THE SEXY ISSUE (JULY 2010): ALL-NEW HYUNDAI SONATA LEADS A BEVY OF DESIRABLE AUTOMOBILES
The ultimate purveyor of make-out music, Barry White, once sang, "It's ecstasy when you lay down next to me." Of course, he was singing about a woman-a very sexy woman, we imagine. But hardcore car enthusiasts often feel that way, too, toward their prized possessions. Indeed, for most of us, it's ecstasy when our cars are parked next to us. It's even more ecstasy when the cars squatting in front of us are exotic ones we can only dream of driving.
This is the very type of emotion that we aim to evoke with this month's edition of Top Gear magazine, aptly dubbed "The Sexy Issue." Featured in the magazine are cars that inspire feelings of passion. Feelings that spur the reader to make a concrete plan toward owning one of these fine automobiles.
Leading these cars is the all-new Hyundai Sonata, a stylish midsize sedan that's guaranteed to contribute to the Korean carmaker's ever-growing reputation as a consistent assembler of world-class vehicles. And speaking of beautiful four-door sedans, also making an appearance in the magazine are the new BMW 5-Series (F10) and the Maserati Quattroporte S. Asian Carmakers Corporation was generous to lend us a brand-new unit of the 523i for several days, while Formula Sports Inc. gave us first dibs on the Quattroporte S (which we raced on the newly paved highway extension that now connects the South Luzon Expressway with the Star Tollway).
Still on the subject of sexy sedans, Brian Afuang dissects the styling of one, the Tesla Model S. Unlike the other "regular" saloons, however, the Model S is fully electric. The point of the story is that it's not only sedans that are becoming sexy, but also environment-friendly vehicles per se.
We also drove two sedans that are "more attainable" than the aforementioned models, but are nonetheless sexy in their own little way: the new Nissan Sentra 200 and the Chevrolet Cruze LS.
Now, if sedans aren't sexy enough for you, we have some really nice cars that will surely tickle your fancy. First, we have the Mini John Cooper Works. We also have a comparo between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe-two cars separated by a gulf in terms of pricing but bound by a common configuration (they're both V6-powered rear-wheel-driven coupes). And then we have a world exclusive: the Porsche 918 Spyder versus the Ferrari 599 GTO! If you still don't find these sexy, congratulations-you're not human.
There's more. We have three other stories that focus on the sexy theme. Paulo Subido works for a day at A-Toy Bodykits, which is in the business of making ordinary cars look sexy. Drew Asuncion, meanwhile, breaks down the crucial attributes of a sexy car. Finally, Patrick Tadeo and Mikko David chronicle the beginnings of the Blanco Race Engineering, whose members have the sexiest job in the world.
Read these stories and so much more in the July 2010 issue of Top Gear Philippines, still selling for P150 at your favorite bookshops, magazine stands, convenience stores, fuel stations, and car-accessories shops.
