Jaguar Xk Coupe Heads Star Cast At Mph ’05
09.November, 2005 @10:11 Coupe News
Performance and luxury is set to star at MPH ’05 as a cast of models including Jaguar’s new XK coupe, the 750 HP Saleen S7 Turbo, the 641 HP Gumpert Apollo and the street legal Radical SR8 V8 are all set to make their UK show or public driving debuts. Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and Tiff Needell, the live motoring show opens in Birmingham’s NEC this Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th November before going to London’s Earls Court from the 17th to 20th November. Tickets for the Show start from just £10 and can be bought at www.mphshow.co.uk
Whilst all eyes will be cast in the direction of Jaguar and the all-new XK coupe, fans of the British supercar will also be able to get up close and personal with the Aston Martin Vantage, the new Marcos TS0 GT2 and there’s strong talk that Blackpool-based TVR will usher in its hot new Tuscan convertible. It will also be the first chance to examine the results of a renaissance over at Citroën as experts tell of a return to beautiful, innovative car design. Its luxury liner, the new C6, is out for its first UK drive. Meanwhile, Saab is making a point of unleashing its new 9-5 convertible and Volvo reveal its own new ragtop, as the new C70 comes out into the light.
The Gumpert Apollo hardly sounds like poetry, but how about 641bhp, 0-60mph in 3 seconds flat and a top speed of 224mph? That’s seriously lyrical performance car language. Not to be outdone, the Radical SR8 V8 powered by two conjoined motorbike engines, is the only road legal car to lap the German Nürburgring in under seven minutes. MPH ’05 also proves that American sports car culture is well and truly alive. Check out Corvette’s C6: a massive 400bhp inside a bold looking lightweight plastic body to promise plenty of frills. But if that’s not enough horses, feast eyes on the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo. The Saleen is sharp enough to shuttle along to 60mph in a mere 2.8 seconds and has the advantage of 750 horses with which to do it.
Plus, with so few exhilarating Pagani Zonda F’s made each year, MPH ’05 could be the only chance to see this 207mph, 600bhp monster in action. There can’t be too many opportunities to peer all over a Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR either. Possessing predatory looks with those massive gills, the SLR has a full 626bhp swish in its tail. And try to look out for the Noble M400, one of the best sports cars around to drive. There may even be a goodbye tear to the pure thug-like brute of supercars, the Vauxhall Monaro. Powerful enough at least to give Jeremy Clarkson a slipped disc or two, this beast soon ends its UK sales run. Seeing today’s hottest new machinery is not the only reason to attend this year’s show. Presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Tiff Needell, will be ripping up the stage with their usual mix of motoring wisdom and irreverent banter along with over 75 minutes of live action car drama.
‘A world first stunt and helicopter gunship car chases..’
Central to the whole spectacle is the £1 million stage show brought to life by BAFTA-award winning West End stage designer, John Napier, otherwise known for his artistry in shows like Cats, Les Miserables and Starlight Express.
Keeping audiences gripped, Jeremy Clarkson attempts to out drive a gunship helicopter firing missiles in a Lotus Exige. State of the art computer animation creates the impression of an actual helicopter buzzing around the arena. Elsewhere, there’s a flurry of stunts as Britain’s leading driver Russ Swift attempts to coordinate a dance off between almost 40 tonnes of JCB diggers and a trio of shiny new hot Vauxhall hatches. Meanwhile, foremost stunt driver Terry Grant will hot up the audience as he drives a Nissan 350Z in a constant sideways drift on a figure of eight circuit and joining him on the track is racing driver colleague Ben Collins behind the wheel of his own Z roadster!
MPH ’05 will also showcase many more brilliant motoring ideas like the half-bike / half-car Carver that can bank a corner at 45 degrees and pop up right again within a second. When is a car not a car, this must be it! Plus a Nottingham design company that is signalling the rebirth of the great kit car. It would be unwise to miss what a Smart Fourtwo can be turned into, like the German Michalak C7. Reminding you not to forget motoring’s incredible 120 year history, the classic gallery puts crowds up close and personal with iconic beauties of yesteryear like the Ferrari Dino and the GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ once the fastest car in the world back in 1967, and the head-turning Aston Martin DB4 and DB5.
Further details of MPH ’05 can be found at www.mphshow.co.uk.
