Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina 2013

This year's Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina was held today, 8th December 2013 at the Malta International Airport / Lufthansa Tecknik Grounds. Its the eighth edition of Malta’s annual popular motoring event and organised by a team on behalf of The Malta Community Chest Fund together with Tonio Darmanin and the Malta Motorsport Federation. The aim behind this event is to raise funds for l-Istrina.

This year the event will have major attractions including:

• the mighty Santa Pod FireForce 3 Jet Car
• the latest supercar released from Ferrari – the 458 Speciale
• the ultrafast Lexus LFA supercar
• Police Show
• Taxi way sprints

The mind-blowing Jet Car

One of the key attractions for this year’s edition is the Santa Pod FireForce 3 Jet Car, a dragster built around a massive jet engine and considered to be one of the fastest cars in the world. All those who will visit Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina will be able to see the unique Jet Car, which can reach speeds in excess of 540 km/h, powering down the strip.

The FireForce 3 Jet Car, based on a Chevrolet Lumina body, is kitted out with the Santa Pod Raceway livery and has made its debut at the Flame & Thunder event at Santa Pod Raceway back in 2004 and since then has appeared at many international events. This mechanical monster of a machine develops thrust in the jet engine equivalent to more than 10,000hp and can destroy the quarter-mile in 5 seconds with a terminal speed in excess of 300mph.

The world record was broken at the Easter Thunderball event 2005, with Martin Hill pushing the car to its limits and clocking a terminal speed of 336mph in 5.793 seconds.

The latest from Maranello – the Ferrari 458 Speciale

The Ferrari 458 Speciale is a version of hugely successful 458 Italia sportscar with increased engine power to 597 bhp. The vehicle, which unveiled during the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, is the result of the search for extreme technology, driving thrills and performance, with the application of advanced technical solutions for the powertrain, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics. Those achievements set it apart from the 458 Italia from which it is derived, to an extent unprecedented in the previous Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia special series.

F1 technology transfer to the 458 Speciale was of fundamental importance to its development, including the production processes. The engine is produced in the factory's in-house foundry using the same machinery and processes as employed by the F1 team for complex components with the extreme structural and dimensional characteristics needed for a naturally-aspirated V8 engine capable of hitting 9,000rpm.

Lexus LFA

The Lexus LFA is a two-seat supercar from Lexus. The Japanese car-making company has produced only 500 models of the LFA supercar. Therefore having a limited edition of this ultrafast car is quite an attraction for this year’s event.

After beginning development in the early 2000s (codenamed P280), the first LF-A concept premiered in 2005, followed in 2007 by a second LF-A with a more completely furnished interior and exterior. The third version of the LF-A, a roadster model, premiered in 2008. The production model, trademarked LFA, was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009.

The production Lexus LFA features a new V10 engine and a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) body. CFRP materials account for 65 percent of the LFA's body composition by mass. The LFA went into production in late 2010, with a base price of US$375,000. A circuit-tuned variant debuted in 2012 with a base price of US$445,000, making it one of the most expensive Japanese road car ever built. Production ended in December 2012 with 500 vehicles completed, the final version being a Nürburgring Package model.

Police show

The Prospeed Team Maximum Lock (TML) driver, Mark Galea in Subaru Impreza against 2 Police squad  cars.

Taxi-way sprints

See owners of fast cars and bikes to push their vehicles to the limit in what is potentially the longest straight piece of tarmac in Malta.

Over 60 local automotive clubs participating in a static car display featuring over 700 hundred of cars with a mixture of exotic, classic, and modified cars inclunding Ford, Honda, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Skoda, Volkswaken, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Mercedes, Cadillac, Chevrolet and more. Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina over the past years has enjoyed the continued support of the vast majority of motoring clubs and associations in Malta. Every club ensures that as many members as possible attend turning this event into the biggest local vehicles display of the year.