Matt Cardy Specialist Cars

We’re currently doing some maintenance to the main site, http://www.mattcardy.co.uk

Therefore if you’ve bookmarked a particular page or subject, you might find it’s been removed or replaced with something else. The things we’re changing are as follows:

Stock Listings:

After the success of unsing and incorporating Google Documents within our website, we’ve decided that our stock has outgrown this method and have decided to utilise the technology on offer by using a MySql database. (It’s about bloody time)

The new stockliss will be easier to use and although it’s not exactly how we would like it at the moment, the future will see some changes making it easier to use and more user friendly.

We’re also changing the categories within the site itself. Right now, we have a few different sections which is quite confusing. LHD Cars, RHD Cars, Hybrid Cars, American Cars and Limousines. So if you want a left hand drive car and would consider an American Import, you have to look in both sections for a car. This is a pain in the rear, so we’re incorporating all the American cars within the LHD section.

Right hand drive will stay essentially the same but with more stock than of late, which we’ll be working on once we get our main core of LHD and America stock combined. We’re getting rid of the specilist car section and combining it into the right and left hand drive sections. We think that this is a positive move forward.

Limousines will stay the same, although this will all be database driven as will the rest of the site. It’ll also see an update over the coming days. (Or weeks, depending on the difficulties we run into!)

We’re also figuring out a way in which we can implement images into the listings as well. This is one of the bugbears we have at present as our customers like to see what they are buying.

All in all, we think this is a positive step in the right direction and we’re looking forward to your comments.

Just a quick note to mention we’ve added a new section to our website, the Trade Department.

If you’re in the motor trade and you’re looking for a particular car for a customer, we may be able to supply it, wherever you are the World. We produce and send out a stocklist every week, full of all sorts of cars. It’s only available to people in the trade, so if you would like to receive it, simply click on the following link and subscribe. It’ll take you two minutes.

oops… it didn’t work out. We’re currently looking at another way of bringing you a stocklist… watch our blog for more news. Thanks.

Also, don’t forget that we also supply stretched Limousines direct from the US. Click the link below to view our available Limos.

Matt Cardy Specialist Cars - Limousines

And, we are a supplier of a diverse selection of Hybrid cars too.

Matt Cardy Specialist Cars - Hybrid Vehicles

News hit this weekend about the all new Ferrari California. As huge fans of the Italian car maker, our excitement has been building ever since we heard news of it. After seeing the pictures, we were not disappointed. It’s pretty bloody stunning.

NEW FERRARI CALIFORNIA REVEALED: A HUGELY VERSATILE, INNOVATION-PACKED GT

The Ferrari California joins the Prancing Horse’s 8-cylinder family which has always
been defined by power and performance. It also flanks the flagship 612 Scaglietti in the
prestige sporty Grand Tourer segment.

The new Ferrari California will satisfy even the most demanding of owners in term of its
superb vehicle dynamics and driving pleasure. The new model will be available
exclusively as a convertible with a folding hard top. Both chassis and bodywork are
aluminium, in line with the rest of the current range. The California will be powered by
a new V8 engine mounted for the first time in the marque’s history in the mid-front
position.

In line with Ferrari tradition, the new model also features several innovations. Apart
from its folding hard top, these include the original 2+ concept which guarantees
exceptional versatility of use in the rear of the car. The California’s 4,300 cc V8 engine
features direct fuel injection and a “flat” crankshaft. It generates 460 CV at 7,500 rpm
with a torque curve that enhances vehicle dynamics and provides maximum driving
pleasure which is typical for Ferrari.

As per the traditional Ferrari transaxle layout, the engine, which allows the Ferrari
California to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4.0 seconds, will be coupled to a
7-speed dual clutch transmission that boosts the car’s performance while enhancing the
driving pleasure, improves ride comfort and reduces fuel consumption and emissions
(c.310 g/km CO2).The comfort is further enhanced by a new multilink rear suspension
system.

The Ferrari California is also equipped with the exclusive F1-Trac traction
control system which made its debut on the 599 GTB Fiorano and has been further
honed to suit the typical driving conditions expected for this new GT. Brembo brakes
featuring carbon-ceramic material disks as standard guarantee superbly efficient
braking.

In addition to sporting the marque’s classic styling cues, the cabin has also been
beautifully trimmed using quality materials by Ferrari’s own skilled artisans. New
accessories and equipment, such as the seats, steering wheel, instrument panel and
infotainment system, together with optimised aerodynamics ensure that this is a highly
ergonomic and enjoyable car to drive regardless of whether the top is up or down.

The Ferrari California is aimed at owners who desire a car which embodies everything
the Prancing Horse represents in terms of sporty design and innovation, but also seek a
car with greater versatility than ever.

BMW USA have announced an exciting new model to their 2008/9 line up. The BMW X6 .

Unmistakably BMW, borrowing the styling from the X5 and 3 Series but will it become the next big thing in the BMW catalogue?

The all new ‘World Breaking’ BMW X6

The all-new BMW X6 is a completely new type of vehicle branded by BMW as an SAC - Sports Activity Coupe. It certainly lives up to it’s new moniker. It’s lost half it’s back end to make airflow greater, although it re-defines the definition of a coupe by sporting five size doors and seats four people in comfort. Styling is no doubt borrowed from it’s little sister, the X3 and based upon the success of it’s big brother, the mighty X5.

Getting straight to the heart of what makes this a true coupe, are the two variants of power plant available from the outset. First a 3.0 straight six engine with twin Turbos provide ample pulling power of 300 horses and 300 torques for the baby of the new breed and for the serious petrol heads, a Twin Turbo 4.4 V8 producing 400 bhp and 450 torques. Which is more than a Range Rover Sport 4.2 Supercharged, which no doubt will be it’s major competitor.

The tried and tested 4.4 V8 is bulletproof so naturally will go to the top of this new range of vehicle, although it has undergone some development to fit in the engine bay. Major changes are of course the addition of the twin turbo chargers which actually sit in the small space between the two banks of cylinders. As you’d expect from any of BMW’s X Series, internally dubbed the XDrive, the X6 benefits from an all wheel drive system.

BMW’s X6 is due to hit the showrooms in the upcoming 2nd quarter of 2008 with pricing and options being made available when the launch is announced. Future models include the first BMW Hybrid engined X Series predicted for 2010.

Matt’s opinion:

From the first moment I saw the pictures of the concept X6 my first impression was.. Oh my god, it looks like a dog having a dump. Then I heard they weren’t making a bigger, badder engine to slip under the bonnet. Oh no, BMW were using ‘old faithful’, the very dated, but trustworthy 4.4 V8 previously used in the X5, the 750i, and the 650i; but bolting twin turbos to it. The corners of my mouth turned up. Slightly.

Yes, it’s a BMW. Yes, it’s German, and we all know German cars are excellent.. when they work. And yes, after all, it’s a BMW. But let’s not forget, it’s a Chelsea tractor, so we know it’s terrible off road, in fact, the closest thing it’ll ever see to off road is a  rouge kerb stone that invariably jumps out on some people. It’s got huge 19″ alloy wheels and low profile tyres for those all important school runs and not forgetting, depending on the model you choose, 3 or 400 bhp, for accelerating upto the average London speed of 12 mph.

But get out onto the open road, wind her up and the silicone will start making tracks from the lips into the cheeks as those 400 horse, 2 turbo chargers and the traction control make the 19″ low profiles dig into the road and propel you forward as the air slipstreams over that svelte coupe body. But when we come back down to earth, we remember it’s a BMW. And it’s terribly boring.

Something tells me, without even seeing one in the flesh, or metal if you will, that driving one of these will be the same as driving a 3 series or a 7 series. Very comfortable but lacking that je ne sais quoi.. Why do I think that? Well, all BMWs are the same. They share the same dash layout, they have the same feel about them, they’re very safe and comfortable, they have acres of plastic and faux wood to admire, all the same switch gear and they’re very boring.

It only marginally beats the Range Rover 4.2 Supercharged in the performance stakes but that means nothing when you’re a style aficionado. But I’m not a style aficionado. I’m at the totally opposite end of the scale, purely and simply because… when you’re talking 4×4s or SUVs, there are two different people in the World. Those who hate Porsche Cayennes and those that love them. I’m a Porsche Cayenne lover.

But you’re saying, they’re ugly and they cost more and I wouldn’t be seen dead in one… That’s why you’re not a Cayenne lover, you haven’t driven one. My verdict is that you should spend the extra and get the Cayenne. This is about the BMW though, not the Cayenne.

In my opinion the X6 is going to be a good seller, it’s a BMW after all and the first rung for many people on the prestige car ladder. I just feel that it lacks that certain something that a 4×4 should have, that ruggedness maybe, that style, the mystery of the Range Rover Sport, that ‘I am what I am’ presence. BMW probably have another winner on their hands, but I seriously doubt that other 4×4 manufacturers are going to ask themselves ‘Why didn’t we think of making a coupe?’ The next big thing in the 4×4 world will be the Land Rover LRX - but will the new Indian owners Tata decide to arch the back and make it a coupe? I doubt it!

American Imports is the ‘buzz phrase’ around the car industry in the UK and Europe at present due to two factors.

1. The exchange rate is €1.26 to UK £1.00

2. The exchange rate is $1.99 to UK £1.00

In layman’s terms it basically means that the once very affluent business of importing Right hand drive cars into the UK from Europe has taken a turn for the worst. Back in the ‘glory days’ of importing cars from Europe, early this century when the Euro to Pound exchange rate was hovering at €1.55 to €1.60 to the UK Pound. This allowed people to save a small fortune on cars, but unfortunately, those days are gone.

The market has turned and a lot of people are getting into the driving seat on the left hand side of their cars after importing from the USA and taking advantage of the massive savings on European favourites such as Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Range Rovers.

Many foreign makes and models are available, such as Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai and others, but with not such an attractive saving against the current UK prices.

Importing your new car from the US doesn’t have to be a hassle, Matt Cardy Specialist Cars makes the process as simple as possible for you. Once you have chosen your car, we take care of the shipping, SVA, Registration, Collection from port, UK and US Customs and Import Duty. The whole process should take no longer than 45 days, which is less than a typical factory order. For your protection, you pay the dealer direct, we just take care of the whole process from start to finish.

For more information, please have a look at our website at www.mattcardy.co.uk. If you have any questions, please contact us directly from our website.