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3 fantastic new ‘sports cars’ that redefine the genre

Check out the latest ‘releases’ from MINI, Vauxhall and Citroen as we get ready to Gear Up For Sport

The Vauxhall Copacabana: Nothing captures that pitch-side feeling like... eh... grass seats.

The Vauxhall Copacabana: Nothing captures that pitch-side feeling like... eh... grass seats.

Just after we kicked off our Gear Up For Sport competition, giving away free sports kits to youth teams across the country, car manufacturers decided to gear up for sport themselves – with football-themed cars to entice the sporty car buyer.

OK, they aren’t real. April Fool’s Day this year saw many manufacturers teasing customers with imaginary models that would be somewhat difficult to engineer. A furry Skoda Yeti, anyone? Customise your Peugeot's car horn?

Amongst these pranks were some terrific attempts to capture the mood of the nation, as we get excited for the World Cup, the end of the football season and the Commonwealth Games.

The Copacabana

Vauxhall got the day off to a tropical start with their announcement – the “epitome of pure South American emotion”, the Vauxhall Astra Copacabana. Featuring Brazilian flag colours, palm trees on the doors and turf seats (made with original grass from the Maracanã Stadium), the Copacabana apparently “offers more drama than a penalty shoot-out” with its 200PS 1.6 Turbo engine.

The car also boasts Brazilian sand in the footwells and some handy flip-flops in the glove compartment. But the real sports-fan touch is the Vuvuzela car horn. A steal at just £41,024.01, the Vauxhall Astra Copacabana could have been yours on April 1st… if only it was real.

The GoalCooper

MINI also “revealed” a new car (on March 31st , we might add) to celebrate the World Cup in Brazil – the MINI Paceman GoalCooper.

Fact or fiction, the car certainly looks the part, painted in green, blue and yellow with the Brazilian flag on the roof.

“The interior kit is far from off-side”, claims MINI, offering up astro-turf floor mats, LED floodlights and space for your smartphone or iPad, in order to enjoy footage of the games from the comfort of your car. It is also “match-fit when it comes to reliving controversial referee decisions and glorious goals via live web stream.”

The MINI Paceman GoalCooper also features a miniature table football set and the rear seats can be folded over to turn the AstroTurf boot into a football goal – with MINI providing elaborate details of how the technologically impressive new model can monitor and record your penalty-taking efforts. (You might remember we did something similar last summer!)

“The new star of the MINI Team will be officially presented on 1 April 2014. All details regarding transfer fees and contract periods will remain strictly confidential until then.” Hilarious.

Gunner get one?

Finally, Citroen announced on April 1st that they were launching the Citroen C4 Cactus Arsenal Edition. While just 11 units would be on offer, lucky owners would get to enjoy a nice bit of new kit – the “Geo Organised Away-day Location, Information & Entertainment interface”, or G.O.A.L.I.E. This system would provide information on fixtures, directions to away games, the nearest pie and mash stall and football anthems. “Available from all Citroën showrooms later this year… except Citroën Tottenham.”

Gear Up For Sport

Arnold Clark is giving away more than 1500 free sports strips to kids teams across the UK. 100 under-14 teams will win a new kit in our Gear Up For Sport competition, and it's not just for footballers. Cricket, rugby, netball and basketball teams can enter too. Find out more.

About the Author

Kirsty Cooke

Content Editor at Arnold Clark

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