Top Car

TOPCAREDITORCalvin [email protected] EDITORWayne [email protected] EDITORAaron [email protected] EDITORRay [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ENQUIRIES 0214081241CONTRIBUTORSPeter Frost, Dieter Rencken,ChrisWallBUSINESS & PUBLISHINGGeneral Manager: LifestyleCharlene BeukesCFO: LifestyleRaj LalbahadurGeneral Manager: /LeisureLouise Meny-GibertPublisherNerisaCoetzeeFinancial ManagerMuneebAdamsHead ofCirculationGadijaGamieldienHead ofretail:CirculationAndrelineVanTonderCirculation [email protected] ofAdve rtising SalesCraig NicholsonBusiness Manager (KZN)Theresa Lavery083 635 0205/031566 [email protected] &CLASSIFIEDSALESNational Sales Manager :(Trave l & Motoring)Danie Nell082 859 [email protected] Steenkamp082 920 [email protected] Pauw082 876 [email protected] Kruger082 342 [email protected] Meintjies084 416 [email protected] Fitzell071 430 [email protected] Smith083 583 [email protected] 450 [email protected] ExecutiveLeaGerber071 386 [email protected]``````SUBSCRIPTIONS, RENEWALS&ENQUIRIESPRINTTel: 0877401042| International +27 21 065 0033Fax: 021 405 1931Email:[email protected] code:“topcarsubs”to 32361 (R1 per sms)web:www.m y-mags.comCallCentrehours:MondaytoFriday|08:00to17:Saturdays|8:00to13:DIGITALTel: 0861697827mysubs.co.zatopCaris published in SouthAfrica by Media24, interms of an exclusive licence agreement with BauerConsumer Media.Printed in SouthAfrica byWELCOMEThere’s a placefor relicsIIMAGINE IT MUSTbe hard to ‘steal theshow’ in 2015, especially at an event as chargedwith energy andhype as theTokyo Motor Showwherealternative fuel sources and autonomoustechnology runs rife (and by itself), where petrobots arerevealed and bodystyles are best measuredby howsharp they are. Ultimately, theTokyo Big Sight(actual name) convention centre turns into aStarWarsset when TMS comes around, but updated withtechnology to putyour averagePod Racer’sAlluvial Dampers (made up futuristicterm, all rightsreservedLucasArts) toshame, withhybridised drivetrains and cars so good for theenvironmentyou’d swear theywereactually planting trees themselves as theydrove by.I assume that timing must be everything. Because in spite of, or perhapsbecause of thetechnological onslaught, the car that trulyshone was in fact anelegantsliver of crimson metal brandishing a completely driver-operatedrear-wheel drive chassis, front-engined and manuallyshifted. In fact not onlywas itfuelled by that crude fossil fuel named petroleum but its hardwarewas in factarotary engine, famously inefficient and glorious torev beyond 8000rpm. Mentionrotary andyou must be talkingabout Mazda, and it is indeed Mazda’s RX-Visionconcept that had every motoring journalist lusting after it. I managed to trackdown Mazda’s head of engineering, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, and steal himaway into anempty conference room for some mild interrogation around the productionmodel’s name, especially since half our colleagueswerecalling it the RX-9. ‘Well,our previous two-door coupewas called the RX-7, and our four-door coupewascalled the RX-8, so I suppose ifwe built an SUV, thatwould be an RX-9’, saidFujiwara-san. That’s confirmation as far as I’m concerned. Healso made it clearthat while the RX-7’s Nippon rivals such as theGT-R, NSX, LFA and so onwereall impressive machines, Mazda’s RX-Visionwas the most faithful to its heritage.Anotherreason it’ll be badged RX-7?Well, I just can’t ignore the fact that in 2017Mazda will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the 967 Cosmo Sport 110S, thecompany’s first ever rotary coupe andvery much the forebear of the RX-7. It’s likeI said 300 or sowords ago, timing is everything.Outside of Japan, and back in the land ofTopCarit has been an exciting month with South Africa’sfirst roadtests of the newAudi RS3 andFord Figo.The one’s a candidate for ultimate hot hatch andthe other is set toshakeup the entry-levelBsegment, I’ll letyou figure out which is which.We’ve also identified the27 cars due to drop in2016 thatwe’re most excitedabout. Andyes, thatincludesall the self-driving, environment-rescuingmetalwe mentioned at the start. Exciting timesahead my friend.``````CALVIN FISHEREditorFollow meon @Calvin_FisherSlipperier thananythingAnakin Skywalkerever gotto pilot,and thanks to itsrotaryengine, more uniqueas well