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Category: Product News

  • Scorpion Release Complete Mazda MX5 Sports Catalyst Exhaust System.

    Leading exhaust manufacturer Scorpion has released a superb new exhaust system for the latest generation of MX5. The new design not only offers significant increases in power, thanks to vastly improved gas-flow, but it also retains full road legality thanks to a 200 cell sports catalyst. As the manufacturer responsible for the exhaust on the Prodrive edition Mazda PZ8, Scorpion’s extensive knowledge of the marque is well documented.

    Open-top enthusiasts will love the new sportier tone which endows the car with a crisp ‘rasp’ that evokes the original Lotus Elan – the car that inspired the very first incarnation of the world’s best-selling sports car.

    The system is available as either a cat back 63mm system, which deletes the second catalyst for  improved dynamics, or as a full tubular manifold system that replaces the entire factory exhaust from front to back. Scorpion’s engineers have taken great care to ensure that the new sports cat is placed very close to the engine block, ensuring rapid warm-up times and highly efficient operation. This results in class-leading levels of emissions, despite the system offering 10-15% power gains across the board. The tailpipes terminate with tasteful twin 90mm ‘Daytona’ stainless trims.

    Each system is entirely hand-fabricated in Scorpion’s UK factory and utilises mandrel bending for constant diameter throughout. The manifold boasts a superb looking laser-cut flange to ensure a perfect gas seal – and to aid under bonnet good looks, of course. All components are constructed from aerospace grade T304 stainless steel and carry a lifetime guarantee.

    The sports cat manifold costs £699.95 including VAT and the cat-back system £499.95 including VAT.

    For more information on this, or any other Scorpion product – or to order your free catalogue, please contact the sales team on 01773 744123 or click to www.scorpion-exhausts.com

  • How low can you go?

    Its headlights held in place with tape, it looks like a rusting old heap fit only for the scrap yard. But don’t be fooled – this 1959 Chevrolet pick-up truck hides beneath its battered shell some of the most advanced engineering this side of the Atlantic. And it’s all being custom-made at a small workshop in Guyhirn, home to arguably the UK’s
    leading custom car specialists Rayvern Hydraulics.

    When complete, the Chevy will retain its down-at-heel appearance alongside the altogether more polished creations of owner Ray Ramsay, who started working on street rods in the USA 20 years ago.

    “It’s called the ‘rat look’ and it’s all the rage at the moment,” said the 45-year-old. “You get the oldest, rustiest looking thing you can and keep it that way, but underneath it’s got massively high-spec engineering.” Ultimately, the Chevy will sit as low to the ground as the unrecognisable Kia Sorrento, Mazda pick-up and VW Jetta, plus the body-dropped Chrysler 300C that Ray says he hasn’t driven for three years.

    And it’s the public’s thirst for evermore low-slung cars and trucks that keeps the Rayvernworkshops busy all year round. The secret is in the suspension which, powered either by air or hydraulic systems, can raise or drop the car at the flick of a switch. “Everyone wants the lowest car – it’s like a competition to see how far you can go,” said
    Ray. “It’s a statement – how low can you go? If you ask why, it’s like asking why you need a 52 inch television when you’re sitting six feet in front of it.

    “We can build them so that they literally sit on the road. You just flick a switch and it lifts it and brings it up to a normal driveable height. You can get some funny looks if you do it at traffic lights.” For a little over £2000, fans of the lowrider culture can leave their humble Vauxhall Corsa or VW Golf in Ray and his team’s hands and pick it up a week later, complete with kerb-grazing bodywork.

    For the past 10 years, Ray has been closely linked with specialist insurance provider Adrian Flux, based at King’s Lynn, who insure all of his cars. “People do need to remember that as soon as they modify their car their standard insurance
    policies are invalid, so it’s a really useful connection for me to have,” he said. Rayvern cars have been featured on Top Gear, Men and Motors, the Big Breakfast and Sky Sports, as well as in a Kit Kat TV advert and pictured in catalogues for River Island and Ben Sherman.

    As well as the cars pictured, Ray has worked on an Aston Martin Lagonda, a McLaren F1 road car which needed suspension work to help it over London speed bumps, and even a body-dropped Reliant Robin.

    “I like to do different and crazy stuff, something a bit weird and diverse,” he explained. “The Sorrento was the first Kia in the world that had been body dropped, and we were also the first to drop a brand new Chrysler 300C.” And that skeleton of a vehicle with the “under construction” sign? A rock-climbing monster truck for a wealthy American costing an eventual £100,000. That’s definitely crazy, and a little bit weird.

    To see more from Rayvern you can visit their website: http://www.rayvernhydraulics.com/

  • Pipercross Release New Megane 3 Panel Filters

    Filtration expert Pipercross has released a new range of filters for the latest incarnation of the Renault Megane. Covering both petrol and diesel variants, the new panel offers a direct replacement for the OEM part, but with several dynamic benefits.

    Fabricated here in the UK, each Pipercross filter uses multiple foam layers to allow up to 30% more air flow through to the engine, improving power, torque and drivability over the stock paper filter. Fitment is simplicity itself as the Pipercross upgrade simply slips into the factory airbox in seconds.

    As well as increased flow rate, all Pipercross filters can actually filter down to a much finer rate than factory filters, preventing any foreign particles from entering the induction tract, offering even greater protection for your engine. This same construction means that the filter can also go longer between service intervals than even leading cotton-gauze filters, before needing to be cleaned.

    Despite these impressive abilities, all Pipercross panel filters come with a lifetime warranty and can be easily cleaned again and again for re-use, providing years of faithful service and paying for themselves many times over. This is due to their patented reticulated polyurethane foam and multi-laminated open cell construction.

    Priced at just £34.85 including VAT, it makes the perfect first warranty-friendly improvement.

    For more details on the 3,000 vehicles covered by the Pipercross range, please visit www.pipercross.com or call the team on 01604 707750.