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Category: Product News

  • Cobra Launch New VW Scirocco Suspension Upgrades

    Leading Dutch suspension manufacturer Cobra has launched a new range of springs to improve VW’s couth coupe, the new Scirocco.

    Since the re-introduction of this iconic model, VW have managed to re-invent themselves once again as purveyors of involving and entertaining Sports Coupes. The Cobra kit builds on the virtues of the already excellent chassis to create a truly brilliant all-rounder that enjoys vastly improved handling, without suffering from a harsh ride.

    Fitments are available to cover all engine variants, including the new 1.4 TFSi and the diesel variants. Drops differ, depending on the model, but range between 25mm for the 1.4 petrol, down to 20mm for the 2.0 TFSi version.

    Handling is dramatically improved thanks to the lower centre of gravity, and thanks to a careful choice of spring rate, ride quality is hardly affected. In addition, the Cobra springs are pre-fatigued and heat treated, before being powder-coated to protect them against the elements. This attention to detail is backed by Cobra’s class leading 5 year warranty and full TUV approval.

    Prices start at just £130.16 + VAT for the full kit.

    For more details please visit www.cobra-suspension.com  or call Cobra on 01530 517920.

  • 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/