The Minotaur – Vision Sports Cars Stunning Supercar

Never heard of Vision Sports Cars? Neither had we, but the Minotaur – not a great name – deserves a mention. You might well ask why anybody would spend their hard earned cash on one of these when there are Ferraris to be had, but surely exclusivity is a bonus? The Minotaur is – after all – as exclusive as it gets. Built by a small company in the UK the Minotaur is not sure whether it is an out and out performance car or a luxury tourer. With leather and Wilton carpets in the interior and a throbbing 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8 it promises great performance, and it looks the part too. The purists will sneer at a car that comes from a kit car builder – that is what Vision’s main business is – but everyone has to start somewhere. Fancy one yourself? If so there is a 2009 model on sale for the bargain price of £24,995 ($40,000) – try finding something else as rare as this for that little.

Ascari – Great Name, Great Car?

Since the year 2000 Ascari has been producing some stunning supercars with limited commercial success. It is far from easy to get a foot in the door to this lucrative market, and without a true pedigree the chances of making it are unlikely. It’s an interesting parallel that Pagani used the name of the great Juan Manual Fangio when marketing the Zonda (Mr Pagani is, in fact, an ex-Lamborghini man with a long history in the automobile world) just as Ascari has drawn on the name of one of his great rivals, the double world champion Alberto Ascari. The main product – the KZ1 – is a good looking machine that is credited with excellent build quality, stunning performance and superb credentials all-round, but although it is a hand-built machine that can top 200mph it looks expensive at almost £250,000 ($400,000). The company planned to build 50, but quite how many have been sold is open to question. Still, great engineering and classy design deserves to be recognized.

Spyker – Another Old Name Revived

It may not be a name that instantly springs to mind when talking of automotive history but Spyker was renowned Dutch car and aircraft manufacturer formed in the late 19th century. With a history of innovation there is much to be said for those early cars, but it’s the modern incarnation of the company we are interested in. The car we want to concentrate on is the Spyker C8, a model made in a bewildering variety of forms. The future of the company is in grave doubt, however, as financial problems have reared their ugly head. Of the small volume supercars the C8 is one of the most accomplished offering excellent performance from an Audi V8 in a stunning body, and these are sought after cars that will endure. Handling is excellent, they look quite sensational and quality is second to none. Spyker remains an example of the difficulty in getting into the supercar market, and one that is a cautionary tale for aspiring Ferrari-challengers the world over.

Noble – A Success Story

It is perhaps unfair to list Noble among the ‘unknown’ supercar makers for this is one company that appears to have got it right. With a long list of excellent models in its past, starting with the 2001 M12, Noble may have been the most direct competitor for Ascari, had that company prospered. The current model, the M600, it is interesting that the M600 bears more than a passing resemblance to one of its closest competitors, the McLaren MP4-12c, for the concept is similar. This is a fine handling car that is intended to bring the driving experienced back to the driver, as it eschews to some degree the modern ‘driver aids’ that make 21st century supercars anodyne to some. The Noble is an excellent attempt at getting to grips with the supercar and it should go down in history as one of the success stories in a field littered with failures. It is, at once, exclusive, desirable and a quality product.

Supercars are the stuff of legend, especially where the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini are concerned. It could be argued that the Pagani Zonda has secured a place in that legend, too, but what about the four contenders mentioned above? Destined to play a minor role, they are nevertheless noteworthy machines with a deserving appeal. It is left to the smaller specialists to provide the interesting diversions from the main stream, just as it has always been.

In an era dominated by typically large and lazy machines that were more boulevard cruiser than sports car Shelby shocked the establishment when – as importer of niche UK manufacturer AC Cars – he created one of the most legendary of all cars: the AC Cobra, also known as the Shelby Cobra.

Using as a basis the pretty and very capable AC Ace, Shelby came up with an idea that was, in its day, as original as it gets. Quite simply, he had AC build him an Ace chassis that would accept a 4.2litre Ford V8. The result was nothing short of sensational.

Of course, things weren’t quite that simple and there were further modifications needed, but with the Cobra came the promise of genuine high performance motoring, something that appealed to engine donors Ford in their battle with the Chevrolet Corvette.

The 427 – King Cobra

Many enthusiasts consider this early version – the Mark I – the most desirable of the Cobras, and with a rich competition history to go with it the car was guaranteed a strong following. On the road there was little to match it for outright performance.

Ford’s interest in the Cobra resulted in direct collaboration with AC and Shelby in order to produce the later models, the Mark II with a bigger 4.7 litre V8 and, ultimately, the mighty 427 Cobra with a 7.0 litre V8 power plant. With wider arches and a more beefed up body style, this is the model that is generally emulated by the many kit Cobras that are available on the market today.

Curiously, the Cobras competition prowess – a special coupe version had been produced to increase efficiency in airflow – angered none other than Enzo Ferrari who became frustrated at the Anglo-American cars ability to beat his specially built 250LM model. He had the Italian authorities re-classify some races in order that the Cobra was no longer eligible!

Speed Limits And 186mph

Consider that we are talking about the mid-1960′s – the 427 Cobra was introduced in 1965 – and the performance figures take some beating. The standard 427 gave over 420bhp and propelled the Cobra to over 160mph, with acceleration figures that were simply untouchable. The full on competition version was tuned for almost 500bhp and 185mph.

Indeed, racing driver Jack Sears decided to test the figures for himself in 1964 in a Cobra Coupe. He did so on the newly-opened M1 motorway. Legend has it the car hit 186mph. The tale that this incident prompted the imposition of a 70mph speed limit is not entirely true, but it certainly had an effect on the laws that followed.

Despite the success of the car and its popularity with owners the AC Cobra was not a money maker. In 1967 Ford and Shelby reluctantly pulled the plug, leaving AC to produce the 289 version in small numbers for another couple of years. The chassis was eventually used for the subsequent AC 428, a luxury cruiser with quite colossal performance, but AC struggled in the poor economic climate and the company was closed in the early 1980′s.

The Later Cobras

The Cobra lived on in Shelby’s ‘continuation’ cars that appeared in the 1980′s, while Autokraft in the UK had bought the tooling for the cars from AC and made its own versions. These were known as Autokraft MK IV thanks to Shelby owning the rights to the Cobra name. The appeal of the car lies in its enduring style and good looks, as well as fine handling.

Kit versions of the car have appeared in many different forms and with a variety of alternative engines, but for many the original is the only one to have. Cobras now fetch extremely high prices and are sought after by collectors, and in the world of classic cars are among the must-have models.

Carroll Shelby had a rich and eventful life as both a motor manufacturer and a racing driver, and enjoyed a lifelong association with Ford. He was responsible for the amazing Shelby Mustangs, another example of giving a car more power to make it go faster, and continued his involvement with cars – and the Cobra – until near the end of his life. With the modern car being a technical tour de force it is unlikely that his like will be seen again.

Of course, with VIN number checking it’s all about finding out the history of your desired purchase. There is nothing as disappointing as finding out that your beautiful new machine has been involved in an accident, and both Carfax and AutoCheck lay claim to giving you the best information available. There is more to VIN number checking than simply accident history – indeed there is plenty of information out there that you want to know.

The practice of rolling back odometers had been with is for many years now and is difficult to uncover, especially if the dealer or seller has been clever with their efforts. However, both AutoCheck and Carfax are able to do so by looking back through the complete history of a vehicle, and checking against current records.

An accident damaged car may well have been repaired to a high degree, but what lurks underneath? Is there damage to the chassis, or to the unseen parts of the car, and what has that accident done to the value of an expensive vehicle? How easy it is to buy a lemon, and end up losing a lot of hard earned cash in the process. Fortunately, it is easy to use the AutoCheck VIN number checking package, and it can be done for free.

So, Carfax and AutoCheck go head to head, but which is really the better option? Let’s have a look at an AutoCheck v Carfax comparison.

What do I Get With AutoCheck?

The standard packages from both providers are pretty comprehensive but on closer examination it would appear that the AutoCheck deal may be the better one. Why is this the case? We compared the two and found that there was much more on offer with the AutoCheck deal – here’s a starting point:

With AutoCheck you can get not only unlimited reports, but a single report costs less than $30. This undercuts Carfax, which does not offer an unlimited reports option.

There is also a wealth of detail that AutoCheck offers as standard.

Have a look at this:

- Full vehicle report including odometer check, accidents and more;
- Mobile based reporting on iPhone or Android;
- Free Auto Check scoring system for ease of analysis;

AutoCheck is a part of the Experian group, hence it offers powerful access to records.

Looking at that list it is easy to see why many people choose AutoCheck over Carfax, even though the latter is a long-established name in the VIN checking world. Furthermore AutoCheck offers data on past auctions – your car may have been sold at one in the recent past – and also provides a full report from the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Used Car Guide, a valuable resource.

Given that Carfax does not give auction information, does not provide a NADA guide, is not allied to Experian and does not include auction data in its package it looks like it may be on a losing roll.

So is AutoCheck The Better Deal?

The one thing the two packages have in common is that they both offer a buyback program. This is a regulated agreement by which the company agrees to buy the vehicle back if the information provided proved inaccurate. This is an important part of a VIN checking service and is to be applauded. Carfax has a good reputation in the world of car dealing and its experience is not to be doubted, and it does have many satisfied customers with plenty of good words to say about it.

There is something to be said, however, for the all in one approach that the AutoCheck VIN checking service offers. There is much more it does have, compared to plenty that Carfax does not, and this is bound to attract many more customers as AutoCheck becomes better known in the market.

Perhaps the major draws are the fact that AutoCheck is part of Experian – a well known brand – and that it offers so much in the way of value that Carfax doesn’t.

In concluding the Carfax v AutoCheck review it is fair to say that brand loyalty will keep many people in the frame where Carfax is concerned, but as the package is so much more rounded the AutoCheck deal is going to attract a great number of new customers.

Buying an expensive used car is something that has always been prone to problems and pitfalls, and it would be wrong of us not to recommend that potential buyers – whether they are about to buy a modern supercar or a classic model – invest in the affordable and comprehensive AutoCheck VIN checking system, which may just be the best on the market.