AUCTION WATCH
Abarth 695 Biposto Price £ 18 ,9 50
Biposto or preposterous? The longer you stare at one, the madder it seems. So what’s
the fuss about? Well, it has just two seats, which always hints at some serious tweakery.
Accordingly, the reworked 1.4-litre T-Jet engine produces 187bhp, or 45bhp more than the
regular 695, and 184lb ft of torque. If you can find one with the optional five-speed dog-ring
gearbox, that’ll have 199lb ft. Kerb weight is just 997kg, helping the little Abarth crack
0-62mph in 5.9sec. Akrapovic exhaust, brakes from the Tributo Ferrari... what’s not to like?
CLASH OF THE
CLASSIFIEDS
BRIEF
MAX ADAMS The 20-speaker 825W Meridian sound system in
my g o r g e o u s 2 0 1 2 Ja g u a r X J L i s su r e to p l e a s e th e d i s ce r n i n g
ears of John (who’s a classically trained musician, by the way)
because it has all the latest digital signal-processing technology
to provide a very rich sound experience. What have you gone for?
MARK PEARSON My ultra-cute 2019 Up has a mere 10 miles on
the clock (and a full history!) and, as well as offering all the fine
attributes of VW’s most agile and most handsome urban bolide,
it’s a Beats model. That means a 300W Beats audio system
of exceptional quality with six speakers and a subwoofer, two
tweeters in the A-pillars, front door woofers and rear speakers.
It’s inspired by the great Dr Dre, as we all are. Fun factor? High.
Sound quality? Exceptional.
MA Sadly, I don’t think Dr Dre would be seen dead in yours. And
1 0 m i l e s? H a r d l y a u s e d exa m p l e.MP Twenty speakers is rather overdoing it, isn’t it? You’ve only
got two ears.
MA You’ve got to overcome background road noise somehow,
so the more speakers, the better. Plus, my system splits the
sound into three channels (centre, left and right) to give a
concert-like experience. That ‘beats’ your Up.
MP Background noise? Oh, yes, yours is a nasty diesel,
isn’t it? I suspect you would need a good sound system
to drown that out...
MA If only there was a mute button on you. Anyway,
it’s John’s decision...
Elgar in a Jaguar. Bliss...
JOHN EVANS
Find me a car with an ear-busting
sound system for £10,000, please.
VERDICT
U S E D C A R D E S K D O E S B AT T L E
Volkswagen^ Up^1.^0 Beats^ £^999
0Jaguar XJ L 3. 0 Portfolio £ 9995
USED CARS
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69
FUT
UR
E^CLA
SS
ICA 635 still looks the business. This example, a 1987-
reg with 107,000 miles, passed under the hammer
recently, when it made £5512. It looks bright but it was
no spring chicken and, at its advanced age, rust can be
a problem. The four-speed auto ’box may be planning
its retirement, too. This car had just had new discs all
round but we’d have wanted to check that the ABS
system worked and also that the engine was quiet
from cold. Not that you can power cars up at most
auctions. Which is why it’s wise to be around when
they’re firing them up for the entry parade.
BMW 635 CSI AUTO