by Keep an eye on these rival cars in the 2nd Season!
The second Season of the TV anime MF Ghost is about to begin. This work continues the first Season, broadcast on TV as an anime in the fall of 2023. It starts with the final of the second round, “Lake Ashi GT.” The rivals to watch from here are still ” Mikhail Beckenbauer ‘s Cayman” and “Kouki Sawatari’s Alpine “A110.
In particular, Alpine may not be a car that is often seen in Japan, even though it is under the umbrella of Renault. So why would Sawatari participate in the race in such a car? What kind of car is the Alpine “A110”? Kouki Sawatari has high potential as a driver, as recognized by his rivals, and his favorite car is the Alpine “A110”. He is also characterized as a “17-year-old high school girl lover”. Alpine is a sports car brand under the umbrella of Renault in France. Initially active as an independent car manufacturer from the 1950s to the 1990s, the company is particularly famous for its A110, which debuted in 1963.
Its lightweight and good handling characterized the A110, and it was a big hit in the world of rallies in the 1960s and 1970s. This is the root of the current A110, which is Sawatari’s favorite car. The current A110 model revives the famous car with modern technology and design. The contemporary version of the A110 is characterized by its midship layout, in which the engine is mounted in the middle of the body. Another feature is the car’s lightness; as of 2024, the standard grade of the A110 on sale weighs only 1,120 kg.
The most robust grade, the A110R TURINI, is 48 horsepower, more powerful than the regular model, and has aerodynamic features, but its weight has been reduced to 1,110 kg. The A110’s powertrain is a 1798cc inline 4-cylinder turbo with a 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch transmission). The maximum output is 185kW (252 horsepower) for the standard model and 221kW (300 horsepower) for the powerful model.
Characteristics of the Porsche Cayman The strongest rival standing in the way of Sawatari and the protagonist, Natsumu Katagiri, is Mikhail Beckenbauer, whose car is the Porsche Cayman, officially named the 718 Cayman GTS. Speaking of Porsche, the flagship model is the 911, which has a long history, and to be honest, the Cayman is like a younger brother to them. In other words, Beckenbauer deliberately chose the younger brother Cayman to participate in the race.
The 911 also appears in the MF Ghost story as the car of the defending champion, Fuujin Ishigami, and is depicted as a high-performance machine. Ishigami’s favorite vehicle, the 911GT3 (991 model), boasts a maximum output of 500 horsepower and is no less potent than the many supercars in the work. Incidentally, the 911’s engine is mounted behind the rear wheels, which is why it is called the rear-engine rear-wheel drive system.
On the other hand, Beckenbauer’s Cayman’s engine is mounted just behind the driver’s seat. In other words, the Cayman features the same midship layout as the A110. The engine is a 2497cc flat-four turbo with a maximum output of 269kW (365 horsepower). A 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed dual-cylinder transmission (Porsche calls it PDK) are used.
