Max Power Covers

ik schop af met de cover auto van deze maand...

The Spanish are once again faced with the challenge of navigating a world they know little about. A world called Planet Max. And just like Columbus 500 years ago, theyre treading bravely into stormy waters.

Fortunately, one 28-year old pioneer called Manolo Collado is guiding the good ship Mlin Tuning across this planet, sailing past other Spanish tuners who have capsized in a sea of fibreglassed insanity.

This wild green Mk2 Vauxhall Astra is the pinnacle of Manolo's adventuring. While other Spanish modifiers have tried to Max their cars by looking at what their fellow Mediterraneans have been up to, Manolo has looked further afield.

On one epic journey to lands far away, Manolo encountered a 16-year-old guru who bestowed upon him knowledge of an amazing custom design for a front bumper.

It was based on nothing else except the kid's imagination, and Manolo followed his instructions to put twin Astra Mk4 headlights on the Mk2 and to relocate one of the bulbs from each side into the bumper. Then he smoothed over the holes left by the missing bulbs and blended a Mk4 grille into the smoothed bonnet.

The 16-year-old? Manolo's little brother

The pair then worked together extending the shape of doors to match beautifully rounded custom arches and sexily moulded-in sideskirts.

The Spaniards treated the car to a layer of House of Kolor Candy Green paint, with special one-off ceremonial graphics painted up the side in a lighter green.

'You have to put a lot in to get anything out of a Mk2,' says Manolo, 'but the good thing is, people are unlikely to put the effort in and build something exactly the same.'

Sure some people may follow Manolo into the land of 18in polished Toora rims, they may even make one-off fuel filler caps that match the wheel's design, but very few would venture into the world of slightly reshaped Escort Mk5 rear three-quarter windows that rid the Astra of that stuck-in-the-'80s plastic section.

But as the rulers of yesteryear laughed at radical-thinking Columbus, Manolo also finds his Spanish Government pissing themselves when he says he wants to tune the 2.0-litre, 8-valve engine. No sense of adventure, some people. So Manolo's had to compensate in other areas, such as the interior

A complete dash from a new Astra Coupe has been shaved and fitted. And the dash, roof lining, doorcards and ultra cool Koem seats have been retrimmed in leather.

Theres also a TV screen and gauges poking out of the dash, a bank-busting Braid custom steering wheel (based on the design of the Toora rims) and a stunning ICE install.

Theres four 10in Boston subs floating in perfect symmetry overlooked by Boston speakers and a Panasonic DVD player fettled into fibreglass rear three-quarter panels.

However, the PlayStation One with cartoon characters that perches on a little ledge when the smoothed tailgate's open remains a big question mark.

Manolo calls the car Kadett R1, as Astras in Spain are called Kadetts and the cans on the back are from a Yamaha R1 motorbike. Which is probably better than calling it Kadett Mini, because of the new Mini rear lights that have been grafted in almost unnoticeably, or Kadett Old Beetle due to the split rear screen inspired by those found on rusty old hippy mobiles.

Watching the polished rims spin in the sun as Manolo sails the amazing 12-year-old Astra down the road, it's clear he's not only driving a fantastic car but he's also driving the Spanish scene forwards.

He's explored the world of performance tuning and Maxd a car that would wow stunned crowds of disbelievers anywhere in the world.

ENGINE
1998cc, 4-cylinder, 8-valve, Green induction kit, RC Racing hoses, SplitFire spark plugs and HT leads, stainless steel exhaust with customised twin motorbike back boxes
TRANSMISSION
Standard 5-speed manual gearbox

SUSPENSION
KYB shock absorbers, -35mm HR springs

BRAKES
TarOx 10-pot calipers and 330mm discs on front, Astra GSi rear disc conversion, TarOx pads

BODYWORK
Completely one-off front bumper, Mk4 Astra headlights smoothed over with bulb removed and moulded into front bumper, Mk4 Astra grille shape blended into smoothed bonnet smoothed scuttle panel, custom wheel arches, custom sideskirts, rear three-quarter windows taken from Mk5 Escort and cut to fit, custom wing mirrors, custom-made fuel filler cap, custom rear bumper based loosely on 'Californian style', smoothed roof, rain gutters and aerial removed, doors smoothed and reshaped, de-handled, de-locked, new Mini rear lights , split-screen rear window based on old Beetle, custom spoiler with one-off struts and twin carbon fibre foils, House of Kolor Candy Green paint with tribal graphics

WHEELS & TYRES
7.5x18in Toora 5-spoke split-rim alloys, 215/35 ZR18 Pirelli P7000 tyres

INTERIOR
Koem front seats with custom backs, Astra Coupe dash cut down to fit and trimmed in white leather and alcantara, colour-coded dial surrounds and instrument panels, Braid custom steering wheel based on design of Toora wheels, Alessio pedals, Alessio handbrake, Alessio gearknob, leather gear gaiter, retrimmed doorcards, leather roof lining, custom dials by Fabian, fibreglass rear three-quarters, leather trimmed pillars, PLS window winders, BC Corona oil, temp, pressure and volt meters

ICE
Panasonic CQ-DFX97N head unit, Panasonic VM1500 screen in front and one in roof mounting, 2x Macrom amps, Panasonic DVD in rear three-quarter panel, Macrom capacitor in rear three-quarter panel, Boston mids and subs in doorcards, Boston tweeters in A-pillar, Boston speakers in rear three-quarter panels, 4x 12in Boston subs, Sony PlayStation, Macrom amp

SECURITY
Guarded by a mad Spanish bull...

PERFORMANCE
Max power - 120bhp, max speed - 125mph, 0-60mph - 8.5secs

hij kickt ass... t is niet mijn cup-of-tea maar wel heel extreem... nu jullie mening!

quote:

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Op zaterdag 28 december 2002 15:34 schreef Herfst het volgende:

[..]

Ja sorry, ik kwam tot "Vauxhall Astra" en toen ben ik afgehaakt .

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quote:

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Op zaterdag 28 december 2002 15:45 schreef Eric82 het volgende:
maar dan heb je ettelijke duizenden euro's uitgegven (lijkt me) en vervolgens heb je maar 120 pk. Jammer, dat lijkt mij echt een gemiste kans. Bovendien is het een kadett....

Nogmaals, paintjob en wielen zijn zeer mooi....maar had er niet een paar pk's meer uit die wagen kunnen worden gehaald?

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mischien heb je hem al eens gezien ergens op internet.. dit is ff een stapje verder wat tuning betreft... enjoy

For some, the unveiling of the Carisma TVR Cerbera has meant more questions than answers. So, we decided to let Carisma's Jamie Shaw have his say...

Jamie, why a TVR?

Well, 0-60mph in 3.9secs and a top speed of 190mph as standard is the first reason, although I bottled it at 175mph. But it's also a car that no-one's done in the modified scene before, plus it's pretty affordable in the second-hand market for the higher end of the Max readership.

Are you forgetting about the lower end of the market, then?

They wouldn't look at me any differently if I'd done a Skyline or an Evo VI. It's a car in the same price bracket. But the best thing is, it's British.

Why did you paint it gold and not a mad flip?

Do I ever go down the same route as someone else? Sometimes, simple is best, and I'd like the car's appearance to catch your eye rather than the colour. I know it's a bit like the Japanese Top Secret Gold, but I wanted a hardcore racer look, and to translate that look into the British scene is pretty new. I've also made sure it's a more vibrant gold than the Top Secret cars. So you could say I've modified the idea.

Would you say this is a pioneering car, like your R5?

I didn't necessarily do it to be pioneering. It was to say: let's stop the clock and do something completely different. Personally, I think it does suit the up-to-date styling that's about at the moment. Some people will disagree, but that's what it's all about. Everyone's got different tastes and that's a good thing. It's a healthy situation.

How long did it take to build?

About 12 weeks, and that's working between 15 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week. It would normally be about six to eight months.

You're a big influence on Maxers, but who influences you?

Not just one thing. Taking the most up-to-date products worldwide, then making them unique, so you're staying one step ahead of what's new on the market.

We know you drive your cars, but what would you say to folk who don't believe us and see your cars trailered to shows?

When you're in work for 12 to 15 hours a day, it's hard to find time to drive the car. But when the time is there, and if you want to win 'best of show', you can't drive it every day. As the guys read this, the TVR should be landing in LA, ready to take on America at this year's SEMA.

What one car would you like to get your hands on?

From time to time I look at a car and think it's got potential. But if I could only have one car again I'd stick with the Renault. I just love the Renault, that's my roots.

If someone wanted to be 'the next Jamie Shaw', what tips would you give them?

There's loads of different things that go into that. Determination, daring to be different or going against the grain of what everyone else is doing. Organisation, efficiency and doing your utmost to keep quality of workmanship high.

Some people say the TVR wouldn't be on the Max cover if you hadn't built it. What would you say to them?

That's a tricky one, isn't it? A cover car's ingredients are unique and individual with all aspects of modifications covered at the highest quality possible. All I'd say to them is: doesn't our car have the ingredients? You can't force anyone to do anything, when you dare to be that different you always get people saying they don't like it. I had it with the Renault. Sometimes it takes time to settle in. I'm not telling everybody to go out and buy a TVR, but going against the grain has always been the way forward. And, whether right or wrong, if you came out for a night down Southend seafront, I'm sure the feeling it'd give you would answer all doubts.

ENGINE
4200cc, 8-cylinder, AJP race engine; uprated fuel pump/injectors/pressure regulator, re-mapped ECU, redesigned air intake system with twin Blitz filters, Lumenition race leads, custom Powerflow stainless steel exhaust system with twin 888 F1 carbon diffuser boxes, Pace polished alloy radiator & oil cooler, SFS red silicone hoses throughout, Nitrous Solutions fully mapable nitrous injection system with Digimax ECU controller
TRANSMISSION
Factory 5-speed manual with hydraulic clutch & Hydrotrac traction control system

SUSPENSION
Avo coilover suspension front & rear with adjustable height & damping, Eibach uprated springs

BRAKES
8.5x20in Axis alloys with 245/35 20 Toyo Proxes tyres

BODYWORK
Full Carisma-designed prototype bodykit including; F50-style bonnet, reworked front end, increasing intake size apertures for cooling, Le Mans-style arches & sideskirts, heavily reworked rear end, flowing under car accommodating carbon diffuser boxes, Carisma Formula GT1 full carbon race wing with polished billet aluminium pedestals, Zertec Speed 12 front headlight conversion with 4x HID gas discharge units, modified & chromed Zertec rear light conversion with inbuilt rearview cameras, neon-illuminated stainless sill covers with Carisma logo, Hella LED side repeaters, carbon fibre side and rear window trims, resprayed in Glasurit Metallic Gold

WHEELS & TYRES
Front - KAD 378mm grooved discs with custom aluminium bells, billet 6-pot gold anodised calipers with offset caliper brackets/kevlar pads, rear - KAD 355mm grooved discs with custom aluminium bells, billet 6-pot gold anodised calipers with offset caliper brackets/kevlar Pads

INTERIOR
Carisma-designed interior including new Carisma C16 full wraparound sports recliners, reshaped top dash, reworked steering wheel with stainless push buttons & polished centre with 'C' logo, brushed aluminium instrument surround, reshaped cubby holes housing Pioneer TS-A6910 6x9, reshaped dash/instrument & understeering panel to house 15 Carisma C-Tech red digital gauges with aluminium bezels including rev counter with shift light, speedo, fuel level, fuel pressure, water temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature, volt meter (battery 1), volt meter (battery 2), audio amplifier temperatures 1, 2, 3 & 4, inside & outside air temperatures, front upper window panel housing widescreen monitor, two curvaceous roof-mounted pods housing two further widescreen monitors, Xbox & VCR in carpeted enclosures in front of recliners, CD multichanger in carpeted enclosure behind passenger recliner, curvaceous front door panels housing Pioneer 3-way speakers in each, completely refabricated rear cabin housing 6x Pioneer 6in speakers & two 8in 3-way speakers, rear seats replaced with 2 x 11/lb polished nitrous bottles ,4x colour micro cameras with Automotive Styling 4-way switching unit (front/inside cabin/rear left & rear right viewing angles) fully recordable through VCR with audio, redesigned transmission tunnel panel with ten polished stainless driver-operated switches, two passenger operated switches for camera operation & recording, adjustable stainless pedal set, all interior panels trimmed by Carisma in scarlet red/magnolia leather, cream Wilton carpets/overmats with leather-bound edging, every speaker & screen surround chrome-plated.

ICE
Vertical ejecting Pioneer AVX-7300 7in screen to monitor audio levels, Pioneer TS-A6910 6x9 3-way for Dolby 5.1 surround sound, 3x Pioneer W6000 6.5in widescreen monitors, Xbox & VCR, Pioneer 6-disc CD multichanger, Pioneer TS-A 2010 8in 3-way & TS-A1710 6in 3-way speakers in doors, 6x Pioneer TS-A1710 6in 3-way & two TS-A2010 8in 3-way speakers in rear cabin, Pioneer AVIC-8DVD voice recognition satellite navigation, SDV-P7 DVD player, two Vibe spun-aluminium ports, Pioneer AVM-P9000R master AV/Audio unit, 3x Pioneer TS-W1201DVC subwoofers in long enclosure with recessed centre panel, 4x Pioneer 4-channel amplifiers in long enclosure running parallel with sub enclosure with red neon illumination, 2x Vibe spun-aluminium ports adjoining rear cabin ports, Optima Yellow Top battery with directed audio cabling & fusing

PERFORMANCE
Max power - 555bhp with 150bhp of NoS, max speed 200+mph, 0-60mph - 3.9secs (3.1secs with NoS)