Test Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 TSI Sport "Bug" Edition - The little bug that could

Not many cars end up being icons. These cars have something inherently unique about them that they end up being revered after a period of time. Some gain such a reputation by their performance. Some by their style and some manage to do both.

On one end of the scale, there are those icons like the Porsche 911. A car renowned for its performance and also its styling. It has become one of the benchmarks for a performance car and its silhouette is immediately recognisable. There are also cars like most Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. The mere whisper of their name sends motorheads weak in the knees. These are performance icons.

McLaren 540C unveiled

This folks, is the new entry level model in McLaren's lineup. By entry level you're still looking at prices from £126,000. Add local taxes and excise duty, well, if you have to ask.....

Of religon, the lifespan of certain cars, the oldest of them all and that the idle mind is the devil's workshop

Lada 2107 - still in production in Egypt to THIS VERY DAY!!!!

Somewhere in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur a group of think that the faith of muslims will be threatened by the mere sight of a cross and a church in their area. Aside from the conspiracy theory that this is to divert attention from what ex-Prime Minister and car guy, Tun Mahathir's scathing attacks on the current Prime Minister (who to me seems oblivious to what the heck is actually going on in our country) it goes to show that there are people who sit around with nothing better to do than to complain about normal things that we see in Malaysia. 

We have mosques everywhere, so why isn't the faith of so many non-muslims affected? I think that these people have too much time on their hands. They actually need to have proper jobs and then a hobby...like racing cars on weekends. Take a look at Yours Truly over here. My kindergarten was behind the largest church in Taiping. I went to two different La Salle schools - St. George's Institution in Taiping and St. John's Institution in Kuala Lumpur. I am still who I am and not suddenly Padre Rig from Nacho Libre.

The 'truth' in advertising

If car companies marketed their products truthfully, it would be like some of the ads below. You can click here to go to sniff petrol's archive of Not Advertisements.

Holy smoking cigars! RM219K for a 3cylinder 1.5liter BMW?

The BMW 218i Active Tourer is on sale at RM219,000. Okay. RM219,000 for a BMW. That's nothing to shout about. RM219,000 for a three cylinder 1.5liter BMW. Now we start shaking heads and dropping our jaw a little. Then you can add RM30,000 for some luxury options in a car that is supposedly a luxury car already.

But what does it put on the table that is different from a BMW 316i which is cheaper at RM209,000. A higher roofline, a rear hatch instead of a boot and 100cc less. It still carries five as it isn't the full seven seater variant. And it's a 2 series which by BMW hierarchy sits below the 316i.

Sunday Car Porn: Happy 25th Anniversary to the Mercedes Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II

Last month marked the 25th anniversary of the totally mad and outrageous Mercedes Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II. This model, made during an era where manufacturers had to homologate or put into production what ever bits of souped up parts that they actually needed to use for racing in their road cars.

Honda S660 gossip - S660 Type R for Japan and S1000 for the global market

The Honda S660 is one of those Japan market only kei car coupes.Here it is pictured in Mugen form. It has about 64 hp from its VTEC 660cc engine. Small light and therefore nimble enough to feel like a proper MG Midget or Austin Sprite from the days gone by. But I think Honda are listening to global feedback with this car and is rumoured to have okayed  1000cc version of the car which will be sold globally. It will be called, get this, Honda S1000. Imagine calling it like the Honda S2000. Honda S1K. Cool eh?

Proton and Lotus enter into a Joint Venture with Goldstar of China

Looks like Proton and its subsidiary Lotus have signed a Joint Venture agreement with Goldstar Heavy Industrial Co Ltd of China. According to the press release, a new JV company will be formed for the purpose of R & D activities that will eventually produce and sell Lotus branded passenger cars in China.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo officially launched in Malaysia

About darn time. Hyundai Sime Darby Motors finally brings in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. The Veloster Turbo, is the first Hyundai vehicle to be fitted with the 1.6-litre T-GDI engine delivering power, superior efficiency, lower emissions and higher reliability.  Producing 186 PS horsepower and 265 Nm of torque, the 1.6L Veloster Turbo delivers top speed of 214 kph and acceleration from 0-100 kph in 8 seconds.  Maximum torque is delivered between 1,500 rpm and 4,500 rpm.