Thursday, February 25, 2021

1981 Ferrari 400i GT - Not Just A Stylized Honda Accord


“More than 30 years of being a manufacturer of the world's best and most exclusive Gran Turismo cars,” a 1978 Dutch magazine writes, addressing its message towards Ferrari. And the 400i GT is a testament to that.

Last week, I got to experience one of my favourite Ferrari’s of all time, the 1981 Ferrari 400i GT, and blimey, did it live up to my expectations. The 80’s were renowned for being the decade of ‘Boxy car designs,’ and Ferrari, well-known for its beautiful curves and smooth lines, decided to go all out with the boxy-look! For the untrained eye, the silhouette of this car merely resembled the 1989 Honda Accord Coupe (CA6). During the review of this car, many people stopped by to praise its design, while some people were confused as to what this car was and why this ‘Honda Accord’ sported Ferrari badges, or why this Ferrari was so boxy. 



You see, the predecessor to the 365 GT4 2+2, 400 and 412 was the 1967-71 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2; and the successor to the trio was the 1992-97 Ferrari 456. Both of these cars were quite curvaceous, leading to the car in question to be quite a strange midpoint between the two. Adding to this was the fact that the car was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, who was famous for designing many of the older Ferrari’s before hand, but he started to change his styling at the 365 Daytona, where it was quite a sharp shape and also the first Ferrari to have the characteristic swage line that separated the top and bottom into 2 halves. The 400GTi followed suit, also being designed by Fioravanti and was the second Ferrari to feature the swage line



Fun Fact: The swage line is actually still being used today by Ferrari. This includes the J50, the SF90 and the Monza SP1 and 2 cars. 



The thing that draws people to the car is definitely the colour! While most Ferrari’s are painted in red, this car is painted in a metallic ‘Azzurro Chiaro’. This, coupled with the yellow badges on the body and center caps really creates a combo that even works to this day! (Go have a look at any blue supercar with yellow center caps or brake calipers.) The amazing colour combination doesn’t stop there, peeking in on the inside reveals the lush tan leather interior with a splash of dark blue on the mats and carpet, and in the form of 2 stripes lining every seat. The steering wheel is reminiscent of the wheels, with a black ring (the tire) holding the silver steering wheel spokes (the rim), with a yellow Ferrari badge in the middle (the center cap). The ceiling is in a lush beige and its bolstered, giving it a nice texture and look. The rest of the interior is in solid black leather and filled in with wood veneer.



Some interesting parts of the car I’d like to address are, first, the 4.8L V12, which had a wet sump, was four-cam, and was first used in the 1947 Ferrari 125 S, which was a 1.5L V12. (That’s a 3.3L enlargement of displacement!). Secondly, the ‘shotgun-styled’ quad pipes. It was quite quiet on start-up, which is relatively normal for a classic Grand Tourer, but when putting the pedal to the metal, the Colombo-derived V12 roared, sang, and was quite the head turner! Thirdly, any Ferrari from the 365 GTB/4 Daytona to the Ferrari 412 had the iconic bonnet with the separate center vent, zig-zag stitching of the underneath of it and pop up headlights with the dual bulbs! Next, was the superb ride quality and handling. Despite the age of the car and it being a Grand Tourer, the handling wasn’t boaty, and it wasn’t stiff at the same time, corners felt smooth and going over imperfections in the road couldn't be felt! And last, but definitely not least, was the very recognizable five-spoke flat rims that cars like the Ferrari F40 and 512BB had.




Colour Time!


The 400i GT came in 18 exterior colours, which were all named after racing horse names"


Reds:         Rosso Sir Ivor, Rosso Nearco,

Oranges:   Arancio Vaguely Noble

Yellows:     Giallo My Swallow, Oro Kelso, Marrone Colorado

Greens:     Verde Seabird, Verde Pino Blenheim, Verde Medio

                  Niyinsky

Blues:        Blu Ortis, Azzurro Gladiateur, Celeste Gainsborough,

                 Azzurro Hyperion, Blu Ribbot

Blacks:      Nero Dark Donald

Greys:      Grigio Mahmoud

Silvers:      Grigio Argento Le Sancy

Whites:      Avorio My Tetrarch



All in all this car is one of my all-time favorite Ferrari, and getting up close and personal with one has certainly reinforced my admiration for this great icon of an era of boxy Italian Grand Tourers!


Until next time!





Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Coachbuilt Concepts: Gruppo Bertone in the 70's


After publishing the last article ‘Coachbuilt Concepts: Gruppo Bertone in the 60’s’, it was such a good read! (I read it again myself actually.) And now I’m writing the follow up of that one, as it would be a sin not to! So, here’s to one of my favourite decades in Gruppo Bertone’s portfolio of gorgeousness!


1970:


1. Bertone Shake



Starting off with something like this is one hell of an introduction to Bertone’s 70’s wedge designs. It’s a beach buggy, and just like the more famous Meyers Manx, which was built upon a Volkswagen Beetle chassis, the Shake was built upon the Simca 1200 S chassis, featuring the same French engine, and its styling taking cues from the 1969 Autobianchi Runabout (like its powerboat appearance and C-Pillar set headlights). When it was presented at the 1970 Paris Motor Show, it received an all round positive audience, especially with the younger generation!


2. BMW 2200 TI Garmisch



Saying the new vertical kidney grills of BMW aren’t true to its history is a false claim. In fact, BMW has always been using giant vertical grills, ever since the 1934 BMW 309. So really, the new 4 Series is only returning to their origins. Midway through these 2 cars was the Garmisch, based on the BMW 2200 TI, it also incorporated giant vertical kidney grills. This time following Bertone’s styling, by making them hexagonal instead of the standard oblongs. The rest of the car however, was more Italian than anything, closely resembling Bertone’s ‘67 Fiat 124 Executive, but more slanted and angled.


3. Lancia Stratos Zero



Probably the most famous concept built by Bertone is this Lancia. Borrowing the styling from the older Carabo, it too joined the Wedge Car Hall of Fame, with its rocket-ship shaped body lines. The car had no conventional doors, instead employing a canopy windshield that opened upwards, meaning that the occupants had to get it from the front. Such design meant that the car had very poor side visibility, only having 2 tiny windows per side and no direct backwards vision. The most iconic feature about the Zero was perhaps the giant triangular engine cover that opened on one side, making the Lancia have one the most astonishing side profiles when it was open.


1971:


1. Lamborghini Countach LP400



Although most of Lamborghini’s models are named after fighting bulls and terminology circling around said subject, the Countach was an expression of astonishment was aptly named when Gandini used it to describe the car, and it wasn’t solidified as the name. But when asking Bob Wallace, a New Zealander, how it sounded to a foreign ear, the Kiwi said it back in his home accent, in which Gandini then made it the actual name of the car. So one could say, it was a New Zealander who named the Countach. The design itself was actually a direct successor to the Alfa Romeo Carabo, in which it took its famous wedge design as well as scissor doors! No wing mirrors? No fear. This Countach was nicknamed ‘Periscopo’ for the fact that it had a submarine-like periscope! And though later models of the Lambo added wings and skirts, the LP400 was a design so clean, you couldn’t get the same feeling with the ones that followed.


2. Lamborghini Urraco



So far, Ferruccio had created a car to compete with every Ferrari that came to fruition through. But when cars like the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 and Maserati Merak emerged, Mr. Lamborghini also had to jump at the chance. Though it was marketed as an affordable supercar and was sold for 7 years, only 791 cars were manufactured before production ceased. The ‘Urraco’ name actually came from a line of fighting bulls that were smaller than others, roughly translating to ‘Little Bull’.


3. Lancia Stratos HF



It’s no wonder why the Stratos is revered as one of the most beautiful cars ever designed for production. Gandini was originally going to name the car ‘Stratoline’ as its lines were out of this world! Though other wedge cars went with flat planes for the windows, the Stratos featured a wraparound windshield, which has now gone on to be one of the key design features of modern supercars, like the Koenigsegg cars and the Enzo Ferrari to say the least!


4. Citroen GS Camargue



Built on a Citroen GS platform, Bertone revealed it’s signature wedge shape again, but this time with a little French influence. While the car resembled Citroen’s future models, like the BX and XM, the taillights were very American, looking like they were inspired by the 70’s Dodge Charger and Challenger models. While retaining the GS Saloon’s long 4.115m length, the Camargue was widened by 6cm and flattened by 20cm, the car looked more and more like a spaceship, coupled with the fact that the car still featured Citroen’s signature accessory, the hydro-pneumatic suspension!


5. Fiat X1/9



This car was another first for Gruppo Bertone, as 1972 was the year they created the world’s cheapest and smallest sports car, while still looking truly Italian and uncompromising, earning its nickname, “Baby Ferrari”. Fiat actually had no design input into the X1/9, which is why people normally omit the original manufacturer make and opted to call it the 'Bertone' X1/9. While Fiat wanted something to look like a natural successor of the 850, Bertone pushed aggressively for his now famous sharp wedge design! Originally, the Italian automaker wanted a conventional convertible with a soft top, but because of new safety regulations pushing for an overhead roll bar in case of a roll over, Fiat had no choice but to go with Gandini’s dorsal fin design. Being mid-engined meant that the car had 2 trunks, a small one in the back for groceries and other necessities, and a flatter one in the front for storing the removable hard top.


6. Maserati Khamsin



From 1968, Maserati’s ownership changed hands from the Orsi Family over to Citroen, where both car brands benefitted from each other: the Citroen gaining the seductive SM, and Maserati gaining new mid-engine, sports cars like the Bora and Merak. Now, while this was good, most Maserati customers were unhappy at the lineup’s lack of a luxury Grand Tourer, and this was where this car “Khams-in” to play. The new car was a direct successor of the beautiful Indy, and it’s design was unmistakable Maserati, albeit with a few nods to its French ownership, with taillights in the shape of the previously mentioned GS Camargue.


7. Suzuki Go



This little buggy was Bertone’s first collaboration with a Japanese manufacturer, and just like the first car on this article (the Bertone Shake), its unveiling was very well received. It looked like a mix between a toboggan and a fan-less hovercraft, with no visor, roof or roll bar. Though what it did have was the ability to load and unload a snowmobile, as the buggy was made for snow rather than sand.


1973:


1. NSU Trapeze



Just like the Maserati Khamsin, the Bertone designed German NSU Trapeze was like a Lancia Stratos redesigned for conventional use. With 4 seats rather than 2, the Trapeze was actually quite a large coupe. Though the interior was quite spacious, this made its engine bay quite flat and small, this challenge was accomplished by using NSU’s RO80 Rotary engine, as its displacement was proportionally smaller than its power output. More previous Bertone influence can be seen in its trapezoidal roof line, in which it was named after, and also the Citroen-like headlights.


1974: 


1. Fiat 127 Village



More beach buggy goodness, but this time spawning from the mid-70’s energy crisis, with the Italian-automaker looking at economic efficiency. The car was essentially a tiny, 2-seater pick-up truck, with no doors, an exoskeletal roof, and a tiny bed which could also be fitted with 2 more seats. As previous smaller cars on this list, the pick-up was well-received by the public when it was presented at the Geneva Motor Show; and it can be said that this little buggy was the precursor to post-2000 recreational cars due to its innovation into versatile modularity. 


2. Lamborghini Bravo



Also known as ‘Studio 114’, this Lamborghini was meant to be a provocation for an Urraco successor, focusing on economy rather than performance. Bertone’s styling still shone through, with angled, yet smooth, unbroken panes of glass, making for a wide range of visibility. The front and rear panels were covered in fins to allow for cooling and was the second car after the Lancia Stratos HF to use Alcantara in the interior.


3. Maserati Quattroporte II



It had been 5 years since the first generation Quattroporte had ended production, and in that time, Maserati was acquired by Citroen. This rendered the new Quattroporte II a very different car. Rather than being built on an all original chassis, the new car was on an elongated Citroen XM chassis. The shape of the car was also more boxier, to move with the times; but also sharper, more aerodynamic lines, minimizing wind, engine and road noise, and gaining that ‘leggera’ feel Gandini was aiming for. 


1975:


1. Fiat 131 Abarth



Enter another famous rally-homologated car, the Abarth 131 was essentially a stripped out, pumped out, wide-tracked 131 econobox. To save weight, all panels except for the roof and the doors were made from glass-fibre, and all the windows were out of plexiglass. Bertone was responsible for manufacturing all the body panels, and then they were sent to Abarth to be put together. As per homologation rules of the era, 400 were to be built for street use, making this little rally car a unicorn car among many collectors’ garages.


2. Fiat Visitors Bus



The first appearance of a bus on this list, I wasn’t sure if I should have written or skipped it. But as it stands here, it’s actually quite small, and I’d say it was more of a minivan than anything. What set this MPV apart from other cars was that it had 3 rows of seats, each with their own pairs of doors, which opened out conventionally. The shape of the bus was symmetrical, confusing most with which way was meant to be the front.


3. Fiat X1/9 Dallara



We’ve mentioned the standard X1/9 on this list already, but I feel like the 1975 Dallara Group 5 Silhouette car deserves a few words. While unmistakably an X1/9, as per Group 5 cars go, only its ‘silhouette’ remained. Every other panel was exaggerated. With bulging guards, chopped and low, and a massive rear wing. 


1976:


1. Alfa Romeo Navajo



Another year, another wedge. Though this one’s quite a bit different from the rest, as though the body was still very wedged, the cockpit was very rounded, a bit like a jet fighter. The spoiler wrapped around the cockpit, and was reminiscent of the Autobianchi Runabout. The headlights were similar to the Runabout too, mounted on the side of the car, rather than on the bonnet, though they were mounted on the front fenders instead of on the C-pillar. 


2. Ferrari 308 GT Rainbow



Throughout the decades through different filters of media, including games and such, Ferrari has always been quite a restricting brand, not allowing radical customization, colours and modifications to their ‘perfect’ vehicles. This was a contradiction to that of Gruppo Bertone’s philosophy, which was to make something as unconventional as possible. And although Bertone’s previous Ferrari, the 308 GT4 Dino, was quite standard, black and white shapes and dare I say, boring, the Rainbow was on the other side of the spectrum. (See what I did there?) With jagged edges, weirdly placed scoops, a tiny strip for a skylight, a garage door hinged automatic sunroof, and a tiny 2.4m wheelbase, this was truly something special, and something I doubt Ferrari could ever recreate!


1977:


1. Jaguar Ascot



Although bearing the Jaguar nameplate, this car was far from it. While Jaguar’s styling of the late 70’s was still quite sensuous and round, the Ascot was completely different, following in the footsteps of Bertone’s last Jaguar creation, the Pirana. With straight, non-British lines, suede-covered interior and ridiculously close, center-mounted pop-up headlights, if I had told you the car was based on the XJ-S, you’d never believe me.


1978:


1. Lancia Sibilo



I love the late-70’s futurism, and the Sibilo is everything that embodies that interior. With no focus on performance, instead focusing all on that Bladerunner/Cyberpunk feel, the car had a very unique appearance. Lamborghini Bravo lines adorned the top section of the car, with the Ascot’s center-mounted pop-up headlights, bulging rectangular guards, and built on a Stratos chassis, it truly was something only a designer from that era could achieve.


1979:


1. Volvo 343 Tundra



The last car on this list is the Volvo Tundra, built on a Volvo 343 chassis and an econobox-design approach. Though the car looked brilliant as a compact coupe, the only thing resembling a Volvo was its front grill, featuring a lopsided opening with the Swedish manufacturer’s signature logo. The car was never actually produced under said manufacturer, instead being the basis for which the Citroen BX was based on.


And there we are, all 22 Gruppo Bertone concepts conceived during 1970-1979! Tell me which of these were your favourite, which were your least favourite! And should I do more Bertone? Or move on to other coachbuilders like Zagato and Pininfarina!

Until next time!





















Tuesday, February 9, 2021

2003 Renault Avantime - Should Be Renamed 'Abizzarretime'


As a connoisseur of everything obscure, my first reaction to learning about this thing only was described by one word, ‘WEIRD’. Upon learning that my close friend recently bought one, I jumped at the chance to see it. In person, it really captures what I once thought was weird, odd lines, odd seating and odd glass window to body ratio.

Though we see the car as a Renault, it used to actually be a collaboration project of Matra, conceived under Philippe Guédon, head of the division, who “believed that the children of Espace owners remained loyal to the car even after they had grown up and left home. As a result, the renowned estate was gaining a generation of new drivers.” 



This oddness was stylized by Patrick Le Quément, ex-Renault chief designer, responsible for cars such as the Twingo, Mégane and Mégane II, Scénic, the 1994-1998 Espace, the 1994 Kangoo and the 1994 Laguna. Alongside the reveal of the Avantime in 2002 was the Vel Satis, also designed by Le Quément. Le Quément also designed the Ford Cargo truck and the Ford Sierra under Ford UK.



Public reaction to the car was quite poor when it was first unveiled at the 1999 Press Conference of the concept model, named ‘Coupéspace’, held at the Louvre, and then a month later at the Geneva Auto Show. It was named that because Le Quément wanted the space of an estate with the 4-pillared look of a coupe. Design project manager said that he wanted “someone walking around the car to be continuously astonished.” On the contrary, instead of astonishment, the car was met with confusion and perplexion. Because of this, sales were also poor when it was finally manufactured in 2001. 


As a result, only 8,557 Avantime's were manufactured, and its reception stopped a major portion of the car buyers from buying it. That didn’t stop me and other niche French autophiles from loving the uniqueness, and dare I say French-ness of the vehicle. 


The Avantime was built on the chassis of the Espace III, the last Espace to be built by Matra. The MPV itself looked like a third party Toyota Previa, and wasn’t all that nice to look at. In my opinion, the Avantime was a huge step up in terms of how it looked, even though it was so out there. True to early 2000’s French cars though, the car invoked a lot of conflicting shapes, with the size and bulbous-ness of the Espace III, but the style of the Megane II, and split the car into 2 main parts.


The lower portion of the car was relatively normal, albeit having weird vents on top of the headlights, perhaps to help with cooling, and a big bum, following suit with the Megane II’s rear design. The car also featured a pair of elongated doors, so large, they had to be double jointed in order to not cause too much difficulty when opening them.



The top portion was clearly separated, featuring an all-aluminium roof in silver, with glass everywhere. Because the car featured no B-pillar, the cockpit felt very open, even though it was only a 4 seater. The roof was separated into 2 sections from inside the car, the front being a sunroof that could open, and the back which was just a panoramic roof. Both skylights could be covered by blinds. However, the 2 sections look to be one big glass panel, due to the exterior featuring one continuous panel of strengthened heat-reflecting glass, even though the middle portion of glass didn’t really have any functional purpose.



Enough of the exterior, let’s talk about the interior. As mentioned before, the minivan only featured 4 seats. All were done up in organic leather made from Bridge of Weir (in Sahara Beige or Eclipse Black), were large sized, and made you feel like you were sitting on a sofa. And because the car was 10cm longer than the standard Espace III, but only having 2 rows, all passengers had ample legroom and a very spacious interior. The dashboard was not all that different to the Espace too, with the same inset speedometer, albeit being a bit narrower; it had a lot of storage compartments; as well as the same ‘paw-print’ shaped climate control switch panels. Unlike the Espace, the Avantime had a conventional gear shifter instead of a column shifter. 


The minivan came in 2 trim levels: differentiated by what engine they had. The ‘Dynamique’ model came with a 2.0L F4Rt T I4 (which also came in other Renault models of the same era), and was only paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. A mere 165hp/250Nm was all that the little 4-banger put out. The higher trim level was named ‘Privilege’ and was equipped with a 3.0L L7X ESL V6 (the replacement of the PRV V6 found in the elusive Clio II V6), which produced 210hp/280Nm and came in both a 5-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual. So even though the van weighed 1714kg, it didn’t feel all that heavy, though it was a bit of a wafter.



There were many factory options which were factored into each car. I won’t go into them here, but here’s a link to a forum detailing what the Avantime had.


Colour Time: The Renault Avantime came in 10 exterior colours


Reds:         Mars Red (Mars Rouge)

Greens:         Java Green (Java Vert), Scarab Green (Scarabée Vert)

Blues:         Iliad Blue (Iliade Bleu), Tibetan Blue (Tibétain Bleu), Monaco Blue (Monaco Bleu)

Purples:         Nocturne

Blacks:         Pearl Black (Perle Noir)

Greys:         Steel Grey (Acier Gris)

Silvers:         Sand (Sable)


In summary, this car is so 'ahead of its time', which explains its nomenclature, but it should really have been named 'Abizzarretime.' I mean, just look at it! I have reviewed many weird and ‘out-there’ cars, but I’ve never thought that I’d top the likes of the Renault Sport Spider or the Ferrari 400i GT! This has certainly got to be the wackiest of the bunch and I'm pretty stoked I got to even see one of these! I wonder what I’ll get to write about next!





Monday, February 1, 2021

2002 Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport Phase I - You bet your ass this is a Clio!

 How to make a car cool? Grab a standard economy car and chuck a crazy engine, an oddball bodykit and sell it to the masses. That’s the French, and that’s what makes them have such a large cult following. The story with the car I’m writing about today is no different.

To most people, this Renault resembles just a normal Clio II, but to you and me, this is a masterpiece of a car! But before we get into it, we can’t miss the reason why it was created. You see, Renault loves their one-model race series. In my Sport Spider article, I did mention the Sport Spider Trophy race series. Now, the successor to that race series was the Clio V6 Trophy series, in which the prototype to this road going Clio V6 was used. But despite its name, barely anything was shared between the standard road car and this version.



The exterior of the vehicle had very unique styling, looking like someone had just molded wider guards on both the front and rear fenders. The wider stance made the car more stable in the bends. The vents on either side were the intakes for the engine, which was now mounted in the middle.



Out were the sub-2.0L In-line 4 engines, and in was a mid-mounted 3.0 V6. This particular engine is also present in all luxury/executive Citroens, Peugeots and Renaults. It was also in the Venturi 300 Atlantique, but with added turbos. Aside from those cars, the engine didn’t have much involvement in motorsport, apart from the aforementioned Clio V6 Trophy, but also the Courage C52/C60 Le Mans race cars in which they had twin turbos and a larger displacement at 3.2L.



Having the engine placed just in front of the rear axle, it meant that the layout had to be changed from ‘Front Engine-Front Wheel Drive’ to ‘Rear-Mid Engine-Rear Wheel Drive’. It was also only made with a 6-speed manual gearbox, which was now in front of the engine, instead of behind it. The V6 was also in the place of the rear bench, and nothing was in the front, and there was no partition between the cockpit and the engine bay, which meant the driver would feel and hear the raw engine sound, creating a very different and unique driving experience.



With all of these additions, the Phase I, at 1,355kg, was unsurprisingly 300kg heavier than the sportiest ‘normal’ Clio II, the 172 Cup. This was due to the extensive structural work on the body and chassis of the car because of the radical change in engine and transmission placement. Even though it was that much heavier, the 3.0 V6 made up for it in horsepower, pushing 227hp, whereas the 172 Cup had 167hp. This made it the 2nd highest horsepower hatchback in 2001, just losing out to the Saab 9-3 at 230hp. The Clio V6 had a 0-100 km/h at 6.2 seconds, 0.5 seconds quicker than the 172 Cup. Nonetheless, the 172 Cup won in the top speed segment, topping out at 235 km/h, beating the V6 at 222 km/h.



Practical usage was not the main focus of this little car, with a very thin boot space behind the engine, which is mostly taken up with the car’s toolbox; a very thin parcel shelf with netting behind the seats; and a small space up in front where the engine used to be. And because of the size of the engine coupled with the transmission, the fuel economy was ridiculously high for a hatchback at 12 L/100 km. And, with the modified steering, the turning circle was a terrible 13 meters, making a usual 3-point turn into a horrible 5-point turn.



In total, only 1,513 of the Phase I V6 were made, this particular one being No.258. With it being painted in Illiad Blue, which was the rarest colour, this makes the car 1 of 30 ever made. This Clio V6 was also a UK import, meaning that it’s actually even rarer, since only 8 were ever specced for the United Kingdom!



Although today's article is solely focused on the Phase I V6, the Phase II V6 was made with the same intention as the first one, with a wider body on a post-facelift Clio II and an even higher horsepower, which made it the highest horsepower hatchback when it came out in 2003 (@ 252 hp)! The Phase II was made in fewer amounts too, at 1,309 cars, but there were a lot more colours than the first rendition, 12 compared to 3.



Colour Time:


Reds: Mars Red (68 were made)

Blues: Illiad Blue (30 were made)

Silvers: Iceberg Silver (1,415 were made)


With such an interesting car, which differed to everything before it, during it’s time and even to now, this car truly leaves an impression of awesomeness on me. And, I think we’re all wanting Renault to release something like this again with the new shape Clio RS, or even Megane RS; something that’ll take on whatever Hyundai is releasing soon!