Cars are the stars at Scottish Motor Show

Motorfair, the annual Scottish Motor Show, takes place this weekend at Knockhill in Fife and while tens of thousands of people are expected at the circuit, without question the true stars of the show will be the range of cars making their first public appearance in Scotland, and in some cases, the UK.

Renault, traditionally a strong performer in Scotland, has chosen Motorfair to unveil its all-new Megane Coupé-Cabriolet. With its graceful lines and high-gloss finish tinted black glass roof, the car exudes elegance and distinctive style; it’s clearly been styled to seduce.

Renault

Thanks to New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet’s length (4,485mm, an increase of 130mm over its predecessor) and wheelbase (2,609mm, +87mm), the newcomer’s silhouette is sleek and chic. The redesigned, sculpted boot-lid incorporates the upper part of the new rear light clusters. The two LED tail-light patterns create a smart and instantly recognisable rear lighting for New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet.

In today’s competitive landscape, Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet stands out through its large folding glass roof. When it goes on sale in July, it will be available with a comprehensive range of powerplants and eight body colours, including Pearlescent White.

Peug-1web

Fellow French manufacturer Peugeot will also have its all-new RCZ Coupé. The first of the next generation of Peugeot cars, the RCZ is now available with a 200bhp turbocharged petrol engine capable of 0-62 mph in 7.6 seconds and 50-75 mph in fifth gear in 6.5secs. It’s clearly the new affordable “supercar” for the UK, priced at £22,200.

The same can’t quite be said for Alfa’s supercar, the 8C Spider. At a cool £174,000, it’s a rare piece of Italian automotive art; so rare, in fact, that there are currently only two in the UK, and one will be at Knockhill this weekend.

8C

So; what makes the 8C Spider, this piece of automotive exotica, so wonderfully special? First there’s the car’s DNA. Like the 8C Competizione Coupe which was launched before it and, again, immediately sold-out, the 8C Spider is built on a shortened form of the Maserati GranTurismo’s steel platform.

There’s also the engine — a 4.7 litre V8 powerplant developing 450bhp — which is actually made for Alfa (and for Maserati) by Ferrari. All three manufacturers, of course, sit neatly under the giant Fiat umbrella which, at the other end of the spectrum, still churns out six grand Pandas and Puntos.

The figures are both impressive and frightening. Yes it will scorch from standstill to 62mph in just 4.5secs, and on to a max of 182mph. The downside? A quoted 17.3mpg (I guarantee it will be less in the real world, especially if you love the sound of the V8) on high-octane fuel, and the CO2 figure of 379g/km will also see you be shelling out £405 a year in road tax.

Still in the rarified world of automotive exotica, Tesla will have its £97,000 electric sports car at the show.  The all-new electric motor boosts power over the standard Lotus Elise-based electric sports car from 248bhp to 288bhp, while its claimed 0-60mph time is cut from 3.9secs to 3.7secs.

Ford is planning to display its ‘sold out’ limited edition Focus RS500. All 101 Ford Focus RS500 models, priced £35,450, were snapped up by UK fast Ford fans within days of launch.

With its unique matt black ‘foil’ paint finish and matching 19-inch alloy wheels, plus its tuned 350 PS, 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine with 460 Nm of torque powering it to 62mph from standstill in 5.6s, the RS500 is a real headturner.

But there are countless cars which will turn visitors’ heads. Major manufacturers including Seat, Nissan, Vauxhall, Morgan, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Fiat, Smart, Jeep and Chevrolet are all represented; as are Scottish dealer groups including Western, Morrisons, Chathams, Arnold Clark, Hardies, Peter Vardy and John R. Weir.

In addition to the masses of metal on display, there will be a bid to smash the Knockhill track record in an Arrows Formula One Grand Prix racer, displays by the Abarth World Aerobatic team (Sunday only, supercar track sessions on track with Lamborghinis, Porsches and other exotica, plus world famous stunt driver Paul Swift debuting his new routines in a Focus RS.

Motorfair takes place at Knockhill circuit near Dunfermline in Fife this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 22/23.

JM

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