Hello, happy Father’s Day and welcome back to the Rescars Weekly Round-up.
It’s been an interesting week in the car world with new cars being revealed, existing cars getting updated and history being celebrated with a special edition supercar. Here’s what happened this week…
Popular Seat Ateca gets a facelift
To start the week off, Seat unveiled the facelifted Ateca with minor styling and tech upgrades as well as a change to the engine line-up.
It’s gained some length thanks to new front and rear bumpers and the updated grille and headlights bring it more in line with the new Leon. Inside, upgrades include a new heated steering wheel, a 10.25-inch digital cockpit and ‘natural voice control’.
There is still no sign of an EV or PHEV powertrain. Changes have been implemented in order to make the crossover more environmentally friendly, however, with the 1.6-litre diesel being replaced by a cleaner 2.0-litre unit.
Click here to find out what else is new on the 2020 Seat Ateca.
New ‘go anywhere’ Trail and Active trims for Transit
Ford unveiled two new trim levels for the Transit this week.
The Trail, which is available on the Transit and Transit Custom, gets a host of cosmetic upgrades, most notably the Raptor-style front grille and black 16-inch alloys.
The Transit Trail benefits from ‘Intelligent AWD’ making it perfect for anyone whose work takes them across challenging and slippery terrains. The smaller Transit Custom doesn’t get AWD but is still more capable than a standard Custom thanks to a mechanical limited-slip differential.
The not-so-rugged Active trim takes its styling cues from modern SUVs and is ideal for anyone with an “outdoor lifestyle”. It’s available on the Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom and the mLSD is availble, but it’s a £550 added extra.
You’ll find more information such as pricing and powertrains here.
New Mustang Mach 1 – an icon returns
On Tuesday, we saw the return of a legend in the form of the all new Ford Mustang Mach 1, back after a 17-year hiatus.
With a 5.0-litre V8 producing 480bhp and styling and performance upgrades taken from the Shelby GT350 and GT500, it’s the most track-focussed non-Shelby Mustang to date.
On-track performance has been improved by a 22% increase in downforce thanks to a new splitter, diffuser and rear wing. Add the ‘Handling Package’ and that number rises to 150%. It’s endurance has been improved, too, with added aero and cooling taken from the Shelby models.
The model pictured above has the ‘Appearance Package’ fitted. This means it gets exclusive Fighter Jet Grey paint, orange accents and upgraded alloys.
There is bad news, though – it’s only available in the US and Canada. Find out more here.
Lexus reveal new IS saloon
Lexus’ latest attempt at rivalling the likes of the 3 Series and C-Class was revealed this week in the form of the new IS.
Admittedly, it doesn’t look too dissimilar to the previous model but slight changes have been made. It now sits wider and lower and its huge grille and slimmer, sharper headlights add to the aggressive appearance. A new uni-beam taillight cluster takes centre stage at the back of the car.
In terms of performance, the engine line-up carries over from the previous model but significant improvements have been made to the compact saloon’s dynamics.
Lexus claim the new IS sets the bar for all future models in terms of handling and comfort thanks to improved steering and a more rigid design.
This is another car we won’t be seeing this side of the pond, however, having not performed as well in Europe and the UK as the Japanese manufacturer would have hoped.
BMW M5 Competition gets cosmetic tweaks and performance upgrades
Just a few weeks after the updates to the rest of the 5 Series range were unveiled, we got to see the new and improved M5 Competition. Like the new Lexus, the upgrades are subtle but they’re definitely there.
The engine goes unchanged – 616bhp from the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 was deemed to be enough and the clever M xDrive system remains as well.
The chassis and suspension setup have been drastically improved thanks to “experience gained in the development of the new BMW M8 Competition Grand Coupe” as well as a new set of fancy adaptive M Sport Dampers.
Visual upgrades are as per usual with a beefier bodykit, a black grille surround, lightweight 20-inch alloys and a gloss black rear diffuser. It also gets a lip spoiler on the boot and the traditional L-shaped taillights have been tweaked.
Find out more about BMW’s latest super-saloon here.
720S Le Mans celebrates 25 years since famous F1 GTR victory
On Thursday, McLaren celebrated the 25th anniversary of the F1 GTR’s famous 24hrs of Le Mans win by unveiling the limited edition 720S Le Mans.
Only 50 will be built and, despite the lack of actual performance upgrades, each will cost over £250k. The VIN of each model will begin with ‘298’ referencing the number of laps completed by the #59 F1 GTR.
It comes with two colour choices, McLaren Orange or Sarthe Grey, and has contrasting Ueno Grey paint running down the side of the vehicle. The five-spoke alloys are inspired by those fitted to the F1 GTR.
Inside, you’ll find carbon fibre bucket seats with embroidered headrest as well as VIN plates and floor mats with 25th anniversary detailing.
Immaculate Renault Clio V6 goes under the hammer
The week’s news finished strongly with this immaculate Renault Clio V6 going under the hammer in an online sale.
The Phase 2 model, one of only 354 built in RHD for the UK market has only covered 7,600 miles in its 15 years of existence and has never been driven in the rain.
It’s far from your usual Clio. With a Laguna-sourced, mid-mounted V6 putting out 252bhp through the rear wheels, it was the most powerful and most ridiculous hot-hatch in production at the time.
The appearance matches the performance, too, with the prestine Liquid Yellow paint really catching the eye. The aggressive look is completed with the chunky body kit and widened track, 18-inch alloys, rear intake vents and the amazing central twin-exit exhaust system.
It’s expected to fetch between £40k-£60k with bidding already at £39,000. Find out more about the Clio V6 and how this one can be yours here.
So that concludes this week’s Rescars Weekly Round-up. Which bit of news did you find most interesting? Let us know in the comments section below of via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Make sure you stay tuned next week for more news and pictures from the car world.
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