The 1800 - Part I

Just for fun, I've decided to come up with a list of 10 Cars of the best cars I can think of with engines with a capacity of 1800CC or lower

Here are the first 5

1. Mercedes Benz E-Class
   

The daddy of government vehicles has a new model out, the 2009 W212 E-Class.
We would have seen it sooner if it wasn't for Uhuru Kenyatta's interesting decision. The new E-200 sports a 1796cc engine that puts out 180HP and does 0-100Kph in 8 Seconds (its big brother the E-63 AMG will do this in 4 seconds flat)
It boasts many new innovations and technologies like the ability to recognize and adhere to speed limits from the signs on the side of the road and an integrated Night Vision system. A rear seat package will have similar amenities to that of a rear seat in the S class. A key element for any "Mheshimiwa".

2. Alfa Romeo 159




You saw a couple of these sexy little Italians in the opening sequence of Casino Royale. Penned by the Legendary Giorgetto Giugaro in conjuction with Alfa Romeo Centro Stille,they are part of the reason there such a thing as an "Alfa Romeo owners club".

While the ones in the movie were probably the 3.2L V6 JTS models, the 2009 model year comes with a new variant, the 1.75 TBi, which does 8.1L/100km and 0-100Kmh in 7.7 Seconds with its 1.75 L petrol engine.

3.Volvo s40


Volvos have a famous reputation for safety, but clearly they didn't play it safe with their new models. The S40 was launched with a silly viral campaign in 2004, something about an entire village buying Volvos.
Bad marketing aside, its a beautiful looking car with stellar crash safety ratings. Its 1.8L variant does 9L/100Km and takes 10.9 seconds to get to 100Kmh

4. Mazda6

This second Generation Mazda6 debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, 1.8L models are only available in certain markets. An Optional 6 Speed Manual Gearbox spices things up.

Zoom-Zoom!!

5. Skoda Superb

This Czech member of the Volkwagen group shares the bulk of its mechanicals with the VW Passat and can be had in 1.4 and 1.8 Litre variants.

The difference, the Superb is 10cm Longer than the VW, allowing for greater legroom in the back for our Honourable Members of Parliament.

Optional features include Dual-Zone Air conditioning, Alcantara leather upholstery (usually seen in No. 1 above) and an 8 Speaker, Touch screen stereo with a 6 CD changer, an SD card slot and an Aux in socket for your favourite MP3 Player.

The Lamborghini Miura

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Yesterday, I was on my way home, smarting from an incident at a bank which just killed my day, when I suddenly thought about the Lamborghini Miura.

Just like that it pops into my mind and I remember how important it was for Lamborghini. It was the first time they dared to go against the Status Quo.

The tractor business was doing great, the oil crisis hadn’t hit, the economy was fine, then out jumps Ferrucio Lamborghini, with some new sportscar.

Lamborghini owes it existance to poor customer service.

As a wealthy agricultural machinery manufacturer, Ferruccio Lamborghini was able to take up some issues he was having with the clutch of his 250 GT directly with Enzo Ferarri.

Legend has it that Enzo was insulted that a man who made tractors could dare critique his fine motor cars. So like good Italians they got into a heated argument.

Lamborgini later had one of his mechanics fix the clutch. It turned out it was from the same manufacturer as some of the ones he used on his tractors.

So as a result of poor customer service, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A was born.

But like most startups, after a while, things fell apart .

The thing is, he was trying to do it just like everyone else.

His first attempt at a sportscar, the 350 GTV wasn't warmly received by the motoring community. It looked exactly like any other Sportscar. Then he came up with the Miura.

The car was named after the Spanish Miura bull breeders, whose animals have a proverbial attack instinct. It was a complete departure from the design language of the day and its wedge shape can still be seen in most of todays sportscars.

At the time, sportcars basically looked like the Jaguar E-Type. They were curvy, they had long hoods and short rear overhangs. Today we look at the the E-types and Ferrari 250s and Mercedes 300SLs, and marvel at how graceful and elegant they look.

_{The Mercedes 300SL "Gullwing" the fastest production car at the time}

But make no mistake, at the time they were just as radical as the supercars of today. The 1966-72 period the Miura was produced was the time of the Peugeot 404!!

Truth be told the Miura really owes its radical styling cues to another Ferarri basher, the Ford GT40.

However what caught the attention of the motoring public was what lay inside.

The Miura was powered by a 3.9L V12 engine transversely mounted in the middle of the car, right behind the passenger cell.

This unusual engine layout led to incredible interest in the vehicle. In fact, at the 1965 Turin Motor Show, only the chassis was shown, but multiple orders for the car were placed!

The car was not a commercial success, only 764 were built. But it placed Lamborghini firmly in the spotlight as a serious contender, a spot it occupies to this day.

In 2006 , A retro Lamborghini Miura concept car was presented. It was the first design by the then new Lamborghini chief, Walter de'Silva, and it commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1966 introduction of the original Miura in Geneva.



Lamborghini's president and CEO at the time, Stephan Winkelmann decided the concept would never be brought to production, saying

“The Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. "

Those words ring true to this day.

Tyre Markings

At the Total Kenya Motorshow I had a chat with some chaps at the Yana Stand who explained to me what the numbers on a tyre mean. Heres a summary

1.Tyre width
This three-digit number refers to the overall width of the tyre in millimeters.

2.Profile/Aspect ratio
The relationship between tyre height and tyre width. The higher the number, the taller the sidewall. The lower the number the smaller the sidewall, hence the term low-profile tyre

3.Radial
The letter R indicates radial-ply as opposed to bias-ply tyre construction.

4.Wheel diameter
This number indicates the size of wheel the tyre is designed to fit onto.

5.Load index
A relative scale that indicates how much weight the tyre is certified to carry at maximum inflation. It can range from zero to 279. The higher the number, the greater the load-carrying capacity.

6.Primary speed rating
This specifies the maximum speed at which a tyre is certified to carry its maximum load. Primary speed ratings range from A (lowest) to Z (highest). (Some tyres also carry more specific secondary ratings.)

Rolls Royce Ghost

Rolls Royce Limited was created over a famous lunch brokered by Henry Edmunds in May 1904 at the Midlands Hotel in Manchester. Edmunds brought together Henry Royce, a successful engineer and Charles Rolls, the owner of one of the worlds first car dealerships.

The meeting led to an agreement that Rolls would exclusively sell as many cars as Royce could produce. The marque launched in 1904 following the verbal agreement made in May although a formal agreement was not signed between the two until December.



C.S. Rolls & Co were the sole agents for a series of two, three, four and six cylinder cars that broke the mould for engineering and craftsmanship. By 1907 Royce had created the first Silver Ghost, a car of legendary smoothness that completed a 14,371-mile virtually non-stop run that led a journalist at the prestigious publication Autocar to call it 'the best car in the world'.


Fast forward to the Paris motor show, 2006: Rolls-Royce announced that work had begun on a new model series. The new car would be in production and on sale by the turn of the decade. The only other facts confirmed at that stage were that it would be smaller than the Phantom saloon and priced somewhere between EUR200,000 and EUR300,000 before tax. Speculation about its style and specification began almost immediately...



Little was seen of the new car, codenamed RR4, until the spring of 2008, when Rolls-Royce released the first official sketches. As sightings of secret development models on the road increased, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 200EX, the experimental forerunner to Ghost, at the Geneva motor show in March 2009. An instant hit, 200EX bore the trademark Rolls-Royce design cues but in altogether more compelling fashion. It was a clear statement of intent.



Inside, Ghost is refined and cosseting. Entering and exiting is both effortless and graceful - the low sill height means you step 'onto' rather than 'into' Ghost. The unique rear-hinged coach doors open to 83 degrees adding an extra sense of theatre for the rear passengers.

Once inside, you are greeted by a simple yet contemporary interior with large expanses of soft full grain leather, natural wood veneers and Blenheim wool carpets. The cashmere-blend roof lining adds to the sense of openness and space, enhanced by the optional Panorama sunroof.



"Ghost is one of the most revered names in automotive industry," said Chief Executive Officer, Tom Purves. "It evokes images of adventure and technical innovation. The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style."



All Rolls-Royce cars feature a Power in Reserve dial on the facia. It's a reminder that there is always power to spare in the V12 engines - at 70mph they use less than 10 percent of available power. Delivering 75% of torque at just 1,000rpm, working in perfect balance with the automatic gearbox, the acceleration is so smooth it feels like you are in an infinite first gear. This effortless power, combined with our unique dynamic chassis and cutting-edge suspension creates the famous Rolls-Royce 'magic carpet ride'.




Powered by a new twin turbo 6.6-litre V12 engine, it is virtually silent, with 80% of its torque available from idle. Coupled with the 8-speed ZF gearbox it accelerates from 0-62 mph in just 4.9 seconds and has a governed top-speed of 155 mph.



The V12 engine remains whisper-quiet even when accelerating - Ghost's occupants will only notice the scenery pass at a quicker rate. Engineered to grip the road at all times, it creates a more dynamic drive for the owner who occasionally takes the wheel.