Author Archives: Kerbsider

Sportscar racing was, for a long time, a very open series interms of chassis design and engine choice. Teams could design cars fromscratch, and then stick whatever engine they pleased into the chassis. You could have a whole grid of cars in the same categorycompeting against one another powered by V8s, V10s, diesels or eventurbochargedContinue reading “The Pescarolo 01 – the Car that Carried Endurance Racing”

Performance range-toppers always tend to have memorable names that immediately conjure an image in your mind of the car at hand. The terms “M3”, “RS6”, “Golf R” all provide some reassuring mental feedback as the brain kicks into action and does its thing. Heck, even when the full name is a little bit of aContinue reading “USDM Sport Compact Names”

The BMW M3 has a tough job; it always has. That little badge comprising of one letter and one number have more responsibilities than any other single badge fitted to the back of any car. The M3 is BMW’s state of the union – if the M3 is good, then BMW is good. For aContinue reading “What is the heck? The BMW F80 M3 Pure”

It’s a painful thought that the Ferrari Enzo is now 21 years old. The Enzo is the most enigmatic of all the Ferrari halo cars having lived somewhat of a strange life between being considered brilliant and then also being – perhaps it is unfair to say – forgettable. What the Enzo lacks is thatContinue reading “In the Rear View | Ferrari Enzo”

The term “track-focused Mustang” long served as the dictionary definition of an oxymoron for the snootier performance car enthusiast, but in the last seven or eight years the Mustang has become this sort of do-it-all performance car. We’ve had revvy Mustangs (the GT350/350R), we’ve had Mustang’s packing heat (the 760bhp Shelby GT500) and we’ve nowContinue reading “All Hail the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R”

When the second generation of the Porsche Panamera broke cover in 2016, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. Porsche had created a car that was tolerable, handsome even, from some angles, and a marked improvement over the awkward proportions of the ‘970’ first-generation car. Now, whilst the 971 Panamera was easier on theContinue reading “Thought of the day | The Wondrous Wings of the Porsche Panamera”

A recent journey on the motorway the other day brought one of the cutest little automotive features to my attention: the rear windscreen wipers (!) on the Mini Clubman. The Mini Clubman is a kind of car that no one really pays attention to. They trundle around the world not really causing a scene, notContinue reading “Thought of the Day | The Rear Windscreen Wipers of the Mini Clubman”

Maybach may well be a part of Mercedes, but for many of us, Maybach stands apart; the ultimate in chintz, of excess, of ‘the S-Class is just too unrefined’. Maybach stands alone, for better or worse, and represents Mercedes’ determination to create the most luxurious cars in the world. The S-Class based Maybach has beenContinue reading “Big German Executive Cars | Mercedes Maybach GLS (X167)”

Of the German car brands, the one manufacturer that has always had the biggest gulf between its ‘regular’ and high-performance derivatives is Mercedes. Despite a huge amount of domestic and international motorsport success, Mercedes high-performance AMG models have always felt more like hotrods rather than vehicles derived from their racing counterparts, apart from perhaps theContinue reading “In the Rear View | Mercedes CLK AMG DTM & C63 AMG Black Series”