GTAm

I'm not as upset as 2010. This year was a tough ask but 2010 was snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Ferrari better bring a better car next year.

Yes And you know the connection too I'm sure

Just got to know why the permits were "suddenly" made transferable. Can't put here but it's shocking to how policy is made and changed in this country. Very scary. Just ask around many people in the leasing industry know about this.

Yes they do have the Punto Abarth Don, but the sales for the brand is predominantly 500 Abarth especially in the UK. Actually if I was buying one it would be the Punto Evo Abarth like this and not the 500. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201243489910898/sort/default/usedcars/model/punto_evo/make/abarth/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/3/radius/1500/postcode/iv124eu/advert-type/standard-listing?logcode=ucnnp

I think it will be a good change from the wire wheels MD. Almost everyone has wires, so why not!

Fiat sales in UK are mostly 500s and now the new Panda. Abarth sold 118 cars in UK last month and 1057 year to date. Almost all will be 500s.

Sorento while not fantastic is miles ahead imo. The Mitsu is crude and out dated by comparison by some margin. Don't forget Mitsu is struggling to survive and have no money to develop new platforms to replace their antiquated ones. Kia on the other hand is a thriving brand. @Supra I'm surprised you find the ride better. One of my clients bought one recently despite my warnings and his words were "it's a truck" and has sold it since. I have not driven the current one but the previous one was indeed a truck.

Had to share this. Looks like Americans are having got a taste of Italian zing at last! http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/11/generation-why-gen-y-coty/#comment-1969096 Generation Why: My Gen Y COTY By Derek Kreindler on November 20, 2012 Digsby IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application! http://digsby.com With the TWATs under way and awards season about to gear up, I would like to take a moment to highlight the one car I’ve found that ticks all the boxes for me personally. It’s the Fiat 500 Abarth. The base 500 might as well be the template for the “premium city car” segment that’s slowly cropping up (the 500, Opel Adam and even the Ford Fiesta and Smart ForTwo can be included). It’s stylish, economical and carries a small footprint which makes it easier to park and maneuver. It’s also bog slow and dull to drive. The Abarth fixes all that. 160 horsepower won’t light anyone’s hair on fire, but its quick enough by anyone’s standards, with serious punch above 3000 RPM that’s great for merging and passing big rigs on the highway. In the base car, those are white-knuckle feats of derring-do. In the Abarth, you want to do it again and again. The power comes in handy in city traffic too. There’s very little lag, and you can take nearly anything from a stoplight. A stopped taxi or dawdling driver blocking your lane can easily be evaded without downshifting – wait for even the tiniest gap, punch the throttle and you’re gone. It sounds like a tuner car, and tries to look like a serious performance machine but doesn’t have any of the “I work at McDonalds” vibe that a tuner car (factory or aftermarket hackjob) carries. Girls think its cute, seniors take a real shine to it and you’d never be embarassed to take a client or your boss out to lunch in it. That wonderful exhaust note that everyone goes on about? It never drones or buzzes like an aftermarket unit does. But it sounds wonderful with the windows down, when you can hear the turbo spooling, the wastegate exhaling and the unburnt fuel crackling and popping. Some of the cars flaws, like the high seating position, are actually a boon to city driving. Visibility is excellent and you quickly adapt to it. Others, like the excessive body roll and darty steering at high speeds make it less than ideal for serious performance driving. This isn’t something you’d take to the track. But for the kind of road courses you tackle on a daily basis, it’s superb. I even fit a Cotsco-sized grocery shop in the trunk without folding the seats down. In a pinch, I took a couple friends across town to go for lunch. Even though I drove the car vigorously all week, I had no trouble matching the 28 mpg the EPA claims for this car. The Abarth is definitely a niche product, and a lot of people will be more comfortable with something else, whether that’s a Mini, a Mazdaspeed 3 or even an FR-S. But if you are that mythical Millenial; downtown-living, employed in the creative field, the kind of person that GM and Ford are trying so hard to cultivate, then this is your car. I love it for more tangible reasons; it can fit in nearly any parking space, easy on gas and has just the right amount of performance. Do I love it enough to take on a car note? No. But of all the cars I’ve driven this year, this is the one that I’d buy. Maybe in a few years, when things are a little more stable and I’m firmly entrenched here at TTAC, I’ll take the plunge. Right now, the world doesn’t seem to be getting any more stable economically, and that means even a $22,000 new car is something to be second guessed.

None at all MasterDon. The body is the critical part. This car is very similar to the Giulia (It's basically a big Giulia sedan). Therefore EVERY mechanical part is available. So it is very straight forward. I will leave it for after the body is done.

Alas not for this model Don. The Coupes and Spiders being more desirable they are the ones which have panels re-manufactured (buy specialists not by the company). Many of these Berlinas have been scavenged for parts for the above (that's the reason I bought this car initially) which has reduced the population dramatically. With Coupe and Spider prices steadily rising, the Berlinas have suddenly seen demand rise. But the population is too small I guess for new panels to be made.

That's exactly what I was thinking Don. The upgrade have become downgrades. Which explains Massa's pace vs Alo's. Oh I am a fan of Alo. In fact I think he's the best package out there and the car is a bloody boat that only does great on a wet track. Here;s hoping for rain in Brazil. Hamilton is already saying next year will be a "development" year . However with Ross Brawn and Aldo Costa there I won't discount them for very long...........as long as those Merc boffins don't interfere too much.

It's a team. So I think it's justifiable. And besides Mas has not been in the running for the title the whole year.

I meant to catch the guys BUYING the permits. If the car is on the permit holders name the new owner has officially (in the eyes of the Tax dept.) not spent any money and can stay so for 3 years (?) and sell it without any record. But if some or a majority of buyers purchase it with undeclared money, (which there is a good possibility) then this suddenly gives a new list of people that the Tax dept can go after and collect the much needed revenue.

Another visit on Saturday. The floor is more or less done if not yet dusted. And then it was time for another shocker. The guy had removed the panel adjacent to the firewall to reveal a shocking botch up by the previous tinker. Riveted pieces of sheet metal on the inside to cover the rust. Then glass wool over that. And a mix of metal, rust and filler to top it all off. Now this means our man has to do a lot of temporary reinforcements before removing the wind screen and the whole scuttle is weaker than we anticipated. Found the boot lid and the bonnet in Oz. They should arrive here next month. On my previous visit I took large digital prints for the tinker to paste on his wall for reference. He immediately noticed a design change that my car seems to have under gone in the hands of a previous body artist. The rear wheel arches which needs to be square, has been "rounded". I really can't imagine why some of these tinkers do this and wonder how they get away.

Good one Gummybr . Are there any rule changes for 2013 and beyond? WRC badly needs a kick up it's ass with some inducement for many more players join in. I used to follow it almost religiously years back. But now it is soooo boring and isn't in the spot light at all.

Super race. This season has been fantastic. Just can't understand Alo's slow pace compared with Mas. Maybe the changes to the car are having a negative effect. Vettel should win the title in Brazil provided there are no mechanical failures or accidents involving him. The Ferrari is just too slow.

The Inland Revenue dept could now track down those who use black money to purchase I wonder if it is compulsory to transfer?

Merc W124 sedan. Massive ass and good work horse. Fuel injected E is good on fuel as well.

.....And I won't be surprised if he's the first to abuse the "race car" exemption.

I have P6000s on my Giulia. Very good grip and ride comfort.

One might suspect this guy. our local MS. http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=20529

Today - source - http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=578931081

Wow that is brilliant!

Looks like someone's got one ?

Chooti Putha if you take a simple island wide poll, I am willing to bet a million bucks motor racing which you and I like will be at the bottom of the list. Looking at our per capita income would you say that it's easier for an average young person to become a badminton player or a racing driver? Apart from Cricket what other sports do we have international recognition in? Yes I know what Rohan De Silva has done. And that is great. The man has to be saluted. And as I said before I am all for it. But I cannot agree that this is the most important thing we need right now. And how people can justify it by saying other countries did this too. And glorify it as something great when it appeals and impacts a minute few of us. I am not looking at it from the narrow angle of a racing driver or a motor sport fan. I'm looking at it from a much broader perspective. Anyway this is now going way OT.