We're Moving

Due to a few hiccups in the naming process, we've decided to change our name. We're officially called Effing Cars and our new website is still in progress. For now, you can refer to this website or www.effingcars.wordpress.com for more awesome news and reviews. 

As we're rubbish at editing our website, time is definitely one of our weak points and this complication does take a while to settle itself. So we do hope your patience and loyalty towards us would stay fervent as we plough through the obstacles in front of us. Do tip us if you want to. A rough estimation of about 2 weeks is needed for this revamp. During the time gap, we forgive you for visiting other websites. And yes, we love you too. 

Thanks buds,

Editors at Effing Cars

News: VDS GT 001 Debuts

VDS. A name many mistaken for as a UPS alternative and probably thought to be managed by one of China's greatest. You'd be disappointed then that this isn't a cheap express delivery service but a niche car manufacturer. On first glance, it's as if Frankenstein's taken a loving towards American muscle and decided to build his own sports car. And that's half true because this car is created by Raphael van der Straeten, a lad involved in racing for a respectable amount of time in a GT3 Mustang. 

The VDS GT 001 hails from the land where dark chocolate and waffles are commonplace and their football clubs a shame, even to them. Yes, it's them Belgians but though they are rubbish in football, they make it up by knowing a thing or two about fast cars. Like the Gillet Vertigo. And to make this GT 001 project a winner, the insane looking thing is based on the Vertigo, which is no bad thing. What's more? It's got a Maserati 4.2l V8 worthy of 480 bhp with a 6-speed sequential gearbox and only 22 of these will be made. 

If that's not powerful enough, a track only R version is in the works and might see the light of day, if the standard version ever bears fruit. Still, the GT 001 should go like bonkers since it weighs no more than a feather. On a serious note, the machine looks a tad bit mad. But mad cars should always exist. They're like chili paste in a meatloaf. Weird but intriguing.

Photo credits: Jacques Letihon

News: Honda Reveals the CR-Z Mugen

You've got to agree with me that the CR-Z has got to be a car that looks the deal but never had the oomph to match it. And it had the potential for more power as shown by Jackson Racing, HKS and the mod king likes. But like me, you wanted a hot CR-Z that came out from Honda themselves, didn't you?

Well, Mugen - Honda's official tuner - has unveiled the CR-Z Mugen and it isn't a concept. Known also as a Mugen RZ, the hot CR-Z features a more aerodynamic body kit, an adjustable rear spoiler and sports exhaust system. Also in the list, there are also high performance brakes, sports suspension system, 17-inch alloys and Dunlop Direzza Z II tires. Inside, the seats will be in a two-tone colour and the gear knob will be in carbon fibre.

There will be a boost meter too which explains that the CR-Z Mugen hosts a supercharged 1.5l engine pushing 156 bhp and 185 Nm of torque. In addition to that, the IMA motor remains and that generates 20 bhp and 78 Nm of torque which totals to an overall output of roughly 170 bhp and 263 Nm of torque.

Only 300 will be produced and each model will be numbered and identified through a special individually-numbered plaque or rather, a plaque to brag to your neighbours that your CR-Z isn't a standard one. It will cost ¥4,494,000 a pop which translates to RM 174,465 in Malaysia. Want one? Highly unlikely since this will be made available in Japan only but who knows, with money anything is possible.

News: Artega Bought by Paragon AG, Still Dies

Artega's demise was to be expected. In fact, its death happened some time ago in July when it applied for insolvency and expectations of it dying a simple death was not surprising. But it wasn't. Apparently, Artega's assets has been bought over by Paragon AG and they haven't any plans to resume production. 

Instead, they bought Artega for its buildings and engineering expertise and allocating them to work at their Electromobility and Body-Kinematics division. Still, it shouldn't be worrying news for Artega GT owners as service and replacement parts will still be offered by Paragon.

It is definitely a sad day for us car geeks as Artega proved to be a very beautiful niche car marque. It was unique, interesting and German but its huge price tag and bad marketing should be blamed for its current state and its death is hard for me to accept. Nevertheless, I do hope Paragon revives Artega. 

News: Volkswagen Announces the Touareg Edition X

In a blink of an eye, Touareg's been in this world for 10 years and Volkswagen has decided to celebrate its lifetime with an Edition X - X denoting its lifespan. 

What you get with the Edition X are a bunch of additional aesthetics such as a large panoramic sunroof, bi-xenon headlights with LED DRLs, darkened rear LED lights, silver anodized roof rails and 19-inch Moab alloys. Other details include tinted windows, Touareg X logos and a Chrome & Style trim package.

The interior features Nappa leather upholstery in Amber brown, ebony wood trim available in as decorative inlays on the doors or the dash panel, special colour coordinated stitchings and illuminated door sill plates with Touareg X words on it.

Nope, no engine upgrade and yes, it is a shame they didn't fettle with the engine. 

News: Caterham Seven Superlight R600 Revealed

Caterham has revealed their quickest, maddest, most powerful Caterham Seven and it's called the Superlight R600. What makes this R600 an indication to a better future is that this race car's supercharged. Soooopercharged.

Under the hood is a 2.0l Ford Duratec unit bored out to develop 275 bhp and 270 Nm of torque, all of it channeled to the rear wheels through a 6-speed sequential shift 'box. And it should be a mightily quick car, this considering the fact that the R500, its predecessor managed the century sprint in just 2.88 seconds.

Topgear's Stig is in this? I didn't know he modeled 

This won't come cheap though, as it is priced at £44,995 (RM 221,823). Still, for the money, you get a Titan limited slip differential and Avon radial slicks or wets standard in the Seven. But for those who own an R300, the upgrade to the R600 is definitely possible. All you need is cash.

News: Ferrari FF Gets A Huge Sunroof

To those passengers who sits at the back in the Ferrari FF feeling claustrophobic, Ferrari has given its family supercar a nice treat. The roof can now be had as a full length panoramic sunroof instead. Here's the catch, it will be an option and it won't be cheap.

Everything else remains the same including its 6.3l V12 engine pushing 651 bhp and 683 Nm of torque. But that's no bad thing because that engine is enough to bring a 3.9 second sprint time from a standstill to 100 km/h and a top speed of 335 km/h. With that sunroof, the FF suddenly becomes more appealing to the eyes, no?

News: Lexus CT200h F-Sport Finally Arrives in Malaysia

Those wanting the CT200h to look a wee bit more masculine, the F-Sport version is here, finally. Lexus has priced this at RM 201,400 ( RM 206,877 OTR with insurance) which makes this new variant the range topping one.

With that extra bit of cash, the CT200h gets a redesigned bumper up front and at the back along with a mesh grille, lower skirts and a bigger rear spoiler. Inside, it's the same black interior with silver aluminium accents but squint your eyes and you'll see a slight difference. The pedals are now done in aluminium and the scuff plates get an F-Sport logo while the steering wheel gets replaced with an F-sport version topped with perforated leather, a flat bottom and an F-Sport badge. 

 

On the technical side, the engine remains the same with a 1.8l four pot coupled to an electric motor pushing a combined 134 bhp that gets the century sprint done in 10.3 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h. While the power remains the same, the handling has been given an upgrade as the suspension system is tuned for a more sporty drive. Hence, F-Sport.

News: Volkswagen Passat Sport by Volkswagen Malaysia Is Here

Volkswagen Malaysia has revealed a range topping variant of the Passat and it's called the Sport. Before we delve into the details, let me remind you that this new variant is a CBU model and is priced at RM 190,967.20 (on the road without insurance) which means it is RM 5k more expensive than the standard CBU Passat and RM 19k more than the CKD model.

It may be a steep difference if compared with the CKD model but it's only fair to collate the two CBU models. So, an RM 5k difference gives you new 18-inch Kansas alloys, a new sports tuned suspension, electrically foldable side mirrors with auto dimming function on the driver's side, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats and here's the fun bit, there's finally a tilt/slide electric sunroof. Many may argue that the sunroof may not be necessary but a little wind brushing your hair and a bragging tease to your mates with the Jap competitions may all be worth it.

For those of you wanting to know about the engine, be disappointed as it is the same 1.8l TSI engine with 157 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. Still, with five grand extra, the whole package offered by the Sport variant is a bargain really. What did you expect with RM 5,000? More power? You got to be kidding me. 

News: 2013 Land Rover Discovery 4 Revealed

Year 2013 is just around the corner and Land Rover has given the Disco a small update with a new set of trims. Just when you thought the Disco wasn't street stuff, Land Rover has created a package called Black Design which offers a gloss black grille, satin black roof rails and darkened wheels. Speaking of wheels, the Disco's 19 inchers are restyled.

That's not all, 5 new colours are added in the choice list - Havana (dark grey mix) , Barolo Black, Barossa (purplish red), Mariana Black and Causeway Grey and there's an extra two interior trim choices - Grand Ivory Lacquer and Cosmic Grey trim. The interior sees little change but an updated infotainment system and better navigation system is installed. The upholstery sees little revision and an Extended Leather Pack that adds Windsor leather on the seats, dashboard and doors will be an option.

No, the engines will remain unchanged and everything else relating to technicalities are untouched. Still, it's got style. Street style.

Didn't know where to place this but this is the basic Discovery without the Black Design package. Thought you should know.

News: Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive, Most Powerful EV

More often than not, Mercedes Benz competed unoffcially with the likes of Audi, BMW and Jaguar even to create the most powerful engine for their lineups. Remember the D-segment sedan power fight which involved the E-Class, 5 Series and the A6? Power was everything and this happened mainly because they didn't want to lose, like Jeremy Clarkson.

Mercedes has now joined the EV competition and claims that their new SLS AMG Electric Drive is the most powerful EV car there is in this world. A bold claim it may be but seeing the SLS Electric Drive having 740 bhp and a monstrous 1,000 Nm of torque, that literally dwarfs the petrol SLS with 591 bhp and 650 Nm of torque. 0 to 100 km/h is done in 3.9 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

All 740 bhp and 1,000 Nm of torque comes from four synchronous electric motors that drive all four wheels technically making it four-wheel-drive. Instead of being in the wheel hubs, they're placed on the axles which Mercedes claims reduces unsprung mass. Two gearboxes work independently with two motors each and there is an AMG Torque Dynamics system which provides selective drive to individual wheels to increase grip in different conditions. It comes in three modes as well: Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

The motors get their energy juice from a 60 kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that gives a range of 250 km and 400 volts at its peak performance. That's a lot of juice to be honest but this advantage comes at a cost, the battery itself weighs about 548 kg though all of it are installed within the transmission tunnel behind the front seats where the petrol tank was in the standard SLS. To shave off excessive fats in this car, a mesh of carbon fibre and aluminium structure replaces the all-aluminium build of the regular SLS and those carbon-ceramic brake discs reduces the weight a slight bit more.

The double wishbone suspension system sees it replaced with independent multi-link ones with pushrod dampers while the wheels are 19-inch in the front and 20-inch at the back. And like all EVs, this electric SLS is quiet as it can be so Mercedes developed a sound generated through 11 speakers. It may have the term concept but the SLS Electric Drive will see sales starting next year for a cool €416,500 (RM 1.6 million) and you can have it in blue chrome.

News: Hyundai Genesis Tuned by Cosworth

Cosworth has dabbled into another project once again and this time, it involves a Hyundai Genesis. To debut in the upcoming SEMA show in the States, this project is called the Cosworth Genesis Racing Series Concept.

The Brit engine experts have shown many a times their capability of creating a powerful engine out of nothing and this bit of Hyundai will be another showcase of their many talents. Of course, it will be the same direct injection 3.8l V6 engine hiding under the bonnet but with a bit of magic Cosworth dust, this engine is now capable of 389 bhp at 6,400 rpm and 440 Nm of torque at 5,100 rpm. That totals up to a gain of 40 bhp and 40 Nm of torque over the standard V6. Sports suspension and brakes made by Cosworth are also made available to cope with the extra power output but specifics have not been revealed.

Matching the power are a few exterior and interior buff ups like a new aero front and blacked out rear diffuser, an integrated rear spoiler, satin-gloss blue finish, gunmetal lightweight racing wheels, bespoke two toned seats, steering wheel and gear shifter. Too bad the pictures shown here are renders of the real thing.

News: HSV GTS 25th Anniversary Revealed

Still wanting a tuner that's covered fully by insurance and maybe, just maybe, came out, hot off the factory with those subzero looking modified body kits on it? You're in luck because Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) has decided to celebrate its 25th year by producing just 140 units of this mad looking beast. Still, lucky as you may be, this car will only be sold in Australia, 125 of them with the remainder 15 being sold in New Zealand.

Not to disappoint you or anything but this special edition has nothing to do with power hikes but aesthetics only. Not that its current powerplant is a disappointment though because inside this special edition GTS is a 6.2l V8 developing a healthy 436 bhp and 550 Nm of torque.

The 25th Anniversary GTS gets a hefty amount of bells and whistles such as new 20-inch forged alloys finished in Satin Graphite that saves 22kg over the standard GTS' or 8% of unsprung weight, vector hood scoops, side vents, updated grille, superflow spoiler, a bi-modal exhaust system and loads of badges. Even though the engine wasn't touched, other performance parts as well as safety are enhanced. The brakes are now six pistoned, there's Rear Park Assist with rear camera as well as Side Blind Zone Alert System which pretty much works like Volvo's BLIS I suppose.

All this can be had for AU$84,990. It may be expensive but try finding the price of a regular GTS and you'll find this the bargain of the century.