Wednesday 31 October 2018

New v Old: Return of the cult classics

Who says new cars are boring? There's plenty of new cars that borrow from established classics, taking ideas and details off older machines with a cult following. The past month alone has seen a number of new releases, so we got to comparing.





The new McLaren Speedtail takes the Brit supercar manufacturer to new heights, with a rumoured top speed 'in excess of 250 MPH'. Only 106 units will be built at a price of £1.75million plus taxes, and is the most powerful and aerodynamically efficient McLaren to date. This 17 feet long hypercar has three abreast seating like the original F1 and the 1036 HP hybrid powertrain takes it from 0-190 MPH in 128 seconds (the P1 takes 16.5). It's all set to break some records.
New: McLaren 
New: BMW 8-series
The all-new 8-series makes a comeback after two decades, the return tour defined by BMW's need to fill the gap of a big GT car. With Lexus and Mercedes Benz hot on the trail, BMW's product portfolio needed a luxurious GT car— the 8-series fills that void with a 530 HP 4.4 V8, numerous tech and luxury features borrowed from the flagship 7 and exterior styling to match. There's also an inline six motor. 
New: Porsche Speedster II
The Porsche Speedster II was announced after the German sports car maker announced they'd make a limited run of the Speedster I concept, shown at Geneva last year. With only 1948 units commissioned, the Speedster II celebrates the issuance of the first license awarded to the production of the original Porsche Speedster. The II's red paint symbolises the 1988 Speedster's factory colour.  
New: Suzuki Jimny
The new Suzuki Jimny is already in the market and making waves with reviewers, who are praising it for its smartly squared off looks and off-road ability. Bright colours, funky interior and loads of customising options makes the new Jimny a perfect match for the outdoor-obsessed millennial of today, as they sip their pumpkin-spiced lattes across muddy terrain. 
OLD: McLaren F1 Longtail
The original McLaren F1 held the top speed record for production cars for almost a decade and became a household name for its sheer ability and engineering excellence. The Longtail was the competition spec—longer rear haunches and aero additions made the F1 more stable and improved cornering ability. As a factory racer, it enjoyed tremendous success in Le Mans and the like.


Old: BMW 850 CSI
The original 8-series became a cult classic thanks to its wedge design, luxury features and a V12 motor that you could have with a traditional manual gearbox. Oh, and pop-up headlights. The big GT even donated its V12 to the McLaren F1 (see above). However, the market wasn't ready and it was a sales flop.  
Old: PorscheSpeedster
The original 1988 Speedster took a dramatic turn away from the wedge-y shapes that other manufacturers were obsessed with and got a curved windscreen and petite windows. The roof was tucked under a giant hump on the back, and the black running boards were made iconic by the wide hips of this most-loved 911 generation.  
Old: Suzuki Jimny/Samurai
A favourite for anyone looking for a sturdy, capable workhorse on the cheap, the original Suzuki Jimnys are still puttering about with 1300cc motors and bare-bones interiors. Maruti made a bunch in their deal with Suzuki, and India's practically flooded with these things. They're used as cop cars, ambulances and who knows what else. There's quite a few in Bangladesh as well.  



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