Spider10]

Dax mainly used the rover v8
Then there is the z3 turd convertion

 

[ToeKnee]

Dax mainly used the rover v8
Then there is the z3 turd convertion

The early Dax's used the jaguar V12, most now use the chevy small block.

 

[Spider10]

Ive never seen a jag v12 cobra copy i would of thought it was a bit of a tight squeeze

 

[ToeKnee]

Ive never seen a jag v12 cobra copy i would of thought it was a bit of a tight squeeze

It is. A lot have been converted to V8 now as the resale value of the V12 is a lot lower.

 

[SmartAmg]

Not the best pic, but just seen this while parked up havin a Coffee.

 

[del320]

I was pretty sure that one had a rover v8 engine, plus when he was alive, shelby would licence anything if he was paid enough

Fair enough - but I do know what a Rover V8 looks like...

 

[ToeKnee]

Fair enough - but I do know what a Rover V8 looks like...

Just put the reg through an online checker and it says engine size 3556cc?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Not the best pic, but just seen this while parked up havin a Coffee.
View attachment 139228

Manta: a properly rare car.