N
IN02WiIADNUYHA
OF DRIVING
FERRARIROMA vCONTIGTvDB11 vLC500 ULT I MAT E G T T E S T
HURACÁNSTO HOT HATCH SHOCK
i30NvGTI, RS,Cupra&128ti
PRODRIVE & BOWLER Extreme off-roaders for an evo dirty weekend
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SPORTS PURPOSE 911 Forget restomods, this is classic perfection
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MUSTANG GT500 Taming Ford’s wildest pony car
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V I E W B Y A P P O I N T M E N T O N LY
Contents
#290
FEATURES
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090
106
Do grand tourers stillserve a purpose? Richard Meadenfinds out as hecompares Maranello’s new GT contender with its rivals from Bentley, Aston Martinand Lexus
His automotivephotographytalents covereverything from motorsport to manufacturershoots. Jayson Fong tells the storyofhis careersofar
It’s i30 N versus GTIClubsport, Leon 300, MéganeRSand 128ti in round threeofthe fight to findthebest hot hatchonsale.HenryCatchpolereferees
FERRARI ROMA v RIVALS
LIFE THROUGH A LENS: JAYSON FONG
HOT HATCH CHAMPIONSHIP: THE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
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098
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Lighter, rear-wheel drive and more focusedthanever, the STO has allthe ingredients tobethe best Huracányet. JethroBovingdon puts it tothe test onroad and track
Delivering adriving experience that few othercars can match, the Sports Purpose 911 is aPorsche like no other. Richard Meadengets behind its MomoMonza
Built to tacklethe worst thatarally stagecan throwat them, these two off-roaders offeraverydifferent kind of evochallenge. We try them
LAMBO HURACÁN STO
SPORTS PURPOSE 911
PRODRIVE HUNTER & BOWLER DEFENDER
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The stylish, MG HS is the high-spec, feature-filled SUV that needs no apology. With MG Pilot Driver Assistance System, 10.1" colour touchscreen and Apple CarPlay™/Android Auto™ as standard, the MG HS really delivers a lot more family car for your money. And with its enviable 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating and 7 Year Warranty, you know you are making the right choice for your family and your wallet.
Fuel economy and CO2 results for the MG HS. MPG (l/100km) (combined): 36.6 (7.7) to 37.9 (7.4). CO2 emissions: 168–174 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. *Model shown: MG HS Exclusive with Dynamic Red Paint £24,690 on the road.
Contents
#290
REGULARS
014
051
This month: Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT500, Maserati’s Ghibli Trofeo, Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT, and David Brown’s Mini Remastered Oselli Edition
How best to choose your next car, why the masses should be fine with EVs, and where the Renault Mégane RS beats all of its rivals
FIRST DRIVES
028
IGNITION
Details of a newHuayra with a new V12,thelowdown onthe reborn Countach, andwhy Nissan’s new Z-car won’tbecoming totheUK
LETTERS
055
COLUMNS
Porter contemplates the mad genius of General Motors, Bovingdon shares his take on the new Le Mans Hypercars, and Meaden’s column arrived too late to be synopsised here
076
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe to evo and get your first three issues for just £5 – and receive a special free gift too!
128
LONG-TERMERS
What’s green and new to the evo long-term fleet? It’s a BMW M3 Competition! We’ve also gained a 2010 C63 AMG, an Arteon and an Octavia, and our 996 Carrera has got a new infotainment system
146
THE KNOWLEDGE
The evo verdict on every performance car that’s worth knowing about. Now with added Morgan Plus Four CX-T
162
EVO ARCHIVE
That timewe found a stretch of Japaneseroadthatwasso ‘evo’ we put aphotograph of it – without a carinsight – on the subscriber’s edition cover www.evo.co.uk
009
I AM IRON MAN
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EDITORIAL
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evo, Autovia Limited, 31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP, United Kingdom
EDITOR
Stuart Gallagher
MANAGING EDITOR Ian Eveleigh
DEPUTY EDITOR Adam Towler
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DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR Jordan Katsianis
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Aston Parrott
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sam Jenkins
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS John Barker Jethro Bovingdon Henry Catchpole Richard Meaden Richard Porter Steve Sutcliffe
GROUP WEB EDITOR Steve Walker
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Antony Ingram Brett Fraser Peter Stevens
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jayson Fong Malcolm Griffiths Andy Morgan Dean Smith
IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT
Peter Allen, Jonathan Baker, Tim Smith, Peter Tomalin, Bedford Autodrome
Ed speak ACROSS THIS AND THE PREVIOUS TWO issues of evo we have conducted a trio of group tests featuring solely hot hatches. And we make no apologies for this, or for the fact that we will be publishing a fourth and final shoot-out before the year end, bringing together our favourite cars from all three tests. Initially, we thought we would have just one big blowout ultimate test. Bring together a dozen or more hot hatches and let them fight it out amongst themselves until there was one left standing. But there were two reasons not to do this. The first was that a test of that size doesn’t allow you to drill down to the minutiae of each car, to convey its character and report its good and bad elements. The second is that the hot hatch market is now so varied and far-reaching that it quickly became apparent there are three distinct sectors in which these performance cars operate, and if we wanted to declare an ultimate winner each example ought to prove itself against its natural rivals first, before taking on those from different classes. And now they have. I won’t do a John Barker circa 1999 and give the game away now as to which cars have made the cut to our final, but rest assured the mix is varied, surprising and has some unlikely entrants (and omissions). We’ll be publishing the test in our December issue, on sale in November. Before then, you have the opportunity to win a brand new Hyundai i20 N. It’s really rather simple to enter: just turn to page 60 and follow the instructions. The competition is open to all UK residents (sorry loyal readers from around the world) and closes on 4th October. Good luck!
Stuart Gallagher, Editor @stuartg917 ■ THE
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Remember, if your local newsagent doesn’t stock evo, just ask them to order it for you. Subscription prices: UK £59.88, Europe £73, USA £90, Rest of World £90, all for 12 issues. The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition. Copyright © Autovia Limited 2021 (Autovia Limited is part of the Dennis Group). All rights reserved. Evo is a registered trademark. Evo is published by Autovia Limited. Autovia is a trading name of Autovia Limited, registered in England and Wales no. 13018565. Registered address: 31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP. VAT number 494 6163 17 Printed in the UK by Walstead Roche. Distributed by Marketforce UK Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 March Wall, London, E14 9AP. 0203 787 9101. www.marketforce.co.uk ISSN 1464-2786 USPS 024-183
Powerful grip and superior handling for high performance cars.
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Driven FordMustangShelbyGT500 With a 760bhp supercharged V8, the GT500 is the most powerful production by JOHN BARKER PHOTOGR APHY by ASTON PARROTT
car ever built by Ford, and – no spoiler alert required – it’s a bit of a beast
E CAN HEAR IT COMING FOR MILES, THE HEAVY V8 beat rising and falling as the car accelerates and brakes, getting closer. Any moment we expect it to appear around the corner closest to us and, confusingly, it doesn’t. The sound gets louder and louder and when the Mustang eventually bursts into view it assaults our eyes and ears simultaneously. The colour! The stripes! In the insect world this sort of colour scheme is a warning that shouts ‘stay away or I’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth!’ But as digital news editor Jordan Katsianis attests, when applied to a Mustang, it draws interest; as he headed up the M1 from London, every BMW M and Mercedes-AMG wanted to race him. Maybe it was the noise that attracted them, or maybe
they knew exactly what they were looking at and, like moths to a flame, were drawn inexorably to it. This is the Mustang Shelby GT500, all 760bhp of it, which makes it not only the most powerful production Mustang that Ford has ever made but the most powerful Ford production car of all time, bar none. Forget the midengined GT; the accolade for peak piston power in a Ford will most likely rest with the long-serving Mustang. Given the recent launch of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, that feels right somehow. Big-power Mustangs are almost as old as the hills of course, but once the ringing in your ears has subsided and your eyes have adjusted to the ‘Grabber Lime’ paint, you can’t fail to notice that there’s a lot that’s special about
Driven this Mustang, that it’s a serious bit of kit. Mind, at $74k – double the price of the base V8 Mustang – you’ve every right to expect that. This Shelby has a great stance, sitting wide and low, its arches crammed with wheels and tyres, rather like the Hot Wheels version of itself. Those front tyres are massively wide – 305 section, only a smidge slimmer than the 315 rears – and they’re bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Ss, too. Sitting in the shade of the front alloys are the most enormous Brembo brakes with sixpot calipers and plain discs of 420mm (16.5in) diameter. They’re the biggest ever fitted to a Ford road car, offering 40 per cent more surface area than the stock front discs, and it’s a similar story at the rear. The redesigned front end features an acreage of honeycomb mesh and a deep splitter that can be optionally extended up the front arches with ‘splitter wickers’. On top of the bonnet is a large vented bulge to help pull hot air out, and at the rear there’s a boot spoiler with a prominent Gurney flap. Pop the bonnet and, once you’ve finished gawping at the diameter of the intake pipe
‘A large part of the 625lb is available at not much more than tickover’ feeding air to the shiny, Roots-type supercharger squeezed into the cleavage of the V8, take a moment to admire the fine, crackle-finish, die-cast strut-brace. It’s a work of art, like an intricate footbridge from a model railway. At the front of the engine bay the ‘slam panel’ announces that it’s made from carbonfibre composite, as it was on the now-discontinued Shelby GT350. The GT500 is based on the track-focused GT350 but it’s not simply a supercharged version. The GT350 was fitted with the wonderfully named ‘Voodoo’ 5.2-litre flat-plane-crank V8 that revved to over 8000rpm and sounded like a V8 Ferrari, whereas the GT500 uses the traditional
and equally well-named ‘Predator’ 5.2-litre offsetcrank V8 and sounds like Armageddon with a melody. It’s full-blooded and bass-rich; classic American with a menacing edge. The additional performance of the GT500 doesn’t come for free, and we’re not talking about the horsepower needed to drive the twin lobes of the 2.65-litre supercharger. The supercharger itself adds mass, there are additional coolers and Ford has also chosen to make the GT500 available only with the Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which altogether help push the mass to a US kerb weight of 2040kg. Given that, how the GT500 drives is even more remarkable. It may be a traditional offset-crank V8 but the GT500 V8 is all aluminium alloy, has four valves per cylinder and produces its stupendous 760bhp at a heady 7300rpm, so it’s no lazy lump. Call me old-fashioned but the smooth, four-potlike sound of the GT350’s flat-plane-crank V8 just isn’t right, in the same way a rumbling V8 would sound wrong in a Ferrari. An American muscle car needs the heavy metal pulse of a traditional V8. Sitting in the generous embrace of the deep-
sided Recaro, you press the start button and ba-boom!, you’re at the epicentre of your very own thunderstorm. Amusingly, this is ‘normal’, the key-on exhaust setting, and it’s louder than the loudest setting of most cars. There is a ‘quiet’ setting and it’s remarkably, unsettlingly quiet – as if you’ve popped on a pair of noisecancelling headphones. I guess it’s for appeasing neighbours you want to stay friends with when you pop out for an early run on Sunday morning. And you will want to; you won’t be able to resist exercising this monumental Mustang, and you will need plenty of space and quiet roads. That’s roads that are quiet of traffic; they’ll be noisy when you get within a mile. Despite its weight, the pace of the GT500 is phenomenal, and not just in a straight line. Happily, for a big car it feels properly handy. The steering wheel is a good size, the weighting is fine (there’s a choice of three settings) and the response keen, so you quickly feel comfortable with the dynamics, in charge, though a bit more detail in the steering would be welcome. And you need to feel comfortable and confident
with such humungous power at your disposal. I tried the 720bhp Steeda Bullitt Mustang earlier in the year (evo 282) and, frustratingly, it never ran right on full throttle. Now I know what I was missing. Leave all the GT500’s electronic aids on, nail it from rest and it will expertly broker a truce for the conflict that breaks out at the rear axle, maximising the traction of the Michelins and the Torsen limited-slip diff and ensuring that the torque of the V8 doesn’t spill over into any more than a slur of oversteer. On dry, warm asphalt, once the rear tyres have hooked up in first, the GT500 stays hooked up and hoons forward, pinning you to your seat, the dual-clutch ’box ensuring seamless shis for a seemingly unrelenting lunge for the horizon. If you’ve picked a long enough bit of road you’ll soon be deep into three figures and, with the furious, determined V8 howl swirling around you, you’ll be wondering if the shove from the insane Le:Grabber Lime is inspired by a ’70s Mustang colour. Above: cabin is well equipped, and includes shapely Recaros, but GT500 can only be had in le-hand drive
supercharged V8 will tail off noticeably before you hit the 180mph limiter. The days of autos being slower than manuals are long gone, of course. The manual-equipped, 519bhp GT350 hits 60mph in just over 4sec while the GT500 can hit 60mph in just 3.3sec and nail the standing quarter mile in just 10.7, with no skilled upshiing/clutch work required. We use the word ‘can’ because Ford says these figures are achievable on a prepared surface, i.e. the start-line of a drag strip or similar. You’d probably expect that those numbers would also rely on the stickier Michelin Cup 2s that come as part of the optional, $10k ‘Carbon Fiber Handling Pack’. The pack also adds carbonfibre wheels, a carbon rear wing and adjustable front suspension top-mounts and deletes the rear seat (saving about 50kg in all). However, the standard PS4 Ss give similar traction, says Ford, the Cup 2s specced to give a significant upli in lateral grip. The car here wears $10k of options but they are a pick ‘n’ mix: the tech pack, leather Recaros, the stripes and the base handling pack, which includes the top-
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mounts, Gurney flap and those splitter wickers. So, how good is the two-ton GT500 in the corners? Rather good. I’m pretty certain that, at a mere 60mph, the extra downforce provide by the sticky wickets is not a significant factor, but turn-in is undoubtedly sharpened by those wide front tyres. And as standard the GT500 comes with MagneRide adaptive damping, which has the bandwidth to smooth out your typical, busily surfaced UK B-road and also keep this Mustang nicely poised well into three figures. Maximum torque, a staggering 625lb , is delivered at 5000rpm but it’s amusingly obvious that a large proportion of this is available at not much more than tickover. Turn off the electronic traction and stability control and a little low-speed probing of the traction shows that the GT500 feels comfortable and smooth over-speeding the rear axle… and leaving a couple of black lines behind as you wind on opposite lock. Leandbelowle:adaptive damping makes a very decentfistofcontrollingtheGT500’ssubstantialmass, as do wide Pilot Sport 4 Ss and massive Brembo brakes
So, if you’re up for it, corner oversteer is available. Steering feel is nothing special, but the long throttle pedal is an advantage, allowing you to regulate the demand more easily and finely, so you get what you want. Just be aware this is two tons of car and, once it’s going, it’ll want to keep going, so choose your moments. You don’t have to use big throttle openings to enjoy the GT500’s V8, of course. It sounds epic just ambling about, and even better if you use the paddles to make early upshis with a loaded throttle, delivering glorious, lip-smacking changes. All-out there’s an initial trill of supercharger whine that is soon drowned by the V8’s howl, but on a moderate throttle you get more of it. To be honest, it wouldn’t seem out of place if the supercharger was screeching like the Mad Max Interceptor. The GT500 won’t be sold by Ford in Europe but a few specialists are offering imports. There’s not a great deal that needs to be done to satisfy UK individual vehicle type approval, but you will end up sitting on the ‘wrong’ side as it will be le-hand drive only. One UK dealer is asking ‘from £120k’, which is a lot. The GT500 isn’t as sophisticated as
‘A crazy, monumental last hurrah for the V8 Mustang’
the European opposition but as the lime paint and stripes show, Ford really doesn’t give a flying fig. In the US, its enormous performance, character and attitude will cost you a fraction less than an M4 Competition, which feels about right. The GT500 is hugely likeable. It’s surprisingly habitable, dynamically more polished than you’d expect, disguising its mass impressively. It’s hard for it not to be all about the engine, though, and in the end it is. If you don’t like the sound of a lightly silenced V8, the GT500 isn’t for you. If you do, it’s among the finest ways engineers have yet devised to make the sound and fury of a CanAm racer’s V8 every-day useable in a four-seater. The GT500 is a crazy, monumental last hurrah for the V8 Mustang and we love it. L Engine V8, 5163cc, supercharger Power 760bhp @ 7300rpm Torque 625lb ft @ 5000rpm Weight 2040kg (378bhp/ton) 0-60mph 3.3sec (see text) Top speed 180mph (limited) Basic price $74,000 (see text) + The power and the fury - The last of its kind?
evo rating
Driven
Maserati Ghibli Trofeo by STUART GALLAGHER PHOTOGRAPHY by ASTON PARROTT
The addition of a 572bhp V8 turns the Ghibli into a genuine M5 rival – but one with a satisfyingly subtle approach to the supersaloon
ES, IT IS GETTING ON A BIT.AND YES, IT does still share some components from the Chrysler parts bin.And, well, yes, you probably did forget that Maserati still makes the Ghibli. But if you enjoy your supersaloons with a unique slice of character and personality compared with the usual suspects, then Italy’s answer to the M5 has just got a whole lot more compelling and, crucially, competitive. As with the Quattroporte (issue 287), Maserati
has added a Trofeo model to the Ghibli line-up, which means that for the first time the smaller of the two saloons from Modena now has an eightcylinder engine where previously only a choice of six-cylinder petrol or diesel units was available.And where the infotainment system might be borrowed from Chrysler via parent company Fiat, the V8 is 100 per cent European and home-grown in Italy. Developed by Maserati but built by Ferrari, the twin-turbo V8 is related to the F154 motor you’ll
find in all V8-engined Ferraris from the Portofino to the SF90 (although the link weakens as you get closer to the 986bhp hybrid hypercar). Changes for the Trofeo include a wet sump in place of the Ferrari’s dry sump set-up and a cross-plane crank instead of the flat-plane item favoured by Maranello, the latter a prime reason why the Ferraris rev to 8000rpm but the Trofeo peaks at 6750rpm.And while the Ferrari and Maserati share the same bore size, the latter’s stroke is shorter, which is why it’s 3.8 rather than 3.9 litres. It means the Ghibli’s power is checked at 572bhp – I know, how will we cope? – while peak torque is 538lb and available from 2250rpm. Now clearly these are hardly outputs to be sniffed at, even if the obvious German rivals all deliver over 600bhp and a twist more torque. Until, that is,you spot the porky 1969kg kerb weight and your heart sinks just a little.
‘It makes you question why rivals feel the need to be so highly strung’ But here’s the thing: the Trofeo has a level of performance for a car of its size and weight that feels pretty much spot-on for enjoying on the road without attracting the wrong sort of attention. It’s plenty quick enough, but rather than focus on sprint times (62mph is reached in 4.3 seconds) and lap times, the Trofeo exudes a confidence and sense of purpose at being very much its own kind of supersaloon, one that can still make
encouraging progress but doesn’t require you to have your legal team on speed dial. Le in its Normal mode, the Trofeo’s V8 feels more in tune with your expectations of a GT car. It gathers momentum with an effortless gate, the revs barely troubling the midway point on the tacho as the eight-speed ZF auto slips between ratios. On long journeys it relaxes you, carrying speed without ever causing your heart rate to spike – which makes you question why rivals feel the need to be so highly strung even when they’re in their mildest settings. A switch to Sport mode or Corsa, the latter also disabling the stability control and only allowing the firmer of the two damper settings, provides sharper reactions and a more intense V8 experience. Both modes up the ante, quickening the responses and opening the exhaust valves significantly so you can hear the passion that every
Driven
Italian V8 is made with.There are no over-the-top pops and bangs, exaggerated roars and rasps, just a cultured tone you’d expect from an understated Italian sports saloon. With the revs building faster and with a heightened sense of adrenaline, the V8 gets into its stride. It’s not as quick to rev as its distant cousins from Maranello, nor does it have that fiery top-end punch or the low-down throttle response Ferrari has achieved with its turbocharged V8.And yes,the twin-turbocharged eights from Germany generate more noise and deliver a level of performance a tier higher – as you’d expect of engines producing the power they do. But chances are you won’t care, because the Trofeo’s approach to being a supersaloon is from a previous generation, one that feels just as suited to today’s world as it did to the one of more than a decade ago. With Skyhook dampers standard on the Trofeo (there’s double wishbones at the front and a multilink set-up on the rear) the units are continuously variable but do offer two distinct settings, with comfort a priority in Normal and ICE (as close to an eco mode as you can get in a 572bhp supersaloon) and a harder setting when Sport or Corsa are selected. Le in the soer setting, the Trofeo’s chassis is remarkably calm and supple with a level of bump absorption you’d expect from a car that prioritises luxury over performance.The trade-off is a fair bit of body roll, and there are times on poor surfaces where a brittleness to the ride can filter through to the cabin as the 21-inch wheels struggle to disguise their mass. Some of the body roll is addressed when you firm the dampers up and, when you do, the
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ride is still more compliant and settled than in anything carrying an AMG, M or RS badge is in their soest setting.The electronic steering, while quick for this era of Maserati, isn’t as pointy as many today, but you soon settle into enjoying its calm front end, and it allows you to place it on the road with precision and thread it neatly through a turn, leaning on the chassis and working with the feedback.The Pirellis sound and feel like they are going to give up early in the game, but push through the initial vagueness and hint of understeer and they bite hard (if noisily) and you can adjust your line via steering or throttle application depending on your mood.The mechanical diff in the rear axle takes longer to hook up than today’s faster, more sophisticated electrical items, but it does mean you have more say in the car’s balance and attitude. It might not bludgeon the tarmac into submission, or chase the horizon like a puppy honing in on a ball, and if you want the fastest, most aggressive, supercar-like supersaloon the Ghibli Trofeo isn’t for you. If, however, you like your performance to be served more subtly, with a degree of desirability that doesn’t make you feel like you’re out to set a fastest lap with every drive, the first V8-engined Ghibli is that car. L
Fromthetop:body roll is quite pronounced until you switch to the firmer damper settings; refinement levels are high; front brakes feature six-pot Brembo calipers; 3.8-litre V8 delivers 572bhp with a suitably cultured tone
Engine V8, 3799cc, twin-turbo Power 572bhp @ 6750rpm Torque 538lb ft @ 2250-5250rpm Weight 1969kg (295bhp/ton) 0-62mph 4.3sec Top speed 202mph Basic price £104,200 + Subtle performance elegantly delivered - Yeah, it’s quite expensive
evo rating ;;;;2
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Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT by STUART GALLAGHER
Super-SUV gets a GT department makeover – with eye-widening results
I
TS RADIUS APPEARS TIGHTAT FIRST sight but you can carry more speed into, through and out of this uphill righthander than initially anticipated.That the exit opens up to present an arrow-straight stretch of tarmac that’s masked by the entry is a welcome discovery.This is a good corner.Well sighted, quick enough to be a challenge,yet not so quick that you need to take liberties to enjoy it. In, say, a 992 GT3 Touring with a manual gearbox, you’d downshi to third on approach, confident that you’ll be operating within the engine’s peak torque range at the corner exit.Aer a few runs you’ll pick up the throttle earlier in the turn, feel the diff hook up with more conviction as it catches then balances the torque and power distribution to the fat rear Michelins,while you wind on a couple of degrees of lock to hold it all true.It’s a good corner to flatter the driver’s ego.Even better to frazzle their mind when the car they are in isn’t a GT3 but an SUV.
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Not that the Cayenne Turbo GT is simply just another uber-SUV to join the genre’s power race, although it is that too. Porschephiles will spot the GT nomenclature and ask ‘Isn’t that reserved for 911s with aero devices that make a Cessna envious?’ Yes it is, and this Cayenne has had the same forensic attention paid to the detail as the famous sports cars, and it shows. It sits 17mm lower than a regular Cayenne Turbo Coupé and is wider too due to an increased track and front wheels that are an inch wider. Upgrades to the three-chamber air suspension have resulted in a 15 per cent stiffer ride,while recalibrated electric power steering and rear-axle steering are both unique to the Turbo GT.There’s also a bespoke set of Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, new soware for the active anti-roll bars, torque vectoring that allows for higher diff lock ratios, new front suspension bushes to increase precision and manage unsprung weight better, and an
additional 0.45 degrees of negative camber. Experiencing the results of the GT chassis department’s work requires very little wheel time. There’s a tautness to the body that eradicates the feeling of sitting on top of a chassis rather than within it, which means there’s a stronger feeling of connection. It’s not on a par with being hardwired into a GT3 RS, because there’s no disguising that you are still looking down on pretty much everyone who isn’t in a commercial vehicle, but any SUV vagueness and feeling of being remote from what’s happening beneath you is all but eradicated. Considering that the Cayenne is already one of the better SUVs to drive, the step up that the Turbo GT delivers impresses further still. There is an unexpected and very welcome level of precision to how the Turbo GT responds to your inputs, and this makes it far easier to position on the road and less susceptible to being nudged off line by every camber and surface change. So while
‘The Turbo GT is the most unlikely of performance cars’ it may have been developed by those who chase aero performance, the result of the GT team’s work is one of the calmest and most relaxing SUVs for when all you want to do is arrive at point B with as little effort as possible aer leaving point A. But when you arrive at The Corner, the GT pedigree shines through.With your hands lightly gripping the Alcantara wheel and your finger having requested the requisite number of downshis (possibly as many as five as it’s an eight-speed auto, albeit one with an additional oil cooler),you turn in and wait for the Corsas to
bite and resist the forces against them before generating the traction needed.As the corner unwinds, so your right foot goes down.The revs rise, the nose lis slightly, and where you were expecting some lag and a deep breath as 2200kg gets moving, the Turbo GT presents another unexpected sensation as the rear squats, does a little squirm and is nudged off line just enough for you to want to step in before all four Corsas regain control to deploy all of the Turbo GT’s firepower. That firepower comes from engine work that consists of a new injection system, turbos with faster-responding innards, and a crank, rods, pistons and timing chain that are either new bespoke parts or updated from the regular Turbo items.At 631bhp and 627lb – increases of 89bhp and 59lb – there are more powerful and torquestuffed turbocharged offerings (even within the VW Group), but few feel as precise and tightly engineered as the Turbo GT’s 4-litre V8.
Tople:22-inch wheels are finished in Neodyme (gold), or for an extra £387 can be platinum, satin or gloss black, or DeepSea Blue(!); carbon-ceramic brakes are standard
Combine this engine with the work carried out on the chassis and the Turbo GT is the most unlikely of performance cars because it offers more than simply straight-line performance. It is not a pure driver’s car, but it is an unexpectedly good car to drive. Good enough to make you want to turn around and push harder through that third-gear, uphill right-hander as you would in Weissach’s other GT-badged cars. L Engine V8, 3996cc, twin-turbo Power 631bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 627lb ft @ 2300-4500rpm Weight 2220kg (289bhp/ton) 0-62mph 3.3sec Top speed 186mph Basic price £143,910 + A car this big and heavy shouldn’t drive this well - Still big and heavy
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Driven
David Brown Mini Remastered Oselli by ADAM TOWLER
Restomodded Mini comes with a 123bhp motor, an abundance of enhancements and an eyebrow-raising price tag
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N THE LATTER DAYS OF MY SCHOOL education a good friend had an original Mini as his first car. He now reads evo, but I don’t think he’ll mind me saying that few can have combined such naive fearlessness and irrepressible enthusiasm for driving flat out behind the wheel of that British motoring institution as he did. Oh how we giggled uncontrollably as one near-death experience was quickly followed by another, the raucous howl of the mercilessly thrashed 1-litre A-series emanating from a bodyshell two-parts rust to one-part filler, and covered in a variety of shades of British Racing Green that had seemingly been applied by a blind man with an assortment of aerosol cans. I think in modern terms we might have been called a ‘menace to society’. Matters got more serious with the arrival of a 1380cc motor, which replaced the gallantly expired 998cc lump. The new engine promised
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the frankly terrifying prospect of over 100bhp, a number of quite some significance given the car it was in can’t have weighed much more than 650kg. Unsurprisingly, but perhaps inevitably, that car ended up unintentionally ploughing a field, but ‘big’ engines in old Minis have always subsequently appealed, and hence the considerable excitement at sampling the 1450cc Oselli motor fitted to this, the – deep breath – David Brown Mini Remastered Oselli Edition. When I first set eyes on the Mini Remastered, my brain persists in saying something isn’t quite as it should be. I stare, squint and then stare some more, but fail to put my finger on it until someone points out the shell has been de-seamed. It’s this removal of excess metal, along with the modern LED headlamps and black chrome details, that give the car quite a different look. Personally, I like my Minis as God – or Issigonis – intended, the seams like character
lines on a familiar face, but you may of course think differently. David Brown Minis are built up from a new British Motor Heritage shell, and the finish certainly looks impressive. Oselli’s history goes back to the 1960s and they’ve a long tradition of tuning the venerable A-series engine. In this guise they’ve liberated 123bhp and 113lb ft of torque from it, which sounds like more than enough in a Mini. Reading through the measures taken is a step back in time through the history of the tuning industry, with talk of hand polished and ported cylinder heads, a strengthened crankshaft, a racier camshaft and twin SU carburettors. There’s also a limited-slip diff, four-pot front brake calipers with 270mm discs (the rears are still drums), Bilstein dampers and a sports exhaust. The gearbox is now a five-speeder (a four-speed automatic ’box coupled to a 1380cc engine is an option), the wheels are 13-inch Enkei items,
and there’s a rorty sports exhaust playing all the usual A-series greatest hits. The Oselli engine dominates all proceedings and is certainly keen to the throttle, but it requires considerable stoking to really hit its stride, a situation exacerbated by this car’s 790kg kerb weight compared to the 600700kg of an original Mini. David Brown quotes a 0-62mph time of 7.8sec, which feels about right, and the Oselli Edition proves enjoyable if a little rough around the edges. Grab it by the scruff and it’s a madcap thing, skating into corners with a sliding rear end and then tugging the wheel this way and that under hard acceleration. It’s a bit disappointing to hear the tyres rub against the inner arches during hard cornering, though, and while electrical power assistance means those large wheels don’t equate to heavy steering at parking speeds, it also contributes to an odd feeling as you turn away from the
straight-ahead – a moment of vagueness before a very abrupt fall onto lock that makes it difficult to really flow along the road. It’s a very non-Mini sensation. Still, of equal importance may very well be the fact that there are multiple colour choices of graphics to go with either the dark grey or off-white exterior, plus a hand-crafted leather and Alcantara interior with a choice of two or four seats. There’s also a Pioneer infotainment system with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay, plus air-conditioning, electric windows and central locking. Not exactly things to shout about on a ‘new’ car, but a big deal if you want modern luxuries and functionality in a classic car. Just 60 of these Oselli versions will be built, and they cost – wait for it – from £117,600. Strong money, whichever way you look at it. If your perception of this British icon is encapsulated by the Mini Remastered, with
Aboveleandfarle:‘60’ graphics front and rear denote the number of years separating the unveilings of the first Mini in 1959 and the Oselli Edition in 2019
modern conveniences and customisation options in a ready packaged product, but with the added performance of an Oselli motor, then I get why this might appeal. For me though, a Mini is a Mini, and a classic Cooper with a few period mods from a respected specialist will always be my choice, along with the remaining balance in the bank. Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1450cc Power 123bhp @ 6200rpm Torque 113lb ft @ 4500rpm Weight 790kg (158bhp/ton) 0-62mph 7.8sec Top speed >100mph Basic price £117,600 + A ready-made upgraded Mini package - You could have similar fun for a lot, lot less
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IGNITION NEWS, INTERVIEWS, TECH AND EVERY NEW CAR THAT MATTERS
&MYLIFE CARS
DavidPook
VehicledynamicsengineerandfounderofLife110 His tuned Alpine A110s have blown us away; here David Pook talks about his career highs at Jaguar Land Rover and his personal favourites among the cars that he’s owned by BRETT FR ASER PHOTOGRAPHY by ASTON PARROTT
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OR 20YEARSAVEHICLE DYNAMICS engineerforJaguarand thenJaguarLand Rover,and more recently the founder ofLife110,theAlpineA110 tuning companywhose workhas so impressed us,David Pookattributes at least part ofhis fascination with suspension and chassis behaviourto a radio-controlled car. ‘I was into suspension from an earlyage,’ he reveals.‘It stemmed from my dad – an electronics engineer– bringing back aTamiya Sand Scorcher fromJapan when they first came out and building that up and seeing brilliant working suspension. It just grabbed me.’ Enthralled bythe Sand Scorcher,Pookwent on to race radio-controlled cars at UKregional and national level until he le school.‘I learnt so much about suspension set-up in that time because it’s the same physics,just a tenth ofthe scale.The decisionsyou make on howyou want the carto behave differentlyto what it’s currently doing and howyou might go about that,are exactlythe same. ‘I regard that as a great learning experience from the ages of12 to 18.Fundamentally it shaped my mind into understanding how I might want a car to behave and why it might be doing one thing and not another,and then trying to make it achieve fasterlap times orride the bumps better.’ Pook’s fatherwas also a strong influence on his choice ofcareer.‘My dad had a couple ofRover SD1s: we did suspension changes to one ofthem,
Koni dampers and Spax dampers and springs. I rememberhim fitting an off-the-shelfkit that was just rock-hard,so he tookit offand adjusted the dampers.Wewere on the Route Napoléon in the south ofFrance on holidayand he was moaning about the reardamping being too so.So he layon the ground by the roadside with a French centime coin adjusting the Spax dampers.All ofthat further fuelled myinterest in vehicle dynamics.’ Armed with the certaintythat he wanted to work in automotive engineering,Pook set himself cleargoals during secondary school and went on to take a degree in automotive engineering and design at CoventryUniversity.‘At the time it was an almost experimental course,’ explains Pook, ‘aimed specifically at the engineering skills required in the carindustry.So there was a lot ofproblemsolving and learning howto design and construct components to fulfil a function.’ Meanwhile,Pook had passed his driving test. ‘My dad kindlybought me an old Mini Metro 1275, completewith 12in steel wheels,as my first car.It wasn’t long before that had a ManiflowGroup N exhaust that used to wake the neighbours up,and I machined down the needle on the SU carbs,and took the manifolds offand split them,pumped the Hydragas up – I le the suspension standard.It made a lot ofnoise and was quite nippy.’ Midway through university,Pookmoved on to a CitroënAXGT.‘It was one ofthe earlyoneswhere
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‘ T H E E 3 6 M 3 WA S UNLOVED, BUT THE INGREDIENTS W E R E AWES O M E ’
the bodykit was in plain plastic.It was so light it was just bonkers,but stufffell offit all the time. Still,I loved that car.’ Having done work placement with the company as part ofhis degree,Pook’s first job was with Daewoo: the Korean carmakerhad bought Worthing-based engineering consultancy IAD as the foundation fora European technical centre,so ourbudding suspension specialist had to decamp to the south coast. ‘Daewoo brought in a lot ofexperienced people to set that place up,so I learnt a lot.Iwas supposed to be on a graduate scheme where you worked in all the different departments,but I said “no,I’m going to do vehicle dynamics”: I must have said it so oen that theygave in,and I stayed in vehicle dynamics until I le in May 2000. ‘It was a great foundation,career-wise,because it was exciting,therewas lots ofmoney at the time soyou could get things done,and I wasworking with a good bunch ofyoung,inexperienced people mixed in with thosewhoverymuch knewwhat theywere doing. ‘But I had a careerplan,and that was that ifI wanted to do vehicle dynamics at the pinnacle in the UK,I had to go toJaguar.Ididn’t apply forajob, I justwrote a“this is me,give me a job,I’d be really good”sort ofletter,and that seemed towork.So I started atJaguarin May 2000.’
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Aboveandright:Pook’s personal cars have included E36 M3 track special; racing Tamiya radiocontrolled cars taught him about set-up; Project 8 highlight of his time with SVO; enjoying some Jaguar heritage; 997 GT3 ‘epic’; and SportKas at the Ring
Professionally,Pookwas nowatJaguar,but personallyhe was in a Citroën ZXVolcane.‘I had the later2-litre version that probablywasn’t as sprightly as the earlier1.9.I chose theVolcane because,even now,ifthe majority says go and buysuch and such a car,my instinct is to go in the opposite direction – everyone said the Peugeot 306was better,so I got the ZX…’ In a curious irony,theVolcane suffered death by fire caused by complications aera floodwater incident.Its successorwas a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting:‘I had it fora couple ofyears and managed to sell it fora300-quid profit – that was cheap motoring!’ MeanwhileJaguarand Land Roverhad merged – though still underthe Ford umbrella – and Pook was assigned,as part ofa very small team,to the original Range RoverSport project.This meant a motorwaytrek to Gaydon each day,a task for which the Cinquecento Sportingwas ill-equipped. ‘I bought a Ford SportKa to replace it because we were working with the Ford chassis engineers and theywere saying,“get a SportKa,it’s like theyjust
bolted Puma bits to a Ka,that’s all they’ve done, it’s awesome…”. ‘So I did.And it was awesome.We could get a Ford discount,which was pretty good,so I had two ofthem one aerthe other.Invehicle dynamics fourofus had them: togetherwe once took a minibreak to the Nürburgring in them.’ Pook had arrived atJaguarwhen development ofthe all-wheel-drive X-type was midway through, but had greaterinput on the front-drive derivative. He then moved on to the facelied S-type:‘Itwas called a faceli but it was a completelydifferent car: the suspension,engines,interior– I thinkthe onlything carried overwas the bodyshell.’ Although keen to point out that vehicle dynamics is verymuch about teamwork–‘the projects are too big and complicated fora single person’– Pookis proud to have been given the lead on development ofthe S-type R,‘the first one, the 4.2-litreV8 with a superchargerand Brembo brakes’. His team then moved on to the first aluminium XJ‘that looked exactlylike the old XJ but a bit bigger’. At around the same time that development started on the second-generation XKandJaguar showed the F-type concept car,Pook’s team became involved in a Boxster-sized mid-engined sports carproject,codenamed X600.‘It started as a joint projectwithAston Martin,butJaguarfaffed
MY LIFE & CARS
around so long thatAston got fed up and did its own thing – ultimately it became front-engined and turned into theVantage.’ It was during the X600 project – eventually canned becauseJaguarneeded the money fornew diesel engines – that Pookwitnessed an act of automotive barbarity.‘We had six Honda NSXs as donorengineering cars and theywere butchered into early-phase prototype cars – a suspension engineering car,a drivetrain car,a tyre work car…’ Outside ofwork,Pook had a few little projects ofhis own going on.‘In the early2000s I started building an E36 BMWM3 as a trackdaycarwith my mate Graham,although he laterhad to pull out. The E36 M3was a bit unloved at the time,but its actual ingredients were awesome.So it became my carand I took it to the Nürburgring three orfour times a yearand did trackdays in the UK.It had a roll-cage and bucket seat and full aero on the back, the whole shebang.Bright yellow.’ Eventuallymechanical issues consigned the E36 to gatherdust and Pook came up with another plan.‘I decided I wanted an E46 M3 fora bit offun and to commute in occasionally.Then aerdoing a spreadsheet calculation,I worked out that the total lifetime cost ofowning this carwould be cheaperifI bought an M3 CSL…I owned it forfive years,did the Nürburgring,a couple oftrackdays, took it to Spa.It was an awesome thing.
‘Then CSLvalues started to soarand I stopped using it – in mylastyearofownership I onlydid about 700 miles in it.I ended up selling it fora very handsome profit – that wasn’t on my spreadsheet – but before then I’d bought its replacement,a Porsche Cayman R.It had only done about 20,000 miles: it had just been serviced,had newtyres,had a Porsche warranty,had an MOT,it was full-on“buy this car,put fuel in it,you won’t spend anything else,you don’t have to worry about it”. ‘To be honest I didn’t reallygel with the Cayman R,it didn’t have as much sparkle as Iwas expecting. So I had it and the CSLat the same time and was able to afford both,which led to a bout ofman maths wherebyboth cars equalled one Porsche 911 GT3.So I sold them both and bought a 997.1 GT3. Thatwas just epic in so manyways.I had that for nearlytwo years – again,I went to the Nürburgring, did a fewtrackdays.But the GT3 became a lot about the fact that I had one,sort of“I’ve got a GT3,isn’t that amazing?”’ On the work front,Pook’s penchant for extreme machines led to him being assigned to more hardcore projects in an offshoot oftheJLR business thatwas to become SpecialistVehicle Operations.‘SVO is essentially founded on the development oftheJaguarXKR-S GT.Itwas a side project to take XKR-S and do something wild and wacky,and sell 50 cars to provewe could do
it.It was well received and spawned a whole department: SVO. ‘It was hoped SVO would become theJLR equivalent ofAMG orBMWM.First SVO project was Project 7,the F-type-based open-topped car: I tookthat on and ended up at SVO full-time. We grewthe team to do theJaguarand Land RoverSVR models underthat banner.Project 8 was one ofmyfavourite projects because ofthe freedom we had,the personal control and input I had on it,what it turned out to be,the wackiness ofit,and the challenge ofdoing it.’ WhenJLR’s fortunes began to falter,inApril 2019 Pook accepted voluntaryredundancy and decided to set up his own engineering consultancy.As a treat he bought himselfan AlpineA110,a carhe reckons is the best he has everowned and is the catalyst forhis Life110 tuning business.‘It’s a joy to go places in and it gives you characterback on every journey– that’s the little miracle it provides.’ Pook seems genuinely smitten with the lightweightAlpine and is at pains onlyto engineer products forit that improve the dynamics,as much forhimselfas forhis global customerbase. ‘I’m consciouslytrying to avoid the urge to make a product forthe sake ofit.I’ve stayed true to the carand what I believe is the right thing forit. That approach has served me well so far.’ L www.evo.co.uk
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Nakedattraction
Looking glorious in unpainted carbonfibre and boasting an all-new, 838bhp naturally aspirated V12 engine, Pagani’s track-only Huayra R goes testing
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PAGANI HUAYR A R by JETHRO BOVINGDON PHOTOGRAPHY by MALCOLM GRIFFITHS
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T’S A SWELTERING DAY AT THE VAIRANO test track just south of Milan and the pit garages are empty save for one. Inside it’s a hive of activity,with mechanics swarming around the rear of a car up on air jacks, bare carbonfibre bodywork removed and baking on a stand in the sun in the paddock behind. Next to the exposed car are a row of engineers and a bank of laptops.The atmosphere is tense but excited.The prototype track-only Pagani Huayra R is ready for shakedown and aero tests.
Just 30 Huayra Rs will be made and the price of entry is €2.6million plus taxes (let’s call it £2.7million), so it is the very definition of a ‘toy’, but the engineering behind it is serious and the mechanical make-up fascinating.The chassis is all-new and built to pass FIA standards without the addition of a roll-cage, while nestled in the back is a brand new and bespoke 6-litre V12 engine built by HWA AG. If you’re not familiar with HWA then you can rest assured Pagani’s strong connection with Mercedes continues. Back in 1999 when AMG was
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IGNITION
bought by Mercedes, HWA was created to handle racing activities and the HWA Team has since handled Le Mans, DTM and Formula E activities. It’s named aer founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht, who also started AMG back in 1967 with Erhard Melcher. Creating a new, naturally aspirated V12 producing 838bhp at 8250rpm and 555lb from 5500 to 8300rpm and running on to 9000rpm for a production run of just 30 cars seems extraordinary and unlikely, but Francesco Perini (manager of concept, composite and mechanical design) insists that’s what they’ve done.‘Unlike the Zonda R,which used a derivative of the CLK GTR engine, the Huayra benefits from our all new V12-R engine,’ he says. The dry-sumped, direct-injection V12 connects directly to the carbon monocoque and is a stressed member of the chassis, supporting a six-speed sequential dog-ring gearbox, plus the chromemolybdenum subframe for the double-wishbone suspension. Dampers are by Tractive and the entire suspension system previews the set-up we’ll see on the replacement for the Huayra road car, currently known only as the C10. ‘Our customers demanded a naturally aspirated engine,’ Perini continues.‘Plus, Mr Pagani was determined that the car should capture the energy and excitement of sports-prototype racers of Le Mans [his favourite is the Porsche 917] and the pure noise of F1 cars from the 1980s.We think this engine delivers.’ The V12-R engine weighs 198kg in total, the ’box is another 80kg and all-up the Huayra R is 1050kg (dry). Despite the extraordinary 140bhp per litre and the loy rev limit, the V12-R has service intervals of 10,000km. Flow-viz paint is sprayed on various surfaces once the rear bodywork is attached and the gorgeous Inconel 625/718 alloy exhaust system is hidden away, then everyone stands back as the high-pitched starter motor spins for a few seconds before the V12-R engine bursts into life. Predictably enough, it sounds outrageously good. Idle is fast and angry and sounds every inch the racer you’d expect, and as the R exits the pit garage and heads out into the brilliant sunshine it has the complex, piercing note that only a 12-cylinder engine can produce.Today is just a straight-line test, but within seconds the noises reverberating around the facility make it sound like a whole grid of cars are on their warm-up laps. It’s our first look at the Huayra R fully dressed and out in the light, too. Pagani is nervous about us photographing certain details – anything on the interior, including the fixed seats built into the monocoque – because the prototype is not quite
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‘THE V12-R BURSTS INTO L I F E . IT S O U N D S O U T R A G E O USLY G O O D , E V E RY INCH THE RACER’
PAGANI HUAYR A R
up to the usual finished Pagani standards. Even so, the bare carbon is perfectly matched,with a central spine running the length of the car where the weave meets, the engine bay looks simply gorgeous and the interior might not be perfectly trimmed but the layout and structure is clearly going to be very special, too. The Huayra R is a stunning looking device and has a strong retro element to it – part race-car, part art deco wall art, part Batmobile best sums it up. However, the aero performance is powerful and today is all about corroborating the CFD and wind tunnel work – much of which was undertaken at Dallara, one of the technical partners for the R project. Pagani is targeting 1000kg at 199mph (by comparison a Senna GTR makes 1000kg at 155mph), although its simulations suggest recent
Aboveandle:part race-car, part Batmobile – the R looks sensational. Test session at Vairano is to confirm aero data from computermodelling and wind tunnel work. Engineer Francesco Perini delighted with results
tweaks to the design have exceeded this number. Aer the first few runs, the real data seems even better than they’d hoped.‘The key,’ says Perini,‘is to make the aero platform as stable as possible.We could produce much, much more downforce with a lower ride height but the drop-off in performance should the car bottom out, or hit big kerbs, is not acceptable to us.We want our customers to feel confident and for the car to look aer them.’ Later in the evening the results come directly to Mr Pagani and I happen to be there. His face lights up.‘Andrea Palma reports the car is fantastic
immediately,’ he says.‘And the numbers are very encouraging… over 1200kg of downforce. Plus, it is very easy to drive.’ There is still much more to test – the performance of the latest CCM-R brakes and 19-inch Pirelli slick tyres (built to a standard racing size so that the R will always benefit from Pirelli’s latest motorsport learnings) plus the optimisation of suspension, the Bosch motorsport traction control and ABS settings and various other systems. It’s fascinating to see the intensity of the development programme for a car that will be built in such tiny numbers. It makes you wonder what the V12-R engine will fit into next… Sadly it won’t be homologated for the road but I suspect there are many more projects from Pagani to come that will scream to 9000rpm. L
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IGNITION DESIGN: FRONT
The distinctive, angular leading edge of the Countach’s windscreen has been mimicked in the new car’s bodywork, rather than fully recreated with bespoke glass. Ahead of this lie slim LED headlights reminiscent of the apertures that housed the indicators and sidelights on the original. There are no accompanying pop‑up lights here, though.
CHASSIS Just like an Aventador, the LPI 800‑4 has
a carbonfibre monocoque cabin section with aluminium subframes at either end. This is a far cry from the tubular steel chassis of the original Countach, being both lighter and much more rigid. The suspension uses pushrods at both ends, with coilover springs and dampers that are adaptive magnetorheological units. A dry weight of 1595kg has been quoted – the same as the Sián and 70kg more than the non‑hybridised Aventador SVJ.
Guesswho’sback?
Half a century after the original was revealed, Lamborghini has a new Countach
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AMBORGHINI IS CELEBRATING THE 50th birthday of the Countach with this reimagined version based on the Aventador. The Countach LPI 800‑4, to use its full name, is the latest model in the company’s ‘few of’ series and will be built in the same vein as the Sián FKP 37, from which it borrows its mild‑ hybrid V12 powertrain and carbonfibre chassis. A total of 112 units of the new car will be made. The original Countach first appeared at the
1971 Geneva motor show as a concept, penned by Marcello Gandini, who was leading the Italian design studio Bertone at the time. It represented a step change in car design and refined the doorstop aesthetic that Gandini had dabbled with on earlier concepts such as the Lancia HF Stratos Zero of 1970. The difference with the Countach was that it would reach production, in 1974, with only the subtlest of changes. So how do you even begin to reimagine a car
as significant as the Countach? It’s something Lamborghini’s in‑house Centro Stile team has approached with varying degrees of sensitivity, aided by not referencing just one of the Countach’s many forms, but many. And the very first example of the new car, as pictured here, earns extra historical kudos for its Bianco Siderale colour – a nod to the white paint specified by Ferruccio Lamborghini for his own Countach LP400 S II in 1980.
LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH LPI 80 0 - 4 by JORDAN KATSIANIS
DESIGN: REAR Dramatic undercuts and echoes of the
original Countach’s signature tail-light surround creatively reimagine the back end while still allowing for the technical requirements of expelling the vast powertrain’s heat. Quad exhaust pipes reference all iterations of the original car, while the rooflight and engine cover (see le) hint at the early LP400 ‘Periscopio’ and its periscope rear-view mirror arrangement.
Above:interior owes plenty to the Aventador, but features new seats that neatly reference the original Countach’s by mimicking their distinctive stitching pattern
POWERTRAIN The mid-mounted naturally aspirated
6.5-litre V12 produces 769bhp – 5bhp less than in the Sián FKP 37 – and is supported by an electric motor with an unchanged 34bhp. Lamborghini’s familiar ISR singleclutch automated manual transmission sends power to all four wheels, with the electric motor providing boost to the rears. Performance is a hair’s breadth from the Sián’s, with 62mph reached in 2.8sec rather than ‘<2.8sec’ and top speed quoted as an identical 220mph.
HYBRID SYSTEM The 34bhp electric motor draws its power
not from a lithium-ion battery but from a supercapacitor – one that’s somewhat different to the kind currently causing some issues for vehicle manufacturing. In this application, a supercapacitor intakes and deploys energy far more quickly than a traditional battery, while also being lighter and more flexible in its packaging. Its electrical energy might only last one or two heavy throttle applications, but can be replenished just as quickly under braking.
DESIGN: PROFILE The job of reimagining the Countach was
always going to be complicated by the much larger proportions of the Aventador package used as a base for the new car. But while its overall shape isn’t quite the delicate wedge of the original, the key graphics on the flanks survive: the slatted intakes a of the door glass, as per the 1971 concept, the large NACA ducts that arrived with the production cars, the angular wheelarches and an exaggerated take on the classic ‘telephone dial’ alloys.
IGNITION
Forbiddenfruit
Nissan’s new Z-car won’t be coming to Europe. Here’s the lowdown on what we’ll be missing
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E WERE SO SMUG ABOUT GETTING TO enjoy the Alpine A110 at the expense of our American friends, weren’t we? And the same applies to the Toyota GR Yaris. But it looks like karma’s biting back hard with the reveal of Nissan’s production-ready Z coupe, which if you haven’t already guessed will remain firmly in the ‘forbidden fruit’ section of this magazine alongside Ford’s Mustang GT500 (page 14). Why won’t we see it in Europe? Ultimately it comes down to Nissan needing to spend money, which it doesn’t exactly have a lot of, with little prospect of making very much in return: the cost of making its new Z-car Euro emissions-friendly is unlikely to be recuperated by the tiny numbers two-seater, rear-drive coupes sell in. To compound the frustrations of not having a new rear-drive, front-engined coupe to consider, Nissan’s latest Z couldn’t be more appealing. It isn’t hybridised or all-electric, instead it’s powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
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Top,rightandabove: clear hints of 240Z in the nose (and 300ZX in the tail), while cockpit features digital instruments, a touchscreen – and a manual gearstick
At 4382mm, the Z is 142mm longer than the 370Z on which it is based, and almost bang-on the same length as the Toyota GR Supra. At 1850mm wide and 1310mm tall, it is a little narrower and taller than the Supra but has an identical footprint with 255/40 R19 front and 275/35 R19 rear Bridgestone rubber (on its upper two trim levels).
Under the bonnet is the VR30DDTT engine that powers high-specification variants of the Infiniti Q50 and Japanese-market Skyline. Power is rated at an even 400bhp, torque at 350lb . These are significantly higher than the figures for the 370Z (323bhp/268lb ) and also the six-cylinder EU-spec Supra, which produces 335bhp from its BMW-derived B58 3-litre turbocharged motor, although in other markets, including Japan and the US, the Toyota is rated at 382bhp. The Z’s six-speed manual transmission (a ninespeed auto is also offered) features a carbonfibre propsha and rev-matching – something the 370Z pioneered back in 2008 – plus a launch control function that electronically holds the revs at the optimum level when the clutch is dipped, ensuring the fastest possible getaway when released. ‘Performance grade’ models will also be fitted with a mechanical limited-slip differential. Aesthetically, the Z draws its inspiration from two of its most famous predecessors, the original 240Z and later 300ZX. The silhouette is pure ’70s
NISSAN Z by JORDAN KATSIANIS
Nissan, with a long bonnet, wraparound screen, flat roof and familiar C-pillar motif. The nose, dominated by a single aggressive opening, is flanked by two LED headlights that, together with the surrounding bodywork, mimic the circular lights of the 240Z. The 300ZX is referenced by the LED tail lights. Yet while there will undoubtedly be disappointment that the new Nissan Z won’t find its way to Europe, enthusiasts like us might reflect that we only have ourselves to blame for not buying cars like these in sufficient numbers…
SPECIFICATION Engine Power Torque Weight Power-to-weight 0-62mph Top speed Basic price
V6, 2997cc, twin-turbo 400bhp @ 6400rpm 350lb ft @ 1600-5600rpm 1475kg (est) 295bhp/ton (est) 4.5sec (est) n/a $35,000 (est)
Thedeclineofthesmallsportscoupe Remove Audi’s TT from the sales charts and the market for small sports coupes makes for depressing reading, no matter where you drive in the world. Audi’s style icon sold more than 11,000 examples across Europe in 2019, although in the US only 1300 found homes, but it’s the only one to reach five figures – even Porsche’s dynamically superior 718 Boxster/Cayman models found only 7400 buyers in Europe, and, perhaps surprisingly, fewer than 4000 in the US.
But Europe has been slowly falling out of love with small sports coupes for some time, hence why BMW and Mercedes don’t even bother, although the former’s Z4 roadster enabled Toyota to re-enter the scene with the Supra (893 sales in Europe, a little healthier 2200 across the Atlantic). Jaguar keeps the coupe flag flying with over 3000 F-types finding homes in Europe and 2300 in the US, but in the world of global car sales these figures are perilously low and must raise red flags in finance meetings.
The 4300 Alpine A110s that found homes in 2019 represent a rare high and show there is a demand, albeit a small one. And news that Lotus’s new Emira, which operates at the very top of this sector, has performed above expectations in terms of orders is also heartening. But while Nissan’s decision not to bring its new Z-car to Europe (893 370Zs sold in 2019) and leave it for Asia and the US (2300 sales) might be a hard decision to accept, in the current climate it’s a harder one to argue against. SG www.evo.co.uk
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Lightsoutandawaywego
Following Covid-enforced cancellations in 2020, evo trackdays have returned in force for 2021
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EVO TRACK EVENTS by STUART GALLAGHER
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t was with a heavy heart that evo cancelled its 2020 trackday season, but we were confident it would be only a 12-month hiatus before we were once again enjoying the company of readers in the paddocks and pitlanes. This summer we have returned to Goodwood for four full-day events and enjoyed evening events at Brands Hatch and Bedford Autodrome.As we closed
for press we had two events le to run and we are in the process of confirming our 2022 calendar (visit evotrackdays.co.uk for the latest news or sign up to our newsletter at evo.co.uk). This year has seen us partner with Audi UK, who attended our track evenings with a rear-wheel-drive R8 and an RS e-tron GT for readers to drive or be given a couple of hot laps in. It’s safe to say both cars were
in great demand, with neither stopping for anything more than a driver change throughout the events! As with previous years, it’s the readers who attend the events that make them so special.Without fail, aer each event the chief marshal would comment on the high standard of driving and the friendly nature and attitude of all who participated, and for that we thank you. See you in the pitlane! L
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NEW METAL
Mantheyhappyreturns GT2 RS Clubsport marks Manthey-Racing’s 25th anniversary PORSCHE HAS MARKED MANTHEY-RACING’S quarter of a century with a rather special 911 – the GT2 RS Clubsport 25. Designed and developed by both Porsche and Manthey-Racing, the former having acquiring a majority stake in the latter in 2013, the Clubsport 25 is intended specifically for trackdays and circuit use. Based on Porsche’s own 2018 homage to the 935 racer,which was also based on the 991 GT2 RS, the Clubsport 25 is powered by a 692bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six that drives the rear axle via a seven-speed PDK ’box.And like the 935,this latest special also features a unique body style inspired by a past motoring racing
legend, specifically Manthey’s 911 GT3 R racer. Being motorsport based, aerodynamics play a key role in how the Clubsport looks.There’s a new front apron with a central inlet and new aero-flicks on the outer edges of the front bumper to increase front-end downforce.The front arches and track are also wider,while the rear looks more RSR Le Mans refugee than GT2 RS road car.There are swan-neck mounts for a rear wing you could serve a banquet off and wider arches with enhanced cooling outlets. Limited to 30 cars, those successful in the ordering process will be asked to transfer €525,000 to Stuttgart in return for one.
Valkyrie’sopen-airthearte Aston Martin reveals open-top version of 1160bhp hypercar YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING, RIGHT? AS NIGHT follows day, so the spider follows the coupe.And Aston Martin isn’t embarrassed to follow the staus quo, revealing a Spider version of its rather delayed Valkyrie hypercar. Cynics might point to this being a way of solving the Valkyrie’s cockpit noise issues, but there was always a plan to add a third model to the family alongside the coupe and AMR Pro track version. Changes are minimal, the most significant being the replacement of the coupe’s gullwing doors for front-hinged butterfly-style items.The removable roof is manufactured from carbonfibre, and both the aerodynamics and chassis have been recalibrated to suit. With development still in its early stages, a fully functioning prototype is yet to run.Aston is confident its most powerful open-top car ever will top 205mph (or 217mph with the roof closed).
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WATCHES
Citizen Tsuno Chrono c£175 citizen.jp Citizen’s classic 1970s ‘Tsuno’ (Japanese for ‘Horns’) is back, in a variety of colours and with a highly affordable price – though you’ll need to find a grey import if you’re outside Japan.
Detroit Watch Company M1-Woodward Le Mans Classic Chronograph $2200 detroitwatchco.com This new M1 wears Gulf colours and a choice of race number: 6 or 9 for the late-’60s GT40 Le Mans winners, or 20 to match Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917K in the movie Le Mans.
Massena Lab Uni-Racer Rally $3495 massenalab.com When not developing watches for other brands, Massena Lab releases its own models, such as this funky new ‘Rally’ version of its Uni-Racer. Four other colour schemes are available.
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PETER STE VENS
PETERSTEVENS DESIGNBRIEFING Part1Wheelsandtyres
In the first part of a new series looking at all aspects of car design, Peter Stevens ponders the importance of wheels and tyres to both engineering and aesthetics
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HE WHEEL AND TYRE PACKAGE IS WHAT defines the car as being a land-based machine; those four perfectly circular elements are fundamental to telling us what it is that we are looking at.That sounds obvious, but this brilliant, probably 3000-year-old invention immediately implies motion. The origins of today’s alloy wheels are now 80 years distant.Aircra experience during the Second World War led to the development of magnesium race car wheels by Halibrand in America, whilst in the UK in the 1950s Dunlop produced cast aluminium alloy race wheels for Jaguar. By the 1980s, cast alloy wheels were either optional extras or, on high performance cars, part of the standard specification of the vehicle.These were simple times when by looking at the wheel/ tyre combination you could tell what the purpose of the car was. Chunky 15in steel wheels and knobbly tyres said ‘off-road use’, skinny 13in wheels with plastic wheel covers shouted ‘city car’, 15s or even
16s suggested something a little bit sporty,whilst 18in wheels, as were fitted to Ferrari or the McLaren F1 were seen as ultra high-performance indicators. When I worked in the studio as chief designer at Lotus in the ’80s, we were just starting to develop a sketching style where we exaggerated the wheel diameter of our proposals to give the designs more dynamism.There was a senior engineer who would come into a design presentation with a little 6in steel rule and a slide rule (pre-calculator days!) and measure our sketches. He would delightedly crow that we were proposing 16in diameter wheels, an engineering impossibility! Very much like when I fitted an MG TF with 17in wheels in the dying days of MG Rover aer being told again it was impossible! The problem with casting alloy wheels is that you can make almost any shape that the tool-maker has the skill to produce. I have always felt that an even number of spokes, four and eight in particular, looks static when a wheel should look dynamic. That said, Ronal once sold a five-spoke teddy bear
wheel where the head, paws and feet were what joined the rim to the hub! Before designers had CAD it was quite difficult to sketch a convincing fivespoke wheel; working out a spacing of 72 degrees between spokes in perspective took some practice. Back in the days when I was involved in helping to run Porsche’s 962 Le Mans cars, they came with BBS split-rim alloy wheels, where the rims were spun aluminium while the centres were in the classic BBS cast alloy style. BBS also supplied some beautiful outer plastic wheel discs that had dozens of little turbine-like vanes on the back surface.The rotating discs pulled large amounts of air past the brakes and were supposed to help brake cooling, but we quickly found that they could affect the aerodynamic balance of the car.You could use them to fine-tune either understeer or oversteer with no increase in aero drag. It amused me to see McLaren fitting something similar to the front wheels of its Speedtail [pictured le], although strangely those covers are stationary, being fixed to the stub-axle.
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The important thing for a designer to remember is that wheels are principally engineering components; their secondary purpose may be style-related as an indicator of the car’s purpose. And their weight is crucial to the ride, handling and feel of the car’s steering. How oen do we read evo road testers saying they preferred the messages that came from the smaller diameter rims. The centre of the wheel where it bolts to the hub is the most highly loaded part of the wheel.All those acceleration, braking and, most importantly, side forces from the tyres are transmitted through the wheel bolts to the hubs and suspension. Spokes that look like flower petals have all their strength and weight at the rim where it is least needed; spokes that do not feed their loads directly to the mounting bolts contribute to a wheel that is heavier than it needs to be, too. It is a simple engineering fact of life that an 18 or 19in wheel is the best compromise between tyre stiffness, air volume and wheel weight.Very large diameter wheels with 8, 9 or 10in wide rims to suit giant low-profile tyres are very heavy.This is partly because, with modern suspension geometry, the inner part of the rim overhangs the hub to such a degree that the inside edge of the rim is easily damaged or becomes oval aer hitting a pothole. To protect from this unseen damage, the rims are
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PETER STE VENS
Clockwisefromtople:Alpina multi-spokes look super-light; Tesla wheels don’t; BBS split-rims; 18s are the smallest wheels available on the new Defender; Cayenne design sketch dispenses with rims altogether
much thicker than those of an 18in rim, again adding to their weight.The new Land Rover Defender has 18in diameter wheel rims as a minimum, the best looking being the white painted steel version; 22in rims are an option.What kind of message does this give when it is well known that what is needed for serious off-road work is a 235/85 profile 16in wheel such as is offered by Jeep. It is not possible to fit 16in rims to a Defender. There is no doubt that big wheels with lowprofile tyres look so much better on most modern cars than fat tyres on little wheels.The big wheels
‘ I T I S A FAC T O F ENGINEERING L I F E THAT A N 18 O R I9 i n W H E E L IS THE BEST COMPROMISE’
take on more importance within the body design; they suggest a serious purpose. But too big and the car can look ridiculously out of proportion. Black wheels can look good at a car show but tend to disappear at a distance; white wheels, like white socks, look totally 1980s; silver is always a safe bet, but satin gunmetal rims can give a tough sinister impression to a lowered car (kind of a Miami drug dealer look). Diamond-cutting the rim and spoke details always looks a bit naff to me and if you live near the sea they rapidly grow white fur! The wheels that look best usually have just five spokes and are simple, graphic images with very little fussy detail – for example, early BBS wheels. Tesla wheels look so heavy, but then the car is heavy,while Alpina multi-spoke wheels for BMWs look super-light. For some reason manufacturers think that electric cars need wheels that look like they belong to a domestic household appliance, imagining that they shout ‘hey look, I’m electric’. There is a recent trend among design students and designers, when sketching new cars, to forget the rims completely and just draw enormous spokes. Official Porsche sketches of the new Cayenne show exactly this style and you can buy Wolfrace Assassins with no apparent rim and spokes like daggers! Seems people are always looking for ways to reinvent the wheel… L
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DEAD ON ARRIVAL by RICHARD PORTER
DOA: ALPINE A710
It didn’t get to succeed the A610, but instead transformed into one of the ’90s most extreme sports cars
F
ROM THE DEATH OF THE A610 IN 1995 until the arrival of the new A110 in 2017 things were quiet on the Alpine front, but it wasn’t for want of trying. Even before the salesphobic A610 was killed off without replacement, parent company Renault was confecting schemes and styling proposals for new Alpines and did so for years until, finally, the A110 made it over the line. These ill-fated plans included project Z11 of 1999, a curiously art deco coupe scheduled to be shown off as a concept before Renault management had a change of heart and kept it locked in the design studio.Then there was project W16 of 2005, a mid-engined 2+2 based around the design of the Renault Wind (the 2004 concept car, not the bathtub-like production car of 2010). Most surprisingly, in 2007 there was project W19 that hoped to make a front-engined Alpine coupé from the chassis of the Nissan 370Z. The most promising missing link between A610 and new A110 predated these cars, however, starting life in 1989 under the codename W71. Responsibility for this project was given to Alpine’s
Dieppe-based design and engineering offshoot, Berex, the unsung heroes of fast French cars.These were the wizards who created the original Renault 5 Turbo and would later anonymously confect the brilliant Renault Clio Williams, leaving the glory to the companies with their badges on the bodywork. In fact, it was the heart of this latter car, the 2-litre, 150-horsepower F7R engine, that would provide the starting point for W71.Around it there would be a lightweight aluminium chassis and these fundamentals would be dressed in a modern, cab-forward shell taking its cue from the Renault Laguna (the radical 1990 concept car, not the rep-tacular production car of the same name). Target weight was around 900 kilos and, going by reports from former Berex engineers who drove the early prototypes, performance was impressively lively as a result.W71 was all set to sit alongside the ageing A610, badged as the Alpine A710. Unfortunately, the project then hit a snag. In their quest to make this car as lightweight as possible its creators had le out fripperies like air-conditioning and electric windows.Their commitment to purity
also excluded power steering from the menu. Renault’s marketing people were not convinced.To have a chance of selling this thing we’ll need it to have some luxuries, they said.Trouble was, adding extra features would have forced the A710 to get bigger, sending it into a vicious circle of lardiness and lethargy. Like a lot of well-meaning sports car projects, this one suffered an inconvenient mission creep that killed it stone dead. Except, actually, project W71 didn’t die off altogether, because its promising pairing of bespoke aluminium chassis and lusty F7R engine was salvaged from the abandoned Alpine project and used for a model that did make it to the showroom: the Renault Sport Spider. Doubling down on the A710’s minimalism by lopping off the roof and windscreen turned out to be the unlikely solution to getting it past product planners.When the Spider entered production in 1996 it was even built in Alpine’s Dieppe factory, it just didn’t have an Alpine badge on the front. Despite Renault’s best intentions since the era of the A610, we would have to wait another 21 years to see that again.
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Tractor talk
I’d always respected Richard Meaden, for his racing skills, general views and opinions, writing style and his regular column, all of which put him in the ‘decent bloke’ category. Until evo 289. It’s all over. Now he wants to become that annoying, barely mobile road block that pulls out in front of you just as a clear stretch of sinuous tarmac appears. Or heading towards you down a very narrow lane, without a care about how you must try to avoid him without damaging your car. Sad times, but maybe Richard is subconsciously auditioning for a job at Classic Tractor, and perhaps it would be best for all involved if you released him to his new passion. Alex Chester
Flak to black
I was delighted for Stuart Gallagher that the ride in his Aston Martin DBX has improved (Fast Fleet, evo 289). It’s just a pity that the lighter wheels required for this improvement had to be black. It’s very rare, in my view, that black wheels look good, and this is a prime example of them making an attractive car look pretty rubbish. I’m not sure who started the black wheel fetish, but I wish they’d resisted the urge. They’re not cool. Simon Astley, Rickmansworth, Herts You won’t get any disagreement from us on the subject of black wheels. Awful things. – SG
Rare R
Having read your Driven test of the new Honda Civic Type R Sport Line (evo 288), I was so pleased that this amazing car was now available
without an ironing board on the boot that I delayed my visit to order a new BMW 128ti and headed to my local Honda dealer instead. This is where things got weird. The salesman informed me that they hadn’t heard of the Sport Line model and furthermore hadn’t been able to order any Civic Type Rs for at least five months. I even showed him your article, which prompted him to double-check with the sales manager. He returned saying I have no chance of ordering any variation of a Type R since the Swindon plant closed. My question is, how have you driven, photographed and written about a car that is apparently now ready to order and where can I buy one? James Rooum Unfortunately the closure of the Swindon plant has left European Honda dealers unable to source new Type Rs for their customers, including the Sport Line version. A small number of Sport Lines were produced and some of these can be found on forecourts sporting lowmileages, but sadly it looks destined to be a rare model. Prices reflect this, too, with some dealers asking an extra £5k on top of the original £35,400 list price… – JK
RS kicker
When the current RS Mégane first appeared, the reviews centred on the four-wheel steering and the somewhat notchy manual gearchange. The reviewers largely gave it a lukewarm four stars. I have now run an RS 300 Trophy for 18 months and have found the fourwheel steering to be a revelation. Learn to trust it and corners are
INBOX
LETTER OF THE MONTH
All right for some
I HAVE HAD A PERFORMANCE CAR ADDICTION ALL OF MY life, but now I’m on the other side of 50, I thought maybe it was time to look at something electric. Off I went to the local Porsche dealer for a test drive in a Taycan, really wanting to like it. But, alas, it just didn’t do anything for me. I can’t put my finger on why, but it just did not excite me. Last week, my M3 Competition was due a service so I had a BMW ‘1-something’ for the day. It was while I was driving it that I realised it was giving me the same feeling as the Taycan: lack of enjoyment. Maybe there is a future for electric cars with the masses, then – just not for petrolheads! I’m just hoping the Emira ticks the excitement box, even though it may be a while until mine arrives. Shaun Vickery
TheLetteroftheMonth winsaStratonwatch
The writer of this month’s star letter receives a Straton Classic Driver chronograph worth £220. Designed to be an all-round, everyday watch that doesn’t break the bank, it has a 40mm case and a stainless steel bracelet, and is available in six different colour schemes.
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051
INBOX dispatched faster than I could ever manage in the previous RS 275 Cup‑S. The gearchange, too, is actually a robust bit of kit. The laurels, probably correctly, have gone to the Civic Type R. However, it is worth noting that despite its widest‑in‑class girth, only four adults can be carried. Also, a quick perusal of the website FastestLaps.com reveals that the RS Trophy wins 3‑to‑1 in track battles versus the Type R. The Trophy also beats the Hyundai i30 N 3‑0, the Golf R (Mk7) 3‑0, the Merc A35 5‑0, BMW’s M135i 2‑0, Audi’s S3 2‑0, the Focus ST 4‑0 and, remarkably, the Merc‑AMG A45 2‑0 and Focus RS 3‑0. The only match on track is almost twice the price and comes with low‑ 20s mpg: Audi’s RS3. Both it and the Mégane win one track battle each. This is a remarkable tribute to the genius of Renault Sport, who have, after all, done it again. Nick Harry The Mégane is indeed handy around a circuit, although if the Audi RS3 is its track-battle equal it certainly confirms that lap times aren’t always the best way to judge a car! You can find our latest thoughts on the Mégane’s form on the road, in non-Trophy form, on page 106. – Letters Ed
What’s the story?
Editor Gallagher’s comments (Ed Speak, evo 288) about backstories, compelling reasons and justifications for owning certain cars had me daydreaming over my cornflakes of a time when my mind was soft and impressionable… Driving a friend’s father’s new Alfasud 5M and being asked politely to change up because its turbine‑ smooth boxer engine was redlining without me realising, then marvelling
at how the ethereal cornering powers rendered the brakes redundant. Regular drives in a friend’s Citroën CX2400 Pallas, so futuristic looking, and complete with a three‑ speed clutchless manual, tumbler instruments, rocker‑switch indicators and an ability to glide down any road at improbable speeds. These experiences gave me an enduring love for these two marques. There was also a passenger ride at 15 in a family friend’s Morgan Plus 4 after she had endured the ten‑year waiting list. But that’s an itch I have resisted scratching: despite the romance, sliding‑pillar suspension proved a bit too period for my tastes. What to replace my 200,000‑mile Citroën C5 with was a recent dilemma, now that Hydractive 3 suspension is no longer available. This, again, had me trawling through my memory banks to 1975. A rare visit with my father to the local launch of the W123 Mercedes‑ Benz, all self‑cleaning rear light lenses, bank‑vault doors and free chocolate éclairs. So, a C220 CDI wagon it was. Might I suggest other readers send in their early recollections? Call it a form of regression therapy. Jon Hodson, Tiverton, Devon
The same dream
I have to say I loved the ‘Living the Dream’ article (evo 288), in particular Peter Tomalin’s story of his purchase of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. His story arc nearly matches my own except that I bought my Vantage as a retirement present to myself rather than for a big birthday coming up. In reality it was my third retirement present: a Mercedes 350SL (a disaster, with faulty electronics and water flooding the boot), then a Jaguar XF (a lovely car but too big for my needs), then the Aston.
letters@evo.co.uk
There is a long story regarding how I came to buy an Aston, which involves my wife saying ‘Well go and buy one’ after I quoted from a magazine article, and hence my fulfilment of a dream. I too went to McGurk’s, who proved enormously helpful in providing advice about Aston ownership and of V8 Vantages in particular. I chose a 2007 facelift model in black, with 28,000 miles on the clock. A lovely car, and beautiful to drive with a manual ’box. My wife liked the look of a DB9 until I pointed out a) how big it is, and b) it is an automatic, something she really hates! Like Peter, I also smile when I fire up the engine or look out at the car, framed by our sitting-room window. My first action in the morning is to open the curtains just to look at it! On a separate note, I concur with the letters addressing the stupidity in decisions made for electrification of cars, and the government’s failure to examine alternative fuel sources. The other point about going electric is where is the power going to come from? Neil Davey, Newport, South Wales
Written in the stars
When issue 288 dropped through the door I ripped it open as usual and was excited to spot there was a review including the Mk8 Golf R – a car that I had on order in Performance Pack form. However, my heart sank pretty quickly upon reading the article and seeing the three-star result. You see, I’ve always put a lot of trust in evo for car purchases and it hasn’t let me down yet. Examples of past cars I’ve owned include the 306 GTi 6 (5 stars), 172 Cup (4 stars), Mk1 MX-5 (5 stars), FK2 Type R (4.5 stars), B7 RS4 (5 stars)… So when I saw just
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3 stars next to the R, I slept on it for a couple of days and cancelled my order. My current requirements include one car to do it all, space for two toddlers and a boot for a small dog, so I needed to find something else to do this. The FK8 Type R kept calling my name, but having already had an FK2 I decided to go for a BMW M140i with rear-wheel drive and that B58 engine. A few tweaks and I’ll be hunting Type Rs but in subtler clothing. However, why is there no M140i in The Knowledge? I might have to sell it… Will Harrop, Cheshire The M140i never quite found its way into the pages of the magazine, but we have reviewed it at evo.co.uk, where, you’ll be pleased to hear, it earned a rating of 4.5 stars. – Letters Ed
Déjà VW
Every month I read your magazine; I have them all lined up since issue 001. But recently I’ve been getting a bit bored. Not from your excellent writing and photography, but I feel like I’m reading the same thing over and over again: MQB, EA888, 2-litre, four-cylinder, DSG, 4WD, 306/316bhp, 4.9sec, 155mph… Come on, VW Group. It’s getting a bit repetitive now. I’m fine with an electric future, but I worry there will be even less differentiation within a big corporation like that. Thankfully it won’t affect me for a while, as my cars are always about 15 years old, but I like to read evo to dream about what I’m going to own in the future when depreciation has taken hold (and to dream about other cars that I will probably never be able to buy). I just don’t think any of them will be from VW etc. Tom Philpott
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RICHARDMEADEN
Lamborghini’s ‘homage’ to the Countach sees Meaden in reflective mood
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ELL, THAT GOT EVERYONE CROSS, DIDN’T IT? By ‘that’ I mean the Countach LPI 800-4. And with good reason. If you’re going to reprise the Countach – the Countach for crying out loud! – it should surely have been in the radical, jawdropping spirit of the original and not the all-too-literal Aventador rehash we’re all supposed to get excited about. Then again, perhaps we shouldn’t get too upset. Only 112 will be built and they’re all sold. Bought, presumably, by people with so much money and so little imagination they can happily hose a couple of million on a shamelessly cynical and depressingly derivative ‘collector’ car. Countach? Countcash more like. What must Marcello Gandini make of it? Credited with the Miura, Countach and Diablo (surely the greatest supercar styling hat-trick in history) his capacity and vision to succeed the voluptuous Miura with the unflinchingly angular Countach seems almost inconceivable. Yet this is exactly what he did, the former making its Geneva debut in 1966, the latter following at the same show just five years later. These cars cemented Lamborghini as the maverick maker of fantastical machines, and generations of young boys pinned posters of the Countach to their bedroom walls, myself included. But then these were the greatest days of the supercar. An era before the painful and pretentious grip of brand values, and a time when design language was less about embarrassing marketing hype and more about the rapture of awestruck expletives uttered by those who saw the cars for the first time. Why the reflective mood? Because this Countach rehash has not only made me think about Lamborghini as a marque, but also the whole supercar scene. When I was growing up, supercars were mythical beasts. To see one out on the road was a truly remarkable moment. To the extent where even now, some four decades later, I can remember where I was when I saw my first Countach. Likewise the first time I saw an ’80s Aston Vantage. These days exotics are far more commonplace – a situation that surely makes any ‘exotics’ reference seem both quaint and obsolete. In many ways I think my malaise is symptomatic of the supercar and hypercar scene. We all know today’s machines are gobsmackingly quick, and far easier to drive than their forebears.
Trouble is, the market is saturated and all-too predictable thanks to expanded ranges, large production volumes and a relentless churn rate of new models. Of today’s supercar marques, only Bugatti or Pagani possess that old-school stardust that makes encountering them on the road a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So here’s a thought. Perhaps it shouldn’t be so easy to own a supercar. Perhaps they shouldn’t be for mere mortals and not offered with attractive finance, warranty and service packages. Perhaps they should be built in tiny numbers by companies teetering on the brink of ruin. And if those companies could be run by curmudgeonly characters like Enzo, who decided whether or not they would sell you one of their cars, so much the better. These days the supercar business tends to be dominated by stock values, share flotations and announcements of further injections of capital by faceless investment groups. It’s all decidedly unsexy and utterly devoid of the romance and mystery for which the flaky supercar makers of yore were renowned. The result is that most supercars have become mainstream extensions of that corporate machine, derivative incremental evolutions created to deliver upon ambitious five-year plans. It’s hard not to be cynical. Hope springs in the alien shape of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, a car so complex and challenging it makes the recent flurry of billionaire space launches look straightforward. It’s very easy to imagine Aston will lose money on every Valkyrie it makes. If so, it only adds to the mystique of a car many said could never be done. Props also to Jim Glickenhaus and Gordon Murray. Two more different men you couldn’t wish to meet, but both are driven by the desire to do extraordinary things; the former going to the lengths of founding his own car company in order to pursue his dream of winning Le Mans, the latter striving to surpass his own masterpiece by creating the definitive analogue ICE-powered supercar. The Countach 800-4 matters little in the grand scheme of things, but it’s saddening to see the greatest supercar name of all applied to such a cynical exercise. Especially given how the company was built on such radical forward-looking design. Perhaps Lamborghini will redeem itself with another Miura-toCountach moment when the pure ICE Aventador finally makes way for a hybrid-powered production flagship. We can but hope.
‘It’s saddening to see the greatest supercar name of all applied to such a cynical exercise’
t @DickieMeaden Richard is a contributing editorto evo and one ofthe magazine’s founding team www.evo.co.uk
055
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RICHARDPORTER
GM has built some quite brilliantly bonkers cars over the years, says Porter
I
N 1970 GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCED A NEW compact model for North America and decided the best way to ship each one from its Ohio factory was to stand it vertically on its nose. To make this mad system work, the car, called the Chevrolet Vega, had to be built with removable sockets on its chassis so it could be bolted to ramps that folded down from the sides of each specially modified Southern Pacific railcar. Once the cars were in place, the ramps would be raised up to the vertical position, sealing brand new Vegas inside, roof-to-roof with their grilles to the ground. To avoid disaster, every Vega had an extra baffle in the sump, a bespoke carburettor and battery, and a windscreen washer bottle mounted at 45 degrees so the cars wouldn’t piddle a cocktail of fluids as they clack-clacked cross country with their tails to the air. The Vega itself was a disaster for GM but the shipping system was actually quite inspired, allowing the company to cram 30 cars into a carriage that could normally take 18, thereby saving a massive amount on shipping. Nonetheless, GM didn’t repeat the vertical transport idea for any other model, leaving it as a curious footnote in history and a vivid demonstration of something I’ve believed for a while now: General Motors is batshit crazy. This is a company that made the Oldsmobile Toronado, a 7.5-litre V8 coupe that was frontwheel drive. This is also the company that came up with a radical, steel-framed, plastic-skinned, two-seat urban ‘commuter car’ for the ’80s, and if you’re imagining something like a Smart ForTwo you’re way off because this was the mid-engined Pontiac Fiero. Everywhere you look in GM’s history, buried beneath the milky sedans and oafish trucks, you’ll find these moments of insane lateral thinking that somehow made it to production. There was the Chevrolet Corvair of 1960, a cheap, rear-engined compact that somehow had a brand new all-aluminium flat-six. The EV1, a showroom-ready electric car launched in 1996 when no other manufacturer dared to offer such a thing. The GMC Yukon XUV, a large SUV with an electrically retractable roof over the boot to make carrying tall loads easier. The Chevrolet Impala SS, a murdered-out, 5.7-litre V8 steroid injection into a Floridian grandma’s Caprice cruiser. Or the 2004 Chevy SSR, which was a retro-styled pickup truck with a folding metal hard-
top. A convertible pickup. Well, quite. And this is just the stuff they signed off. Imagine all the nuttiness that didn’t escape from the Michigan tech centre. Stuff like ‘Quiet Sentinel’, an early 2000s attempt to replace all of the car’s minor controls with voice activation. All of them. Right down to the indicators. Using early 2000s voice recognition technology. Ah-huh. This was headed for production until newly arrived product development boss Bob Lutz took a prototype for a short drive on the road. Quiet Sentinel was cancelled the next day. It was too crackers, even for GM. Which brings me to one of GM’s more rational recent moments: pulling out of Europe. In 2017 the American mothership decided to cut its losses and jettison Vauxhall/Opel into the arms of Peugeot (which in turn merged with Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis, thereby realising a common goal of being a corporation that sounds like a Belgian techno collective). On the one hand, a sensible ploy given GM hasn’t made money in Europe since the last century. On the other, a cowardly move that means the world’s one-time largest vehicle manufacturer has no presence in a region that still accounts for over 20 per cent of all global car sales. The real reason to be sad about the company’s Euro exit, however, is because under General Motors’ long-time stewardship, Vauxhall and Opel were occasionally infested by that good ol’ GM craziness. They signed off the Lotus Carlton, for flip’s sake. And almost replaced it with an Omega powered by a Corvette engine (evo 282). They put suicide doors on an otherwise unremarkable small MPV, they imported V8 Holdens from Australia just for the delight of 17 British torque enthusiasts, they thought the best way to jazz up a tedious rep slogger was to give it a 276bhp V6 the front wheels were in no way equipped to handle, and they spent most of the ’80s displaying an unmatched dedication to bright yellow LCD instruments and velour upholstery so thick you could lose a bicycle in it. There’s no car-making megacorp with such a profound personality split as General Motors, endlessly turning out roomtemperature rental car dross yet with a sense that at any minute it could announce a car with side-wheel drive or Magic Eye instruments or a nitrous-injected V7. And that’s why it’s a shame that GM has scarpered from Europe. Yes, it made a lot of dull cars, but you never knew what it might have got up to next.
‘This is a company that made the Toronado, a 7.5-litre V8 coupe that was frontwheel drive’
t @sniffpetrol Richard is an author,broadcasterand award-winning writerofshort autobiographies www.evo.co.uk
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JETHROBOVINGDON
Le Mans Hypercars sound great, says Jethro. There’s just one problem…
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OU KNOW THAT FEELING AFTER A LONG FLIGHT or cross-continent drive? Brain foggy, ears gently hissing like an old TV when the BBC stopped broadcasting at midnight, body feeling like parts of it aren’t quite your own? That’s me. As I write this I’m just back from Le Mans and feel completely spent. Sadly, I wasn’t driving, but the chance to work for Eurosport doing a bit of presenting and pitlane reporting seemed a great way to get close to the action. Plus, it would give me the opportunity to see the new breed of Hypercars up close and personal. I’m sure you’ve heard about the new Hypercar class. Designed to be more relevant and to inspire a range of new road cars, much cheaper to develop and run than the stunningly complex and breathtakingly fast LMP1 cars, plus with greater flexibility in the rules to create many different solutions to the same problem. The new system also aligns the ACO (who run Le Mans) with IMSA in the US. Developing one car that can be raced across the world is key to its success. And it looks certain for success, too. Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, BMW and Peugeot have confirmed they’ll join Toyota and Glickenhaus by 2024. The phrase ‘golden age’ is already being bandied around. So what makes a Le Mans Hypercar? The class is pretty loosely defined and instead of rigidly specifying engine size, dimensions of aero devices and suchlike, it instead outlines a performance window to slot into. That means you can run pure ICE or adopt hybrid systems and choose any engine configuration (including rotary – the return of Mazda is strongly rumoured). Only one set of bodywork can be homologated with just one adjustable aero device. Furthermore, you must build 25 road cars with a similar engine/MGU-K by the end of year one, rising to 100 by the end of the second season. Overall power output is restricted to 500kW (670bhp) and weight to 1030kg. For IMSA, the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) class is more restrictive but potentially much cheaper. Chassis will be supplied by Dallara, Oreca, Multimatic and Ligier. A spec gearbox with integrated Bosch electric motor with just 50bhp is supplied by XTrac. As in LMH, these cars will be restricted to 670bhp and – here’s the controversial but key detail – all contenders will be subject to Balance of Performance. That means that, as in the GT3 or GTE classes, the governing bodies will adjust weight and power
outputs to create a level playing field. Even fuel allocations will be adjusted. But if it means 20 cars or more lining up in the top class with a genuine shot at victory, we’ll take it. Although the thought of a Porsche prototype racer with a spec chassis and ’box and sharing an engine with a sister car from Audi seems slightly weird. Somewhat predictably, the Toyotas scored a 1-2 at Le Mans and their pace simply blew the heroic minnows of Glickenhaus away. Alpine also entered the LMH class but with a neutered LMP1 car that won’t be permitted to race next season. They finished 3rd. However, the result belies a crazy Le Mans week full of incident and intrigue, glory and heartbreak. Practice sessions were littered with crashes and spins, torrential rain blew in just before the race started, and all the time the Hypercars were squeezed and tracked by the fastest of the LMP2 class cars. The place was buzzing with the prospect of a second-tier car winning the whole damn thing. Which is maybe the problem. The Toyotas look really cool with their F1-aping front bodywork and the Glickenhaus SCG 007 is quite beautiful. Yet… the fact that they were only j-u-s-t quick enough to outrun LMP2 cars that had been hobbled by a 20kg weight increase and a reduction in power by 67bhp meant the Hypercars didn’t have the sense of awe of the previous elite class. In fact, it almost felt like the rest of the field had been sabotaged and still the Hypercars were nervously looking over their shoulders. Is this the start of new golden age? Perhaps. But right now, without any road car equivalents to aspire to and without the overall performance to blow away existing competitors, the new Hypercar class didn’t feel Hyper enough. In stark contrast, the GTE cars were simply awesome. The impossibly distended 911 RSR, glorious Ferrari 488s and the new and savage-sounding Corvette C8.R looked better and better as they accumulated grime, insects and damage. And yet the GTE class is set to disappear with a new set of regulations in favour of a lower-spec category along the lines of GT3. As I stood a few feet behind the number 63 Corvette when its 5.5-litre flat-plane-crank V8 ripped into life, I couldn’t help but wonder if the regulations have it all wrong. Hypercars are cool. But give me a derestricted GTE car with 800bhp, a shape I can see on the roads every day but exaggerated with extreme aero, and noise that rattles organs from a mile away. That really would be a golden age.
‘The Hypercar class didn’t feel Hyper enough. In stark contrast, the GTE cars were awesome’
t @JethroBovingdon Jethro has been writing forevo formore than two decades and is a host on TopGearAmerica www.evo.co.uk
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by RICHARD MEADEN PHOTOGRAPHY by DEAN SMITH
Ferrari’s brilliant Roma is built for long drives on epic roads, so that’s where we’re heading, with a Bentley, Aston and Lexus for company. Which is the ultimate sporting GT?
ROMA v DB11 AMR v CONTI GT V8 v LC 500
I
F THERE’S A FAVOURITE TROPE OF UK MOTORING journalists, it’s the notion of driving to the south of France. Preferably in one hit. Most commonly referenced when discussing the appeal of fast and luxurious GT cars, the sad truth is that this kind of transcontinental jaunt is probably as far from most people’s motoring reality as nailing a sub-7min lap of the Nordschleife in the latest 911 GT3. It’s a lovely thought though, isn’t it? Pack a bag, brim the tank and keep driving south until you can see the sparkling Côte d’Azur. The sense of adventure and anticipation. The changing scenery and rising ambient temperature. The illadvised bursts of speed and yes, even the ropey autoroute jambon et fromage sandwiches. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to do it, taking great chomps out of continental Europe will most likely be one of
the defining road trips of your life. Even better if done under the fully expensed auspices of ‘work’. Thanks to Covid, a four-way blast down the Autoroute du Soleil in a Ferrari Roma and its rivals is a no-no. Still it’s reassuring to feel that same frisson of wanderlust upon seeing this gleaming new Ferrari emerge from its transporter and have its rather lovely enamel key pressed into your hand. There’s something uniquely special about front-engined GT cars. More mature than aurally and visually shouty midengined supercars; less vulgar and far better to drive than profligate SUVs. A great GT tries less hard to attract attention, but possesses more charisma and intrigue as a result. Sadly, supercars and SUVs outsell them many times over, which makes cars like the Roma, Aston Martin DB11 AMR, Bentley Continental GT V8 and Lexus LC 500 an increasingly
‘THERE’S SOMETHING U N I Q U E LY S P E C I A L A B O U T F R O N T-E N G I N E D G T C A R S ’
esoteric choice. This then is a meeting of minds as much as metal; four fabulous and entirely individual machines that put their own spin on the classic front-engined GT. We converge not on the south of France but the north of England, each of us making our own way to some of our favourite moorland roads. For me this means three hours in the Ferrari Roma. Writer’s privilege? Damned right! The Roma has been quite a departure for Ferrari. Yes, it shares its platform with the Portofino, but ample distraction was provided by the styling. Bold and curvy, with that quirky egg-crate front grille and shark-like overbite, it melds familiar Ferrari touches with clear Aston Martin influences. It’s a stunning looking thing, especially in this spectacular shade of Rosso Maranello. Lift the bonnet and you find the familiar twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8. It seems odd to see it cradled in the nose of the Roma and not midships in the F8, but the installation is impressive, with the motor set well behind the front axle. The interior is pretty dazzling, with lots of bright screens when the car’s awake and an array of controls mounted on the steering wheel. Embarrassingly it takes me a minute or two to find the starter, which is on the vertical lower spoke of the steering wheel and very discreetly marked. I try to style it out, pretending to admire the cockpit, but I don’t think the delivery driver is fooled. The Roma fires with an energetic spin of the starter, followed by a bark and crackle as the engine exhales through open exhaust valves. Potent, if a little bit of a blare, it soon settles into a busy idle. You sit low, but the scuttle isn’t too high, so you still get a cracking view of the front wheelarches rising up at you and the prominent power bulge in the middle of the bonnet. The eight-speed DCT transmission (first seen in the SF90) is brilliantly effective. The large paddles are satisfying to curl your fingers around, but you don’t have to do anything if you simply want to leave the Roma in D and make effortless progress. The hardest aspect of covering miles in the Roma is not letting your speed stray into three figures. Cruising at discreet speeds reveals a surprising degree of road noise, and there’s also a slightly annoying resonance to the exhaust note, which is absent if you travel slightly slower. Or faster. It’s not so intrusive as to spoil the experience, but it highlights the Ferrari’s sporting bias. Something the others might exploit to their advantage… Wemakequiteasighthoggingthepetrolpumpsatourprearranged rendezvous point. All four cars look sensational without resorting to the razzmatazz of a supercar. They definitely cause a bit of a stir, even if in the case of the Lexus few if any of the gawping bystanders know what it is, other than something special. It makes sense to stick with the Ferrari, as we’re pretty much on top of some great driving roads. There’s an energy and urgency about the Roma that’s unfailingly impressive. A sub-1600kg kerb weight certainly helps. The steering is clear and quick-witted, the engine brilliantly tractable, but with real underlying fizz that’s waiting to be uncorked. The ride has an edge to it but still manages to smother the worst of the road surface imperfections. And there’s the Bumpy Road mode to further soften things off if required. There’s a welcome compactness, too, that combines with the sharp steering and agile handling to inspiring effect. As withallmodernFerraris,youneedtobemeasuredwithyour
initial steering inputs, and even then the rate of rotation is such that you’re bleeding out of the steering almost as soon as you’ve made your first direction change. It’s not nervous, but it’s always alert and alive in your hands. Similarly, the sharp brakes respond best to the same precise, measured inputs. They’re not grabby, but you need to adjust your inputs if you’re to make satisfyingly smooth progress. As you’d expect, the performance is pretty epic. A peak of 611bhp might seem modest compared with, say, the 812 Superfast, but the Roma is nothing short of ferocious when roused. With 560lb ft of torque from 3000rpm there’s heaps of low and mid-range muscle, so you can make outrageous progress without ever breaching 5000rpm. Opportunities to explore the full 7500rpm rev range are understandably fleeting, but when you do the Roma yelps down the road. In some respects the V8 feels more at home here than in the F8, and the paddleshift transmission is a joy to use. All it lacks is a truly musical engine note. As with all contemporary Ferraris, what’s most impressive about the Roma is its fidelity. Such is the exactness of its chassis and powertrain integration it always feels in harmony with itself. And thanks to the genius of the manettino settings, you can pretty much guarantee it will also find harmony with the road. It’s an impressive and seductive blend of fine Ferrari GT tradition and 21st century technology. Swapping from the Roma to the DB11 AMR immediately highlights the Aston’s main weakness, which is its interior. It has always felt and looked a bit cheap compared with the old DB9’s (something the AMR’s incongruous stripes and embellishments do little to hide), but now it also seems way off the pace in terms of technology, too. A new interior is coming, and on the evidence of this test it won’t be a moment too soon. Things look up once you start the twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12. Nothing beats 12 cylinders for kudos, and the Aston certainly has some swagger. It’s worth making the point that, when comparing the prices, Ferrari is charging V12 money for a V8 car (with a long list of extras, this particular Roma comes in at an eye-watering £242,960), so the Aston presents good value. At least if you put an emphasis on what’s beneath the bonnet. Where the Roma is an exercise in ramped-up response and fast-twitch delivery, the Aston is a lesson in a less dramatic but arguably more rounded dynamic set-up. The
Aboveandle: Lexus blends avant-garde styling with a snarling, raceflavoured V8; Roma feels wonderfully alert and agile www.evo.co.uk
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AMR is much improved over the early DB11, so there’s good control of vertical body movements. There’s also greater connection with the front end, and more grip to lean on. As you explore more of its performance the nose remains nailed; the limitation is at the rear, as we’ll see. The front’s rate of response is keen but more intuitive than the Roma’s, so you need less time to acclimatise before you can really enjoy steering the car through corners. On the downside, the switch controlling the dynamic modes is fiddly and you have to cycle all the way through the modes rather than toggling back and forth, so you’re less inclined to find the optimum mode. This is a shame, as the DB11’s breadth of character is especially pleasing. It will settle nicely into a languid, loping stride, so it’s a bit more relaxing than the Roma at a steadyspeed cruise, while the 630bhp V12 purrs away nicely in the
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background without any boominess. Wind/road noise is more subdued, too. Conversely, when you ramp things up, the contrast between this mellow, mile-eating mode and full-noise is almost startling, such is the AMR’s explosive performance. Truth be told it’s a bit too much for the chassis, which can struggle to find traction, even in a straight line. That’ll be the effects of 516lb ft from just 1500rpm. You need to have your wits about you, especially as there’s some inconsistency in the way the limited-slip differential hooks up. Sometimes it snaps into action and needs some catching, while other times it digs deep and drives smoothly out of the corner. While it might struggle to contain itself at or near its limits, there’s a general polish to the feel of the DB11 that’s very satisfying, and it’s playful in a way you perhaps wouldn’t expect. The brakes have plenty of power matched with
ROMA v DB11 AMR v CONTI GT V8 v LC 500 progression, and although not matching the immediacy of a DCT transmission, the torque converter automatic delivers crisp shifts when using the paddles and seamless progress when left in D. It’s a warm and likeable character. One that feels more convincingly Aston than previous DB11s, largely thanks to its powerhouse of an engine, but also because it fuses the manners of a grand tourer with big-hearted performance. It’s certainly as exciting as the Ferrari in its own way, while managing to be more soothing when you’re simply making progress. What it lacks, aside from an up-to-date infotainment system and a quality interior, is that final layer of precision, control and sophistication that unifies every attribute of the Roma. Aston and Bentley have long been rivals. Especially since both were reinvented at the turn of the century. For the latter it was the Conti GT that made the breakthrough,
bringing the Flying B within reach of a new group of customers, and reconnecting Bentley with some of the more sporting strands of its DNA. The current-gen Conti made significant strides in terms of handling and driver enjoyment over the original model, but it remains a GT that places an emphasis on luxury and prestige over pure dynamism. This is evidenced in all areas, from its smooth lines to its ability to cosset and its love of showy bling. Ultimately the things that set the Conti apart from its rivals in this test are rooted in its 2.2-ton kerb weight and the thickset commitment to equipment and build quality that results in that prodigious mass. To be fair the Conti is the only genuinely useable 2+2 here, the others making only a token gesture at accommodating anything other than bags on the back seats. The heft and solidity also manifest in an unshakeable, indomitable feel.
‘THE ASTON HAS A L E S S D R A M AT I C B U T A RGUA BLY MORE ROUNDED DYNA M I C S ET- U P THAN THE FERRARI’
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ROMA v DB11 AMR v CONTI GT V8 v LC 500
Where the Ferrari and Aston work with the surface and are sometimes deflected by it, the Bentley steamrollers its way down the road. Given the physics at work it’s an impressive display, but in order to achieve this the all-wheel-drive Conti is inherently inert. It also works harder to propel itself, the effective but distant V8 being somewhat anonymous and outgunned in this company with ‘just’ 542bhp, though it counters with 568lb ft of torque between 2000 and 4500rpm. Despite that abundant muscle it needs more throttle to punch itself between the corners with conviction. That weight works against it under braking and direction changes, too, Newton’s Laws conspiring to ensure the Bentley is the least gifted athlete of the group. You can lob it at a corner and maybe feel the car begin to slide beneath you, but it’s far from the car’s natural inclination. Better to drive in a more contained style and relish how the grip and traction deliver rapid, unflustered progress on roads that should prove its undoing. If that’s your bag, the Bentley won’t disappoint, but where the Ferrari is more of a firework and the Aston a stick of TNT the Bentley is a depth charge – hugely potent but rather unspectacular. And so to the Lexus LC 500. With a starting price of a little over £80k, it is punching well beyond its pay grade in this test. Yet parked with the other three cars it is arguably the star. Admittedly this depends on whether you see the LC as the son of LFA, but even if you don’t there’s no denying this rakish and unflinchingly bold coupe is a beacon of individuality. Theinteriorisevenbetter.ThinkBang&Olufsencrossed with 1970s futurism. What’s more, there’s exceptional substance to support the style. Everything feels and works with an oiled, engineered precision that’s a joy to use. And, thanks to the Toyota DNA, you know it will be impervious to wear and tear. Beneath the bonnet is a naturally aspirated V8. Displacing 5 litres and developing 470bhp at 7100rpm, it is comfortably the peakiest and least powerful engine in the test. This deficit is amplified by the torque peak of 398lb ft at 4800rpm, but a ten-speed (count ’em!) torque converter automatic does its best to keep it on the boil. Much as with its interior and exterior styling, the LC is a curious creature dynamically. There’s not much connection to the steering, but the chassis has excellent balance. Traction isn’t as strong as in the Ferrari (or Bentley), but it’s very driveable, and because there isn’t a big slug of torque you can chase the throttle. You can feel the mass – 1935kg of it – but more in the damping, which lacks ultimate body control. On a fast, undulating road the LC is the most likely to bruise its bump-stops, so you soon feel the need to bring in some more support through the dynamic driving modes. This helps, but there’s an inherent softness of suspension and steering response that makes the LC’s position clear – more exciting and up-for-it than the Bentley, but some way from the sporting capabilities of the Aston or Ferrari. Odd – and brilliantly Japanese, then – to have this svelte machine powered by a snarling, race-car-like V8. It loves to rev and has a real howl to it when extended that’s fabulous but quite contradictory to the ultra-cool styling and soft-edged damping. Working with ten speeds takes
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‘THE BENTLEY STEAMROLLERS I T S WAY D OW N THE ROAD’
some getting used to, too, almost to the point where you divide whatever number appears on the display by two to judge what gear is appropriate for any given corner. The paddles have by far the nicest feel, but if you leave the auto to do its own thing, when you kickdown there’s the occasional sense it doesn’t know quite how many gears to drop. Perversely, while swapping from, say, the Roma into the LC leaves you wondering if a few of the plug leads have been disconnected, once you’ve had a chance to readjust your expectations there’s a lot to be said for having to work the Lexus harder. For not only can you enjoy more time with the throttle wide open, but the chassis balance and generally lower limits mean you’re having more fun more of the time. It all combines to make for a truly, madly, deeply individual driving experience. One that’s enriched by the genuinely sensational interior and a sense that the LC 500 is very much its own car. It takes a certain sort of person to buy this car, which would explain why they are such a rarity on UK roads, but to those who have taken the plunge, evo salutes you. To spend time and cover meaningful miles in any of these GTs is to rediscover an appreciation of the finer things in life. So much of what they represent is under
Lexus LC 500
Engine V8, 4969cc Power 470bhp @ 7100rpm Torque 398lb ft @ 4800rpm Weight 1935kg Power-to-weight 247bhp/ton 0-62mph 4.7sec Top speed 168mph Basic price £81,750
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threat, whether it’s the freedom to travel or the pomp and personality that’s part and parcel of powerful internal combustion engines. Right now each of these cars feel like a celebration of the things we hold dear. It won’t come as a shock to read that the Roma is the most impressive, capable and alluring car in the test. Conventionally beautiful in a way most modern Ferraris aren’t, it has real star power. Like all 21st century Ferraris, it’s also unnecessarily fast, but the overall sense of occasion means the Roma doesn’t rely upon fireworks alone. Peter Tomalin, who’s been out of the group test loop for a while, is left in its thrall: ‘It’s been a few years since I’ve driven a current Ferrari and I was worried that the sheer exhilarating joy of them would have been somehow subsumed by all the increasing layers of tech. Not a bit of it. OK, some of the interfaces take a bit of getting used to, but at heart this is just a great sports car. As you start driving you become utterly engrossed.’ The Roma pushes as far as is plausible towards the sporting end of the scale while still legitimately claiming to be a GT, and is the least cosseting as a consequence, something not helped by the sports seats specified in this example, but the overall experience is second to none. As Tomalin concludes: ‘It would
Ferrari Roma
Engine V8, 3855cc, twin-turbo Power 611bhp @ 5750rpm Torque 560lb ft @ 3000-5750rpm Weight 1570kg Power-to-weight 395bhp/ton 0-62mph 3.4sec Top speed 199mph+ Basic price £170,720
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ROMA v DB11 AMR v CONTI GT V8 v LC 500 certainly be the most tiring car to drive for long distances – say down to the Alps. But it’s hardly an ordeal, and you just know that you’d put up with it for the thrills you’d have when you got there.’ The remaining three are harder to separate, even though they couldn’t be more different from one another in terms of character and capabilities, bookended by the Aston and Bentley. The DB11 comes closest to the Ferrari in the overall standings. Fierce when roused but happy to flex its V12 to more subtle effect, it has a boundless sense of potency. And while it sometimes struggles to contain all the performance, the way it combines response and controlled compliance is deeply impressive. As Tomalin observes: ‘It strikes a fine balance between sports and GT – possibly the best here at straddling that line.’ If only the interior wasn’t so underwhelming and the infotainment off the pace, it would have run the Roma very close indeed. By contrast, the handsome Bentley is brimming with tech and unapologetically lavish, although in this particular spec the trimmings are a little too bling for our tastes. That said, the sense of solidity is next-level, but the mass dominates the overall driving experience. The performance is impressive, but once you get beyond the effortlessness it’s a bit subdued and
one-dimensional. That will suit some, but for us the enjoyment is lacking. Tomalin nails it when he says: ‘It crushes distances and feels like it would withstand a small war. But, fact is, there’s a lot more fun to be had with any of the other three. You admire what it does but it’s hard to love it.’ This leaves the Lexus, which slots neatly between the DB11 and Conti GT in our finishing order. Yes, it was a leftfield choice, but the fact it made such a lasting and positive impression vindicates its inclusion. Tomalin wasn’t sure what to expect, but was convincingly won over: ‘I’ve warmed to the looks over the course of these two days. It’s not beautiful or handsome, but it is different and interesting, very much its own thing. The interior is just brilliant: so original, so special. In the context of a GT, which needs to make you feel good about life when you’re not at eight or nine-tenths, it’s the best here.’ They might be suffering a two-pronged onslaught from the increasing number of explicitly sporting midengined supercars and high performance SUVs, but if these four cars prove anything it’s that there’s nothing quite so timelessly seductive as a fast, stylish frontengined GT. Long may they continue to enrich our lives. And inspire those drives to the south of France. L
Bentley Continental GT V8
Aston Martin DB11 AMR
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Engine V8, 3993cc, twin-turbo Power 542bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 568lb ft @ 2000-4500rpm Weight 2165kg Power-to-weight 254bhp/ton 0-62mph 4.0sec Top speed 198mph Basic price £157,900
Engine V12, 5204cc, twin-turbo Power 630bhp @ 6500rpm Torque 516lb ft @ 1500-5000rpm Weight 1795kg Power-to-weight 357bhp/ton 0-62mph 3.7sec Top speed 208mph Basic price £174,995
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ROAD&
TRACK We put Lamborghini’s hardcore Huracán STO through its paces on some of the most challenging roads we know. But first the racetrack beckons
LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STO
T’S OPPRESSIVELY HOT IN ITALY. THE sort of heat that seeps into your eyes, nose and throat and seems to boil you from the inside out. Even so, the magnificence of Rome on a summer’s day is like an ice-cool Bellini for the soul after months of lockdown misery. Nothing could stop me from wandering around this extraordinary city for hour after hour… Well, almost nothing. Today every proud building and monument, every narrow street teeming with life and errant scooters slips by almost unnoticed. Today we head north to the Autodromo di Vallelunga to drive the Huracán STO. Finally, Lamborghini has fully uncorked its baby. No apologies, no excuses and – hallelujah – no front driveshafts. The STO is truly a mouth-watering prospect. It feels like we’ve been waiting for this car forever. Ever sincetheHuracánwaslaunchedbackin2014it’sbeennearly fantastic. Blessed with a killer V10 engine and shockingly brilliant dual-clutch gearbox, possessed of a stunning, simple shape and with grip, composure and drama to spare. What’s been missing? That last degree of precision, adjustability and balance. In the early days Lamborghini almost celebrated the Huracán’s slightly blunted edges, and as time went on it introduced confusing technology such as Dynamic Steering, which upped the responsiveness but further removed the driver from exactly what the car was doing down at road level. The latest Evo models are a big step forward, particularly the RWD version that recently excelled at eCoty, but the STO feels like the inevitable conclusion to this car’s long evolution. Lighter, more focused, aggression cranked-up to maximum and with the look and, perhaps, the feel of the Super Trofeo and GT3 racers. Hence the STO or Super Trofeo Omologato, nametag. The price – £260,012 – says it’s a 765LT rival. The numbers – 631bhp at 8000rpm, 417lb ft at 6500rpm – suggest it’s outgunned. For us, though, the promise is boundless. If the STO can replicate the grip and response of the very latest track-focused cars and build that experience around its scintillating engine, it could become an instant icon. I think it’s fair to say that the pressure on this wild-looking new Lamborghini feels more stifling than the relentless heat of Italy in the height of summer. It’s all smiles at Vallelunga, however. In fact, I’ve never seen Lamborghini CTO Maurizio Reggiani so relaxed. Even the immaculate president and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, has a casual looseness that I’ve not witnessed before as he presents the STO in a pit garage to the very small group of journalists. But then, telling the story of the STO is easy. No need to talk about applying Lamborghini values to an SUV to a cynical crowd, no need to justify a retro special edition that fills the coffers but erodes the soul. The STO is a loud, impractical and extreme interpretation of Lamborghini’s most talented driver’s car. Simple. Of course, the devil is in the detail and the STO has lots of detail. Aero and lightweighting have been two of the most
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LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STO
intensely interrogated areas and the results are pretty impressive. One of the significant changes that benefits both is the adoption of a one-piece clamshell for the front end, dubbed the cofango, which is a fusion of cofano (hood) and parafango (fender). It’s carbonfibre, as are all the panels save the roof and door skins, and the twin bonnet ducts improve cooling flow through the radiators and increase downforce. Vents on the wheelarches also reduce wheel well pressure, the front splitter feeds the underbody and rear venturis, and the rear ‘shark fin’ increases yaw stability and helps shape the airflow onto the manually adjustable rear wing. Overall aero efficiency is improved by 37 per cent, with downforce 53 per cent up on the Performante. The STO can run three aero configurations depending on rear wing setting – low downforce (324kg at 174mph), mid (363kg) and high (420kg). Aside from the obvious ‘free’ weight saving of removing the fourwheel-drive system, the STO does all the cool things to further suck out unnecessary flab. Thinner glass, carbonfibre for everything, a stripped-back interior and optional magnesium wheels are the headline items. The result is a dry weight of 1339kg, which is 43kg less than the Performante but still a little chubby compared with the svelte 765LT’s dry figure of 1229kg. In fact, the McLaren’s DIN kerb weight (all fluids, 90 per cent fuel) is an exact match for the Lambo without so much as a drop of coolant. There are myriad other changes. New CCM-R brakes that should be much more consistent and offer better feel, a brand new and bespokeBridgestonePotenzatyreinSportandRaceconfigurations, revised magnetic dampers and an e-differential, a much-modified rear-wheel-steering system and a new 13.4:1 fixed-ratio steering rack. The ANIMA switch adjusts each element between STO, Trofeo and Pioggio (rain) modes. There’s a new Akrapovic exhaust system, too. I’m not sure performance figures mean anything these days but this rather ‘underpowered’ contender does 0-62mph in 3 seconds dead and that big wing calls an end to acceleration at 193mph. I don’t care. Just let me in this thing… Vallelunga is a hell of a track and my guide for the day in another STO ahead, Jeroen Mul, is on it from lap one. The first corner you meet out of the pits is turn 2, the perfectly christened Curva Grande, and it’s taken in the top of 5th or, later, in 6th gear. Mul is in 6th and gone, so I have little choice but to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in. Time to trust the aero, the new Bridgestone Potenza Race tyres (think Cup 2 R and you’re about right) and the CCM-R brakes. The first thing to note is the steering. It’s light, fast and very accurate. We’re in Trofeo mode and so body motions are held tightly in check, which combined with the ferocious steering response can make the STO initially a little difficult to read and darty in the extreme. Soon I learn that this is exacerbated by my inexperience at the track and slight apprehension. I just need to take a breath and relax in order for the STO to start relaxing, too. Luckily, settling into the experience is aided by fantastic brake feel and by the massive, instant bite and sublime accuracy afforded by the wonderful V10 that’s serenading me even through the thick sound-deadening of a crash helmet. What an engine! It seems slightly mad to spend yet more time heaping praise on this 5.2-litre V10 but, well, I’m going to anyway. Not least because the engine’s almost overwhelming fury is underpinned by thrillingly intuitive throttle response. Such bite and intensity rarely go hand-in-hand with nuance and subtlety, but here they are perfectly in tune. Lamborghini has worked hard on the throttle map, so there’s none of the near-binary behaviour of some other
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‘IT FEELS LIKE AN E N D U R A N C E R AC E R JUST SETTLING IN F O R A D O U B L E S T I NT. S O U N D S LIKE O N E , T O O ’ Huracáns in the more aggressive ANIMA settings. The dual-clutch gearbox remains simply magical. And, as it turns out, this delicate balance between outright force and precise, easily manipulated adjustability is mirrored in the chassis, too. I’d feared a sort of locked-down, muscular experience. All grip and heavy-handed ‘drama’ ladled on with artificial weight and exaggerated brutality. This is an oft-repeated habit at Lamborghini. Instead, the STO is sweetness itself and has real fluidity and deft responses. It’s unlike any Huracán I’ve driven before. The laps just keep coming and the STO is remarkably consistent, tolerant of mistakes and has the most brilliant mixture of highspeed security and bubbling enthusiasm and indulgence in the slower turns. Any fears about the front end are simply gone. You can find understeer if you’re recklessly ambitious, but for the most part the STO just nails the apex. Traction is excellent, too. Lamborghini is not shy about data and so every lap is recorded by the optional on-board telemetry and camera system. I am not a competitive person (ahem) but don’t want to let the side down for evo, so I’m getting on the throttle earlier and earlier each lap and the Bridgestone tyres feel right up for the challenge. Of course, eventually the STO will slip into oversteer, but the traction control system is very well judged in Trofeo mode, allowing for the tail to smear out a few degrees and then gradually checking the slide. We’re not supposed to disable it completely, but doing so reveals the system is not hiding any nasty traits. Here’s a Huracán that you can really stamp your style onto and feel it’s right there with you. It’s certainly more satisfying than the already excellent Performante and despite upping the sense of interactivity and control there’s no downside in terms of stability and grip. I’m sure a wet track would reveal the advantages of four-wheel drive, but here and now the STO feels much faster in terms of lap time and manages to be more fun, too. As time starts to run out there’s no let-up in the oppressive heat but no nervousness amongst the Lamborghini staff, either. The STO was made for this. Seems obvious, but Porsche GT3-levels of durability on track are not a given for all hardcore supercars. The Huracán keeps on pounding around and around and there’s so little lap-time drop-off from the tyres it’s quite remarkable. After a five-lap stint there’s a little more turn-in oversteer and you have to hesitate just a fraction before giving the V10 its head on corner exit, but mostly the STO feels like an endurance racer just settling in for a double stint. Sounds like one, too. Only louder. Looks like one, too. Only more outrageous as it’s wearing numberplates. I’m smitten. Of course, the real world isn’t full of empty tracks and endless sunshine. It’s time to go home and see how the STO feels on the sorts of roads that have unravelled even the most scintillating of track specials…
LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STO
T’S DRIZZLING IN THE CAR PARK OF the Travelodge in Bangor. Discarded paper cups and bags spill from the bin of the Starbucks just across the way and blow into low-lying hedges. The grimy Esso station is doing a great trade in fizzy energy drinks and newspapers. Welcome to the real world, STO. Welcome to hell. Of course, just moments from here, rather unbelievably, is driving heaven. It sprawls out across Snowdonia and beyond and the roads that reach across this stunning part of the world are a massive test for any car. Not least a supercar fixated with aero and developed mostly on smooth racetracks. This place, more than any other, is where reputations are broken or heroes are made. At least, our heroes. Sounds a perfect excuse to get the hell out of this car park. Things you don’t really think too much about on track (not when you’re following a Lamborghini factory driver at full tilt, anyway): the STO’s seats are comfortable. Is this a Lamborghini first? Probably. There’s still the slightly odd feeling that you’re in a low-slung, laid-back car and yet sitting bolt upright even when you recline the seat as far as is practical, but at least your back isn’t in agony after 30 seconds any more. The interior itself is pretty bare save for lots and lots of carbon weave, and while it doesn’t feel authentic in the way of an F40 (or indeed as simple and functional as a GT2 RS), the deletion of some of the chintz and the peculiar ‘forged carbon’ is a very good thing. I like the thick-rimmed squared-off steering wheel, too. It shouldn’t feel right but it works beautifully. The fast, flowing road that meanders in sympathy with the Afon Ogwen river and leads us to Snowdonia is dotted withholidaytrafficandglisteningwithmoistureintheearly morning gloom. The STO’s interior rings to the coarse road surface, and the steering wriggles and hums in concert. This is a good sign, but, as with those early moments on track, the rate of front-end response can feel a little unnerving, and although the road’s texture bubbles up as you point straight, it seems to be subdued as you roll into the meat of the lock. I know full well that the STO will look after me and offer real progression should I overstep the mark, but I’m relying on that knowledge from Vallelunga rather than reading the signals reaching me right now. Thebrakesareassharpasthesteering.Thepedalhaszero dead travel and very aggressive initial bite. I wouldn’t call them ‘grabby’ and in short order the instant and very linear stopping force becomes welcome, but it’s another element to which you need to become accustomed. Some cars feel utterly intuitive from the very first moment behind the wheel. The STO needs a slightly more cautious approach. As on track, the key is to simply relax, trust the car and then ramp up the pace once your muscle memory is working to the same beat as the STO’s fast-twitch nerve centre. www.evo.co.uk 085
By the time we’re climbing to our chosen roads everything is starting to meld. With ANIMA set to STO mode, the magnetic dampers work nicely to round-off the angriest looking lumps, scars and bumps, and yet the car still feels incredibly flat and responsive. There’s very little sense of body roll at all and even though we’re now on the more weather-suitable Potenza Sport tyre, the total lack of slack conveys just how agile this Huracán is. It feels lighter, too. In fact, lighter isn’t the right word. Yes, you can sense there’s more inherent athleticism than with a Huracán Evo or Performante but it’s more than that. It feels like a genuinely lightweight car, full stop. As the road constricts, so that core of precision, adjustability and a sense of almost acrobatic fleetfootedness comes to the fore. The STO locks together action and reaction with astonishing precision and in so doing makes the job of picking apart a road an intense but simultaneously seamless experience. The slightly disconcerting feeling of edginess that materialised as we left that grubby car park is such a distant memory that it seems almost absurd. Get in the groove with the STO and it’s wonderfully natural, while the hungriness of the engine and the sheer joy you get from extracting every last bit of power is frankly obscene. As we discovered at Vallelunga, the engine and gearbox are central to everything but don’t dominate to such an extent that the STO is merely a vessel to carry around this outrageously exciting powertrain. The V10 really is something else and, although it gives away power and lots of torque to rivals from McLaren and Ferrari, I promise it’s a trade you’d make. The Huracán still feels fast, too. There isn’t the superpowered muscularity of the F8 Tributo nor the shocking sense of freefall that characterises a 765LT as it chases down the limiter, but you have to ask yourself how much performance you need. The Huracán’s engine can test the chassis whenever you want; you can touch three-figure speeds on any B-road you care to mention without a healthy dose of restraint (please don’t, by the way), plus you get response, noise and pure mechanical fury thrown into the mix for free. It’s simply enthralling at any speed and endows the STO with a living, breathing, baying, screaming personality. Incredibly, the seven-speed ’box might just be even better. We lament the death of the manual gearbox but the very best dual-clutch transmissions can really add something to a driving experience, too. This is one of
‘SWITCH TO TROFEO MODE AND YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY HEAR AND FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
the greats. It’s funny how each manufacturer endows its own dual-clutch with certain characteristics. Porsche’s feel like digitised perfection and somehow don’t quite gel with the organic feel of a 911 for me. Ferrari does it better and the manic shift quality – especially downshifts that feel right on the limit of rear-axle lock-up – creates even more urgency in an already feverish driving experience. Lamborghini, famed for the brutality of the Aventador shifts, treads an unexpected path. The ’box is freakishly fast but also has a honey-coated shift quality. It’s just so smooth, so astoundingly refined and adds a sense of sophistication that’s unbelievably beguiling. Again, there’s something of the endurance racer in this, an understanding that efficiency is more effective than theatrical brute force. Familiar roads and a little more pace make the switch to Trofeo mode seem appropriate. You can immediately hear and feel the difference as the magnetic dampers tense up, and while the ride becomes a little more jagged, the added control is tangible. It’s great to feel the STO really rip into the surface yet retain its lightness of touch in terms of balance. The steering remains very low-effort and isn’t exactly full of detail but now I’m more in tune with the car the communication is clear. Each corner is a new chance to exploit the terrific front-end grip and then load up the rear tyres as quickly as possible. Time everything perfectly and the Huracán scribes a clean line towards the apex and then the rear wheels start to gently overspeed. Without turbos muddying the water this is not a moment to panic. Just
Aboveandle: Lamborghini’s naturally aspirated V10 has never felt or sounded better; rear wing is adjustable; Bovingdon finds a Lambo seat that doesn’t give him backache aer two miles; interior ambience very much road-racer
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LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STO
commit to the throttle, open the steering and watch for the limiter as the next straight opens out. Shift lights on the steering wheel would actually be very useful in the STO… There are problems with the STO. People will hear you coming from the next county. Perhaps the next continent. In STO mode, the gearbox still changes up automatically before the limiter, which I find disconcerting. The steering should be commended for its integration of rear-steer with an almost GT3-level of invisibility, yet it can’t hope to match the clarity of a McLaren 765LT – a particular problem in wet conditions. It’s almost completely impractical thanks to the aforementioned cofango and the lack of even a storage net on the door cards for phones and other paraphernalia. Oh, and it’s very, very expensive. Consider that the Huracán Evo RWD costs from £164,400… a near £100,000 saving before you even think about options. So why do I find it heartening and inspiring in equal measure? Partly because the STO really does feel like Lamborghini fully unleashing the potential of the Huracán. Not just in terms of
outright performance and aerodynamics, but in terms of feel and adjustability and the pure fun of driving. Lamborghini remains focusedonlaptimeswiththeSTOandhassuggestedwelookoutfor some spectacular results in that field soon, yet that mission hasn’t come at the expense of involvement and there’s an abundant sense of fun, of indulgence in everything the car does. It generates smiles and giggles and all manner of other noises signifying approval, excitement and disbelief like very few other driving experiences. Inspiring? That centres on Lamborghini persisting with the naturally aspirated engine despite the huge – on paper – disadvantages compared with other cars in this space. Maybe the adoption of hybrid tech will give these engines a further stay of execution. Imagine that! Perhaps we’ll come to think that the ubiquitous adoption of turbocharging wasn’t necessary at all – just a hand played too early whilst Lamborghini coolly held on and reaped the benefits. But let’s not worry about tomorrow. Today is a good day. The Lamborghini Huracán STO is here. And it was so worth the wait. L
Lamborghini Huracán STO
Engine V10, 5204cc Power 631bhp @ 8000rpm Torque 417lb ft @ 6500rpm Weight (dry) 1339kg Power-to-weight (dry) 479bhp/ton 0-62mph 3.0sec Top speed 193mph Basic price £260,012
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‘IT REALLY FEE L S LIKE LAMBORGHINI FULLY UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF THE HURACÁN’
LIFETHR UGHALENS
JAY S O N FONG
With a background in art and design, Jayson Fong brings a unique perspective to his automotive photography. Here he tells the story of his career to date and shares some of his favourite images by BRETT FR ASER
LIFE THROUGH A LENS
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S A YOUNGSTER, AUSTRALIANbornandnowUK-dwellingJayson Fong had no vision that he’d become a photographer, of cars or anything else. ‘I never really saw it as something that I would ever do,’ he admits. ‘Truth be told, I never actually liked photography when I was younger because I used to do a lot of drawing and art, as I still do. Photography I saw as kind of cheating, because I’d spend hours doing a drawing and you could just take a photo and get an instant result. I thought, hey, that’s not right!’ Cars, however, have always been on Fong’s radar. And for that he has his father to thank. ‘Dad has forever been a BMW fanatic,’ he reveals, ‘so there were always nice cars around. Perhaps because of that I developed a fascination for pictures of cars – apparently I’d spend hours surrounded by car magazines from an early age. Later on I became a big fan of evo. It has always been the benchmark in terms of writing and photography for cars. I remember eagerly awaiting for the next issue to arrive in Australia with that special airmail sticker on the front. ‘Photography came along when I bought my first car, a Subaru Impreza 2.0 R, a nonturbo model. Before then I used a camera as a tool for art, to document stuff. But then I bought my first car and thought this is kind of fun. So I took photos of friends’ cars and went to car meets and took pictures there, mostly for my own entertainment, but occasionally for money, too.’ That early experience behind the lens didn’t immediately unlock any deep-rooted desire to be a car photographer, but the young Aussie did have an automotive-related career in mind. ‘My initial plan was to be a car designer, just like everyone else, right? I was set on that path until I got to uni and realised that the car industry in Australia
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Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Rally Sweden 2020 (previous pages) ‘My background in traditional art means that framing and composing a shot has always been my priority, and sometimes the results can look like paintings. But in motorsport you have to be quick, so I normally have a clear idea of what I want to achieve before the car arrives.’ Deconstructed Porsche 911 RSR (above) ‘Recently I’ve wanted to push my photography a bit
further in terms of set-up and unique compositions. I’m currently working on a series of photographs featuring iconic cars deconstructed. I think this image of the 911 RSR shows the potential and visual power of this approach.’ TVR Griffith (right) ‘This is from a set of press images I took for the new TVR Griffith. I’d love to continue working with car brands and push the boundaries of what’s possible visually. Even when I’m taking “safe” shots for a
manufacturer I like to provide some creative options, to show that there are fresh ways of looking at things.’ Lotus 25 at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix (far right) ‘I have great admiration for the photographers from the golden age of motor racing who constantly experimented with composition. Here, kneeling down by the Armco, I was hoping to capture the sense of speed in a similar way to the shots from those photographic pioneers.’
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LIFE THROUGH A LENS
Safari Rally-spec Lancia Stratos (le) ‘As a car photographer one of the great privileges is getting to work at close quarters with some of the world’s most iconic cars, such as this Safari Rally-spec Lancia Stratos I shot for Octane. On another occasion I went to Le Mans and back for Octane, shooting the very first works Bentley. Experiences such as those are truly special.’
Bathurst 12 Hour 2019 (top) ‘Shooting in Australia is always special. The Bathurst 12 Hour was the last event I went to with my Dad before leaving for the UK in 2014, so we returned in 2019 as spectators to enjoy the sights and watch the sunrise. Although he wasn’t initially sold on the early start, it was worth it. This snap always reminds me of my Dad and Australia.’
BMW 3.0 CSL livery design and photography (above) ‘Growing up in a BMW family, the CSL has always been a favourite, so when I was asked by Simon Alexander to create a unique, but period acceptable, livery for his CSL recreation, it was a dream come true. This project brought together all the elements of my creative process – art, design and photography.’
that I wanted to work in, Holden and Ford, was pretty much going to die.’ Fong completed an industrial design course at a Sydney university and emerged needing a means to make a living. ‘I thought maybe I should give this photography thing a go – I was making a bit of money, it seemed really fun. I enjoyed taking pictures of cars and I had a bit of creative freedom, so I went from there. ‘The first biggish publication I worked for was Motor in Oz. The editor at the time was Iain Kelly and he was into the modified car scene. I was really into modded Japanese cars and was doing a lot of photography for little online publications, and he saw my pics at some point and gave me a go. I probably only did three or four shoots for Motor before I ended up heading to England, so didn’t manage to explore the potential of that outlet as much as I wish I had.’ Talented though Fong clearly is, for a young guy comparatively fresh out of university and with little experience behind him, upping sticks and moving 10,000 miles from home can only be viewed as ballsy. But as Fong argues, ‘I had no responsibilities and wasn’t employed by anyone – I thought that if I go over now and it fails, I can always come back again. And if I stayed longer in Australia and got comfortable, I’d never leave. ‘Richard Fowler, who runs an Australian website called Motorsport Retro, was hugely supportive of my move to the UK and was the reason I was able to gain accreditation and opportunities to shoot early on. Essentially, though, I arrived with zero contacts but soon managed to get a bit of work from an online magazine. The big break happened when Motor Sport got in touch about a year after I’d moved over. I was at Goodwood at a Members’ Meeting working as a crew member for one of the cars – a friend, Simon Bowrey, was racing a 911 – and took some photos and shared them to Motorsport Retro. The guys from Motor Sport then saw them and asked for some pictures. Then Octane asked for some as well because they thought they were a bit different to the usual images from Goodwood. Things tookofffromthere,includingworkingdirectly for Goodwood on their official marketing. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.’ Although keen to photograph more modern road cars too, Fong has specialised in historic racing events and since his arrival in the UK in May 2014 has attended most of the major ones, becoming a well-known figure around the paddocks and tracks. His moody, evocative images have also led to him snagging photographic assignments across Europe, including the Monaco Classic, the www.evo.co.uk 095
LIFE THROUGH A LENS
Cento Ore (a competitive tour for historic cars on Italian roads) and the Mille Miglia, twice. ‘The Classic Car Charter outfit I was working for on the Mille Miglia rents eligible cars for the event, and whenever there was a spare seat I’d jump in. I’ve been in a little Fiat 8V for 300 miles, a Lancia Aurelia – we went around Monza in that, around the banking, and it was really cool.’ Fong believes that the combination of his love of cars and his appreciation of art and design has shaped his photographic style, while the discipline of shooting race cars has sharpened his ability to determine where an unusual shot is likely to happen and to grab it quickly. ‘With motorsport there are all these variables like time, speed, and even the particular line through a corner that a particular driver takes on a particular lap that will never happen again. I really enjoy sitting on the exit of a corner and just watching as the cars come across. Some drift a little bit wide and pick up a little bit of dirt, and there’ll be a puff of smoke or gravel go up and you just go, “Hmm, if I can get this then I’ll have something unique.” With an artistic background, that’s important to me.’ Also incredibly important, says Fong, are the people you see and meet at events. ‘Without people, there would certainly be less of a story to tell through my photos, less emotion to explore. One of my favourite places to shoot is in the pitlane, where the human side really comes alive and gives racing a context.’ Although now branching out into commercial photography for car manufacturers – including the press shots for the Toyota GR Yaris prototype – Fong retains a passion for art, again with a very personal style. For the past few years he has painted 24 works, one per hour depicting significant moments of the race, for the duration of the Le Mans 24 Hours. He calls it #24forLM24 and sells the works, donating a percentage of the proceeds to charities. A recent job saw Fong exercise the full gamut of his talents in one project. ‘A customer and now friend of mine who I met at the Spa 6 Hours discovered that I’m also a designer, so commissioned me to design the livery for a BMW 3.0 CSL he was building to race. To be honest I thought, “Oh wow. Am I allowed to do something original?” It’s kind of hallowed ground, the CSL. It was perfect having the art side combine with design and then with photography – I also did the studio shoot of the car, and I felt like that project brought everything together.’ L
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Spa (top) ‘As a motoring photographer you get to witness some historic moments and also some beautiful sights. With racing events it’s a delicate balance between record and art: I’m very conscious in post production to not go too far, to keep it as legitimate as possible, because this actually happened.’ GT40 trio at Goodwood (above) ‘I knew the sun would come out eventually and there’d be
nice backlight, but it wasn’t until I saw the image on the TV screen that I thought, I need to be there! I ran from the pitlane to the Super Shell corner, and the GT40s were jockeying for position at the time, so it was a great moment.’ Nico Rosberg, Goodwood Festival of Speed (top right) ‘In 2016 I was asked to be a part of the official photography team at Goodwood. I was really hoping that Nico Rosberg would do some burnouts – he
didn’t let me down! This image ended up being the lead image for the Festival of Speed for a few years.’ Engine panning (right) ‘Some photographers enjoy the photography side and the cars are kind of a muse. I live and breathe cars day and night and recently started racing. Knowing intimately what goes on in the hot seat and mechanically has really helped me to shoot things from a different perspective.’
FIT FOR PURPOSE
by RICHARD MEADEN PHOTOGRAPHY by ANDY MORGAN
A world away from today’s new Porsche 911s, this 1965 example from Sports Purpose is a meticulously honed vision that puts driving purity ahead of outright speed
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SPORTS PURPOSE 911
LMOST FROM THE MOMENT THE 911 was introduced people have wanted to make them go faster. Nearly six decades on it remains a cause many enthusiasts dedicate themselves to, be they Porsche’s own Andreas Preuninger – architect of successive generations of factory GT cars – to all manner of tuners, restomodders and marque specialists who look to put their own stamp on Stuttgart’s most enduring model. It’s a vibrant and crowded scene, with manyspecialistsfocusingtightlyonaspecific 911 era. Among them is Sports Purpose. Founded in the spring of 2018 by James Turner, the Oxfordshire-based concern sources and sells some of the rarest and most sought-after Porsches from its base at Bicester Heritage. Short-wheelbase 911s are a particular passion, and in parallel with starting his business, Turner also dedicated himself to developing the hugely successful 2 Litre Cup one-make race series for pre-’66 911s. With business and race series up and running, Turner then channelled his energies (and learnings) into a project he and a friend had longed to do for many years. Namely to realise their idea of the ultimate 911 road car. The result is the car you see here. To understand this car you have to understand the origins of the Sports Purpose name. And to do that you need to rewind almost 60 years to the beginning of the 911 story. For a small handful of years the 911’s competition efforts were low-key and centred upon close-to-production cars. Then, in 1967, came the 911 R, at which point everything changed. Below:interior mates The R was Porsche’s first full-on dedicated factory 911 period elements such as the Momo Monza race car. It was extreme and built in very small numbers – steering wheel and just 20 in fact – but from that point on the urge to improve, Recaro driver’s seat with enhance and optimise the 911 for competition became a new wooden dash Zuffenhausen’s great obsession. panel and top quality In1968Porschereleasedadocumententitled‘Information Connolly hide
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Regarding Porsche Vehicles Used For Sports Purposes’, an extensive and highly detailed guide to uprating production 911 derivatives of the day (911 L, T and S) for competition use in rallying and circuit racing. Running to more than 60 pages, this legendary catalogue contained an exhaustive inventory of optional parts and upgrade packages. To Porsche fans it is akin to the Dead Sea Scrolls, or at least it would be if the Old Testament included gearing charts for the Nürburgring and an M471 lightweight bodyshell option. The scope and flexibility of these Sports Purpose options meant customers had an almost infinitely variable combination of fully homologated upgrade kits and components with which to create 911s suited to anything from hill climbing to tackling Le Mans and the Targa Florio. Unsurprisingly, those competition cars built during the Sports Purpose period between ’67 and ’71, such as the T/R and early S/T, possess a special mystique. Not only are they amongst the rarest 911s of all, but they served as the precursor to the more widely celebrated RS models that followed. They were the original 911 road racers. In adopting the Sports Purpose name, Turner cleverly aligned himself with the era which best epitomises his love of Porsche. It’s the appeal and abilities of those cars he has attempted to crystallise in this, his first Sports Purpose road car project, but it also takes inspiration from other Porsche side projects of that period. Specifically the Sonderwunsch or Special Wishes programme – which began in the ’70s and gave rise to Count Rossi’s legendary road-going 917 and Mansour Ojjeh’s F1 TAG Turbo-engined 930 – and Porsche’s earlier habit of building one-off Versuch (experimental) cars for development purposes and as gifts to Porsche family members and favoured factory racers. Inspiration was also found a little closer to home, in the work of Eagle E-types. ‘I’ve always had a huge admiration for how Eagle goes about improving E-types,’ says Turner. ‘They take classic cars that are not particularly suited to regular use in the modern world and make them into machines that work brilliantly. And all while preserving the character and magic of the original cars. Old Porsches tend to work better than old Jaguars, but that combination of careful evolution and painstaking restoration is just as relevant and appealing when applied to a 911.’ The North York Moors are a long way from Zuffenhausen, but they are the perfect place to drive Turner’s very special 911. Nicknamed ‘545’ on account of its chassis number – denoting it as the 545th 911 built – this 1965 model is a breathtakingly pretty car, one which could easily pass as a beautifully restored factory-standard car to the uninitiated enthusiast, but presents plenty of clues to its specialness if you know what you’re looking at. In this sense it’s a true connoisseur’s car: packed with performance upgrades that are both authentic and sympathetic, peppered with precious period detailing and boasting craftsmanship of the very highest level. Equally impressive is its refreshing modesty. Paradoxically this is an effortlessly cool car which required huge effort to create. Turner’s wish was to collaborate with the best people in the business to build his ‘perfect’ 911. To this end he enlisted Richard Tuthill to oversee the powertrain and chassis development, and to put the car together. Plenty of shared dynamic DNA with the 2 Litre Cup historic race
‘ T H I S I S A T R U LY ANALOGUE 911, ALIVE AT A L L T I M E S ’
SPORTS PURPOSE 911 cars was a given, but far greater Belowright:engine is drivability and refinement was a 2.2-litre development of the motors used in also a proviso for this raceLitre Cup race cars; bred but road-biased car. To the 2Weber carburettors set the highest possible level in were chosen over metalwork and paint, Turner mechanical fuel injection entrusted the bodyshell to Bruce Cooper at Sportwagen. Then for a unique twist, he commissioned O’Rouke Trimmers – renowned for their work on the world’s best Ferrari 250 restorations – to trade houndstooth fabric for the finest Connolly hide. In the metal ‘545’ is absolutely gorgeous. The first shock is just how small these early 911s are. It really is pocket sized. Then there’s the pebble-smooth shape, painted to flawless perfection in a unique shade of blue, the pristine box-freshness is softened by original brightwork, which wears the gentle patina of age. Therearesomanydetailstodrinkin.Chubbysidewalled road-legal Avon historic race tyres wrap a set of original Fuchs wheels, which sit just-so in the rolled wheelarches on that Tuthill-tuned suspension. Original Cibié Bi-Iode headlamps, complete with yellow Halogen bulbs, are the same lights Sports Purpose competition cars used back in the day, while the single door mirror adds some functional asymmetry. White ceramic coated exhaust pipes and the hand-painted ‘6 SPA’ registration plate complete the timewarp road racer effect. The interior is equally glorious, the rich aroma of perfectly pleated and stitched tan hide and a beautiful fullwidth wooden dashboard (using timber sourced from an old building at Sports Purpose’s home at Bicester Heritage) perfectly juxtaposed by an original, careworn and extremely rare Recaro driver’s seat and equally precious period Momo Monza steering wheel. Even the gearknob is a delight. Commissioned by Turner to mimic the mushroom-shaped original, it features the Sports Purpose logo and a thin key line in the same blue as the bodywork. It’s delightfully tactile and unique to the car. If we’d been presented with ‘545’ at Sports Purpose HQ it would have seemed almost too perfect to take away and drive, but the fact Turner has driven it up to the moors to meet us for a full day’s driving suggests this is a car that was built to be used frequently and enthusiastically. If the detailing and aesthetic execution is a delight, the nuts and bolts are equally special. Benefitting from the latest developments used in Tuthill’s 2 Litre Cup motors (including the camshafts), the engine is enlarged to 2.2 litres for a little extra muscle without losing the wonderful free-revving nature of these small-capacity air-cooled flatsixes.Mechanicalfuelinjectionwasconsideredasaperiodcorrect tweak, but Weber carbs were fitted for simplicity and some gritty induction snort. It also runs twin-plug heads – a mod that was available in the Sports Purpose period – with the net result being 200bhp and over 160lb ft of torque delivered in a broader and more tractable band for better road manners and more accessible performance. Chassis-wise the car employs the same springs and dampers as the 2 Litre Cup race cars, but retuned by Richard Tuthill for increased travel and compliance with no loss of control or precision. There’s also a limited-slip differential (again taken from the historic race cars) and the brakes use uprated pads, though not to race-spec.
Youmightbewellversedin911driving,butifyou’renew to short-wheelbase versions then a bit of adjustment will be required. The sensations are familiar, but more intense and less filtered. The rearward weight balance is more distinct, the relationship between steering and throttle inputs, and the way the car reacts to them, more symbiotic. The steering has more weight than you might expect, but there’s delicacy too. The Momo rim fidgets gently in your hands as the front wheels feel their way across cambers and surface changes, and steering effort increases as you put more loading through the car. This is a truly analogue 911, devoid of PASM, PSM or PDK, but connected, sensitive and alive at all times. Contrary to what you might expect, you actually have to tryquitehardtounstickthiscar.Notsohardthatitrequires a full send, but the tyres are grippy enough that you have to be prepared to make a deliberate sequence of inputs if you’re to get that Porsche pendulum swinging. Think of the forceful turn-in, sharp throttle lift, measured roll of opposite lock and confident re-application of throttle as the keys to unlocking a cornering experience like no other. Getitrightandthetransitionfromgriptoslipandbackto grip again is seamless and almost entirely intuitive. Get it spot-on and you’ll feel the 911 work its weight distribution to perfection, outside rear wheel squeezed into the wheel housing, inside front just off the ground and turned away from the apex with a quarter turn of countersteer. Get it
wrong and you’ll have a momentary leaning-back-too-faron-your-chair moment, but even ham fists stand a good chanceofgatheringthingsup.IfIhadtochooseonedriving sensation to last me a lifetime it would be this car working just beyond its limit through a clearly sighted corner. Theengineisraspyandmechanicallyvocal,butnowhere near as gobby as modern high-performance cars with active exhaust valves. There’s significant induction noise whenthetapsarewideopen,butit’smoremutedatasteady cruise. In between is a fabulous range of tone and intensity that fluctuates according to rpm and throttle opening. Smooth and happy to lug from low revs, with a freespinning appetite for rpm, it has useful mid-range muscle and a scintillating 7500rpm top-end. Combined with gearing that’s snappy enough to make the most of the modest power and torque, but tall enough to savour the reach of the intermediate ratios, it feels brisk without having to try too hard. Better still, it really ups its game when you invest your energy into the process of hustling it along. You have to work at it to extract full performance, and the rewards are rich when you make the effort, but your enjoyment doesn’t rely solely on wringing its neck. ‘One of my fundamental beliefs about cars today is that they are just too fast,’ says Turner, echoing evo’s oft-voiced opinion. ‘Not just outright fast, but too easy to drive fast, too big because their big engines require big brakes, big tyres, big suspension. Sadly, this all too obviously applies
to the 911 now. These little cars are not that quick with circa 200bhp and 1000kg, but they are so pure to drive it’s about so much more than outright speed.’ So, it won’t win you any games of Top Trumps, but if you love driving, and in particular love driving 911s, this car is a revelation. Not once during a full day’s driving on some of my favourite roads (fast roads at that) did I ever wish I was accelerating with more intensity, cornering with more commitment or travelling at higher peak speeds. The experiential emphasis is very much on emotional, physical and cerebral engagement. This is a car which you drive very much with your brain in. Creating such a singular car doesn’t come cheap, but then the finest things rarely do. Even so, at the best part of £350,000 this is among the highest of high-end projects. ‘I know the sums involved are huge,’ concedes Turner, ‘but the simple truth is that quality always costs. The base car was £100,000. We didn’t have to buy such a solid example, but if you buy badly you can end up spending more on the rectification work than you save. Besides which, I think it makes a difference knowing you’re building from the soundest possible basis. The engine alone is £90,000, but it’s an absolute gem of a thing. We went to the best in the business for the paintwork and the same with the full interior trim. Each of these elements cost a further £30,000.Thenthere’sthe£20,000orsowespentacquiring reallyhardtofindoriginalpartssuchasthesteeringwheel,
driver’s seat, brightwork, badges, mirrors and headlights. Oh, and there’s the small matter of 1000 hours’ labour to build it, plus all the time and effort it took to manage the project. You can always do cheaper, but that’s not the point with this car. I wanted it to be the best it could possibly be.’ This is not a car with which Sports Purpose intend or aspire to lock horns with Singer, whose reimagined 911s have come to define the restomod scene, and are now poised to transcend it with the $1.8million DLS. ‘545’ simply isn’t that kind of car, but it’s so good there’s no way other 911 fanatics won’t want to have one like it. ‘To build this kind of car takes so much time and effort it really is a labour of love,’ says Turner. ‘You invest so much of yourself into the process it simply doesn’t work in a scaleable commercial sense. We could handle the build of one or two cars per year, but doing so would depend on finding clients who will really dial into working with us, our suppliers and craftsmen. But, of course, there’s no such thing as perfect, so the next one could be even better…’ L
Sports Purpose 911‘545’
Engine Flat-six, 2.2 litres Power c200bhp Torque c160lb ft Weight c1000kg Power-to-weight c200bhp/ton 0-60mph n/a Top speed n/a Basic price c£350,000
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‘ I F YO U L OV E D R I V I N G 911S , T H I S C A R I S A R E V E LAT I O N ’
by HENRY CATCHPOLE PHOT
OGRAPHY by ASTON PARROTT
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GOLF CLUBSPORT v MÉGANE RS v i30 N v LEON 300 v 128ti
Right,fromtop: Mégane RS 300, 128ti, i30 N, Leon 300 and Golf GTI Clubsport have much in common on paper, but on the road it’s a different tale
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OMETIMES I’LL FIND MYSELF DRAWN TOWARDS perching at the counter. Other times the quiet room round the back will become my home from home as I line up the espressos and try to think of what to write. Currently my favoured spot in my local coffee shop is in the corner, just to the left of the door as you walk in. It’s particularly good today because I can see the high street and the steady stream of interesting vehicles driving up it. There must be a car meet going on somewhere nearby because intermingled with the monochrome drudgery of SUVs is a succession of hot hatches. The traffic lights up the road turn red and as an ST and a GTI roll to a halt they both decide to exercise their distinctly non-OEM exhausts. The fivecylinder sounds better, but the four-pot is producing the more anti-social cracks and bangs. It sounds like a minor small arms scuffle between Buckinghamshire drugs barons. The couple at the table next to me tut and sip their cappuccinos as a second volley clatters around the walls of the quaint market town. There is the occasional R or RS and some superminis scuttle by, but the majority are the middle ground. The solid ham sandwiches in the hot hatch buffet. Sure, most have been modified, but the heartland of the hot hatch seems to be the size and state of tune that is under consideration in the third of evo’s three hot hatch heats. They may not be as powerful as those in the first heat but they are more practical and powerful than those in the second. The question is, are any of them good enough to progress to the final to fight it out to be crowned king of the hot hatches? And are any of them good enough to take on the elephant in the car park, the Honda Civic Type R? The Cupra Leon 300, Renault Mégane RS 300, BMW 128ti, Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport that we’ve gathered together all conform (mostly) to the recipe for a hot hatch in 2021: five doors, a turbocharged four-cylinder sending around 300bhp and 300lb ft to the front wheels, a 0-62mph time of just under six seconds, a top speed of 155mph or thereabouts and a weight of around 1440kg. With lone exceptions, there are just two pedals in the footwell and some sort of limited-slip differential between 19-inch front wheels. The look is subtle. A decal here, a diffuser there, but demure is the general design theme. Perhaps the most distinctive in appearance is actually the Golf. Of course this is the Clubsport version of the GTI rather than the base spec car, but nonetheless the VW has historically been considered the most middle of the road, the most conservative, so it’s a slight surprise that it has the most presence in the group. There is an aggressive angulation from the tip of its roof spoiler down to its snout. Inside, well, we’ve talked a lot about the lack of usability of the ancillary controls in Mk8 Golfs so I won’t repeat too much of that here. Suffice to say that it’s irritating to have to look down to turn the lights on or off and equally irritating that you can accidentally trigger the heated steering wheel during cornering. It’s a shame, because the wheel itself is good to hold, the seating position is pretty easy to adapt to fit and there is still that very particular Golf feeling of being in something that is unspectacularly secure and therefore relaxing.
GOLF CLUBSPORT v MÉGANE RS v i30 N v LEON 300 v 128ti We’ve become so used to the EA888 engine, which lurks beneath a bland black cover under the bonnet, that it’s easy to forget just how impressive it is. The strength and smoothness with which it pulls makes it the best in the group. Pretty much wherever you are in the rev range, you get a clean and immediate response to throttle inputs. Add in the crisp, quick changes from the DSG ’box and you have a no-nonsense drivetrain that consistently delivers. This then tallies really well with the VAQ differential between the front wheels. I’ve been a fan of this clever, clutch-pack system for some time, because it feels so sophisticated and nuanced in the way it distributes the torque. Get hard on the throttle mid-corner and you quickly feel the front axle respond, the grip increasing and the line tightening. But the nice thing is that it doesn’t feel too aggressive and you can really work with it, managing
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the slip of the front tyres with throttle and steering to trim your line on the way out of a corner. Just as you would in a good rear-wheel-drive car. The downside to the Golf is that the rear doesn’t feel particularly mobile. The whole car stays fairly flat through corners, which I think helps make the most of that progressive, workable front end, but it feels more planted than playful. The engagement comes mostly from how you drive out of corners rather than how you get into them and that’s actually rather a nice thing on the road, where it’s easier to exploit the exits than the entries of corners. Which brings us on to the other white car in this test. The Golf’s sibling. Some might say twin. The Cupra Leon is based on the same MQB Evo platform and has essentially the same EA888 engine, producing the same 296bhp and 295lb ft of torque, which is transmitted through the same
seven-speed DSG drivetrain. However, the two cars are surprisingly different in character. You would expect the Spanish car to look more flamboyant than its German counterpart, but curiously it looks bafflingly mundane. Not ugly, just not very sporty. It might be the white paint, but there is a general feeling that a fleeting glance would leave you dismissing it as a 1.5 TSI with some fancy wheels. Open the door and things improve, with the blue leather seats made from the hides of Smurfs, copper highlights around the vents and normal buttons on the wheel making it feel both more special and at the same time more practical than the Golf. Which is clever. Set off down the same mixture of roads as driven in the Golf and the ride feels relatively similar. Like the Clubsport, this has adaptive dampers that give you more choice than a Dulux colour chart and somewhere in the middle is
probably best on a bumpy B-road. But whether you prefer a touch more feedback or a mite more detachment, the overall way in which the cars deal with the rough and tumble feels nicely composed. The difference comes when you start to tackle corners. Where the Golf feels planted, the Leon feels more agile but also more floaty. As you turn in, there is a lighter feeling to the steering and less sense of where the front end is, making it harder to be precise. The benefit is that where the Golf feels like it needs a slow-in-fast-out approach to every bend, the Leon gives you more options mid-corner, the tail feeling happier to rotate and help you adjust the angle of attack before the apex. However, it then loses out again on the exit of the corner as you don’t have the feeling that the nose is as hooked up when you get back on the throttle. On a track, I suspect the Cupra could be more
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GOLF CLUBSPORT v MÉGANE RS v i30 N v LEON 300 v 128ti
‘THE LEON AND THE GOLF ARE S U R P R I S I N G LY DIFFERENT IN CHARACTER’
entertaining, but on the road the Golf feels the more keyed-in and more confidence inspiring to me. It has a more definite way in which it wants to be driven, making more concerted use of the VAQ differential. What is even more surprising is the variance in the engines. The Cupra feels more turbocharged, a little less linear, with a sound that is more redolent of old Méganes with their gas rush noise. The Golf is no feast for the ears, but it has a gruffer note with a bit more growl to it. I’m not sure which is better, but they sound quite different and the VW actually feels marginally stronger. In terms of the shifts, there’s nothing to choose between them, although the more attractive paddles in the Cupra feel a bit more of a stretch for the fingers. Talking of paddle position, the Renault seems like a good place to go next. The RS 300 is the bottom of what is now a two rung Mégane ladder, sitting beneath the RS Trophy version. As such it gets the more friendly Sport chassis but also foregoes an LSD – the only car here to do so. However, unlike any other hot hatch, it has four-wheel steering, with the ability to add Farleandle: perhaps contrary to expectations, the Cupra’s interior has nothing to fear from the Golf’s
up to 2.7 degrees of lock to the rear wheels. The 1.8-litre engine kicks out a VAG-matching 296bhp and torque is up to 310lb ft. The gearbox is the same six-speed DCT that is in the Alpine A110 – there’s no longer a manual option – and it feels nicely quick and engaging, but the paddles (just in case you thought I’d forgotten) are fixed and don’t extend low enough to fall naturally to hand. In fact ergonomics are not a Mégane strong point, because as soon as you get in you also notice that the seating position is a bit awkward and the wheel doesn’t adjust very much for reach. The seats themselves are nicely supportive, but the plastics and overall interior feel like the cheapest of the group. Conversely, I think the exterior vies with the GTI Clubsport for being the best looking. I love that fact that Renault went to all the effort of giving it a bespoke bodyshell. The arches look fabulously muscular and the diffuser also gives the appearance of actually having some aerodynamic impact, which gives the car a certain integrity. All five cars have various driving modes but none is subjected to a bigger transformation by them than the Mégane. Left in its standard setting, it feels pretty humdrum. However, select Race via the ‘RS Drive’ button on the transmission tunnel or the big, portrait touchscreen and it turns into one of the liveliest cars in the test. The engine feels even more demonstrably turbocharged and boosty than the Leon’s, the crackles on the overrun from the central exhaust even more theatrical than those from the VW and Hyundai. With the 4Control system dialled up it has an almost hyper-agile feeling on turn-in, the whole car pivoting like Ross Geller mapped the ECU. As a result, it’s a car that is at its most fun when the corner is well sighted and you can turn in with real commitment on entry. You don’t get a huge amount of feel through the steering, so it’s a car you need to learn and trust because you can certainly turn hard enough to get the rear rotating into oversteer. Sadly, because there is no LSD, the aggression that you can attack the first part of a corner with can’t really be matched on the exit. You need to temper your throttle inputs because otherwise you’ll scrappily spin up an inside wheel and understeer wide. The solution would seem to be to notch your pace back by a couple of tenths and get into a more measured flow. And it sort of works – certainly on quicker bits of road – but then there is this feeling that you’re always missing out a little bit by not making full use of that incredible agility. It’s frustrating, because the RS 300 rides well, its engine is keen and when you find the right corner it is arguably the most exciting car in the group. Just like the Cupra, while it’s fun on the road, it might have done even better if this was a track test where you could fully exploit its handling all the time. If, on the other hand, this was a static, showroom test, with all the cars lined up in a glass box with some free coffee and a little corner of branded keyrings and T-shirts, then the BMW would probably win. Not because the splashes of red on the outside are especially attractive, but because when you open the door the slightly more premium nature of the interior is immediately evident. The leather feels thicker than in the Cupra, while the stitching on the armrests and the tricolour flashes on the seatbelts are nicely redolent of a proper motorsport past. The seats hold your hips well and there are multiple options for accessing the infotainment. It’s impressive, especially given that it’s as affordable as the Mégane and Hyundai. Get in and the seating position is classically BMW, with your legs stretched out a little more than in the others. There is www.evo.co.uk
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GOLF CLUBSPORT v MÉGANE RS v i30 N v LEON 300 v 128ti
something about this driving position that still makes me think the 1-series should be rear-wheel drive, though. As soon as you accelerate out of the showroom and down the road for the test drive, however, there is no doubt where the power is going, because you instantly notice how busy the nose of the car is. The front tyres seem as easily distracted as a pair of toddlers in a toy shop: ‘Oh look at this camber! No, over here, come and see this imperfection!’ It’s a slightly soft, almost remote type of torque steer, which might sound endearing and engaging, but actually just makes the car feel imprecise and tricky to place. It’s not the fault of the suspension as such, as the passive damper set-up strikes a nice balance that gives a decent sense of connection with the road, while still taking just enough harshness off the bumps. It edges the Golf and Leon for ride quality. And if you’re leaning on the fundamental balance of the chassis without any torque going through the front axle the handling feels much more transparent. But as soon as you get on the throttle the picture gets a bit muddy. The locking characteristics of the limited-slip differential were actually softened a little for the 128ti compared with the 135i xDrive, but I’m not sure this was a great idea. It has
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arguably reduced the sense of connection and control over the front wheels in a straight line, and then pulling out of corners with some steering angle you can still feel the inside wheel losing traction rather than the whole front end digging in and tightening the line as it does in the Golf. Even more concerning for the BMW is the fact that its drivetrain feels the weakest in the test. You could argue that’s not surprising, because with 261bhp it has the least power, but it’s not that far behind the Hyundai (276bhp) and its 295lb ft of torque is a match for the others. In fact I don’t think it’s the engine’s fault; I think it is down to the automatic gearbox. In isolation you can get used to it, but the moment you put it backto-back with the dual clutch ’boxes in this test it suddenly feels like using a spoon to cut your food instead of a steak knife. The whole delivery just seems slightly soft and lacking in urgency, even with Sport+ mode engaged. Which leaves us with the i30 N in Rightandfarright: its distinctive but curiously calming the BMW’s cabin shade of baby blue. A cool colour for a makes the best first hot hatch. Its shape is rather similar to impression, but the that of the BMW, but the two cars are Hyundai’s has plenty of at opposite ends of the rankings in this appeal for its useability
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test and one can’t help but wonder whether things might have been different if Albert Biermann hadn’t been lured away from Munich by Hyundai seven years ago. Frankly, whichever of the other four you have stepped out of, there is a refreshing honesty and simplicity to the South Korean car. Open the boot and your eye is immediately drawn to the rear strut brace. It’s nothing fancy, just some ordinary bits of black tubing welded together. But its lack of pretension gives you confidence. If there is no aesthetic merit then you know it must be there for a reason – it’s the antithesis of the shiny red bar that serves no purpose in the back of the latest Mini GP. It feels a pleasing generation behind the others when you get into the driver’s seat, with a greater reliance on physical buttons in the cabin. It doesn’t have quite such a swish look as a result, but it’s nicely unfussy in the way it works. It feels well put together too. Add in the excellent new optional lightweight bucket seats, the well placed pedals too, and you have a cockpit that’s as reassuringly easy to use as a toaster. Of course the biggest throwback is the extra pedal. You can now have the i30 N with a dual-clutch transmission (see last month’s Driven), but it is the only car in this test with the option of a manual gearbox and there’s no getting away
Cupra Leon 300
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo Power 296bhp @ 5300-6500rpm Torque 295lb ft @ 20005200rpm Weight 1415kg Power-to-weight 213bhp/ton 0-62mph 5.7sec Top speed 155mph Basic price £35,575
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from the fact that it really adds to the experience. The shift is chunky but doesn’t baulk when you rush it, and although the pedals are well placed for heel and toe, the adjustable rev-match function also lets you retain the smoothness but be a bit lazy if you want. There is a meatiness to the steering as well and a lovely sense of connection to the road through the suspension. It’s not a delicate car but neither is it in the slightest bit lazy in its responses. It’s a little like the latest BMW M4 Competition to that extent. And like that car there’s a slightly bewildering plethora of drive modes to get your head around. The blue button slung in the lower left quarter of the steering wheel cycles through Normal, Sport and Eco and the middle of those is worth using as a default for everyday use. The other big blue button is for the N and Custom modes. The first of those, the everything-up-to(te)N mode, firms up the suspension much too much for the road. However, if you spend a bit of time tailoring the Custom mode (principally softening the dampers, but also dialling the steering back to Sport) then you get all of the fun traits without the compromise. The limited-slip diff doesn’t feel as sophisticated as the Golf’s but it gets the job done, and while the engine isn’t dripping with character it is plenty strong enough. The
Renault Mégane RS 300
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1798cc, turbo Power 296bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 310lb ft @ 4000rpm Weight 1443kg Power-to-weight 209bhp/ton 0-62mph 5.7sec Top speed 158mph Basic price £33,585
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Hyundai i30 N
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo Power 276bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 289lb ft @ 1950-4600rpm Weight 1419kg Power-to-weight 198bhp/ton 0-62mph 5.9sec Top speed 155mph Basic price £33,745
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end result is a car that doesn’t feel exceptional in any one area but just gels incredibly well so that it never leaves you guessing. You can chuck it around with confidence and it feels more mechanical than all the others in the test, more engaging at any speed. All of which makes the Hyundai the clear winner from the quintet. It isn’t a bargain any more but it is still cheaper than the Cupra and VW. The only one that might initially look better value is the BMW, but that, I’m afraid, is the one that we would recommend least. It’s just not a very precise car. That’s partly because of the torque converter, but also because of the slightly disconnected-feeling steering and the torque steer. As Adam Towler comments: ‘You can go through a corner ten times and each time you’d go through it in a different way, but not by choice.’ That’s the top and the tail then. In the middle it’s all much closer. I like a lot of what the GTI Clubsport does. There is a real purpose to the way it drives and a sense of connection when you load it up. However, it is easily the most expensive in the test (even before you add the essential but optional DCC adaptive dampers) and I can’t help but feel the steering – not to mention the interior – isn’t as good as it was on the equivalent model in the previous generation GTI. Adam was more of a fan of the Leon, noting that ‘once it’s
BMW 128ti
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo Power 261bhp @ 4750-6500rpm Torque 295lb ft @ 17504500rpm Weight 1445kg Power-to-weight 184bhp/ton 0-62mph 6.1sec Top speed 155mph Basic price £33,885
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cornering it’s keener. You can feel it using the rear axle to turn the car more and that gives it a greater sense of agility than the Golf.’ Even he admitted that the Cupra ‘looks totally forgettable’, however. In the end it’s probably honours even between the MQB Evo siblings, which is no doubt just how the VW group wants it. Which leaves Renault offering an intriguing but less polished alternative. This generation of Mégane has always felt frustratingly nearly but not quite there. An RS 300 with an LSD and a manual ’box might be the sweet spot we’ve been searching for, but such a thing doesn’t exist. Nonetheless the RS 300 is delightfully agile and always feels full of brio, so you leave it wanting more in both the good and bad sense. Ultimately the hot hatch seems like a simple formula; it has to be the great all-rounder. But I think this group shows that it has become trickier to achieve. Performance is not the problem because all the cars in this test are more than quick enough down a road. Grip and power see to that. But as the base cars get bigger and more cosseting, so it is getting, perhaps understandably, more difficult to make this category of hot hatch truly engaging and tactile. Thankfully the i30 N proves it can still be done and as a result I suspect there might be many more Hyundais visible through the coffee shop window in years to come. L
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo Power 296bhp @ 5000rpm Torque 295lb ft @ 2000-5200rpm Weight 1461kg Power-to-weight 206bhp/ton 0-62mph 5.6sec Top speed 155mph Basic price £37,925
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by RICHARD MEADEN & HENRY CATCHPOLE
Off-road rallying is motorsport at its most extreme, and the Prodrive Hunter and Bowler Defender are two different ways to travel absurdly quickly across the toughest terrain. We strap ourselves in…
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PRODRIVE HUNTER
HIS IS THE PRODRIVE HUNTER. Builttobattletherigoursofinternational rally raid events, it is arguably the final piece of the puzzle for one of the most successful and celebrated names in world motorsport. With decades of success at the highest levels of world rallying, touring cars, Le Mans and F1 (via David Richards’ management of the BAR Grand Prix team at the turn of the millennium), the Hunter has overall Dakar victory squarely in its sights. Driven by Sébastien Loeb and Dakar veteran Nani Roma, the Hunter and the BRX team (backed by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund) made their debut in this year’s event, and while it was not without incident (Loeb eventually retired), Roma secured 5th overall – the best-ever result for a new team and vehicle on its maiden Dakar. Now, in arguably its toughest test yet, the Hunter is being driven by a handful of motoring journalists… You really have to stand next to this machine to appreciate its scale. At 4.5m long, almost 2m high and weighing 1850kg dry, it dwarfs regular competition cars. Built around a bespoke tensile steel tubular structure, the front end cradles a 400bhp/500lb ft 3.5-litre Ford EcoBoost V6 engine. Behind the tight two-seat cockpit are mounted spare wheels and a colossal fuel tank that can hold up to 500 litres of petrol. Suspension is wishbones all-round, controlled by twin fully adjustable dampers at each corner. A six-speed sequential gearbox drives all four wheels through front, centre and rear differentials, with 16in wheels wrapped by regulation rubber for the T1 class in which the Hunter competes. It’s a slightly odd-looking thing. The carbonfibre body is designed by Ian Callum, so there are sculpted surfaces and clean detailing that give it a strangely familiar look (squint and it could be a super-sized Jaguar F-Pace from some angles), but there’s so much hardware beneath it that the body doesn’t quite look big enough. The plan is for us to ride alongside Roma, then drive it ourselves on a surprisingly long, fast and potentially unforgiving test loop that has been improvised out of the British Army’s Royal Tank Regiment facility at Bovington in Dorset. The Hunter is described, by Prodrive at least, as a driver-friendly machine. This might be true but, as we’re about to discover, all things are relative, for while it’s doubtless straightforward to operate, driving it as its makers intend is another kettle of fish entirely. At least if you’re dialled-in to driving on a mettled surface in a low-slung circuit racer. Roma is a true legend of Dakar. With 25 starts and two victories – one on a motorcycle in 2004, the other in a car in 2014 – few have more skill or experience than the 49-year-old Catalan driver. He’s a super-nice man, too; friendly, fun and brimming with the assured confidence of someone who is a master of their craft. The first thing that strikes you upon being invited to climb into the passenger seat is just how high off the ground the sill is. Not that I’ve ever ridden a horse, but it seems like trying to get on one without a mounting block. Once in, the next thing you notice is how cramped the cabin is. Imagine a Range Rover with the cockpit space of a Lotus Exige and you won’t be far off. Aboveandright:Meaden with the unmistakeable look of someone somewhat outside their comfort zone as he belts in for his passenger ride alongside Dakar legend Nani Roma. Hunter shell was designed by Ian Callum, late of Jaguar – you may just see a suggestion of F-Pace around the tail
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‘YOU R H E A D RAT T L E S AROUND LIKE A PEA IN A WHISTLE’
Le:Hunter is purpose-built for rally raid events like the Dakar; carbonfibre bodywork just about covers the beefy steel tubular frame and longtravel suspension
The next few laps are a real eye-opener. And, at certain points, an eye-closer. Not because it feels like Roma is going to throw us into the trees, but because the pace he’s able to carry across terrain that would eviscerate a WRC car is entirely at odds with what your brain tells you is possible. It really is a tremendous demonstration, both of the Hunter’s capabilities and Roma’s effortless skill. The way he can make the car pivot using left-foot braking is befuddling. When combined with the additional assistance of the deep ruts – which he uses like a Scalextric car uses the slot – it’s otherworldly. Every now and again the Hunter climbs out of the ruts and kicks loose, but even then it’s always driving forwards, Roma taking every opportunity to upshift and tap back into the EcoBoost’s rich reserves of torque. It feels pretty much unstoppable and makes a fabulous noise: a sharp blare that’s not dissimilar to Ford’s GT Le Mans class winner. The punishment is intense and relentless. Anything beyond the hold of your safety harness flaps and flails about unless you bury your feet into the bulkhead and keep your arms tight to by your sides. Meanwhile your torso is braced against the pummelling, core muscles engaged, breaths fast and shallow – or held until after the next foreseen impact. It’s hard to believe those endless, majestic desert stages you seefromDakarcoveragearethisrough,butwhenwecomplete therepeatloopandheadtowardsthepaddock,Romaconfirms some stages can be like this for hundreds of kilometres. Likewise, he says, the attacking pace at which we’ve tackled this makeshift stage is also representative of Dakar. The suspension is extraordinary, wheels punching up and down in the arches like a mogul skier’s knees, brutal potholes and ridges absorbed as though somehow disappeared in a sleight-of-hand magic trick. And yet the incessant pummelling isexhaustingasyourheadrattlesaroundlikeapeainawhistle and your eyes attempt to scan the road ahead. This is sensory overload in three dimensions. And now it’s my turn. As is the way with modern motorsport machinery, everything works brilliantly. The sequential transmission is a doddle to punch up and down, the brakes reassuringly powerful, the steering light enough to require modest effort while retaining a sense of connection. Trouble is, because there’s so much going on in terms of vertical body control, lateral body roll and ever-changing traction levels at either end of the car, if you wait to read what the Hunter is doing
before you commit with your inputs you’re always one or two steps behind the unfolding action. To be totally honest I feel pretty lost during my stint. Which is fine, actually, because it’s always good to be challenged. Much of the challenge lies in becoming comfortable with the lofty ride height and the momentum associated with what must be a good 2 tons with today’s fuel and other fluids. Throw in a loose and ever-changing surface, soft suspension and chunky off-road tyres and the feelings I’m getting from the car are entirely alien. What’s frustrating is the sense that the car is poised and waiting for you to give it some instructions. Indeed it’s all but screamingatyoutomakeyoursteeringinputsearly,getthecar lined-up, chase the throttle, get the differentials working and use the knee-deep ruts and hip-high berms to positive effect. When you do manage to drive the car into and through a corner or two with meaningful conviction, it’s a miraculous sensation. The traction, lateral and forward acceleration, suspension control and general poise somehow brings a kind of peace to the otherwise violent process of lobbing this huge machine across punishing terrain. And then I hesitate, effectively coasting into the next sequence of corners, and it feels like the rug has been pulled out from beneath us. In a welcome but somewhat unexpected way, this test has taughtmeasmuchormoreaboutDakaranditsdriversasithas about the car. Roma says you simply cannot attack the stages for seven or eight hours a day with a flat-out mindset. Rather you need to find what he describes as your tempus – the sweet spot at which you settle into the rhythm of the stage and its surface, flowing with it rather than fighting against it. Even on this test stage you can see him find this zone, and I’m not sure I’ve experienced a man and machine more in harmony. Such is the pace of development in rally raid that Prodrive has already designed and built an evolution of the Hunter for the new T1+ class: some 300mm wider, with 350mm of wheel travel comparedto280forthe T1,massive 37in tyres mounted on 17in rims versus the T1’s 32in tyres and 16in rims. Even better news is that Prodrive is building the rumoured road version of the Hunter. With more power (500+bhp), a moreluxuriousinteriorandIanCallumonceagainresponsible for the styling, the project is well advanced. Judging by the grin on David Richards’ face when discussing it, this desert hypercar will be one of the wildest road cars of 2022.
Prodrive Hunter
Engine V6, 3496cc, turbo Power 400bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 500lb ft @ 3100rpm Weight (dry) 1850kg Power-to-weight (dry) 220bhp/ton 0-62mph n/a Top speed 112mph
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BOWLER DEFENDER CHALLENGE
F YOU LIE AWAKE AT NIGHT IMAGINING a 200mph blur of Armco and trees in your peripheral vision as you hammer down towards the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight, if you doodle sports prototypes when you should be making notes in Zoom calls, then you probably know where you’d start. Something like a Radical would be the logical first stride down a path to Le Mans. Similarly, karting then Formula Ford are the well-worn initial step on the staircase to Formula 1. But what if you dream of dunes and day-long stints at the wheel in the Dakar? What if the BRX Hunter on the previous pages is your idea of the pinnacle of motorsport? Well, you probably want to start with something like the Defender Challenge. The sevenround, single-make championship takes in traditional rallies like the Trackrod as well as more extreme hill rallies. I took part in the Scottish Borders Hill Rally back in 2014 and I’ve honestly never laughed so much while also trying to be competitive. The combination of flat-out fire roads and technical sections that tested traction (and my nerves) to the limit during daylight and darkness felt like a real adventure. That was in the old Defender Challenge car, which was… interesting to drive. Closely based on a standard 2.2 turbodiesel Defender 90 it was, unsurprisingly, incredibly capable over the rough stuff. But speed could be scary and slides needed to be kept very neat otherwise you’d almost certainly end up in the mother of all tank-slappers before spinning and possibly even rolling. This new Defender Challenge car is rather different. As with the previous generation, it has been built by Bowler, famous for creating such rally raid icons as the Wildcat and Nemesis. Sadly the company’s founder, Drew Bowler, died in 2016 and I was a little worried that when Jaguar Land Rover bought Bowler in 2019 it would become a rather watered-down wing of the larger company. Thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case and there are some familiar faces at the launch of the new car, all of them keen to stress that Bowler is still very independent but now has valuable access to some of the test and development facilities of JLR. They’ve clearly put the facilities to good use too, because although at first glance the Challenge car looks very like a standard new Defender with some stickers and extra ride height (25mm if you’re interested), a huge amount has changed. Open the driver’s door and before you even get in you might notice that a 71mm portion has been taken off the bottom of the doors to allowthe 6mm aluminium underbodyprotection to wrap around the sills. There is also more bracing under the car, the front and rear subframes have been strengthened, the suspension turrets are braced, there are new mounts for the gearbox and engine and there is obviously a full FIA roll cage inside. Extra lights have been integrated front and rear, Bowler’s 18in wheels are 25 per cent stronger, there are bespoke Fox dampers, there is increased cooling capability and to crown it all there is the most impressive row of windscreen washer jets I have ever seen. When you tally up the weight savings from stripping out Right:Catchpole puts the new Defender Challenge car through its paces; stripped-out cabin still retains much of the standard 90, including, rather incongruously, its touchscreen. Adds buckets seats, harnesses and roll cage. Drivetrain is 296bhp four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and eight-speed auto
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BOWLER DEFENDER CHALLENGE
Below:rally revisions include upgraded suspension, beefed-up underbody and unique 18in wheels. Conversion isn’t cheap, but £99,500 starting price includes entry to all seven rounds of the 2022 Defender Challenge and event support
the original vehicle and then putting in a lot of additional metalwork, the end result is a car that weighs about the same as the standard road car. The 2-litre Ingenium petrol four-cylinder and the eight-speed auto both remain largely untouched, so there is 296bhp and 295lb ft of torque on offer. It’s not the most exhilarating of competition drivetrains, but it equates to a reasonably brisk 0-60mph time of around 6.7 seconds. Sitting up high but clamped in place by a bucket seat and harness is a strange feeling at first. In fact the whole ambience of the cabin is curious because it is stripped out and bare but also has quite a bit of the dash architecture still in place, including the large touchscreen. With the aircon on, it certainly feels like a much more comfortable and spacious place to spend time in than the old version. One of the changes you might not notice initially is that Bowler has moved the whole dash further into the cabin to both allow for the extra bracing behind and also place the gear selector more conveniently for the driver. Not that you need to use it once you’ve put the Defender in drive because there is a single WRC-style paddle behind the steering wheel that you can use to change gear – push away to go down a gear, pull it towards you to go up – or you can simply leave the ’box to shift itself, leaving you to concentrate on the terrain ahead. The latter is an option that will sound like heresy to some but I can imagine it would be very welcome for those with a lot to get used to in their first events. Thereiscertainlyagoodvarietyofterrainonthetesttrack that has been set out by Bowler: everything from tarmac to deep ruts and some jumps. You feel quite remote from the ground that you’re covering but the more time you spend behind the wheel the more you learn to trust the Defender and understand that you simply don’t need to feel a large amount of what is passing beneath you. You lean into the ruts and you can take huge liberties with a lot of the apexes. The jumps highlight just what a good job the dampers
are doing because the landings are as well controlled as a gymnast sitting down on a sofa. Even when the car takes a little bit of angle in the air at something approaching 70mph everything remains calmwhen the tyres come back to earth. Through a quick but blind left-hander on the tarmac, the Defender slides a little more with every lap, but as you load up the suspension you can feel that the support is there. It all stays remarkably flat, and even when the oversteer builds there is the speed in the steering and the response from the chassis to comfortably catch the resulting slide. Liberties can be taken and although you need to be patient at times and allow leeway for that weight and ride height, you can really chuck it around. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that the new Defender Challenge car is so good to drive. When I drove the standard 110 out in Africa last year, it was a willing accomplice pushing hard on the sand and gravel tracks. A regular 90 with this drivetrain costs from just over £50,000, so it’s no surprise that with all the work that’s gone into it you’ll need nearly twice that for this Bowler version. The price does also include entry to and event support on the Defender Challenge Championship, however, and I think this is a vehicle that could take you on adventures beyond that in the years after – maybe even ones that would see you lining up alongside the likes of the BRX. While the introductory cold, muddy service parks of England, Wales and Scotland might seem a world away from the hot, sandy bivouacs of the Dakar, from my experience they will still feel like a big old adventure for a first rung on the ladder. L
Bowler Defender Challenge
Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo Power 296bhp @ 5500rpm Torque 295lb ft @ 1500-4500rpm Weight c2200kg Power-to-weight 137bhp/ton 0-60mph 6.7sec Top speed 120mph (est) Basic price £99,500 (see text)
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NEW ARRIVAL
BMW M3 Competition
It’s been hailed as a return to form for the M division, but will it still impress when pressed into daily service? There’s only one way to find out…
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FEEL IMMENSELY DISLOYAL TO our recently departed Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (full endof-term report next month), but there’s no doubt that my pining at the loss of the Italian supersaloon has been diluted somewhat by the arrival of a new BMW M3. It’s here, it’s very green, it has those nostrils, and it means business. As a car it probably requires little in the way of an introduction. It’s nearly 200kg heavier than the last M3, has a torqueconverter gearbox too, and as for the exterior styling,well… there is no shortage of words on the internet about that already. When we pitched it against the Alfa (evo 287) the comparison between these two rear-wheel-drive, 503bhp sports saloons was endlessly fascinating.While ostensibly
similar on paper, in reality they couldn’t be more different in personality.We all agreed eventually that the BMW was the superior car, just as most felt the Alfa was the moral victor on account of its sheer zest and stonking engine.There was also consensus that in the longer run the BMW may well make a very convincing proposition, and that’s what we’re planning to confirm or refute over the next six months of running one on the evo long-term fleet. So, let’s talk about specifications.TWV is finished in the signature G80 colour of Isle of Man Green, with a Silverstone and Black Bicolour Full Merino leather interior (the latter adding £2000 to the basic price). From there we have the Visibility Pack (£1500 for laser lights), the Technology Plus Pack (a dubious way to spend £1750
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that gets you Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant Plus and a ‘Drive Recorder’), the M Carbon Pack (a colossal £6750 but, then again, it does bring the bucket seats and carbonfibre exterior styling details) and the £990 Comfort Pack (heated steering wheel, electric bootlid operation and keyless entry).A further £850 has gone on the bicolour black alloy wheels, and there are red brake calipers, which surprisingly are a nocost option.All in, that’s £11,840 of extras, taking the price of this car to £86,745. Yes, I know, it’s a colossal amount of money for an M3 – at least if you’re old enough to remember M3s as that elite but still vaguely aspirationally affordable sports saloon/coupe. But as we all know, it’s all about the monthly payment these days, and moreover, this isn’t an M3 in the sense that many of us picture the type to be. In truth, I can’t help but look at this car as ‘the real M5’, not
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‘Thesheerbreadth andqualityofits abilitiesarereallyquite somethingtobehold’ just in terms of sheer scale but also in character. Before we get into that, a word on the styling. That is to say, from henceforth I will try not to mention it – at all.To be honest, I quite like the underdog status it confers onto the car on account of all that criticism, and it’s certainly distinctive. However, what I would really like is some of the class and understatement of the E39 M5, or the sheer sporting flair and gorgeous curves of the E46 M3, but such taste seems an anathema in these current times, so flared nostrils
ahoy it is. It is certainly garnering plenty of attention in a way the previous M3 could only have dreamed of, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on your viewpoint. Overall, my initial feelings about the car, having now spent a little time with it, is that I love it. I have fallen head over heels with it because in spite of what the numbers on paper might have you believe, or the direction your preconceptions might lead you, the reality is that this is BMW M absolutely back on top form, and the sheer breadth and quality of the M3’s abilities are really quite something to behold. ‘Too heavy!’ I railed.‘A slusher gearbox – can you believe it!’ I moaned.And yet, solid of build and precisely constructed, it’s a superbly comfortable luxury saloon one moment, and then an absolute B-road demon the next. The driving position with those expensive buckets is like an early ’90s BTCC 318is (a thoroughly good
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AstonMartinDBX Customer service wins the day after our Aston develops a fault I
thing) and the predictability of the handling – and in particular the rear differential – inspires as much confidence as it brings enjoyment.The motor has oomph everywhere and still growls like only a straight-six can, but most of all, every element of the car seems to be perfectly in tune with the next. Reading that back I’m reminded of a lineage that has produced some of the finest and most famous M-cars ever, but which in recent years has been a victim of the burgeoning size and weight of cars in general.Yes, it’s the new – and real – BMW M5, and to drive it is to love it. Adam Towler (@AdamTowler)
Date acquired April 2021 Total mileage 4001 Mileage this month 701 Cost this month £0 mpg this month 21.1
T’S A WARNING LIGHT,JUST TURN THE my previous experiences with recovery firms car off and on again and it will go out. (the RAC taking ten hours to recover a 911 with Or not. Perhaps if you leave it overnight a puncture and leaving me 100 miles from home it will be extinguished by the morning. No? Turn aer dropping us both at a closed dealership) the passenger airbag off and on, see if that does and taking into account I wasn’t at the side of the trick? Nope. Nothing.Aer four days of man the road and therefore not in any danger, I think logic, I gave in and called Aston Martin Assistance that’s pretty good. to ask if they had any suggestions as to how to The fault had been diagnosed by 9am the turn off/ignore the DBX’s warning message that next day – the connection between the steering the driver’s airbag had a malfunction and I should wheel’s airbag and the control unit had failed, an consult the workshop. I’d even tried Matt Becker, issue that had recently been added to a service AM’s head of vehicle engineering, but he was out bulletin – but as it was now Friday and the parts of office tending to his garden… wouldn’t arrive until Saturday, the fitment would Thankfully Aston Martin’s assistance have to wait until Monday. By 10.30am on Monday programme was as efficient as you would expect the DBX was ready and repatriation was already in from a car company that charges as much as progress, the car returned under covered transport it does for its cars. During the first call, midat the requested 2pm the following day. aernoon on a Thursday, the key facts were taken A black mark for the failed bit, but a big tick for and I was asked if I’d like the car to go to a dealer how it was dealt with. Customer service is oen a closest to the office or my home (about 80 miles week point for car firms,with third-party agencies apart). I selected the latter and was told they’d taking on the role – Aston Martin enlists Allianz to call me back within 30 minutes. manage its assistance service – but rarely sharing Half an hour later JYD had been booked in with the same principles and objectives as their client. the dealer and its collection from the evo office Thankfully, that wasn’t the case in this instance. was arranged.Ten minutes later the local recovery Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917) firm called to say they were on their way but what time would I like them to arrive, which felt very customer-first and therefore totally unexpected. Date acquired April 2021 Total mileage From making that first call to the DBX leaving 7723 Mileage this month 1376 Cost this on a low loader took less than two hours. Given month £0 mpg this month 17.9 www.evo.co.uk
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NEW ARRIVAL
Mercedes-BenzC63AMGEstate Our recently acquired AMG is being brought up to scratch
T
HIS GENERATION OF C63 HAS LONG BEEN my dream car, and as you may have read in our ‘Living the Dream’ feature two issues ago, aer recently spotting a well-optioned 2010 estate for sale I finally took the plunge.A 480bhp rear-wheel-drive AMG will struggle to disappoint even the most seasoned drivers, but, with this technically being my very first car, it’s safe to say that I’m rather pleased with my purchase. Though later, facelied W204s were within my budget, the low odometer reading, tasteful spec and desirable Performance Pack Plus option drew me to this particular example. Equipped with uprated engine internals from the SLS for an extra 30bhp, plus larger brakes and an Alcantara and leather steering wheel, it’s easy to see why so many look for the PPP option. The condition of R55 AWP is excellent overall but, frustratingly, just two weeks into my ownership a low-speed collision with a deer resulted in some minor paint cracking on the front bumper (I think the deer got off even more lightly).Thankfully there was no damage to the bumper itself or any pricey
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AMG-specific components, so only paint work was needed.To ensure a consistent finish, I decided to get the whole bumper resprayed. The 19-inch diamond-cut wheels hadn’t responded well to years of the UK’s wet, salty roads – something you’ll oen find with wheels of this kind.Though admittedly minor, surface corrosion was present on a couple of the wheels, while light kerb damage inflicted by previous owners was also difficult to ignore. So while the car was in with G&W Bodyworks near Lincoln for the bumper repair, it seemed like the ideal time to have the wheels brought up to scratch too. Diamond-cut wheels are notoriously difficult to refinish, but nearby PB Powder Coatings did a stellar job skimming the surface and returning them to a perfect factory-fresh look. Aside from these small inconveniences, my first few months of C63 ownership have otherwise been flawless. Fuel consumption is just as you’d expect from a 6.2-litre V8, but as I’m fortunate enough to use this car only for pleasure I can (attempt to) keep spending in check. As is wise with a car with an engine such as
the mighty M156, I’ll soon be taking it for a full health check-up, in this case with an independent specialist. My car’s service history is as thorough as they get, but for complete peace of mind it’ll be good to know that everything is running exactly as it should be. I’m also hoping to rectify a small issue with the sound system.The included accessory cables should allow for the connection of a phone for music playback, but for some reason the port in the glovebox doesn’t seem to receive any signal. Hopefully it’ll be an easy fault to trace and any replacement parts will be small and affordable. And finally, the Goodyear Eagle F1s currently fitted have received some expedited wear, meaning some new rubber, mostly likely of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S variety, will soon be on the shopping list. So the purchase process is over and done with, and some initial tidying jobs have been carried out or are in hand. Now we’ll find out over the coming months if C63 running costs are as astronomical as everyone would have me believe… Sam Jenkins (@evosamj)
Date acquired May 2021 Total mileage 46,111 Mileage this month 981 Cost this month c£600 mpg this month 16.0
FAST FLEET
AudiRSe-tronGT Is the e-tron’s interior fit for a £110k electric flagship?
H
AVING SPENT A NOT INSIGNIFICANT amount of time inside our RS e-tron GT since it arrived a few months ago, I can’t help but notice a strange lack of synergy between its interior and its price point.Almost all of the interior in our top-spec model is wrapped in some form of super-smooth nappa leather, including the seats, the dash and the doors, while the Alcantara used for the roof lining and on the pillars does its own bit to up the ambience.Yet look beyond these plush materials and this does not feel like the interior of a flagship Audi. There are a few reasons for this, but the most conspicuous is the interfaces. It’ll come as no surprise to see that the e-tron GT shares some of its cabin components with other Audi models, but you’d hope one of those models wasn’t a garden variety (and staggeringly mediocre) A3, right? Yet the e-tron’s laggy touchscreen is the same unit you’ll find in the very lowliest of Audi models, and the same goes for the row of secondary control
switches and even the volume roundel. Many people have welcomed the return of physical airconditioning controls, as would I usually, but they’re from an A3 too… Take a good look at the e-tron’s dashboard and the likely reason for the fitment of these parts becomes clear: the high-spec interface from Audi’s other larger models would not fit into this electric car’s dash layout, not least because of the placement of the central air vents. So why not just move them? Because that’s where they also sit in the Porsche Taycan,with which the e-tron GT shares much of its architecture, and if changing the layout for the vents and who knows how many other behind-the-scenes components would cost Audi a small fortune, then the argument for substituting some alternative kit from the Audi parts bin would no doubt carry some serious weight. But the problem still remains that those parts just doesn’t feel good enough for a car that’s this expensive (£111,900 basic, £134,290 as tested here). We’d imagine more than a few raised eyebrows from prior Tesla owners when they prod that tiny touchscreen for the first time. Beyond this, the interior design itself doesn’t move me either.The entire aesthetic feels underdeveloped, like it’s the realisation of an early ideation sketch that should have been le on the
floor of the design studio but was picked up and put into production by mistake.The volumes feel incongruous, there’s a lack of cohesion to the intersecting surfaces, and while having so much sculpture to the dash and top of the door cards is impressive from a technical perspective, it sits on a flawed aesthetic foundation. I’m sure many of you will moan that ‘design is subjective’, but I’d argue that it’s not. Design is objectively good or bad – whether you like the bad design is the subjective part. It pains me to see such an important car for Audi be apparently cobbled together, especially given the brand’s recent back catalogue is full of not just good but brilliant cabins: from the D3 A8’s reimagining of the luxury interior for the 21st century, via the B6 A4 democratising the sort of build quality previously reserved for six-figure models, to the current TT, which has one of the most intelligently designed and superbly detailed cabins at any price. Sadly, the RS e-tron GT falls considerable short by comparison. Jordan Katsianis (@JordanKatsianis)
Date acquired June 2021 Total mileage 5965 Mileage this month 1023 Costs this month £0 mi/kWh this month 2.8
www.evo.co.uk
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END OF TERM
CupraFormentor310 The sun has set on our time with the bold Cupra crossover. How do we feel about it now it’s gone? T
HE CUPRA FORMENTOR WASN’T THE first crossover or SUV that I’ve run. My Fast Fleet history also includes an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which was one of my favourite long-termers to date, and Nissan’s Juke Nismo RS, which was one of my least favourite. So now that its time with evo is over, where did the Formentor settle on this spectrum? It certainly made a strong first impression, with a striking design that combined chiselled lines with a long bonnet for a look that was far less dumpy than that of your average crossover. Further emphasising the Formentor’s sporting aspirations was a purposeful rear diffuser with a pair of exhaust pipes on each side, plus 19-inch alloys with a matt black and silver machined finish. The result was a crossover with real presence. Even evo’s notoriously difficult-to-please design critic,Jordan Katsianis, was impressed, calling it ‘dynamic, distinctive and attractive’. The eye-catching styling didn’t end with the
exterior either.The interior benefited from Petrol Blue nappa leather with copper-coloured stitching and numerous copper-hued highlights on the dash, all of which made for a refreshingly upliing driving environment compared with the drab black-on-black cabins of so many other cars. Providing performance to match the looks was the 2-litre four-cylinder TSI engine also found in the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3, producing 306bhp and a 295lb of torque.With the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Haldex-style all-wheel-drive system, 0-62mph was dusted off in a claimed 4.9sec,while top speed was limited to 155mph.And the Formentor 310 lived up to the stats, feeling every bit as quick as a top-of-the-range Cupra should. The ride was perhaps stiffer than you might expect from a car of this kind, particularly if you selected the preconfigured Sport or Cupra modes, but you could always switch to Individual and fine-tune the damping to suit your taste. I actually
‘TheFormentor310 felteverybitasquick asatop-of-the-range Cuprashould’ didn’t mind the firmer settings, though, as the ride was never harsh enough to cause unwanted steering intrusion, even on a bumpy B-road, and it partnered well with the driver-focused feeling the Formentor had in other areas.There were the sports seats that held you nicely in place when cornering, the digital instruments that could be configured to put a big rev-counter front and centre, and the perfectly sized steering wheel that had a large Cupra button on it for quick switching between drive modes. The infotainment system,with its 12-inch
FAST FLEET
touchscreen, satnav,Apple CarPlay and wireless phone charging, should have been the icing on the cake, but instead it was the pooper at the party. On several occasions the screen went blank, refusing to come back to life unless you restarted the car,which meant you had to stop driving. However, Cupra admitted there have been some soware issues and performed a soware update that appeared to provide a cure. That was the only reliability issue we encountered, though, and fuel aside, the running costs for our six months amounted to zero. Filling the tank typically cost just over £60, which gave around 300 miles of range at our normal average of around 30mpg. Everyone who got behind the wheel of our Cupra was pleasantly surprised by its ability to cover ground, but there was usually a caveat. Ian Eveleigh was a case in point, saying that while he admired the Formentor, he’d still opt
for a hot hatch for its lighter weight, lower centre of gravity and extra agility.And if I’m honest, I feel the same. Ultimately, I still struggle to see the appeal of a performance crossover. If you want a quick car with space for four adults and a decent amount of luggage, buy a hot hatch; if you want the same but have a genuine need to go off-road, get a fast SUV. To my mind, crossovers seem to offer you less of what either of those other options is best at. But if you can see whatever it is I’m missing, you should definitely put a Formentor on your shortlist. Aston Parrott (@AstonParrott)
Date acquired January 2021 Duration of test 6 months Total test mileage 9557 Overall mpg 29.8 Costs £0 Purchase price £40,385 Value today £37,135
Vauxhall InsigniaGSi
The GSi continues to deliver in its own understated way
N
OTHING EXCEPTIONAL TO REPORT this month, other than that the big Vauxhall continues to perform its daily duties with quiet aplomb.The powertrain is disappointingly insipid, but I still enjoy threading the Insignia along a decent road because the bit within the engineers’ control – that’s to say the chassis – has been done very well indeed. On a long day trip to the south coast I was also impressed by the Insignia’s ability to effortlessly chomp through a combined seven hours of driving. I also liked the simplicity and clarity of the infotainment system. I only mention these otherwise dull basics of modern motoring because comfortable seats and intuitive tech are pretty much a given in mainstream cars, yet are by no means a certainty in more specialised high performance kit.Why is that? In other news I rediscovered the GSi’s head-up display. I must have nudged the adjustment switch so that the HUD dropped below my sight line. Like the switchable all-wheel-drive system it’s not something I’d expect to find in a large saloon car.To be honest it’s not something I even thought I wanted in a big saloon car, but now I’ve found it I rather like it. Especially being able to monitor my speed without consciously looking at the speedo – handy in those infuriating 50mph average speed roadworks sections of motorways. Life with the GSi is a million miles from the rock ‘n’ roll dream of evo’s old Aventador SVJ longtermer, of course, but sometimes Fast Fleet is about spending time with an outlier. I’m not sure the Insignia exists on many wish-lists, but it is serving me well. Richard Meaden (@DickieMeaden)
Date acquired April 2021 Total mileage 3815 Mileage this month 710 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 28.8 www.evo.co.uk
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NEW ARRIVAL
SkodaOctaviavRS
A Fast Fleet favourite returns to the ranks in its latest, 245bhp guise
S
AY HELLO TO THE LATEST IN A LONG LINE of Skoda Octavias to earn their place on the evo Fast Fleet.This is in fact the sixth we’ve run over the years, and is the most powerful yet, coming with the 242bhp 2-litre engine that was once optional and is now standard for petrol vRSs. There’s still a diesel vRS (with 197bhp), should you want such a thing, and these days there’s a hybrid too, the vRS iV, which pairs a 1.4-litre engine with an electric motor for a combined 242bhp and an extra 200kg to lug around. But, this being evo, we’ve plumped for the most performance-biased variant of the trio, which is also the only one available with a manual gearbox. Yes, you read that right: while the Skoda’s Volkswagen and Cupra relatives have become DSGonly, with the vRS you still get to choose between a six-speed manual ‘box or the seven-speed DSG. I’m sure you can guess which we’ve opted for, and I have to say it’s a real treat being back in a car with a stick and a third pedal. One option I’m less keen on is our car’s Moon White Metallic paint. It’s not that it doesn’t suit the vRS, rather that it undersells it.There are five other no-cost colours to choose from, and they include
Race Blue Metallic and Hyper Green, either of which would be more fitting to my mind.Then again, perhaps you’d rather your vRS was understated. Or maybe you want to play tricks on friends and colleagues by popping up behind them on the motorway then watching them pull into the slower lane because they think an unmarked police car has just locked onto them. vRS-specific kit on the Octavia includes 19-inch Altair anthracite alloy wheels, sports suspension that is 15mm lower, upgraded brakes with red callipers, more aggressive-looking bumpers, black window surrounds, a lip spoiler on the tailgate and chrome exhaust tips. I’ve been a fan of the estate versions of the vRS since I ran one back in 2016, as they offer a combination of space, pace and price
‘It’sarealtreatbeing backinacarwith agearleveranda thirdpedal’
that is pretty much unrivalled, but I rather like the sharp looks of this latest hatchback, which might be worth trading a little practicality for.That said, the boot is still massive and the back seats are just as comfortable as the fronts. And talking of the interior, it doesn’t disappoint, looking every bit as good as those of some recent Volkswagens that I’ve been in, if not better.There are supportive sports seats and a leather sport steering wheel, while a 10-inch touchscreen controls the heating and entertainment, though Skoda has wisely le some analogue buttons to aid usability. Our car has a few extras too, including blind spot detection (£510), a winter pack (£485 for a heated steering wheel, windscreen and washer nozzles) and wireless charging (£335), taking the car’s basic price of £30,620 up to £32,775. I’m very much looking forward to spending time in our Octavia over the coming months and finding out how it raises the game above earlier versions I’ve driven. If there’s anything you’d like to know about this latest vRS, drop us a line at fastfleet@evo.co.uk and we’ll endeavour to answer your questions. Aston Parrott (@AstonParrott)
Date acquired July 2021 Total mileage 1401 Mileage this month 601 Cost this month £0 mpg this month 32.1
FAST FLEET
FordFocusSTEstate
Bovingdon takes a turn in the ST and finds highs and lows alike
I
’VE BEEN LIVING WITH OUR FOCUS ST Estate for a month or so now and here’s my conclusion: what a car! I mean that in the purest possible sense. This thing is fantastic at what a mid-sized estate car should be fantastic at: carrying people and stuff. So oen we moan about crossovers and sing the praises of hatchbacks or smaller estate cars, but so oen my heart sinks when I borrow one back-to-back with an SUV-shaped thing and realise that, practically speaking, the high-riding, heavy, ‘pointless’ option is more practical in nearly every conceivable way. Not so this time. The Focus has tons of rear space, a huge boot and just feels brilliantly equipped to deal with the real world. With this in mind, I also want to tell you it’s a dazzling dynamic success. However, the fact that in the Focus’s last report Ian Eveleigh was reduced to writing about the B&O sound system speaks, um, volumes about the ST as not just a ‘car’ but a ‘drivers’ car’. It’s okay. Pretty decent. The ST is quick, has a very responsive front end and uses an electronically managed limited-slip differential to keep wheelspin in check. But despite strong promise, the ST never elevates itself from
competent to genuinely exciting, and the harder you go, the less convincing it becomes. Things get off to a good start. The 2.3-litre engine feels as punchy as you’d expect given its 310lb output, the steering is extremely alert but keeps things on just the right side of edgy, and the ride, although a little on the tough side, hints at tight body control. Overall there’s a sense of purpose about the ST. The downside of this is the pretty boomy exhaust – perhaps it’s exaggerated by the cavernous boot/echo chamber? – and, at times, a refusal to really settle down into a relaxed, composed flow. But praise be the six-speed ‘box! It’s not the greatest action ever, but it’s there. That’s enough for me. So, you feel encouraged. The ST is up for it. Only… when push comes to shove, it isn’t. All that torque really gives the front wheels a workout and whilst the ST resists scrappy inside wheelspin very well, the front end sends mixed messages. On the one hand it bites really hard into turns and requires very little lock, but on the other is hunts and sniffs around under power. The combination of very fast steering and the evident torque corruption is that the ST feels busy and on edge. There’s plenty of grip
but it doesn’t convey huge confidence. I think the best way to describe it is that the front end feels fragile and that the composure could shatter at any time. The engine – so strong low down – also gets a bit flat and reluctant as the revs rise. Perhaps the ST disappoints only because it feels initially like it’s going to be right on the money. Certainly, there’s a sense that it flatters to deceive. I guess playing the ‘warm’ rather than full-blown-boiling hot hatch is a tricky balance. More aggression in the chassis and drivetrain creates compromises at low speed, but not fully embracing the performance brief means you inevitably can’t reach the heights of, say, a Civic Type R. More than anything, the ST shows just how cleverly VW has walked the line with the GTI in the past. Oh god. This sounds negative, doesn’t it? I do like the ST and I love its utility. Great stereo too, eh, Ev? It ticks so many boxes for a useable, practical, efficient and pretty cool-looking family car… I just want the dynamism turned up a couple of notches. I know you’re all crying ‘wait for the RS!’ But the ST already costs Type R money. We shouldn’t have to wait. Jethro Bovingdon (@JethroBovingdon)
Date acquired February 2021 Total mileage 5240 Mileage this month 1694 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 31.3 www.evo.co.uk
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NEW ARRIVAL
VolkswagenArteonShootingBrake The sleek estate joins the evo fleet for some stylish load-lugging duties
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HOOTING BRAKE: ‘A CAR BODY STYLE which originated in the 1890s as a horsedrawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game.’ So said Wikipedia when I looked it up, but to the rest of us it just means a fancy estate car.And whilst I have no plans to ferry about shooting parties or indeed game, the timing of the Arteon’s arrival at evo Towers couldn’t have been better, arriving as it did just at that time of year when the schools break up and multiple holiday miles are mandatory. I’ll be honest, unlike many of my colleagues I’ve never been a huge fan of estate shapes (unless it’s the Ghostbusters hearse), but this one looks particularly handsome from all angles. In bright sunshine the Kings Red Metallic paint (£795) really pops, while the R-Line styling touches (19-inch wheels, tinted rear glass) and the slim, frameless side windows further enhance the body shape. Literally on its first fuel stop I was approached and complimented on the car’s looks by a beaming off-duty prison guard. The cabin is equally pleasing, with features such as a panoramic sunroof and 30-colour ambient lighting (both part of the R-line spec), plus extras
on our car that include seats with ‘Carbon/Nappa’ upholstery (£1560) and massage and memory functions (£1190).The dash is similar to that of the most recent Golf R, but thankfully the infotainment system is easier to navigate and is joined here by an impressive Harman/Kardon sound system upgrade (£1255).There’s also Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, meaning Google Maps and Spotify can override the standard VW functions (hoorah!). Meanwhile, the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel give off classy vibes, the digital cockpit is nicely designed and – oh look! – there’s a head-up display to fulful all of my Top Gun fantasies. In short, it’s loaded with an embarrassment of
Date acquired July 2021 Total mileage 5670 Mileage this month 1400 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 36.3
‘Myneighbour annoyinglyreferstoit asa“poshPassat”’ 138 www.evo.co.uk
riches both inside and out, and so it should be, because with all of its extras this car comes in at a whopping £48,240 against the basic price of £39,550.That’s quite a lot of money for what my neighbour annoyingly refers to as a ‘posh Passat’. And this Arteon is an R-Line, not an R, which means its 2-litre four-cylinder engine has 187bhp and drives only the front wheels through its seven-speed DSG ’box.The result is 0-62mph in 7.8sec, which can feel a bit sluggish away from the traffic lights compared with most other cars on our fleet – not least our new Skoda Octavia vRS (see page 136), which cost £15k less, has 55bhp more, isn’t exactly short on space inside as a hatchback and is also available as an estate. But not as a shooting brake.You undoubtedly pay extra for the the Arteon’s style and more luxurious feel.We’ll find out if it’s worth it over the next few months, but in the meantime the big VW is already making a good first impression, covering ground suprisingly quickly once it’s up and running and proving more fun that you might expect on a twisting road.And I’m sure eating up big miles will be a particular forté. Speaking of which, it’s time to pack for the first of this year’s holidays, and for once I’m looking forward to the long drive. Richard Browne (@washlander)
FAST FLEET ‘Inaivelyassumedthat fittingtheunitwould beasimplecaseof plugandplay…’
Porsche911Carrera(996.2)
The classic 911 gets an infotainment upgrade of the official kind
M
Y 996 AND I MOVED,WITH SLIGHT trepidation, into the 21st century recently. No,we didn’t instantly acquire 100bhp and 100kg: we got connected in a digital sense. Whilst I hadn’t exactly been losing sleep over the 996’s lack of smartphone connectivity, the fact remains that I can’t even remember where I stored the majority of my CD collection in this streaming age. Essentially, the musical possibilities from the original Becker-made head unit and CD multichanger (remember them?) were extremely limited, and the idea of being able to receive a call safely on the move was quite appealing. A number of 996 and 997-owning friends have installed aermarket set-ups, both single and double DIN, and I was contemplating doing the same when Porsche Classic announced its latest ‘classic’ infotainment system (PCCM in Porsche-speak, for
Porsche Classic Communication Management), this time aimed at 996-era cars.At £1390.01 it’s significantly more expensive than many of the other options available, but then it has the kudos of being an official Porsche piece of equipment, so I decided to bite the bullet. Porsche Centre Reading undertook the work, which in itself was something of a shock.Alongside rows of 992s, Boxsters and Taycans, I felt a small surge of pride from seeing the 996 hold its own amongst the newer metal, particularly under the arc lights of the forecourt. I had naively assumed that fitting the unit would be a simple case of plug and play, but oh no, there was plenty of dismantling to be done, and the car was with them for a couple of days. In particular, in the 996 the fitment of a double-DIN unit means there’s no room for the HVAC unit in the main centre
stack, and so it has to be repositioned at the bottom, below the oddments tray, as would have been the case in cars fitted with the original PCM from the factory.The oddments tray is actually a slightly different part if so configured, and so this had to be ordered specially.Then there was the antenna to fit, and the microphone, which sits on the steering-wheel boss. I can’t fault the standard of the work, or the customer service. Downsides? Well, I’m not completely convinced that placing the input sockets in the tray was a good decision on my part.The alternative offered – inside the glovebox – would have been much neater.Then again, that would either have meant constantly crimping a wire running out of said glovebox to my phone, or placing the phone inside the glovebox, in which case I’d inevitably forget it when I walked off. I figured it would be less of a faff if the sockets were readily accessible. The other issue is that by moving the HVAC controls to the bottom of the stack, it’s now impossible to do the ‘GT3 console delete’ that I had planned for my car.As well as being a cool nod to air-cooled variants, it would also remove the slightly odd pad you get on a 996 that juts into your le leg. The pedals are further away on a 997 and the stack is different, so it’s not an issue in those. I’ll wait a month or two longer before writing too much now about how the system actually works, because I confess, Covid has rather curtailed the sort of trips where satnav might be a real bonus. Nevertheless, first impressions are that it’s rather like a simplified fourth-gen PCM (the previous Porsche mainstream system): not quite as fancy, but with the same familiar, easy functionality. It all works beautifully, without the weird random icons and micro-fonts so beloved of certain Japanese aermarket systems. Sadly, it’s also proved that as my car didn’t have the original Bose option and accompanying amp from new, what my set-up can actually deliver through the speakers regardless of the head unit is pretty feeble. Still, it’s hard to hear anything at all now over the flat-six’s growl with my Kline exhaust, so that isn’t a significant problem… Adam Towler (@AdamTowler)
Date acquired May 2016 Total mileage 86,245 Mileage this month 183 Cost this month £1390 mpg this month 26.9 www.evo.co.uk
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Showroom Marketplace
Avon Tuning - Powered by Precision
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140 www.evo.co.uk
The dedicated team are on hand to help with any queries or quotations so get in touch via social media channels, phone using 01454 800117 or email directly using info@avontuning.co.uk.
Showroom Marketplace Perfect fit indoor car covers, available in Red, Blue and Black only £99.
Full info and shop www.richbrook.co.uk or call 01328 862387 Tailored ‘4 layer’ StormGuard TM Outdoor Car Covers From £149
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2019
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145
TheKnowledge RATINGS
3 = Thrill-free zone 33 = Tepid 333 = Interesting 3333 = Seriously good 33333 = A truly great car = new entry this month. Cars in italics are no longer on sale. Issue no. is for our most recent major test of the car (D = Driven,T = Driven Too, I = Ignition, F = feature). Call 0330 333 9491 for back issues. Engine shows details of the car’s combustion engine, or for BEVs the total output in kW of the car’s elecric motors. Weight is as quoted by the manufacturer for the car in basic spec, e.g. with a manual gearbox. In most cases this is to DIN standards (i.e.with fluids but without a driver), but where the manufacturer only quotes a ‘dry’ weight (i.e.without fluids) this is indicated by *. Note that a dry weight will make the car’s power-to-weight ratio (bhp/ton) appear more favourable. 0-62mph (claimed) is the manufacturer’s 0-62 figure, with a manual gearbox where offered. Our 0-60mph (tested) and 0-100mph (tested) figures could be with either a manual or automatic gearbox/DCT.
SUPERMINIS/HOTHATCHES
OUR CHOICE
BEST OF THE REST
Honda Civic Type R. Building on the promise shown by the short-lived FK2 version, the FK8 Type R is a more rounded proposition – and is all the better for it. It’s outrageously fast on every kind of road, edges ahead of its rivals on track, offers oodles of interaction and is practical to boot.
THGIEW
178/5500 178/5500 187/5500 247/6200 197/6000 228/6000 253/6000 306/5450 394/5850 296/5500 362/5500 261/4750 302/5000 302/5000 321/5800 154/6000 204/6000 85/6400 242 296/5300 205/6000 99/6000 138/6000 197/6000 197/6000 197/5700 212/6000 118/6000 148/6000 276/5500 247/5500 222/6000 345/6000 345/6000 300/6500 345/6000 212/5500 224/6250 123/6300 153/7000 316/6500 316/6500 306/6500 198/7800 237/8300 197/7400 182/8200 201/5500 247/6000 276/6000 271/6000 201/6000 201/6000 201/6000 212/5750
184/3000 184/3000 184/3000 221/4800 236/1500 273/1600 258/2500 295/2000 354/1700 280/1800 343/1625 295/1750 332/1750 332/1750 332/1300 177/1400 203/2000 86/4000 295 295/2000 221/3000 97/4250 133/1500 214/1600 214/1600 214/2500 236/2500 112/4050 140/4500 310/3000 265/2000 236/1600 347/2000 347/2000 324/2300 339/2500 229/3500 224/3500 116/4500 119/4500 295/2500 295/2500 295/2500 142/5600 157/6250 145/5900 118/7500 203/1750 279/1750 289/1950 279/1750 195/1500 195/1500 195/1500 232/2500
1035kg 1044kg 997kg* 1360kg 1260kg 1315kg 1420kg 1500kg 1510kg 1395kg 1520kg 1445kg 1525kg 1570kg 1430kg 1240kg 1240kg 722kg 1596kg 1415kg 1175kg 975kg 1144kg 1187kg 1187kg 1088kg 1088kg 1045kg 1137kg 1433kg 1362kg 1392kg 1547kg 1547kg 1467kg 1467kg 1278kg 1275kg 1041kg 1174kg 1380kg 1333kg 1378kg 1267kg 1233kg 1204kg 1040kg 1190kg 1400kg 1419kg 1441kg 1386kg 1438kg 1359kg 1340kg
146 www.evo.co.uk
175 173 191 185 159 176 181 207 265 216 242 184 201 195 228 126 167 120 154 213 177 103 123 169 169 184 198 115 132 196 184 162 227 227 208 239 169 179 120 132 233 241 226 158 195 166 178 172 179 198 191 147 142 143 161
6.7 6.7 5.9 6.3 6.5 5.8 5.7 4.8 4.1 5.2 4.3 6.1 4.8 4.8 5.1 7.3 6.5 9.2 6.7 5.7 6.5 9.5 9.0 6.5 6.5 6.9 6.7 9.9 7.9 5.7 6.5 6.8 4.7 4.7 5.9 5.6 6.7 6.2 9.2 7.9 5.8 5.8 5.7 6.6 5.9 6.8 6.8 6.7 6.4 5.9 6.1 7.2 7.2 7.3 5.7
HPM XAM
MPR /T F BL
4/1368 4/1368 4/1369 6/3179 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 5/2480 4/1984 5/2480 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 6/2979 4/1598 4/1598 4/1360 4/1395 4/1984 4/1598 4/1368 3/998 3/1497 3/1497 4/1596 4/1596 4/1596 4/1999 4/2261 4/1999 5/2522 4/2261 4/2261 5/2522 5/2522 4/1998 4/1993 4/1679 4/1679 4/1996 4/1996 4/1996 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1595 4/1591 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1591 4/1591 4/1591 4/1995
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
MPR /PHB
£21,985 £25,295 ’14-’18 ’03-’06 £24,470 ’14-’18 ’13 £38,475 £46,285 ’13-’20 ’15-’16 £33,885 £36,430 £37,595 ’12-’15 ’10-’15 ’11-’12 ’87-’92 £34,495 £35,575 ’16-’18 ’06-’11 £18,440 £21,655 £28,770 ’13-’17 ’16 ’08-’13 ’05-’08 £31,995 ’15-’18 ’05-’10 ’15-’18 ’18 ’09-’11 ’10-’11 ’02-’03 ’92-’96 ’97-’02 ’00-’01 £34,415 £39,995 ’15-’17 ’07-’11 ’09-’11 ’01-’05 ’97-’00 £24,995 £25,995 £33,745 £29,995 £25,850 £28,135 ’13-’18 ’93-’94
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE
256T 264D 205 F 187F 256D 246F 264F 279D 256F 188F 221F 283F 271F 274D 212F 142F 153D 195F 280D 287F 222D 273F 251F 259F 289F 207F 253F 123D 075D 267F 207F 119F 246F 246D 195F 256F 207F 271F 095F 262F 288F 281D 227F 102F 248F 287F 210F 289F ’19-’20 289D 269F 267F 259D 217D 271F
N OT /PHB
ECIRP
Abarth595Competizione Abarth595Esseesse Abarth 695 Biposto AlfaRomeo147GTA AudiA140TFSI AudiS1 AudiA1quattro AudiS3Sportback AudiRS3Sportback AudiS3 AudiRS3Sportback BMW128ti BMWM135ixDrive BMWM235ixDriveGranCoupé BMWM135i CitroënDS31.6THP CitroënDS3Racing CitroënAXGT CupraLeone-Hybrid CupraLeon300 DS3Performance FiatPanda100HP FordFiestaST-Line140 FordFiestaST FordFiestaSTEdition/PerformanceEdition FordFiestaST FordFiestaST200 FordFiestaZetecS FordFiestaST FordFocusST(Mk4) FordFocusST(Mk3) FordFocusST(Mk2) FordFocusRS(Mk3) FordFocusRSEdition(Mk3) FordFocusRS(Mk2) FordFocusRS500(Mk2) FordFocusRS(Mk1) FordEscortRSCosworth FordPuma1.7 FordRacingPuma HondaCivicTypeR(FK8) HondaCivicTypeRLimitedEdition(FK8) HondaCivicTypeR(FK2) HondaCivicTypeR(FN2) HondaCivicTypeRMugen(FN2) HondaCivicTypeR(EP3) HondaCivicTypeR(EK9) Hyundaii20N Hyundaii30N Hyundaii30N Hyundaii30FastbackNPerformance KiaCeedGT KiaProCeedGT KiaProceedGT LanciaDeltaHFIntegraleEvoluzioneII
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
.O N E U S S I
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
MAKE & MODEL
TheToyotaGRYaris(left)isjustthekindofperformancecarwe’vebeenprayingwouldget made,whiletheHyundaii20NandFordFiestaSToffermoreaffordablesuperminifun. TheRenaultMéganeRShasastrongB-roadgame,especiallywiththenon-Cupchassis, andtheHyundaii30Nisanintriguingandimpressivealternativetotheusualsuspects.
6.0 5.4 3.6 5.2 9.2 7.4 6.7 4.9 5.9 5.6 5.9 8.6 7.8 5.9 5.4 6.8 6.8 -
15.5 12.5 26.4 18.4 16.8 12.6 14.2 12.7 14.9 27.6 23.2 12.6 12.4 17.5 16.9 -
140 140 143 153 155 155 152 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 133 146 110 140 155 143 115 125 144 144 137 143 120 129 155 154 150 166 166 163 165 143 137 122 137 168 168 167 146 155 146 135 143 155 155 155 143 140 150 137
RATING
+Spiritedengine;stilllooksgreat-Favoursfunoverfinesse +Abundleoffunifyou’reinthemoodforit-Dynamicallydated;expensive +EngineeredlikeatrueAbarthproduct-Expensiveforacitycar +Mk1FocusRSpacewithoutthehistrionics-Slightlynose-heavy +Capable-It’snoS1replacement +Compliantandengagingchassis;quick,too-Looksdullwithoutoptions +Polished253bhpall-wheel-driveA1-Just19cametotheUK,withaPorscheCaymanprice +Lessone-dimensionalthanitspredecessor-Breakslittlenewground +Hugelyquickpoint-to-point-Sometimesspeedisn’tthebe-allandend-all +Lotsofgripandoneofthebest-soundingfour-potturbos-Stillalittletooclinical +Addictivefive-cylindernoise;monsterpace-Chassisnotexactlyplayful +MoreexcitingandrewardingthanaMk8GolfGTI-Amanualgearboxwouldbewelcome +Strongperformance,monster4WDtraction-Enginelackscharacter +Quick,withanablechassisandqualitycabin-Justnotthatexciting +Powertrain,noise,chassis-M235ilooksnicer,andhasanLSDoption +AproperFrenchhothatch-Petrolheadsmightfindittoo‘designed’ +Afaster,feistierDS3-Notashardcoreasits‘Racing’tagsuggests +Makesterrificuseof85bhp-Feelslikeit’s madefrompaper +Steersandhandlesneatly;tax-friendly-Can’tdecideifit’s ahothatchoraPriusrival +Greatchassis,crispsteering,strongperformance-Strugglesinthewet;nomanualoption +Alltherightingredients-Undercooked +Aboutasfunassmallcarsget-OptionalESPcan’tbeturnedoff +Qualitychassismakesforabornentertainer-Tallgearinganddullenginecanspoilthefun +Highlytalented,withrealdepthtoitscharacter-Cangetwrong-footedonbadtarmac +AllthegoodthingsabouttheregularFiestaST,butwithaddedcomposure-Howmuch?! +Chassis,price,punchyperformance-HaveyouheardofMountune? +Massivefun-Theyonlymade400 +Genuinelyentertainingsupermini-RenaultSportTwingoandSuzukiSwiftareevenmorefun +Greatlooks,decentbrakes-Disappointingchassis,gutlessengine +Areturntoform-Lacksthepoiseandprecisionoftheverybest +Excellentengine-Scrappywhenpushed +Value,performance,integrity-Bigenginecompromiseshandling +Torque-vectoring4WDbringsnewsensationstohothatchsector-Needstobedrivenhard +Frontlimited-slipdifferentialbringsmoreprecisehandling-Priceyandstillheavy +Hugeperformance,highlycapableFWDchassis-Bodycontrolisoccasionallyclumsy +MorepowerandpresencethanregularMk2RS-Pricey +Somearegreat - Someareawful(somakesureyoudriveplenty) +TheultimateEssexhothatch - Unmodifiedonesarerare,andpricey +Revvyengine,sparklingchassis,bargainusedprices - Rustyreararches +Anaffordableexotic - Corrodingreararches +Wildlyexciting,withimprovedrefinement-Looksremainchallengingforsome +Terrificallycapable,blisteringlyquick,stillpractical-Only20arecomingtotheUK +Greatonsmoothroads-Canbepunishingonless-than-smoothroads +Looksgreat,VTECmoreaccessible-Steeringlacksfeel,inertbalance +Fantasticonroadandtrack-Only20weremade,andthey’reatadpricey… +Potentandgreatvalue-Duffsteering +SublimeearlyincarnationoftheTypeRrecipe-Goodonesarethinontheground +AseriousthreattotheFiestaST-Ridecanbeabitthumpy +VeryclosetothePerformanceversiononability…-…butnotthatfarawayonprice +Abrilliant,thoroughlydevelopedhothatch-ThatnowcostsCivicTypeRmoney +Asabove,butwithafractionallymorematurerideandsoundtrack-Asabove +Feelslikeadetunedi30N-Lackspersonality +Flexibleengine,handsomeshootingbrakebody-It’swarmratherthanhot +Funandappealingpackage-Soft-edgedcomparedtorivals +Oneofthefinestcarseverbuilt-Demandslove,LHDonly
33322 33342 33332 33332 33322 33334 33334 33332 33342 33322 33322 33334 33322 33322 33334 33342 33342 33334 33322 33334 33342 33334 33332 33334 33334 33334 33334 33332 33322 33332 33322 33332 33332 33334 33333 33333 33332 33332 33332 33332 33333 33333 33334 33342 33333 33332 33333 33333 33334 33334 33334 33342 33342 33332 33333
TheKnowledge MPR /T F BL
THGIEW
295/3000 369/5000 350/2250 332/2250 162/1250 221/1250 236/1250 332/1750 236/1250 118/4250 177/1600 206/2000 206/2000 206/2000 155/4000 184/4600 206/3600 97/3500 80/5400 107/5200 221/3000 203/1700 119/4750 251/2100 142/5500 142/5500 118/4400 177/1750 206/2000 159/5400 158/5550 148/5250 148/5250 148/5250 147/5400 147/5400 147/5400 126/4500 122/3000 221/4650 221/3750 288/2400 310/4000 310/4000 295/2400 265/3000 265/3000 265/3000 265/3000 251/3000 265/2000 229/3000 229/3000 236/1450 184/2000 280/1950 280/1800 221/2200 184/2000 229/1900 273/1600 258/1500 258/1600 170/2500 118/4400 109/4800 265/3000 184/5000 206/1900 192/1980 206/2250 295/2500 236/2400 147/2000 112/3000 236/1500 236/1450 184/2000 273/1600 295/2000 310/2100 258/1500 280/1950 295/2000 258 258/1500 280/1700 280/1850 280/1800 207/1700 258/2500
1480kg 1550kg 1480kg 1480kg 1085kg 1195kg 1200kg 1255kg 1215kg 1075kg 1140kg 1160kg 1160kg 1175kg 1140kg 1090kg 1315kg 865kg 826kg 950kg 1160kg 1160kg 910kg 1205kg 1214kg 1163kg 1050kg 1204kg 1204kg 1204kg 1240kg 1110kg 1090kg 1090kg 1110kg 1011kg 1035kg 981kg 855kg 1400kg 1410kg 1407kg 1443kg 1443kg 1306kg 1394kg 1387kg 1376kg 1297kg 1387kg 1470kg 1345kg 1220kg 1185kg 1259kg 1356kg 1378kg 1375kg 1218kg 1315kg 1445kg 1345kg 1370kg 975kg 1045kg 1030kg 1280kg 1135kg 1278kg 1166kg 1166kg 1475kg 1393kg 995kg 1038kg 1272kg 1197kg 1184kg 1429kg 1461kg 1551kg 1289kg 1410kg 1450kg 1524kg 1276kg 1300kg 1285kg 1401kg 1318kg 1446kg
207 272 258 244 125 161 193 244 191 113 161 182 188 180 143 200 166 121 123 128 180 173 145 224 140 146 127 166 183 166 161 165 168 168 156 171 167 153 140 182 164 199 209 209 230 198 191 200 212 181 119 171 189 162 144 214 226 175 148 100 170 164 179 144 130 121 204 187 161 165 176 190 173 115 120 157 160 153 172 206 207 179 206 207 134 173 224 242 215 160 187
4.7 3.9 4.2 4.6 7.9 6.8 6.3 5.2 6.3 9.1 7.0 6.9 6.3 6.3 7.2 6.5 7.0 8.8 10.6 7.4 6.5 6.8 7.6 6.0 7.9 7.8 8.7 6.7 6.6 6.9 6.9 7.1 6.9 6.9 7.2 6.9 7.2 7.8 7.3 5.8 6.6 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.8 6.1 8.3 6.5 6.0 6.7 6.9 6.0 5.8 6.4 7.3 9.6 6.7 6.8 6.6 8.1 8.7 8.9 5.5 6.3 6.8 7.2 6.8 6.0 6.4 8.8 8.2 6.7 6.7 7.4 6.4 5.6 4.7 6.4 5.6 4.7 7.6 6.5 6.3 5.8 5.1 6.9 5.7
HPM X A M
MPR /PHB 302/5800 415/6750 376/6000 355/6000 134/4500 189/4700 228/5200 302/1750 228/5200 120/6000 181/5500 208/6000 215/6000 208/6000 168/6000 215/7100 215/6000 103/6200 100/7200 120/6600 205/6000 197/5800 130/6000 256/6000 167/6500 167/6500 131/6750 197/6000 217/6050 197/7100 194/7250 180/6500 180/6500 180/6500 170/6250 170/6250 170/6250 148/6100 118/5750 251/7150 227/6000 276/6000 296/6000 296/6000 296/6000 271/5500 261/5500 271/5500 271/5500 247/5500 173/3750 227/5500 227/5500 189/4300 178/6200 286/5400 306/5800 237/5700 178/6200 130/4000 242/5000 217/4500 242/5000 138/5500 134/6900 123/6800 257/6500 209/6800 202/5800 189/5850 202/5750 276/5500 237/5600 113/5000 123/6500 197/4400 189/4200 178/6200 242/5000 296/5000 316/5200 227/4700 286/5400 296/5500 201 217/4500 286/5350 306/5800 296/5500 207/5300 266/6000
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE 4/1991 4/1991 4/1991 4/1991 3/1499 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1618 4/1587 4/1294 4/1587 4/1598 4/1598 4/1905 4/1598 4/1998 4/1998 4/1598 4/1618 4/1618 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1988 4/1397 6/2946 6/2946 4/1798 4/1798 4/1798 4/1798 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1995 4/1998 4/1998 4/1798 4/1390 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1390 4/1896 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1373 4/1586 4/1586 3/1618 4/1798 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1998 4/1998 3/999 4/1598 4/1984 4/1798 4/1390 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1395 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
ECIRP
£35,970 £51,235 ’15-’18 ’12-’15 £17,635 £20,925 £25,950 £33,895 ’16-’17 ’09-’14 ’06-’14 ’08-’14 ’13-’14 ’11-’15 ’02-’06 ’06 ’15-’17 ’97-’98 ’94-’96 ’97-’04 ’15-’18 ’12-’16 ’88-’91 £30,745 ’93-’01 ’98-’99 ’08-’13 ’13-’18 ’16-’18 ’09-’13 ’07-’09 ’04-’05 ’04-’05 ’05-’06 ’01-’03 ’02-’03 ’00-’01 ’93-’96 ’87-’91 ’03-’05 ’99-’02 ’18-’20 £33,585 £38,035 £51,455 ’16 ’12-’15 ’14-’15 ’14-’15 ’09-’12 ’07-’09 ’07-’09 ’08-’09 ’16-’18 ’10-’15 ’16-’20 ’18 ’07-’11 ’10-’14 ’03-’07 £29,815 ’13-’17 ’17-’20 £17,249 ’12-’17 ’05-’11 £30,020 ’18 ’14-’18 ’07-’14 ’11-’13/’14 ’12-’18 ’05-’11 £16,320 ’01-’04 £22,005 ’15-’17 ’10-’14 £33,525 £37,925 £39,295 ’17-’20 ’17-’20 ’17-’20 ’15-’17 ’13-’17 ’16-’17 ’16 ’14-’17 ’09-’13 ’10-’13
N OT /PHB
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
267F 288F 221F 194F 254T 268F 211F 280F 237F 185F 149F 184F 231F 164F 077F 262F 208D 273F 095F 034F 254F 184F 195F 245F 020F 095F 175F 184F 229D 247F 115F 066F 187F 262F 034F 048F 146F 233F 255F 277F 029F 267F 283F 267F 280F 223D 195F 212F 231F 139F 119F 195F 276F 225F 183D 267F 244D 105F 146D 077F 281D 187D 250F 267F 175F 132F 289F 254F 211F 154F 164F 207F 102F 273F 034F 244D 211F 154F 279D 283F 288F 233D 267F 267F 236F 236F 230D 280F 220F 172F 140D
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
.O N E U S S I
MAKE & MODEL
Mercedes-AMGA35 Mercedes-AMGA45S Mercedes-AMGA45 Mercedes-BenzA45AMG MiniCooper(F56) MiniCooperS(F56) MiniJohnCooperWorks(F56) MiniJohnCooperWorksGP(F56) MiniJohnCooperWorksChallenge(F56) MiniCooper(R56) MiniCooperS(R56) MiniJohnCooperWorks(R56) MiniJohnCooperWorksGP(R56) MiniJohnCooperWorksCoupé(R58) MiniCooperS(R53) MiniCooperSWorksGP(R53) NissanJukeNismoRS Peugeot106Rallye(Series2) Peugeot106Rallye(Series1) Peugeot106GTi16v Peugeot208GTibyPeugeotSport Peugeot208GTi Peugeot205GTI1.9 Peugeot308GTibyPeugeotSport Peugeot306GTi6 Peugeot306Rallye RenaultSportTwingo133 RenaultSportClio200Auto RenaultSportClio220Trophy RenaultSportClio200Cup RenaultSportClio197Cup RenaultSportClio182 RenaultSportClio182Cup RenaultSportClioTrophy RenaultSportClio172(Phase2) RenaultSportClio172Cup RenaultSportClio172(Phase1) RenaultClioWilliams Renault5GTTurbo RenaultSportClioV6255 RenaultSportClioV6 RenaultMéganeRS(280) RenaultMéganeRS300 RenaultMéganeRSTrophy RenaultMéganeRSTrophy-R RenaultSportMégane275Cup-S/Nav275 RenaultSportMégane265Cup RenaultSportMégane275Trophy RenaultSportMégane275Trophy-R RenaultSportMégane250Cup RenaultSportMéganedCi175Cup RenaultSportMégane230F1TeamR26 RenaultSportMéganeR26.R SEATIbizaCupra SEATIbizaCupra SEATLeonCupra290 SEATLeonCupraR SEATLeonCupra SkodaFabiavRS(Mk2) SkodaFabiavRS(Mk1) SkodaOctaviavRS(Mk4) SkodaOctaviavRS(Mk3) SkodaOctaviavRS245(Mk3) SuzukiSwiftSport(Mk3) SuzukiSwiftSport(Mk2) SuzukiSwiftSport(Mk1) ToyotaGRYaris ToyotaYarisGRMN VauxhallCorsaVXR VauxhallCorsaVXR VauxhallCorsaVXRNürburgring/Clubsport VauxhallAstra/GTCVXR(Mk2) VauxhallAstraVXR(Mk1) VolkswagenUpGTI VolkswagenLupoGTI VolkswagenPoloGTI VolkswagenPoloGTI VolkswagenPoloGTI VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk8) VolkswagenGolfGTIClubsport(Mk8) VolkswagenGolfR(Mk8) VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk7.5) VolkswagenGolfGTITCR(Mk7.5) VolkswagenGolfR(Mk7.5) VolkswagenGolfGTE(Mk7) VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk7) VolkswagenGolfGTIClubsportEdition40(Mk7) VolkswagenGolfGTIClubsportS(Mk7) VolkswagenGolfR(Mk7) VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk6) VolkswagenGolfR(Mk6)
3.9 4.3 7.0 7.2 7.8 6.8 6.0 7.2 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.6 6.6 7.1 6.5 6.6 7.6 5.8 6.3 6.4 6.1 8.3 6.2 5.8 7.6 6.7 8.9 4.5 5.8 5.2 6.4 -
10.6 16.7 19.9 17.9 13.8 20.1 19.2 17.9 16.7 17.5 17.3 20.0 17.7 18.2 20.8 17.0 14.6 14.8 14.6 23.5 16.0 15.1 20.1 16.7 30.1 11.6 12.8 12.4 16.5 -
155 167 155 155 130 146 153 164 152 126 142 148 150 149 135 149 137 121 118 127 143 143 124 155 140 137 125 143 146 141 134 139 139 140 138 138 138 134 120 153 145 158 158 158 163 158 158 159 158 156 137 147 147 146 142 155 155 153 139 127 155 154 155 130 121 124 142 143 143 140 143 155 152 122 127 147 146 142 155 155 155 155 155 155 138 153 155 165 155 148 155
RATING
+AformidableA-to-Bdevice-Somefront-driverivalsaremorefun 33332 +A21st-centuryreincarnationoflate-’90simprezasandEvos-Itcosts£50k 33334 +Tremendouslyfast-Butnotatruegreat 33322 +Blisteringlyquickeverywhere-Notasrewardingassomeslowerrivals 33322 +Drivingaslowcarfast-DrivingacarwithUnionJacktaillights 33342 +Feelsdartyandaliveatmoderatespeeds-Losesitscomposurewhenyoupushharder 33342 +Fast,agile,nimble-ChassislackssparklefoundinpreviousJCWs 33332 +Street-fighterlooks,illustriouspredecessors-Betteratstylethanitissubstance 33322 +AmorehardcoreJCW-Theridecouldbeconsideredalittletoohardcore 33333 +Brilliantrideandcomposure;couldbealltheMiniyouneed-You’llstillbuythe‘S’ 33334 +LiketheCooper,butwithaddedshove-Google‘Minideathrattle’ 33334 +AseriouslyrapidMini-Occasionallyjustalittleunruly 33334 +Brazenlyhyperactive-Toomuchforsomeroadsandsometastes 33333 +TheusualraucousMiniJCWexperience-Butwearingabackwardsbaseballcap 33332 +Strongperformance,qualityfeel-Over-longgearing 33334 +Stormingengine,agility-Almosttoomanneredforaroadracer 33333 +Quirkycharacterandboldstyling-Notamatchforapukkahothatch 33342 +Bargainno-frillsthrills-Notasmuchfizzasoriginal1.3 33334 +Frantic,thrashyfun-Needscaningtoextractfullpotential 33333 +Finehandlingsupermini-Looksitsage 33334 +Abrilliantlyfocusedsmallhatch-Obscureddials 33334 +Agilechassisworkswellontoughroads-Couldbemoreinvolving 33332 +Stillscintillatingafteralltheseyears-Brittlebuildquality 33333 +Agreatentertainerwithacrackerofanengine-Tinysteeringwheelobsuresthedials 33334 +OneofthegreatGTIs-Theydon’tmakethemlikethisanymore 33333 +EssentiallyaGTi6forlessdosh-Limitedchoiceofcolours 33333 +RenaultSportexperienceforpocketmoney-OptionalCupchassisgivesbouncyride 33334 +Faster,morerefined,easiertodrive-WemisstherevvyNAengineandmanual’box 33342 +Willingchassis-Awfulpaddleshiftgearbox 33342 +ThehotClioatitsbest-Theydon’tmake’emlikethisanymore 33333 +Quick,polishedandcapable-Notasmuchsheerfunas182Cup 33332 +Tookhothatchestoanewlevel-Flaweddrivingposition 33333 +Fullofbeans,fantasticvalue-Sunday-marketupholstery 33333 +Themostfunyoucanhaveonthree(sometimestwo)wheels-Only500werebuilt 33333 +Poised,predictable,fast-Lacksaggressiveedge 33334 +Bargainold-schoolhothatch-Nervousinthewet,noABS 33332 +Brilliantlyaccomplished-Imperfectdrivingposition 33334 +Oneofthebesthothatchesever-Canbefragile 33333 +ClioWilliams’grand-daddy-Fewunmodifiedonesleft 33333 +Supercardramawithouttheoriginal’s edgyhandling-Uninspiredinterior 33333 +Pocketsupercar-Mid-enginedhandlingcanbetricky 33332 +Outrageousgripandagility-Cupchassisoptiondoesn’tdoitscomposureanyfavours 33334 +Combinesthemorepotentenginewiththesofterchassisatlast-Butnowit’s autoonly 33334 +AnRSwithknobson-Unforgivingridecanmakeitfeelillateaseontrickierroads 33334 +Anabsolutebeastontrack-Toomuchofabeastontheroad 33332 +ThesameengineastheTrophy-R-Theydon’tmakeitanymore 33333 +Ahothatchbenchmark-Cupholdercouldbebetterpositioned 33333 +AnothercrackingTrophymodel-Stripped-outTrophy-Risevenmorethrilling 33333 +Asabsorbingasa911GT3RSontherightroad-Toouncompromisingforsome;pricey 33333 +Fantasticchassis…-…partiallyobscuredbynew-foundmaturity 33334 +Adieselwithagenuinelysportychassis-Couldtakemorepower 33332 +ThecartheR26.Risbasedon-F1Teamstickersindubioustaste 33333 +Atruehothatchgreat-Twoseats,plasticrearwindows 33333 +Quick,competent,refined,andmanualonly-Notexcitingenough 33342 +Punchyengine,unflappableDSG-Lacksengagement,DSGonly 33322 +Agile,transparentandeasilyexploited-Canfeelratherplain 33332 +Sharperhandlingandbetterbodycontrol-Highpriceandlimitedavailability 33332 +Greatengine,composure-Doesn’thavetheadjustabilityoftheoldCupraR 33332 +ClevertwinchargedengineandDSG’box-Doyouhomeworkonthereliabilityoftheengine 33342 +Funandfrugalhothatch-Alittleshortonsteeringfeel 33342 +AcapableQ-carforthemasses-Enginelackscharacter 33332 +Quick,agile,roomierthanaGolf-Rideisharshforwhatcouldbeafamilycar 33332 +Acredible,entertainingperformer-Youwon’tgetoutofbedat4amtodriveit 33332 +Composedandbrisk-Adjustabilityandcharacterhavebeendiluted 33342 +Stillagreatpocketrocket-Notquiteasadjustabieastheoriginal 33334 + Entertaininghandling,wellbuilt - Lackinginsteeringfeedback 33334 +Aproperhomologationspecial-MoreSubaruImprezathanMitsubishiEvo 33333 +Appealinglyfeistysuperchargedsupermini-Artificialsteering;theyonlymade400 33332 +Begstobewrungout-You’llneedthe£2400PerformancePack 33332 +Lookssnazzy,punchyengine-Lacksfeel,uncouthcomparedwithrivals 33342 +VXRgetsmorepowerandalimited-slipdiff-Buttheycomeataprice 33332 +Loonyturbopace-LackstheRenaultSportMégane’s precision 33332 +Fastandfurious-Lacksalittlecomposureandprecision 33332 +Infectiousappetiteforfun-Citycarrootsarestillthere 33332 +Looks,performance,chassis-Lacksthefizzofthe106GTI 33332 +Decentperformance;maturerideandhandling-Lacksdriverinvolvement 33342 +Smoothandbrawny-FiestaSTismoreengaging 33342 +Modern-dayMk1GolfGTIgetstwin-clutchDSG-It’salittlebitbland 33342 +AnalluringblendofthebestGTIingredients-Thecompetitionisstifferthanever 33334 +Super-effective-Butnotasexcitingasyoumighthope 33334 +316bhp,four-wheeldrive,understatedflair-Chassislacksthecontrolyou’dexpect 33322 +Ahighlycapableall-roundhothatch-Couldbemorethrilling 33334 +QuickerthanaregularGTI-It’snoClubsportS 33334 +Outrageousyetaccessibleperformance-Properexcitementissometimeselusive 33332 +Themostenjoyableplug-inhybridinitspricerange-GolfGTIstillquickerandmorefun 33342 +Brilliantlyresolved-Lacksthepunchofnewerrivals 33334 +Afaster,sharper,moreentertaningGTI-Somerivalsaremoreexcitingontrack 33334 +Runner-upatevoCaroftheYear2016-Only400werebuilt 33333 +AVW‘R’modelyoucantakeseriously-Mégane275justedgesitasapuredriver’scar 33333 +Stillaveryaccomplishedhothatch-207bhpisn’talotanymore 33332 +Greatengine,tremendouspaceandpoise-Highprice,adaptivedampersoptional 33334
www.evo.co.uk
147
THGIEW
207/1800 236/2500 236/2800 123/4600 109/3500
1336kg 1466kg 1477kg 960kg 860kg
150 170 163 147 132
7.3 6.5 6.6 7.9 8.2
HPM XAM
MPR /T F BL
197/5100 246/6300 237/6250 139/6100 112/5800
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
MPR /PHB
4/1984 6/3189 6/3189 4/1781 4/1781
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE
’04-’09 ’06-’09 ’02-’04 ’88-’92 ’82-’84
N OT /PHB
ECIRP
259F 087F 053F 195F 224F
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
.O N E U S S I
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
MAKE & MODEL VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk5) VolkswagenGolfR32(Mk5) VolkswagenGolfR32(Mk4) VolkswagenGolfGTI16v(Mk2) VolkswagenGolfGTI(Mk1,1.8)
6.7 5.8 6.4 -
17.9 15.2 16.3 -
146 155 154 129 114
SALOONS/ESTATES/SUVs
OUR CHOICE
AlfaRomeoGiuliaQuadrifoglio.At last, an Alfa Romeo we can love not just for its badge, for the noise it makes and for being Italian, but because it’s a great car. In fact, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a saloon car that feels like a sports car – and thankfully that sports car isn’t a 4C. AlfaRomeoGiulia2.0TurboSuper AlfaRomeoGiuliaVeloce AlfaRomeoGiuliaQuadrifoglio AlfaRomeoGiuliaGTAm AlfaRomeoStelvioSpecialeAWD AlfaRomeoStelvioQuadrifoglio AlpinaD3STouring AlpinaB3Touring Aston Martin Rapide Aston Martin Rapide S Aston Martin Rapide AMR Aston Martin DBX AudiS3Saloon AudiRS3Saloon AudiS4Avant(B9,diesel) AudiS4(B9,petrol) AudiRS4Avant(B9) AudiRS4Avant(B8) AudiRS4(B7) AudiRS4(B5) AudiRS2 AudiS5Sportback AudiRS5Sportback AudiS6Avant(C8) AudiRS6Avant(C8) AudiRS6Avant(C7) AudiRS6AvantPerformance(C7) AudiRS6Avant(C6) AudiRS6Avant(C5) AudiRS7Sportback AudiRSe-tronGT AudiSQ2 BentleyFlyingSpurV8 BentleyFlyingSpur BentleyFlyingSpurV8S BentleyFlyingSpur BentleyBentaygaV8 BentleyBentayga BentleyMulsanneSpeed BMW320dxDriveMSport(G20) BMW330iMSport(G20) BMWM340ixDrive BMWM3Competition(G80) BMWM3(F80) BMWM3CompetitionPackage(F80) BMWM3CS(F80) BMWM3(E90) BMWM3CRT(E90) BMWM5(F90) BMWM5Competition(F90) BMWM5CS(F90) BMWM5(F10) BMWM5(E60) BMWM5(E39) BMWM5(E34) BMWM5(E28) BMWM6GranCoupé BMWM760LixDrive BMWX5M50d BMWX7xDrive30dMSport HondaAccordTypeR JaguarXED180AWD JaguarXEP300AWD JaguarXESVProject8 JaguarXFSportbrakeR-Sport300PSAWD JaguarXFSDiesel300PSRWD JaguarXFR JaguarXFR-S JaguarXJR JaguarXJR575 JaguarF-PaceS
148 www.evo.co.uk
234D 244F 287F 286F 234D 244D 286D 281D 141 F 201 D 261 D 277 D 192D 243F 266D 225D 282F 216F 250F 192F 214F 233D 264D 263D 272F 203F 224D 116F 258F 268D 284D 261D 283D 272D 230D 185D 247D 217D 279F 262D 257D 270D 287F 266F 237F 250D 123F 179F 244F 282F 287D 208F 129F 268F 110F 258F 190D 233D 191D 262D 012F 227D 262D 269F 260D 219D 181D 208F 191D 251T 222D
£33,595 £39,875 £68,995 £157,700 £43,705 £71,880 £55,950 £67,950 ’10-’13 ’13-’19 £194,950 £161,500 ’13-’20 £47,310 £49,425 ’17-’19 £65,700 ’12-’15 ’05-’08 ’00-’02 ’94-’95 ’17-’19 £69,525 £63,315 £92,790 ’13-’18 ’15-’19 ’08-’10 ’02-’04 £98,590 £110,950 £37,395 £153,900 £168,300 ’16-’19 ’13-’18 £136,900 £162,700 ’14-’20 £40,585 £40,385 £49,845 £74,815 ’14-’20 ’16-’19 ’18-’19 ’08-’11 ’11-’12 ’17-’20 £102,325 £140,780 ’11-’16 ’04-’10 ’98-’03 ’88-’95 ’84-’88 ’13-’18 £141,750 £74,395 £76,765 ’98-’03 £36,755 £41,005 ’18-’20 £49,090 £53,485 ’09-’15 ’13-’15 ’14-’17 ’17-’18 ’16-’18
RATING +Characterandability;theGTI’s returntoform-Lackingfirepower? +Thetraction’s greatandyou’lllovethesoundtrack-We’d stillhaveaGTI + Charismatic - Boomyenginecanbetiresome +Stillfeelseverydayuseable-Toomanyhavebeenmodified +Thecarthatstarteditall-Trickytofindanunmolestedone
4/1995 4/1995 6/2891 6/2891 4/1995 6/2891 6/2993 6/2993 12/5935 12/5935 12/5935 8/3982 4/1984 5/2480 6/2967 6/2995 6/2894 8/4163 8/4163 6/2671 5/2226 6/2995 6/2894 6/2967 8/3996 8/3993 8/3993 10/4991 8/4172 8/3996 495kW 4/1984 8/3996 12/5950 8/3993 12/5998 8/3996 12/5950 8/6752 4/1995 4/1998 6/2998 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 8/3999 8/4361 8/4395 8/4395 8/4395 8/4395 10/4999 8/4941 6/3795 6/3453 8/4395 12/6592 6/2993 6/2993 4/2157 4/1999 4/1997 8/5000 4/1997 6/2993 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 6/2995
197/5000 276/5250 503/6500 533/6500 276/5250 503/6500 350/5500 456/5500 470/6000 552/6650 595/6650 542/6500 306/5500 394/5850 342/3850 349/5400 444/5700 444/8250 414/7800 375/6100 315/6500 349/5400 444/5700 344/3850 592/6000 552/5700 597/6100 572/6250 444/5700 592/6000 637 296/5300 542/6000 626/6000 521/6000 616/6000 542/6000 600/5000 530/4000 187/4000 254/5000 369/5500 503/6250 425/5500 444/7000 454/6250 414/8300 444/8300 592/5600 616/6000 626/6000 552/6000 500/7750 394/6600 335/6900 282/6500 552/6000 602/5500 376/4000 261/4000 209/7200 178/4000 296/5500 592/6500 296/5500 296/4000 503/6000 542/6500 542/6500 567/6250 375/6500
243/1750 295/2250 442/2500 442/2500 295/1750 442/2500 538/2500 516/2500 443/5000 465/5500 465/5500 516/2200 280/1800 354/1700 516/2500 369/1370 442/1900 317/4000 317/5500 325/2500 302/3000 369/1370 442/1900 516/2500 590/2050 516/1750 553/2500 479/1500 413/1950 590/2050 612 295/2000 568/2000 664/1350 502/1700 590/1600 568/1960 664/1350 811/1750 295/1750 295/1550 369/1850 479/2750 406/1850 406/1850 442/4000 295/3900 324/3750 553/1800 553/1800 553/1800 501/1500 384/6100 369/3800 295/4750 251/4500 501/1500 590/1550 546/2000 457/2000 158/6700 317/1750 295/1500 516/3500 295/1500 516/2000 461/2500 501/2500 502/2500 516/3500 332/4500
1429kg 1429kg 1620kg 1580kg 1660kg 1830kg 1935kg 1865kg 1990kg 1990kg 1990kg 2245kg 1430kg 1515kg 1825kg 1630kg 1745kg 1795kg 1650kg 1620kg 1595kg 1660kg 1720kg 2020kg 2075kg 1935kg 1950kg 1985kg 1865kg 2065kg 2347kg 1510kg 2330kg 2437kg 2417kg 2475kg 2388kg 2440kg 2685kg 1540kg 1470kg 1670kg 1730kg 1560kg 1560kg 1585kg 1605kg 1580kg 1855kg 1895kg 1825kg 1870kg 1755kg 1795kg 1725kg 1431kg 1875kg 2180kg 2190kg 2370kg 1306kg 1685kg 1690kg 1745kg 1763kg 1796kg 1800kg 1800kg 1875kg 1875kg 1884kg
33333 33332 33332 33333 33332
BEST OF THE REST
ThenewBMWM3Competition(left)driveslikealargerM2Competition,thecurrent Mercedes-AMGC63SwillbeyourlastchancetogetonewithaV8,orifit’s something asizelargeryou’relookingfor,the Audi RS6Avant,BMWM5Competition and Mercedes-AMG E63 S (saloonorestate)provideatrioofstrongoptions. 140 196 315 343 169 279 184 248 240 282 304 245 210 264 190 218 259 251 255 236 201 214 262 173 290 290 311 293 242 291 276 199 236 261 219 253 231 250 201 123 176 225 295 277 289 291 262 285 324 330 349 300 289 223 197 200 299 281 174 112 163 107 178 345 171 167 284 306 294 307 202
6.6 5.7 3.9 3.6 5.7 3.8 4.8 3.9 5.3 4.4 4.4 4.5 5.3 4.1 4.9 4.7 4.1 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.8 4.7 3.9 5.1 3.6 3.9 3.7 4.5 4.6 3.6 3.3 4.7 4.1 3.8 4.9 4.6 4.5 4.1 4.9 6.9 5.8 4.4 3.9 4.3 4.2 3.9 4.9 4.4 3.4 3.3 3.0 4.4 4.7 5.3 5.8 6.1 4.2 3.7 5.3 7.0 7.2 8.4 5.7 3.7 6.0 6.4 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.4 5.5
3.6 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.8 3.6 4.3 4.8 4.1 4.9 4.9 4.9 6.1 3.5 4.8 -
8.8 10.5 10.5 12.1 13.1 8.2 9.7 11.6 -
8.6 10.7 11.5 13.6 17.4 7.8 10.2 -
146 149 191 186 143 176 167 186 188 203 205 181 155 155 155 155 155 174 155 170 162 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 198 207 190 199 180 187 190 145 155 155 155 155 155 174 165 180 155 155 189 155 155 155 155 156 155 155 155 141 142 132 155 200 155 155 155 186 174 186 155
+Keenengine,enjoyablehandling-Firmlow-speedride 33334 +Suppleandsatisfying-Enginereluctanttorev 33334 +IfFerraribuiltasaloon(really)-LacksthefinalpolishofGermanrivals 33333 +Anutterlyfabuloussalooncarwithatrulyinfectiouscharacter-It’sabitpricey 33333 +Agilefeel,quicksteering,attractivecabin-Enginenottrulyinspiring 33332 +RivalstheMacanGTS-NeedsoptionalPZeroCorsatyrestogiveitsverybest 33332 +Thebestfastdieselyoucanbuy-TheB3 33332 +Aricher,smootherdrivethananM-car-LittledifferenttoanM340iatlowspeeds 33334 + Better than its DB9 sibling - More of a 2+2 than a proper four-seater 33332 + Oozes star quality; gearbox on 2015MY cars a big improvement - It’s cosy in the back 33332 + Powertrain, performance, personality - When it goes off sale, so does Aston’s 5.9 V12 33334 + Drives nothing like an SUV - Still heavy and thirsty like an SUV 33334 +OnpaperamatchfortheoriginalS4-Inrealitymuchlessinteresting 33322 +MiniRS4looks;stonkingpace-Notthemostinvolvingdrivingexperience 33342 +Effortlessperformance,well-judgedchassis-Dieselpowerwon’tbetoeveryone’s taste 33332 +Strongresponseanddelivery-Chassisfeelssofterthanbefore 33332 +Very‘realworld’fast-Somemayfeelitlackscharacteranddrama 33332 +Looksandsoundsthepart,thunderouslyfast-Unnaturalsteering,dulldynamics 33342 +414bhpat7800rpm!Andthere’sanestateversiontoo-Busyunderbraking 33333 +Effortlesspace - Notthelastwordinagility;bendswheelrims 33332 +Stormingperformance(thankstoPorsche) - Tryfindingone 33332 +Morecapablethanyouthink;strongV6engine-Gearboxfrustratinginautomode 33342 +High-speedcomposure - Flat-footedonmoretechnicalroads 33332 +DieselsuitstheS6ethos-Poorlow-endengineresponse 33332 +Power,poise,build-NeedsDynamicRideControlsuspensiontobeatitsbest 33334 +Performance,foolproofpowertrain,beefylooks-Feelsabitone-dimensional 33332 +Theextrapowerisnohassleforthechassis-Butitisasterntestofyourself-control 33332 +Wastheworld’s mostpowerfulestate-Powerisn’teverything 33332 +Theultimateestatecar? - Numbsteering 33332 +Surprisinglyagileandinvolving-Sometimesfeelsitsweight 33332 +AfineGT-Rangenotuptotouring 33332 +Nothing-Everything 33222 +Thebestlimoforthosewhoenjoydriving-2330kgand5.3metres 33334 +Alimoforthosewhoenjoydriving-Needstoloseafewhundredkilos 33332 +Old-schoolapproachtocomfortandluxury-Old-schooltech 33342 +ForthosewhostillwanttheirFlyingSpurwithaW12-Carfeelsitsweight;enginesoundsdull 33342 +ThepickoftheBentaygarange-Atop-endRangeRoverisstillmorepolished 33342 +Sublimequality,ridiculouspace-Inertdrivingexperience,SUVstigma 33342 +ThelastBentleywiththe‘six-and-three-quarter’-Wewon’tseeitskindagain 33342 +Brilliantmixofperformanceandeconomy-Lacksadegreeofdynamicfinesse 33332 +Feelslikea3-seriesoncemore-Harshandunsettledride 33342 +Veryfastandrefined-Limiteddriverappeal 33332 +Asquickandcapableasyou’d want-Biggerandheavierthanyou’d like 33334 +Looks,performance,practicality-Bodycontrolonroughroads;enginelackscharacter 33334 +ThecartheF80M3shouldhavebeenfromthestart-Lessrefinedatlowspeeds 33334 +Improvedchassisandmid-rangeurge-Costover£20kmorethananM3CompPack 33334 +EverybitasgoodastheE92M3coupe-Nocarbonroof 33333 +Saloonchassis+weightsavings+GTSengine=bestE90M3-Just67weremade 33333 +Funintwo-orfour-wheeldrive-Insufficientsteeringconnectionandenginecharacter 33334 +Incredibleperformance,sharperhandling-It’sstillabigoldbus 33334 +Outrageousperformance,sparklingchassis-ADCTwouldaddevenmoresharpness 33333 +Twin-turbochargingsuitsM5well-Canfeelheavyattimes 33333 +Closetobeingtheultimatesupersaloon-SMGgearboxfeelsold-tech 33334 +MagnificentV8-enginedsupersaloon - We’d benitpicking 33333 +TheGodfatherofsupersaloons - Thefamilycancometoo 33333 +Theoriginalstormingsaloon - Understatedlooks 33333 +Enormousperformance,stylishlooks-Looksoverpricednexttorivals,M5included 33332 +Morecapablethanyou’d think;strongengine-Toomuchofalimotobegenuinelyexciting 33322 +Straight-linepace-DrivingexperienceidenticaltostandardX5,despitetheMbadge 33422 +Spacious;quickenough-Its‘face’willmakeyourkidscry 33322 +Oneofthefinestfront-driversofalltime - Convincingyourfriendsofthat 33334 +Talentedchassisgetsmoretraction-Shametheengineisn’taspolished 33342 +Fluenthandling;4WDgripandsecurity -Auto’boxsapssportiness 33332 +Beautifullycontrolledandamazinglyagile-Theyonlymade15inTouringspec 33334 +Precise,involvingdynamics,unexpectedperformance-It’sonlygotfourcylinders 33332 +Greatchassis,goodlooks,andit’s gotsixcylinders-It’sadiesel 33332 +Brilliantblendofpaceandrefinement-Doesn’tsoundasspecialasitis 33332 +XFturnedupto12-Tyresaren’tcheap 33332 +Hot-rodvibe,finecabin-Opinion-dividinglooks 33332 +Bigperformance,genuinesportingspirit-Unfashionablepackage;depreciation 33332 +AmatchforPorsche’s SUVs-SuperchargedV6needstobeworkedhard 33332
TheKnowledge 1995kg 2208kg 1642kg 1780kg 2388kg 2200kg 1714kg 1658kg 1810kg 1860kg 1900kg 2000kg 1990kg 1990kg 2205kg 1495kg 1600kg 1630kg 1660kg 1640kg 1710kg 1655kg 1670kg 1655kg 1635kg 1300kg 1875kg 1935kg 1995kg 2025kg 2045kg 1770kg 1795kg 1765kg 1765kg 1765kg 1760kg 1940kg 1905kg 1795kg 1945kg 2270kg 2275kg 2485kg 2475kg 1590kg 1590kg 1560kg 1560kg 1400kg 1400kg 1410kg 1400kg 1360kg 1365kg 1875kg 2048kg 2040kg 1995kg 2035kg 2325kg 1925kg 1970kg 1995kg 2130kg 2320kg 2295kg 1795kg 1865kg 1895kg 2020kg 2175kg 2200kg 2110kg 2085kg 2185kg 2235kg 1818kg 2302kg 2497kg 2490kg 2560kg c1482kg 1838kg 1580kg 1534kg 1495kg 1470kg 1235kg 1235kg 1283kg
276 181 151 168 168 296 247 231 194 221 280 291 216 221 125 205 264 259 222 291 279 309 306 277 228 159 305 317 308 290 313 315 327 298 298 292 271 316 302 327 263 258 258 236 220 185 207 231 262 250 266 199 221 206 205 192 199 236 276 271 293 229 254 276 179 270 273 137 190 190 218 254 250 209 202 239 255 137 250 227 230 180 c237 130 219 196 188 207 177 195 219
4.3 4.8 5.8 4.7 6.4 3.6 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.1 4.7 4.5 5.4 5.1 6.9 4.8 4.0 4.0 4.7 4.1 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.5 5.2 7.5 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.3 4.5 4.1 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.5 5.4 4.5 4.4 4.0 3.8 4.2 4.0 5.1 4.9 5.1 4.6 5.2 4.7 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.4 4.4 4.2 3.8 5.4 3.3 2.8 6.7 5.3 5.2 5.2 4.1 3.9 5.2 5.7 4.5 4.1 7.0 4.5 5.4 4.8 5.7 4.7 7.0 4.9 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.8 6.1 4.7
HPM XAM
THGIEW
501/2500 513 260/1400 376/1300 406/2000 627/2250 372/5200 419/4200 406/1750 406/1750 479/2250 538/2250 361/4750 361/4750 442/2000 295/3000 369/5000 369/5000 383/2000 479/1750 479/1750 516/1750 516/2000 442/5000 376/4000 177/5500 553/2250 627/2500 627/2500 590/2500 664/2500 531/1750 590/1750 516/1750 465/5200 465/5200 516/2650 664/2750 567/1800 590/1750 516/1750 560/1750 560/1750 627/2500 560/2000 300/3500 322/3500 363/3500 387/3500 321/4600 363/3200 289/3500 289/3500 282/3500 275/2750 383 487 457/1800 568/1960 568/1960 627 383/3500 516/2250 590/2250 273/1600 354/1360 369/1650 406/1800 568/1960 568/2000 442/1600 380/3500 533/2250 590/2500 269/1300 516/3500 516/3500 627/1600 531/3500 324/2000 369/1750 330/3600 300/4000 289/4000 299/4000 214/4000 258/3500 260/4000
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
MPR /T F BL
542/6000 394 244/6200 365/6000 394/5500 641/6000 417/6600 377/5200 345/5000 404/5500 523/6800 572/6750 425/7000 433/7000 271/4000 302/5800 415/6750 415/6750 362/5500 469/5500 469/5500 503/5500 503/5500 451/6800 367/5250 204/6750 563/5750 604/5750 604/5750 577/5500 630/5500 549/5500 577/5500 518/5250 518/6800 507/6800 469/6100 604/5500 451/6100 577/5500 503/5500 577/5500 577/5500 577/6000 537/5500 290/6500 324/6500 354/6500 403/6500 345/6800 366/6887 276/6500 305/6800 276/6500 276/6500 355 402 473/6500 542/5750 542/5750 671 434/6700 493/6000 542/6000 375 616 616 242/5000 349/5400 355/6000 434/5700 542/5750 542/5750 434/6000 414/6500 513/6000 562/6000 246/5500 567/6000 557/5000 563/5000 453/5350 345/5300 236/4000 341/6400 296/6000 276/6000 300/6000 215/5600 237/6000 276/6500
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
MPR /PHB
8/5000 294kW 4/1998 6/3342 6/2996 8/3996 8/4969 6/3615 6/2979 6/2979 8/3798 8/3799 8/4691 8/4691 6/2897 4/1991 4/1991 4/1991 6/2996 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/6208 8/5439 4/2498 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/5461 8/5461 8/5461 8/6208 8/6208 8/5439 8/3982 6/2999 8/5461 8/3982 8/5461 8/5461 8/3982 8/5461 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1997 4/1997 4/1997 4/1997 4/1997 4/1997 4/1598 300kW 8/3996 8/3996 8/3996 8/3996 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 350kW 460kW 460kW 4/1984 6/2997 6/2997 6/2894 8/3996 8/3996 6/3604 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 6/2995 8/5000 8/4367 12/6749 12/6749 4/1984 4/1968 4/2457 4/2457 4/2457 4/1994 4/1994 4/1994 4/1994
N OT /PHB
CC / LYC ENIGNE
£75,375 £74,395 ’18-’20 £40,495 £79,655 £159,925 ’07-’12 ’90-’93 £57,015 ’13-’18 ’16-’18 £127,310 ’08-’12 ’08-’12 ’16-’20 £37,755 £51,010 £52,010 £49,995 ’15-’20 ’15-20 £74,258 £75,458 ’08-’14 ’04-’08 ’89-’92 ’18-’20 £96,565 £101,565 ’19-’20 £141,855 ’13-’16 ’13-’16 ’11-’13 ’09-’11 ’06-’09 ’03-’06 £129,495 £76,600 ’14-’17 £85,495 £108,638 £118,105 £146,490 ’12-’18 ’08-’14 ’08-’14 ’08-’14 ’09-’10 ’05-’08 ’05-’08 ’03-’05 ’03-’05 ’02-’03 ’00-’01 £55,025 £46,900 £107,880 £115,100 £118,828 £144,930 ’11-’16 ’10-’16 ’11-’13 £74,739 £116,950 £138,830 £47,060 £49,420 ’16-’18 £72,080 £104,490 £108,070 ’15-’17 ’12-’15 ’10-’17 ’10-’17 £38,050 £101,850 £144,265 £249,600 ’03-’17 ’19-’20 £45,740 ’20 ’14-’18 ’05-’07 ’03-’05 ’93-’00 ’99 ’00-’01
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
ECIRP
262D 251D 247D KiaStingerGT-Line2.0 KiaStingerGTS 242D LandRoverDefender110(P400) 273F LamborghiniUrus 249F LexusISF 151F LotusCarlton 258F MaseratiGhibli 186D MaseratiQuattroporteS 184D MaseratiQuattroporteGTS 226D MaseratiQuattroporteTrofeo 287D MaseratiQuattroporteS 137F MaseratiQuattroporteSportGTS 141F MaseratiLevanteDiesel 221D Mercedes-AMGA35Saloon 271F Mercedes-AMGCLA45SCoupé 273D Mercedes-AMGCLA45SShootingBrake 278D Mercedes-AMGC43Estate 228D Mercedes-AMGC63Saloon(W205) 209D Mercedes-AMGC63Estate(S205) 216F Mercedes-AMGC63SSaloon(W205) 258T Mercedes-AMGC63SEstate(S205) 282F Mercedes-BenzC63AMG(W204) 288F Mercedes-BenzC55AMG(W203) 088F Mercedes-Benz190E2.5-16 185F Mercedes-AMGE63(W213) 242D Mercedes-AMGE63S(W213) 286F Mercedes-AMGE63SEstate(S213) 272F Mercedes-AMGGT634-DoorCoupé 274F Mercedes-AMGGT63S4-DoorCoupé 269F Mercedes-BenzE63AMG(W212) 187D Mercedes-BenzE63AMGS(W212) 208F Mercedes-BenzE63AMG(W212) 165F Mercedes-BenzE63AMG(W212) 134D Mercedes-BenzE63AMG(W211) 096D Mercedes-BenzE55AMG 052F Mercedes-AMGS63L 246D Mercedes-AMGCLS53 247D Mercedes-BenzCLS63AMGS 199D Mercedes-AMGGLC63SCoupé 253D Mercedes-AMGGLE63S 218D Mercedes-AMGGLE63SCoupé 213D Mercedes-AMGG63 250D Mercedes-BenzG63AMG 172D MitsubishiEvoXFQ-300SST 118F MitsubishiEvoXFQ-330SST 134F MitsubishiEvoXFQ-360 122D MitsubishiEvoXFQ-400 181F MitsubishiEvoIXFQ-340 088F MitsubishiEvoIXMRFQ-360 181F MitsubishiEvoVIII 055F MitsubishiEvoVIIIMRFQ-300 057F MitsubishiEvoVII 031F MitsubishiEvoVITommiMäkinenEdition 271F Peugeot508SWPSE 286D Polestar2 280D PorschePanameraGTS 279D PorschePanameraTurbo 237F PorschePanameraTurboSportTurismo 239D PorschePanameraTurboSE-HybridSportT. 272D PorschePanameraGTS 208F PorschePanameraTurbo 137F PorschePanameraTurboS 159D PorscheTaycan(PerformanceBatteryPlus) 283D PorscheTaycanTurboCrossTurismo 287D PorscheTaycanTurboS 267D PorscheMacan 259D PorscheMacanS 257T PorscheMacanGTS 244F PorscheCayenneS(Mk3) 253T PorscheCayenneTurbo(Mk3) 243D PorscheCayenneTurboCoupé 263D PorscheCayenneGTS(Mk2,V6) 211D PorscheCayenneGTS(Mk2,V8) 173D PorscheCayenneTurbo(Mk2) 212D PorscheCayenneTurboS(Mk2) 184D RangeRoverEvoqueP250 261D RangeRoverSportSVR 260D RangeRoverSVAutobiographyDynamic 250T Rolls-RoyceGhost 280D Rolls-RoycePhantom 054F SEATLeonCupraRSTAbt 271F SkodaKodiaqvRS 258T SubaruWRXSTIS209 272F SubaruWRXSTI 253F SubaruImprezaSTI(‘Hawkeye’) 090F SubaruImprezaWRXSTIPPP(‘Blobeye’) 073F SubaruImprezaTurbo(‘Classic’) 011F SubaruImprezaRB5 187F SubaruImprezaP1 259F
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
.O N E U S S I
MAKE & MODEL
JaguarF-PaceSVR JaguarI-PaceHSE
4.7 4.8 5.1 4.4 3.4 4.8 5.2 4.3 5.0 3.4 3.6 5.2 5.4 5.0 4.9
10.9 10.6 12.1 9.7 7.4 10.2 13.9 10.9 13.0 8.3 8.9 12.9 14.6 14.1 13.3
176 124 149 168 129 190 173 177 166 177 193 203 174 177 143 155 167 155 155 155 155 155 180 155 155 146 155 186 180 193 196 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 174 155 155 137 130 155 155 155 155 157 157 157 157 140 150 155 127 181 190 188 192 178 188 190 143 155 161 139 157 159 164 177 177 163 162 173 176 143 176 155 155 149 163 137 162 158 158 148 144 144 150
RATING
+AgreatcandidateforSVO’s attentions-It’sstillanSUV 33332 +Impressivechassisandpoint-to-pointpace-Rangeanxietyandheftykerbweight 33334 +Out-JaguarsJaguar’sXEandXF-Exceptinthelooksdepartment 33332 +Playfulhandling,deep-chestedperformance-Enginelackssoul,steeringlacksfeel 33342 +Agreatoff-roader-Ifoff-roadingisyourthing 33332 +Afreakishmanipulatorofphysics-Butalsoratherone-dimensional 33332 +ShockinglygoodLexus-TheM3’s availableasafour-doortoo 33334 +TheMillenniumFalconofsalooncars - Everydriveisawork-out 33333 +Burstingwithcharacter;goodvaluecomparedtoQuattroporte-It’sstillabigcar 33332 +TemptingalternativetoV8-Feel-freesteering,ridelacksdecorum 33332 +Stillpretty-Offthepacedynamically 33342 +AnalluringalternativetotheGermandefaults-Howmuch?! 33332 +AQPwiththebhpitdeserves-GrilleisabitHannibalLecter 33334 +Themoststylishofsupersaloons-Slightlywoodenbrakes,unforgivingride 33332 +Impressiveblendofrideandhandling-PerformanceismildforaMaserati 33332 +Funwhenyouwantittobe,securewhentheheavensopen-Othersareevenmorefun 33332 +Speed,abilityandinvolvement-CLA35offersasimilarexperienceforlessoutlay 33334 +SamestellarperformanceandinvolvementastheA45-Seeabove 33334 +Incrediblyfastandcomposed-Difficulttoengagewith 33332 +Fastandfeelsome-LackstheultimatefinesseandresponseoftheC63S 33332 +Muchmorefunthanitlooks-Gearboxdim-wittedatlowspeeds 33332 +Tremendoustwin-turboV8power-NotquiteasfocusedasanMdivisioncar 33334 +Oneofthefinestall-roundcompactperformancecars-Bafflingarrayofdriversettings 33334 +Monstrouspaceandextremelyengaging-Same-eraM3isjustalittlebetter… 33334 +Furiouslyfast,commendablydiscreet-OvershadowedbyM3andRS4 33332 +M-B’sM3alternative - NotasnimbleastheBeemer 33332 +MoreroundedthantheE63S-Couldbealittletoodiscreetforsometastes 33334 +Fast,refined,effectiveandfun-Atnearlytwotons,it’s not911nimble 33334 +Asabove-It’sevenheavierthanthesaloon,andfivemetreslong 33334 +DoesthesameastheSforless-Takesupplentyofroad 33334 +Agileandimmenselyquick-LacksthecoupeGT’sdrama 33334 +Power,responseandaccuracyinspades-Alittlelackinginoriginality 33334 +Effortlesspower;intuitiveandapproachable-Sluggishauto’box 33334 +Turboenginedidn’tdilutetheE63experience-Sometimesstrugglesfortraction… 33334 +Indulgentchassis,brilliantengine-Steeringstillvague 33332 +Brilliantengine,indulgentchassis-Vaguesteering,speedlimits 33332 +M5-humblinggrunt,cossetingride-Speedlimits 33332 +Performancedoesn’tcomeattheexpenseofluxury-Butpuredrivingthrillsdo 33332 +Impressivechassisandhybridpowertrain-Four-wheeldriveonly,andheavy,too 33332 +Quickandcharacterful-Datedgearbox,nofour-wheel-driveoptionintheUK 33332 +Unquestionableperformance-Lacksadjustabilityandengagement 33332 +Stonkingpace,extremerefinement-Feelsremote 33342 +SubtlerthananX6M-Moreforcethanfinesse 33332 +Vastlyimprovedchassis,fabulousengine-Dynamicabilitystilllimited 33342 +Epicsoundtrack-Ancientchassis 33322 +FirstEvowithatwin-clutchtransmission-Notasexcitingasitspredecessors 33342 +Greatengineandgearboxcombo-ItstilllivesintheshadowoftheEvoIX 33332 +RidiculouslyrapidEvo-Afive-speedgearbox?! 33332 +MostpowerfulfactoryEvoever…-…aboutXgrandtoomuchwhennew 33342 +GivesPorschedriversnightmares-Points.Lotsof 33333 +Well-executedengineupgrades-Prisonfood 33333 +TheEvogrowsup - Brakesneedbeefingup 33334 +Extrapace,extraattitude - Extramoney 33334 +Terrificall-rounder - Youtellus 33333 +OurfavouriteEvo - Subtleitisnot 33333 +Ahybridworthconsidering-Butonlyifsomeoneelseispaying 33332 +AcredibleTeslaalternative-Avoidthesuper-hard-ridingPerformanceupgrade 33322 +ThemostengagingPanamera-Stillaheavyoldthing 33332 +Searingpace,withbodycontrolthat’s arealstepup-Stillveryheavy 33332 +Looksgreat;drivesbetterthanitsweightwouldsuggest-Notexactlyaload-lugger 33332 +ShowssomeStuttgartmagicinthecorners-Itweighs2.3tons! 33332 +VivaciousV8,entertainingbalance-Canfeellightonperformancenexttoturbochargedrivals 33334 +Fast,refinedanddynamicallysound-Itstillleavesuscold 33342 +Pace,excellentergonomics-Steeringfeel,ride 33342 +HalfthepriceofaTaycanTurboS-Lessisless 33342 +Aconvincingandcrushinglycapablecrossover-Needsbigroads 33332 +Straight-lineoomphwillleaveyouinawe-InadequateEVinfrastructure 33332 +Lighterenginemakesforsharperhandling-TheGolfREstate 33332 +GreatforanSUV-Everypositivestillneedstobesuffixedwith‘foranSUV’ 33332 +HandleslikeanSUVshouldn’t-StilllookslikeanSUV 33334 +Impressivesurface-coatedbraketech-We’dratherhaveitonasportscar 33342 +Hugeperformance,surprisingagility-It’sstillatwo-ton-plusSUV 33332 +Asgoodtodriveasthenon-coupeCayenne-Swoopierroofaddsthousandstotheprice 33332 +Thedriver’s Cayenne…-…butwhywouldadriverwantanSUV? 33334 +DynamicallythebestSUVofitsera-Attwotons,it’s stillnosportscar 33334 +Remarkableperformance,handling,completeness-Vaguesteering,datedengine 33332 +MorepowerandtorquethanaZondaS7.3-InanSUV 33332 +Asgoodonroadasitisoff-Enginesstillalongwayshortofbeingcompetitive 33332 +Loudandproud-MoreblunderbussthanExocet 33342 +Monstersbigjourneys-Isamonsterontheweighingscales 33332 +Unrivalledluxuryandrefinement-Stillbettertobedriveninthantodrive 33332 +Rollsreinventedforthe21stcentury-Theroadsarebarelybigenough 33332 +Rawnatureandrocketshippace-Notatthecuttingedgeofitsclass 33332 +Looksgood,performswell,practical-Doesn’tquitejustifythevRSbadge 33322 +ThatoldImprezamagicisaliveandwell-Only209werebuilt,andonlyforAmerica 33334 +Stillhasitsmoments-Somethingofananachronism 33332 +Stunningtodrive-Notsostunningtolookat 33332 +ASubaruwithrealedge - Bittooedgyinthewet 33334 +Destinedforclassicstatus - Thirsty 33333 +Perfectblendofpoiseandpower - Limitednumbers 33333 +OneofourfavouriteImprezas - Doesn’tcomecheap 33333
www.evo.co.uk
149
THGIEW
268/3200 471 321/5250 546/3850 546/3850 310/2000
1270kg 1847kg 1825kg 1834kg 1880kg 1793kg
220 244 179 319 317 179
5.3 3.5 5.6 4.2 4.2 4.9
HPM X A M
MPR /T F BL
276/6000 444 321/5250 576/6150 587/6150 316/5350
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
MPR /PHB
4/2212 330kW 6/2792 8/6162 8/6162 4/1984
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE
’98-’99 £56,490 ’13-’17 ’15-’17 ’17 £52,585
N OT /PHB
ECIRP
282F 263F 189D 215D 272F 289D
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
.O N E U S S I
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
MAKE & MODEL SubaruImpreza22BSTI TeslaModel3Performance VauxhallInsigniaVXRSuperSport VauxhallVXR8GTS VauxhallVXR8GTS-R VolkswagenArteonRShootingBrake
5.0 -
13.1 -
150 145 170 155 155 155
ROADSTERS/CONVERTIBLES
OUR CHOICE
Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition. As the game-changing entry-level Lotus prepares to bow out after a quarter of a century, this special edition combines 237bhp with the usual low kerb weight and sublime handling to create yet another brilliantly accurate and enthusiastic Elise.We’ll miss them. Abarth124Spider AlfaRomeo4CSpider Alfa Romeo 8C Spider ArielAtom4 ArielAtom3245 ArielAtom3.5Supercharged ArielAtom3.5R ArielNomad ArielNomadR Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster (4.7) Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Roadster AstonMartinV12VantageRoadster AstonMartinV12VantageSRoadster AstonMartinDB11Volante AudiTTSRoadster(Mk3) AudiTTRSRoadster(Mk3) BACMono BentleyMullinerBacalar BMWZ4sDrive20i BMWZ4M40i BMWZ4MRoadster BMWi8Roadster BMWZ8 CaterhamSeven270 CaterhamSuperSeven1600 CaterhamSeven310 CaterhamSeven360 CaterhamSeven420 CaterhamSeven620S CaterhamSeven620R CaterhamSeven160 CaterhamSevenSuperSprint CaterhamSevenRoadsport125 CaterhamSevenSupersport CaterhamSevenSupersportR CaterhamSevenSuperlightR300 CaterhamSevenCSR260 CaterhamSevenSuperlightR500 CaterhamSevenR500 DallaraStradale ElementalRp1(2.3) HondaS2000 JaguarF-typeConvertibleP450 JaguarF-typeProject7 KTMX-BowGT KTMX-BowR LotusEliseClubRacer(S3) LotusEliseSport220(S3) LotusEliseSprint220(S3) LotusEliseSport240FinalEdition(S3) LotusEliseCup250(S3) LotusEliseCup260(S3) LotusEliseSport135(S2) LotusEliseS(S2) LotusElise111S(S2) LotusEliseSC(S2) LotusElise(S1) Lotus3-Eleven Lotus3-Eleven430 Lotus2-Eleven Lotus2-ElevenSupercharged Lotus340R MaseratiGranCabrioMC MazdaMX-51.5(Mk4) MazdaMX-52.0(Mk4,184PS) MazdaMX-5RF2.0(Mk4,184PS) MazdaMX-52.0(Mk4) MazdaMX-52.0iSportTech(Mk3.5) MazdaMX-51.8i(Mk3)
150 www.evo.co.uk
256F 223F 161 F 273F 248F 180D 255F 248F 278F 279 D 130 F 161 F 175F 212F 258T 207D 250T 189F 286F 261D 256D 091F 258F 026F 219F 273D 273F 209F 223F 220D 255F 239F 247D 105F 165F 180D 150F 094F 123F 200F 267F 255F 243F 271D 212F 183D 165F 183F 244F 254F 285F 279F 243F 040D 104F 049F 131F 235F 220F 248F 126F 123F 126F 185D 230F 268F 256F 228F 212F 091F
’16-’19 ’15-’19 ’09-’11 £39,975 ’18-’12 ’13-’18 ’14-’18 £33,000 £77,400 £126,950 ’09-’16 ’11-’17 ’12-’14 ’14-’17 £159,900 £46,360 £55,655 £165,125 £1.5m £36,990 £49,050 ’06-’09 £124,735 ’00-’03 £29,885 £33,495 £31,385 £33,385 £36,385 £48,890 £53,885 ’13-’17 ’17-’18 ’07-’14 ’11-’14 ’13-’14 ’09-’12 ’06-’17 ’08-’14 ’99-’06 c£162,000 £139,800 ’99-’09 £75,470 ’15 £95,880 £87,480 ’11-’15 ’17-’20 ’18-’19 £45,500 £49,595 ’18-’19 ’03 ’06-’10 ’02-’04 ’08-’11 ’96-’01 ’16-’17 ’17-’19 ’07-’11 ’07-’11 ’00 £112,400 £23,795 £28,395 £30,295 ’15-’18 ’09-’15 ’05-’09
RATING +TheultimateImpreza - Pricesreflectthis +QuickerroundatrackthananM3-Laptimesaren’teverything +A170mphVauxhall-Shouldbeamoreengagingsteer +Monsterengine;engagingdrivingexperience-Woefulinterior +Blisteringperformance;burstingwithcharacter-Theendofanera +Sleeklooks,spaciousinterior,decenthandling-TheBMWM340iTouring
4/1368 4/1742 8/4691 4/1996 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/2354 4/1998 8/3982 8/4735 8/4735 12/5935 12/5935 8/3982 4/1984 5/2480 4/2261 12/5950 4/1988 6/2998 6/3246 3/1499 8/4941 4/1596 4/1596 4/1596 4/1999 4/1999 4/1999 4/1999 3/660 3/660 4/1596 4/1596 4/1999 4/1999 4/2261 4/1999 4/1796 4/2300 4/2261 4/1997 8/5000 8/5000 4/1984 4/1984 4/1598 4/1798 4/1798 4/1798 4/1798 4/1798 4/1796 4/1794 4/1796 4/1794 4/1796 6/3456 6/3456 4/1796 4/1796 4/1796 8/4691 4/1496 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1999 4/1798
168/5500 237/6000 450/7000 320/6500 245/8600 310/8400 350/8400 235/7200 335/7200 503/6000 420/7000 430/7300 510/6500 565/6750 503/6000 302/5400 394/5850 305/7700 650/5000 194/4500 335/5000 338/7900 369/5800 400/6600 135/6800 135/6800 152/7000 180/7300 210/7600 310/7700 310/7700 80/7000 95/7000 125/6100 140/6900 180/7300 175/7000 256/7500 263/8500 230/8600 394/6200 320 237/8300 444/6000 567/6500 281/6400 296/6300 134/6800 217/6800 217/6800 237/7200 245/7200 250/7200 135/6200 134/6200 156/7000 218/8000 118/5500 410/7000 430/7000 189/7800 252/8000 190/7800 454/7000 129/7000 181/7000 181/7000 158/6000 158/7000 124/6500
184/2500 258/2200 354/4750 310/3000 177/7200 169/7200 243/6100 221/4300 243/4300 505/2000 346/5750 361/5000 420/5750 457/5750 498/2000 295/2000 354/1700 206/6000 664/1500 236/1450 369/1600 269/4900 420/3700 369/3800 122/4100 122/4100 124/5600 143/6100 150/6300 219/7350 219/7350 79/3400 82/5600 120/5350 120/5790 143/6100 139/6000 200/6200 177/7200 155/7200 369/3000 354 153/7500 428/2500 501/2500 310/3200 295/3300 118/4400 184/4600 184/4600 181/3000 184/3500 195/5500 129/4850 127/4200 129/4650 156/5000 122/3000 302/3000 325/4500 133/6800 179/7000 146/5000 383/4750 111/4800 151/4000 151/4000 147/4600 139/5000 123/4500
1060kg 940kg* 1675kg 595kg 520kg 550kg 550kg 670kg* c700kg 1628kg* 1710kg 1690kg 1760kg 1745kg 1795kg 1495kg 1530kg 580kg* 2384kg 1405kg 1535kg 1410kg 1595kg 1585kg 540kg* 565kg* 540kg* 560kg* 560kg* 610kg* 572kg* 490kg* 490kg* 539kg* 520kg* 535kg* 515kg* 565kg* 506kg* 460kg* 855kg* 620kg* 1260kg 1660kg 1585kg 875kg 816kg 852kg 904kg 878kg 922kg 931kg 902kg 726kg 860kg 860kg 870kg 731kg 925kg* 920kg* 720kg 745kg 701kg 1973kg 975kg 1030kg 1073kg 1000kg 1098kg 1080kg
161 256 273 546 479 573 647 365 c486 314 250 258 294 329 285 205 262 534 277 140 222 244 235 256 254 243 286 327 381 516 551 166 197 235 273 342 345 460 528 510 468 557 191 272 363 326 369 160 244 251 261 267 282 189 158 197 254 164 450 475 267 344 275 234 134 178 171 161 146 108
33333 33332 33342 33332 33332 33342
BEST OF THE REST
ThePorsche718Spyder(left)isessentiallyadrop-topCaymanGT4,whilethe 718BoxsterGTS4.0isessentiallyacut-price718Spyder.TheAstonMartin VantageRoadsterbeststhe911Cabrioletforcharacter,whiletheCaterham Sevenremainsanexemplarofsportscarpuritywhateverthemodel. 6.8 4.5 4.4 2.8 3.1 2.7 2.6 3.4 2.9 3.8 4.8 4.8 4.5 4.1 4.1 4.8 3.9 2.8 <3.8 6.6 4.6 5.0 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.0 4.8 4.8 3.8 3.4 2.8 6.9 6.9 5.9 4.9 4.8 4.5 3.1 2.9 3.4 3.3 2.6 6.2 4.6 3.9 4.1 3.9 6.5 4.6 4.5 4.1 3.9 4.2 5.4 6.1 5.1 4.6 5.9 3.4 3.2 4.5 4.0 4.5 4.9 8.3 6.5 6.8 7.3 7.6 9.3
4.8 4.0 3.8 3.6 6.3 4.5 6.1 4.5 -
11.1 10.3 8.8 18.7 11.4 18.5 12.5 -
143 160 181 162 145 155 155 134 134 190 180 189 190 201 187 155 155 170 200+ 149 155 155 155 155 122 122 127 130 136 155 155 100 100 112 120 130 140 155 150 146 174 165 150 177 186 144 144 127 145 145 147 154 151 129 127 131 145 126 174 180 140 150 126 179 127 136 137 133 138 122
+Alittlecarwithabigsoul-Vagueandlifelessfrontend 33332 +Stunninglybeautiful; bettersteeringthancoupeversion-Stillhasthecoupe’s otherfoibles 33342 + Beauty meets beast.They hit it off - Boot is useless for touring 33334 +Sensoryoverload-Turboenginelackstheoldsuperchargedunit’s franticsoundtrack 33333 +Evenbetterthanitspredecessors-Canstillbeabitdraughty 33334 +Asmadasever-Rain 33333 +Remarkablebalance,poiseandpace-Pricey 33333 +Off-roadcapabilitiesmakeforasuperplaything-NoBluetooth 33333 +Intriguingandeffectivemash-upoftrackcarandoff-roader-They’reonlymakingfive 33333 + Builds on the already excellent coupe’s attributes - Interior design lags behind exterior 33334 + Sportiest, coolest drop-top Aston in years - Feels dated compared to contemporaries 33332 + Sounds amazing, looks even better - Still not the best drop-top in its class 33334 +Asgoodasthecoupe,withamplifiedV12rumble-Justasmidgenshakier 33334 +Abrillianttwo-seatroadster…-…letdownbyafrustratingautomatedmanualgearbox 33334 +Impressivelywiderangeofdynamicpersonalities-Cabincouldbebetteratthisprice 33332 +Highlycapable-Mostwillwantmorethan‘capable’ 33342 +Terrificengine…-…isthebestthingaboutit 33342 +Themostsingle-mindedtrackcaravailable-Thatmeansnopassengers… 33334 +Aluxurycruiserthat’sabitofarebelroadster-They’reonlymaking12,at£1.5meach 33334 +Keenengine,communicativechassis-Couldhandlemorepower 33342 +Inherentagilityandability-Undemandingandunengaging 33342 +Exhilaratingandcharacterful;thatengine-Stiffsuspension 33334 +Uniqueandengaging-StillmoreGTthansportscar 33334 +M5-poweredsuper-sportster - M5’smorefuntodrive 33322 +Feistyengine,sweetlybalanced,manicandexciting-Thetemptationofmorepower 33333 +AsenjoyableasotherSevens,butmoreaccessible-Vintagelookscomeataprice 33334 +Intenseandexciting-Stickytyreslimittheamountofthrottleadjustability 33334 +Extrapoweriswelcome-You’llneedthesix-speedgearboxtomakethemostofit 33333 +It’stheonewebuiltforourselves-Trickieronthelimitthanlesser-poweredSevens 33333 +Ludicrous,near-620Rpace,withaddedhabitability-Well,‘habitable’foraSeven… 33333 +Banzaiontrack,yetstillrelevantontheroad-£50kforaSeven? 33333 +ThefabulousSevenformulaatitsmostbasic-Getspriceywithoptions 33334 +Accessiblelimitswithproperpace-Youneedtoenjoybeingexposedtotheelements 33334 +GreatdebutforFord-enginedmodel-BiggerdriversneedSVmodel 33334 +OneofthebestCaterhamsisalsooneofthecheapestofitsera-It’squiteminimalist 33333 +Oneofthebestroad-and-trackSevens-Impractical,noisy,uncomfortable 33334 +PossiblyalltheCaterhamyouneed-They’renotcheap 33333 +Brilliantforhighdays,holidaysandtrackdays-WetWednesdays 33334 +Betterpower-to-weightratiothanaVeyron-Untilyouaddthedriver 33333 +TheK-seriesSevenatitsverybest - Nocupholders 33333 +Startlingon-roadperformance-Canleaveyoufeelingdetachedontrack 33334 +Sensational,explosive,captivating,exploitable-Pricewilltestyourlevelofcommitment 33334 +Analternativeandrev-happyroadster-ABoxster’s better 33332 + StrongandflexiblesuperchargedV8 - Steeringandchassisfeelmismatched 33342 +Noise,performance,adjustability-Expensive,andnottheGT3rivalwewouldhaveliked 33334 +Extraordinaryability,nowinamoreroad-friendlypackage-Price 33334 +Sharperhandling,morepower-Pityit’snotevenlighter,andcheaper 33332 +Evenlighter,evenmorefocusedthanastandard1.6Elise-Areyoupreparedtogothisbasic? 33333 +Perfectpower-to-weightratio-Abitshortoncreaturecomforts 33333 +Makesthemostofitslightness-Heavyweightprice 33333 +TheElise’s swansong-TherewillneverbeanotherLotuslikeit 33333 +Aseffective,enjoyableandessentialasever-Prioritisesgripoveradjustability 33333 +QuickestEliseyet-Just30werebuilt 33333 +OneofourfaveS2Elises - Brakesneedmorebiteandpedalfeel 33333 +Brilliantentry-levelElise-Preciouslittle 33333 +AgenuinelyuseableElise-Air-con?InanElise? 33333 +AlltheusualElisemagic-Superchargedenginelackssparkle 33334 +Amodernclassic - Atadimpractical? 33333 +AfantasticallyexcitingLotus-Ifnotexactlyagroundbreakingone 33333 +Afittingsend-offforabrilliantLotus-Just20weremade 33333 +Notfaroffthesupercharged2-Eleven’s pace-Youwantthesuperchargedone,don’tyou? 33334 +Impressiveonroadandtrack-Nothardcoreenoughforsome 33333 +Hardcoreroad-racer… - …thatlookslikeadunebuggyfromMars 33333 +MostpowerfulGranCabrioyet-TheGranCabrioisstartingtoshowitsage 33342 +LightestMX-5sincetheMk1-Lacksintensity 33342 +Atlast,amorepowerfulfactoryMX-5-It’sstillnofireball 33332 +Asabove,butwitharetractinghard-top-Whichaddsweight 33332 +Brilliantbasicrecipe-Thedesireforstiffersuspensionandmorepower 33342 +Handlesbrilliantlyagain;foldinghard-topalsoavailable-Less-than-machoimage 33334 +Gearchange,interior-LostsomeofthecharmofoldMX-5s;dubioushandling 33342
TheKnowledge 124/5000 100/5500 383/2000 664/2250 465/1700 501/1900 516/2100 103/3250 258/1000 258/1000 369 370/3600 361/3400 370/3400 280/1950 310/1900 310/1900 310/5000 310/5000 206/4500 265/4500 273/4500 310/4750 266/5500 273/4750 229/4600 391/2300 391/2300 360/3500 136/4500 575/1500 125/4400 290/5500 320/3750 305/4000 320/4000 150/4000 184/1950 310/3000
1065kg 971kg 1520kg 1770kg 1595kg 1660kg 1635kg 525kg* 1013kg* 1213kg* 1075kg* 1100kg* 1180kg* 1180kg* 1335kg 1355kg 1375kg 1405kg 1420kg 1310kg 1320kg 1345kg 1315kg 1355kg 1275kg 1320kg 1600kg 1640kg 765kg* 930kg 2560kg 975kg 1060kg 1060kg 1040kg 1060kg 875kg 930kg 725kg
140 120 242 331 299 336 359 159 256 214 317 339 312 316 225 259 266 285 296 202 239 246 286 229 252 200 282 275 478 157 223 141 335 307 274 307 168 215 405
8.5 8.8 4.7 4.1 4.0 3.7 3.6 6.0 5.2 c6.0 4.2 4.5 4.5 4.5 5.1 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.4 5.8 5.1 5.0 4.5 5.3 4.9 5.7 4.4 4.4 3.0 6.5 4.9 8.0 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.1 5.9 4.9 3.7
HPM XAM
THGIEW
146/7000 115/6500 362/5500 577/5500 469/6000 549/5750 577/6250 82/5250 255/5500 355/5500 335/6500 367/6300 362/6300 367/6300 296/6500 345/6500 360/6500 394/7000 414/7600 261/6700 311/6700 325/6700 370/6700 306/6400 316/7200 256/6200 444/6500 444/6500 360/6000 148/6000 563/5250 138/6400 350/7200 320/5500 280/5500 320/5500 145/5800 197/5500 285/5600
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
MPR /T F BL
4/1839 4/1597 6/2996 8/5461 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 2/1976 4/1998 4/1998 6/2998 8/4799 8/4799 8/4799 4/1988 4/2497 4/2497 6/3995 6/3995 6/2706 6/3436 6/3436 6/3800 6/3436 6/3436 6/3179 6/2981 6/2981 4/2261 4/1998 12/6592 4/1794 6/3605 8/4997 8/4280 8/4997 4/2198 4/1998 4/2000
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
MPR /PHB
’98-’05 ’89-’97 £47,600 £116,430 ’17-’19 ’17-’19 ’20 £31,140 £62,995 £204,000 £77,995 ’18-’19 ’01-’10 ’18 £45,935 £54,891 ’18-’19 £66,340 £73,405 ’12-’16 ’12-’16 ’14-’16 ’15-’16 ’05-’12 ’10-’12 ’99-’04 £109,725 £109,725 £108,000 ’96-’99 £264,000 ’00-’06 ’01-’07 ’93-’03 ’92-’93 ’93-’01 ’00-’04 ’03-’05 £59,995
NOT /PHB
CC / LYC ENIGNE
017F 268F 222D 228D 239F 235D 271D 198F 279F 289D 269F 253D 105F 255F 224D 222F 249T 286D 272F 238F 186F 203D 223F 161F 277F 070F 262D 277D 274F 231F 222D 258F 070F 258F 068F 009F 023F 066F 220F
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
ECIRP
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
.O N E U S S I
MAKE & MODEL
MazdaMX-51.8i(Mk2) MazdaMX-51.6(Mk1) Mercedes-AMGSLC43 Mercedes-AMGSL63 Mercedes-AMGGTRoadster Mercedes-AMGGTCRoadster Mercedes-AMGGTRRoadster Morgan3Wheeler MorganPlusFour MorganPlusFourCX-T MorganPlusSix MorganPlus850thAnniversaryEdition MorganAero8 MorganAeroGT Porsche718Boxster Porsche718BoxsterS Porsche718BoxsterGTS Porsche718BoxsterGTS4.0 Porsche718Spyder PorscheBoxster(981) PorscheBoxsterS(981) PorscheBoxsterGTS(981) PorscheBoxsterSpyder(981) PorscheBoxsterS(987) PorscheBoxsterSpyder(987) PorscheBoxsterS(986) Porsche911Carrera4SCabriolet(992) Porsche911Targa4S(992) RadicalRapture RenaultSportSpider Rolls-RoyceDawn ToyotaMR2(Mk3) TVRTamora TVRChimaera5.0 TVRGriffith4.3 TVRGriffith500 VauxhallVX220 VauxhallVX220Turbo Vuhl05
4.4 7.2 4.8 -
9.8 21.2 11.2 -
123 114 155 155 188 196 197 115 149 c140 166 155 170 170 170 177 180 182 187 164 173 174 180 170 166 164 188 189 165 131 155 131 175 167 155 167 136 151 152
COUPES/GTs
OUR CHOICE 209F 120F 285F 268D 273F 280 F 288 D 288F 169D 168F 218F 274F 264F 285F 214F 253T 235F 269F 214D 178F 142F 261D 249F 193F 158F 185D 252F 240F 206F 284F 280F 255F 286F 178F 204F 152D 234D
’13-’19 4/1742 ’07-’09 8/4691 £48,140 4/1798 £57,140 4/1798 ’91-’95 6/2975 £124,400 8/3982 £142,000 8/3982 ’05-’07 8/4280 ’08-’16 8/4735 ’11-’17 8/4735 ’14-’16 8/4735 ’16-’17 8/4735 ’09-’13 12/5935 ’13-’17 12/5935 ’15-’16 12/5935 £144,900 8/3982 ’17-’18 12/5204 £174,995 12/5204 ’15-’17 12/5935 ’04-’16 12/5935 ’07-’12 12/5935 £44,610 4/1984 £53,905 5/2480 ’08-’14 4/1984 ’09-’14 5/2480 ’12-’14 5/2480 ’17-’19 6/2995 £68,985 6/2894 ’10-’16 8/4163 ’07-’15 8/4163 £151,800 8/3993 £156,700 12/5950 c£180,000 12/5950 ’12-’17 8/3993 ’13-’17 8/3993 ’03-’17 12/5998 ’17 12/5998
237/6000 450/7000 249/6000 288/6400 247/5750 503/6000 527/6000 380/7000 420/7000 430/7300 430/7300 440/7300 510/6500 563/6650 592/7000 503/6000 600/6500 630/6500 540/6750 510/6500 510/6500 302/5400 394/5850 268/6000 335/5400 355/5500 349/5400 444/5700 444/8250 424/7900 542/6000 626/5000 650/5000 500/6000 521/6000 567/6000 700/6000
258/2200 354/4750 236/2000 236/2000 258/2900 505/2000 505/2000 302/5000 346/5750 361/5000 361/5000 361/5000 420/5750 457/5500 461/5500 498/2000 516/1500 516/1500 457/5500 457/5500 420/5750 295/2000 354/1700 258/2500 332/1600 343/1650 369/1370 442/1900 317/4000 317/4500 568/2000 664/1350 664/1500 487/1700 502/1700 516/1700 750/2050
895kg* 1585kg 1103kg 1114kg 1420kg 1530kg* 1530kg* 1630kg 1630kg 1610kg 1610kg 1530kg 1680kg 1665kg 1565kg 1685kg 1800kg 1795kg 1785kg 1785kg 1695kg 1405kg 1450kg 1395kg 1450kg 1450kg 1615kg 1655kg 1715kg 1560kg 2165kg 2244kg 2273kg 2220kg 2220kg 2245kg 2205kg
33333 33333 33332 33332 33342 33342 33334 33332 33332 33334 33332 33332 33332 33332 33342 33334 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33332 33334 33334 33322 33334 33334 33332 33332 33334 33334 33334 33333 33332
BEST OF THE REST
TheBMWM2CS(left) was our 2020 Car of the Year winner and runs the 2019 champ – the Cayman GT4 – incredibly close.TheAlpineA110gives the regular Porsche718 Caymanatruerivaltoworryabout,theAstonMartinVantageisagenuine911beater, andtheLotusExigecontinuestogofromstrengthtostrengthineveryform.
Porsche718CaymanGT4.Withanaturallyaspiratedflat-six,amanual gearbox,extraordinarydampingandfulsomefeedback,thesecondGT4 isevenbetterthantheoriginalandlaughsinthefaceofturbocharged engines,automatictransmissionsandmonsterpoweroutputs. AlfaRomeo4C AlfaRomeo8CCompetizione AlpineA110 AlpineA110S AlpineA610Turbo Aston Martin Vantage Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition AstonMartinV8Vantage(4.3) AstonMartinV8Vantage(4.7) AstonMartinV8VantageS AstonMartinV8VantageN430 AstonMartinVantageGT8 AstonMartinV12Vantage AstonMartinV12VantageS AstonMartinVantageGT12 AstonMartinDB11V8 AstonMartinDB11 AstonMartinDB11AMR AstonMartinDB9GT AstonMartinDB9 AstonMartinDBS AudiTTS(Mk3) AudiTTRS(Mk3) AudiTTS(Mk2) AudiTTRS(Mk2) AudiTTRSPlus(Mk2) AudiS5 AudiRS5 AudiRS5 AudiR8V8 BentleyContinentalGTV8 BentleyContinentalGT BentleyContinentalGTSpeed BentleyContinentalGTV8 BentleyContinentalGTV8S BentleyContinentalGT BentleyContinentalSupersports
RATING
+Affordableragtopsdon’tgetmuchbetter - Cheapcabin +Theoriginalandstill(prettymuch)thebest - Lessthanrigid +Twin-turboV6well-suitedtobabyroadster-Butalsohighlightsthechassis’age +Effortlessperformance-Needsmoreinvolvementtogowiththepace +AnAMGGTwithaddedfreshair-RideandhandlinggoslightlytopiecesonUKroads +Asabovebutwithmoreshove-Roadnoisecangetwearingonlongjourneys +Spectacularengine,engagingdynamics-StructuralcompromiseofRoadsterbody +Quirky,characterful,brilliant-Canbecomeatwo-wheelerifyoupushtoohard +Compellingblendofoldandnew-Busy,almostold-fashionedrideonbumpierroads +Absurdbutfunwaytooutrunthezombies-Expensive +Rapid,exciting,andabitofahooligan-Interiorcouldfeelmorespecial +V8performanceandsound,driverinvolvement-Gettingfliesinyourteeth +Glorioussound,viewoverbonnet,dynamics-Awkward-lookingrear +TheultimateAero-ThelastwiththenaturallyaspiratedBMWV8 +Chassisasgoodasever-Four-cylinder’s tunelessdinwouldbehardtolivewith +Stillsensationallycapable-Turbofour-cylinderenginelacksappealoftheoldflat-six +Thebestfour-potBoxsterspec-Doesn’t comecheap +It’sgottheCaymanGT4six-cylinder,minus200rpm-GearshiftnotascrispastheGT4’s +Essentiallyadrop-topCaymanGT4-Includingitslonggearing +Goesandlooksbetterthanthe987Boxster-Shameabouttheelectricsteering +Boxsterstepsoutof911’s shadow-Butgets911’slessappealingelectricsteering +Superbdynamics,fantasticengine,greatlooks-Sportsuspensionisveryfirm +Anevenfaster,evenmorerewardingBoxster-FeedbacktrailstheCaymanGT4’s +Second-genBoxster’s asbrilliantasever - It’satypicallyPorscheredesign +Lighter,moredriver-centricBoxster-Collapsed-brollyroofnotthemostpractical +Addedpoweroverthenon-SBoxsterisseductive - Verylittle +Performance,handling,useability-It’snolightweight;bodynotasstiffasthecoupe’s +Distinctive;drivingexperienceisbarelytouched-Youcan’tgetarear-driveTarga +Unfilteredandutterlyaddictive-It’smoreathomeonthetrackthantheroad +Rarity;unassistedsteering-Heavierthanyou’d hope;disappointingengine +Effortlessdrivingexperience-Driverinvolvementnotapriority +Tightlines,tautdynamics - Minimalluggagespace +Well-sortedsoft-topTVR - Awkwardstyling +Gorgeousnoise,tarmac-ripplinggrunt - Details +ThecarthatmadeTVR.Cultstatus - Meredetails +Gruffdiamond - Afewroughedges +AbsurdlygoodVauxhall - Thebadge? +Nothingcomescloseforthemoney - Marginaleverydayusability +Impressivepaceandquality-YoucangetamorethrillsfromaCaterhamathalftheprice
269 288 229 263 177 334 350 237 262 271 271 292 308 344 384 303 339 357 307 290 306 218 276 195 235 249 220 273 263 276 254 283 290 229 238 257 323
4.5 4.2 4.5 4.4 5.7 3.6 3.6 5.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.4 4.2 3.9 3.5 4.0 3.9 3.7 4.5 4.6 4.3 4.5 3.7 5.4 4.7 4.3 4.7 3.9 4.5 4.6 4.0 3.7 3.6 4.8 4.5 4.5 3.5
4.6 4.5 5.2 4.4 4.0 3.5 4.4 3.6 4.3 4.1 -
10.8 9.1 12.0 9.7 8.1 8.7 11.1 9.0 9.9 -
160 181 155 161 166 195 195 175 180 190 189 190 190 205 185 187 200 208 183 183 191 155 155 155 155 174 155 155 155 188 198 207 208 188 192 198 209
+Carbonfibretub,mini-supercarlooks-Hothatchengine,clunkygearbox + Looks,exclusivity,noise,balance-Costmorenowthantheydidnew +Fast,funandgenuinelydifferent-Ifonlyithadamanualgearbox +Firmerandfaster-Butnotnecessarilybetter +Betterthanthecomtemporary911Carrera-Rarethen,rarernow + Performance that’s a huge leap forward - Chassis struggles when really pushed + Brilliantly hones the Vantage recipe - Looks won’t be for everyone +Gorgeous;awesomesoundtrack-Can’tquitematcha911dynamically +Stillfeelsspecial-Butalsoalittledated +Keenerengine,V12Vantagelooks-Slightlysluggishautoonly +Malleable,involving-Neverfeelsrampantlyquick +EnoughdramatofillaNetflixmini-series-Just150made +ThecarwehopedtheV8Vantagewouldbe-Erm,atadthirsty? +AmongstthebestAstonsevermade-Old-schoolautomated’box(sogetthemanual) +TheGT3-styleVantagewewaitedsolongfor-Only100made +Potentandcharacterfulengine;sharperchassisthanV12-DowestillneedtheV12? +AgreatGT-Suffersinoutrighthandlingtermsasaresult +Amorepotent,bettercontrolledV12DB11-Stillatitsbestwhenitisn’ttryingtoohard +Morepower;stillhasbagsofcharacter-Needsaneight-speedauto’box +AgreatstarttoGaydon-eraAstons-Automaticgearboxcouldbequicker +Stupendousengine,gearbox,brakes-Pricey;canbitetheunwary +Exceptionalgripandtraction-Excitementfadesafterthefirstfewcorners +Soundtrack;tremendouspoint-to-pointpace-Abitone-dimensionalinthelongrun +AusefullyquickerTT,withagreatdrivetrain-Stillsteerslikeacomputergame +Sublimefive-cylinderturboengine-Restofpackagecan’tquitematchit +Stonkinglyfastcross-country-ShockinglyexpensiveforaTT +Chassisrewardscommitment…-…butdoesn’tofferachallenge.Plainengine,too +Lighter,quicker;makesgreenpaintlookgood-LacksthecharacteroftheoldV8 +Brilliantengineandimprovedchassis-Lackofsuspensiontravel;inconsistentsteering +Atrue911alternative-TheV8enginegotdroppedtoosoon +Pace,quality,polish-Somerivalsoffergreateroutrightdynamicprowess +Astonishingagilityforsuchabig,heavycar-Thirst +Showsunexpectedfinesseforasuchabig’un-Weneedtotryitontheroad +Aproperdriver’sBentleywithdecenteconomy-MakestheW12seempointless +Anevenbetterdriver’s Bentley-Vastweightmakesitspresencefeltinharderdriving +Near200mphinuttercomfort-Weight;W12’sthirst +Massiveperformance,surprisinglyagile-Stylingandsoundtrackfarfromdescreet
33342 33334 33334 33334 33334 33334 33334 33332 33332 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33332 33342 33332 33334 33334 33334 33342 33332 33332 33332 33332 33342 33332 33332 33333 33334 33334 33334 33334 33334 33332 33334
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TheKnowledge MPR /PHB
MPR /T F BL
THGIEW
518/1700 369/1500 369/1520 332/1300 369/1450 406/2350 406/2350 369/1900 479/2750 406/1850 406/1850 442/4000 442/4000 295/3900 324/3750 269/5000 269/5000 273/4900 258/3250 170/4600 269/4900 261/4900 501/1750 553/1500 553/1800 501/1500 384/6100 420/3700 481/4800 465/4600 650/3600 470/5150 332/3000 393/4600 390/4600 625/5000 131/7300 295/1500 428/2500 501/3500 516/3500 516/3500 502/2500 274 391/4800 398/4800 720/5940 295/4500 295/4500 302/5000 302/5000 310/3500 325/2600 158/5500 146/5000 258/4700 295/4500 302/3500 310/3500 295/3500 295/3500 325/4500 383/4750 383/4750 339/4750 383/4750 156/5500 383/2500 516/2000 442/5000 457/5200 464/5250 664/2750 737/2300 465/1700 494/1800 501/1900 300/3000 268/5200 274/5200 264/4800 470/3600 470/3600 481/3600 466/3200 451/3200 434/3200 289/4400 271/4400 243/1900
2120kg 1495kg 1470kg 1455kg 1495kg 1550kg 1550kg 1740kg 1725kg 1570kg 1570kg 1580kg 1510kg 1580kg 1530kg 1495kg 1495kg 1385kg 1515kg 1165kg 1420kg 1375kg 1830kg 1890kg 1885kg 1850kg 1635kg 1535kg 1732kg 1496kg 1598kg 1530kg* 1655kg 1743kg 1776kg c1916kg 1101kg 1520kg 1660kg 1650kg 1743kg 1705kg 1753kg 950kg 1765kg 1985kg 1935kg 1650kg 1176kg 1125kg 1110kg 1105kg 1110kg 1093kg 930kg 780kg 1382kg 1430kg 1395kg 1325kg 1361kg 1361kg 1299kg 1880kg 1873kg 1880kg 1800kg 1429kg 1675kg 1745kg 1655kg 1635kg 1760kg 1990kg 2110kg 1540kg 1570kg 1625kg 1719kg 1496kg 1496kg 1532kg 1752kg 1745kg 1703kg 1740kg 1740kg 1740kg 1560kg 1540kg 1280kg
274 228 232 224 248 265 291 215 296 275 287 292 332 266 295 230 230 260 215 185 242 237 175 281 332 303 311 244 296 312 413 329 176 259 259 c403 173 198 272 334 331 338 314 343 271 181 247 410 298 312 343 345 375 400 238 247 203 245 291 314 306 306 336 245 246 216 256 162 234 293 277 317 289 308 299 309 333 343 167 219 230 205 326 327 353 316 305 276 180 182 211
3.8 4.9 4.8 5.0 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.5 3.9 4.3 4.3 3.9 3.8 4.8 4.4 5.2 5.2 4.9 5.5 6.7 5.0 5.3 4.9 3.7 3.2 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.2 4.2 3.7 3.2 6.4 4.9 4.9 3.3 6.7 5.7 4.6 4.2 3.5 3.7 4.4 3.9 4.3 5.0 4.7 3.2 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.3 4.3 4.6 5.1 4.8 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 3.8 4.8 4.7 5.2 4.5 6.4 4.7 3.9 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.8 3.7 5.8 5.3 5.2 5.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.7 3.0 3.8 4.8 4.9 5.9
HPM X A M
CC / LYC ENIGNE
572/6000 335/5900 335/6800 321/5800 365/6500 404/5250 444/6250 369/5500 503/6250 425/5500 444/7000 454/6250 493/6250 414/8300 444/8300 338/7900 338/7900 355/7900 317/7400 212/6750 338/7900 321/7400 316/4400 523/5500 616/6000 552/6000 500/7750 369/5800 505/6100 460/6000 650/6000 495/6450 287/5600 444/7000 453/7000 760/7300 187/8000 296/5500 444/6000 542/6500 567/6500 567/6500 542/6000 321 470/6400 354 470/7100 666/6000 345/7000 345/7000 375/6700 375/6700 410/7000 430/7000 218/7800 192/7800 276/6400 345/7000 400/7000 410/7000 410/7000 410/7000 430/7000 454/7000 454/7000 399/7100 454/7000 228/8200 385/6100 503/5500 451/6800 510/6800 500/6800 604/5500 621/4800 469/6000 515/6250 549/5750 282/6000 323/7000 339/7400 309/6800 562/6800 562/6800 592/6800 542/6400 523/6400 473/6400 276/7000 276/6800 266/6000
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
ECIRP
8/3993 6/2979 6/2998 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 6/2998 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 6/2979 8/3999 8/4361 6/3246 6/3246 6/3246 6/3201 4/2302 6/3246 6/3246 6/2993 8/4395 8/4395 8/4395 10/4999 3/1499 8/7008 8/6162 8/6162 8/6162 4/2261 8/4951 8/5038 8/5163 4/1797 4/1997 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 6/3498 8/4969 6/3456 8/4969 8/5000 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 4/1796 4/1796 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 8/4691 8/4691 8/4244 8/4691 2R/1308 6/2996 8/3982 8/6208 8/6208 8/6208 8/3982 12/5980 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 6/2972 6/3696 6/3696 6/3498 6/3799 6/3799 6/3799 6/3799 6/3799 6/3799 6/2568 6/2568 4/1598
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
)ELAS NO SRA EY RO(
’14-’17 ’11-’12 £35,865 ’14-’16 ’16-’18 £49,805 £75,355 £54,645 £76,055 ’14-’19 ’16-’20 ’17-’19 ’16 ’07-’13 ’10-’11 ’00-’07 ’05-’07 ’03-’04 ’96-’98 ’89-’90 ’06-’09 ’98-’03 £76,270 £99,525 £123,435 ’12-’18 ’05-’10 £112,735 ’14-’16 ’13-’19 ’15-’19 $64,995 ’16-’21 £41,430 £46,830 $72,900 ’96-’00 £54,060 £69,990 ’14-’17 £97,280 ’16-’19 ’11-’14 £85,969 £61,310 £76,595 £76,595 £139,950 ’12-’15 £62,375 ’16-’18 ’17 £79,900 £103,375 ’06-’11 ’00-’01 ’09-’15 ’10-’15 ’15-’18 ’17 £85,675 £88,675 ’18 £93,145 £109,740 ’07-’17 ’11-’17 ’03-’11 £50,010 £78,078 ’11-’14 ’12-’13 ’07-’09 £127,555 £188,550 ’16-’19 ’15-’19 ’17-’19 ’90-’99 ’09-’20 ’14-’20 ’03-’09 £82,525 £94,525 £180,095 ’12-’16 ’10-’12 ’08-’10 ’99-’02 ’97-’99 ’14-’15
NOT /PHB
.O N E U S S I 203D 277F 229D 225F 243F 265F 285F 282D 284F 218F 262F 254F 237F 266F 262F 266F 219F 279F 148F 279F 097F 263F 260D 256F 272D 218F 106F 210F 220F 197F 227F 270F 222D 266F 255D 271D 259F 271D 218F 271D 224D 168F 279F 226F 241D 231D 247D 209F 221F 231F 240D 283F 253F 253F 200F 257F 168F 216F 230F 278F 261F 246F 188F 239D 114F 193F 122F 251T 262F 162F 171F 277F 251D 209D 227D 216F 241D 204F 209F 107F 242F 229D 289F 238F 252F 257F 265F 196F 209F
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
MAKE & MODEL BentleyContinentalGT3-R BMW1-seriesMCoupé BMWM240iCoupé BMWM235iCoupé BMWM2 BMWM2Competition BMWM2CS BMWM440ixDrive BMWM4Competition(G82) BMWM4(F82) BMWM4Competition(F82) BMWM4CS(F82) BMWM4GTS(F82) BMWM3(E92) BMWM3GTS(E92) BMWM3(E46) BMWM3CS(E46) BMWM3CSL(E46) BMWM3Evolution(E36) BMWM3(E30) BMWZ4MCoupé BMWMCoupé BMWM840dxDrive BMWM850ixDrive BMWM8Competition BMWM6(F13) BMWM6(E63) BMWi8 ChevroletCamaroZ/28 ChevroletCorvetteStingray(C7) ChevroletCorvetteZ06(C7) ChevroletCorvetteStingrayZ51(C8) FordMustang2.3EcoBoost FordMustang5.0V8GT FordMustangBullitt FordMustangShelbyGT500 HondaIntegraTypeR(DC2) JaguarF-typeP300 JaguarF-typeP450 JaguarF-typeR(RWD) JaguarF-typeR(P575AWD) JaguarF-typeSVR JaguarXKR-S JannarellyDesign-1 LexusRCF LexusLC500h LexusLC500 ListerThunder LotusExigeS(V6) LotusExigeSport350 LotusExigeSport380 LotusExigeCup380 LotusExigeSport410 LotusExigeCup430 LotusExigeS(S2) LotusExige(S1) LotusEvora LotusEvoraS LotusEvora400 LotusEvoraSport410 LotusEvoraGT410 LotusEvoraGT410Sport LotusEvoraGT430 MaseratiGranTurismoSport MaseratiGranTurismoMC MaseratiGranTurismo MaseratiGranTurismoMCStradale MazdaRX-8 Mercedes-AMGC43Coupé Mercedes-AMGC63SCoupé(W205) Mercedes-BenzC63AMGCoupé(W204) Mercedes-BenzC63AMGBlackSeries(W204) Mercedes-BenzCLK63AMGBlackSeries Mercedes-AMGS63Coupé Mercedes-AMGS65Coupé Mercedes-AMGGT Mercedes-AMGGTS Mercedes-AMGGTC Mitsubishi3000GT Nissan370Z Nissan370ZNismo Nissan350Z NissanGT-R(2017MY) NissanGT-RTrackEdition(2017MY) NissanGT-RNismo(2020MY) NissanGT-R(2012MY-2016MY) NissanGT-R(2010MY) NissanGT-R(2008MY) NissanSkylineGT-R(R34) NissanSkylineGT-R(R33) PeugeotRCZR
5.2 4.9 4.4 3.7 4.3 5.1 5.3 5.4 6.7 4.8 4.4 6.2 5.6 5.5 6.5 4.4 5.5 3.2 4.7 5.4 -
12.7 10.8 9.2 8.0 10.3 12.3 12.0 12.8 17.8 10.0 9.4 17.9 13.6 12.7 16.4 10.3 13.0 7.5 12.5 14.3 -
170 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 174 190 155 190 155 155 155 158 147 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 175 180 196 194 145 155 163 180 145 155 177 186 186 200 186 135 168 168 168 208 170 170 178 175 180 180 148 136 162 172 186 190 186 186 190 186 187 177 188 146 155 180 155 186 186 155 186 189 193 196 159 155 155 155 196 196 196 196 194 193 165 155 155
RATING
+Thebest-handlingContinentalofitsgeneration-Expensive;itstillweighs2120kg 33334 + Character,turbopaceandgreatlooks - Cameandwenttooquick 33333 +Adjustableandplentyoffun-Lacksfinesseandprecision 33332 +Powertrain,chassis,looks,size-Limited-slipdiffisanoption,notstandard 33332 +MoreprogressivechassisbalancethantheM4-Feelsunsettledonroughtarmac 33332 +AmorecapableandinvolvingM2-Moreexpensiveandheavier,too 33334 +evoCaroftheYear2020-Suchqualitycomesataprice 33333 +Punchydrivetrainwithachassistomatch-Thatgrille 33334 +Accomplishedandfun-Weightgainandautogearboxlookquestionable 33334 +Ferociouslyfast-Ahandfulonless-than-perfectorless-than-bone-dryroads 33334 +ThecartheM4alwaysshouldhavebeen-ShameeveryonespecsDCT 33334 +Afurther-honedM4-Itain’tcheap 33334 +VastimprovementonlesserM4s-Soitshouldbe,givenitsprice 33333 +Fendsoffallofitsrivals…-…exceptthecheaper1-seriesMCoupé 33333 +OneofthemostfocusedM-carsever-Goodlucktryingtofindone 33333 +OneofthebestBMWsever.Runner-upineCoty2001 - Slightlyartificialsteeringfeel 33333 +CSLdynamicswithoutCSLprice - Lookslikethestandardcar 33333 +Stillsuperb - Changesfromtheautomatedsingle-clutch’boxare…a…bit…sluggish 33333 +Performance,image - NeverquiteasgoodastheE30 33332 +ThebestM-carever - Priceshavegotoutofhand 33333 +Arealdriver’s car-You’vegottobepreparedtogetstuckin 33334 +Quickandcharacterful-Lacksfinesse 33334 +Refinement,old-schoolGTcredentials-Toobigtoenjoyitsperformanceoften 33332 +Animpressivemulti-roleGT-Butnotagreatentertainer 33332 +Afastandfinegrandtourer-LacksthattrueM-carfizz 33332 +Mightyability,pace,technology-You’llwanttheCompetitionPackageupgrade,too 33334 +AwesomeGT,awesomesportscar-SMGgearboxnowoffthepace 33334 +Brilliantlyexecutedconcept;sci-filooks-Safedynamicset-up 33334 +Scalpel-sharpengine,greatchassis(really)-FeelsverystiffonUKroads 33334 +Performance,chassisbalance,suppleride-Bodycontrolcouldbebetter 33332 +Mind-bogglingrawspeed;surprisinglysophisticated-Edgywhenreallypushed 33334 +Stunningachievementforthefirstmid-enginedVette-There’s untappedpotential 33332 +NinetypercentasgoodastheV8-MissingtenpercentiswhatmakestheMustang 33342 +2018MYversiongetsimproveddynamics-StillsomewayoffEurope’s finest 33332 +ProperV8soundandperformance-Stillfeelsbigandheavynearthelimit 33332 +A760bhpStangwithachassisto(almost)matchitsengine-OnlyonsaleintheStates 33332 + Arguablythegreatestfront-drivecarever - Toorawforsome 33333 +Genuinelyexploitableperformance-Turbochargedfour-cylinderlackstop-endverve 33332 +StrongandflexiblesuperchargedV8-Steeringandchassisfeelmismatched 33342 +eCotyrunner-upin2014-Bumpyandboistrous 33333 +Morecomposedthanbefore;nowwithSVRpower-Eye-wateringprice 33332 +AmarginallybetterdrivethantheAWDR-Notbyenoughtojustifytheextraoutlay 33334 +FasterandwilderthanregularXKR-TheF-typeR 33334 +Genuinelygoodsportscarthatstandsoutfromthecrowd-Maybetooquirkyforsome 33334 +Greatlooks,noise,senseofoccasion-Tooheavytobetrulyexciting 33332 +Excellentcomfortandrefinement;finechassis-Hybridsystemhurtsthefunfactor 33342 +Gloriousengine,rewardingchassisforaGTcar-Numbsteering,messyergonomics 33332 +DeceptivelyfastreworkedF-type-Neverfeelsasferociousasthefiguressuggest 33332 +Breathtakingroad-racer;ourjointevoCaroftheYear2012-Gearshiftnotthesweetest 33333 +FurtherhonedExige,withvastlyimprovedgearshift-Stillnoteasytogetintoandoutof 33334 +Intense,absorbingandbrilliantlycapable-Perhapsnotaneverydaycar 33334 +Anabsoluteriot;feelsworththe£83k(new)pricetag-Limitedbuildnumbers 33334 +Afirst-rateswansongfortheV6Exige-Somemaybaulkattheprice 33333 +TheultimateExige-Isn’tcheap 33333 + Lightweightwithaheftypunch - Uninspiringsoundtrack 33333 + LooksandgoeslikeanEliseracer - Atadlackinginrefinement 33333 +Sublimerideandhandling.evoCaroftheYear2009-TheEvoraS 33333 +AfasterandbetterEvora-ButonewhichsparswiththePorsche911 33333 +Evoraexcitementlevelstakealeap-Gearboxstillnotperfect 33334 +EvenlighterandsharperEvora-Engineandgearboxbehindthebestatthisprice 33334 +Fullyimmersivedrivingexperience-V6hasitslimitations 33334 +Asabove,withoutthecreaturecomforts-Tooparedbackformosttastes 33334 +Genuinerace-carfeelontheroad-Itwasn’tcheap,andjust60weremade 33334 +Arealsenseofoccasiontodrive;wonderfulengine-Ratherlonginthetooth 33332 +Asabovebutwithknobson-Thoseknobsdon’tmakeitfeelanyyounger 33332 +Striking,accomplishedGT-Doesn’tspikethepulselikeanAstonor911 33332 +BrilliantblendofroadracerandGT-Gearboxtakesalittlegettingusedto 33332 +Nevermindthequirkiness,it’s agreatdrive-Wafer-thintorqueoutput;thirsty 33334 +Fastandinstilledwitharealsenseofquality-Notenoughemphasisonfun 33332 +Mouth-wateringmechanicalpackage-Lightsteering;heftykerbweight 33332 +Apropertwo-doorM3rival-C63saloonlooksbettertomost 33334 +TheC63turnedupto11-Tooheavy;notasfieryasBlackSeriescarsofold 33334 + AMGgoesPorsche-hunting - Dull-wittedgearshispoilstheparty 33334 +Near-silentprogressmeetsfull-blownriot-Don’tgothinkingit’s aGTR 33334 +Almightypower,fabulousluxury-Nearly£60kmorethantheS63! 33332 +Atruesportscoupethatalsodoesluxury-Takestimetorevealitstalents 33332 +Fantasticchassis,hugegrip-Artificialsteeringfeel;downshiftscouldbequicker 33334 +AsgoodatbeingaGTasitisasportscoupe-Difficulttodrivefastandsmoothly 33334 +Looksthebusiness,loadedwithgizmos-Doesn’tdothebusiness 32222 +Quicker,leaner,keenerthan350Z-NotquiteaCayman-killer 33332 +Sharperlooks,improvedride,extrathrills-Enginelackssparkle 33334 + Hugefun,andgreatvaluetoo - Muscle-carvibenotforeveryone 33332 +Morerefinement,muchimprovedinterior,stillfast-Feelsatouchlessalert 33334 +GT-Rregainsitssharpness-Gettingpriceythesedays 33334 +Addictiveperformance-TrackEditiongets90percenttherefor£80kless 33334 +Quickerandbetterthanbefore-StoppingyourPorsche-owningfriendscallingitaDatsun 33333 +Morepowerfulversionoftheoriginal-Butthey’renotworldsaparttodrive 33333 +evoCaroftheYear2008-Youwon’tsee20mpgoften 33333 + Big,brutal,andgreatfun - Needsmorethanthestandard276bhp 33333 + EarlyproofthatJapanesehigh-techcouldwork(superbly) - Limitedsupply 33333 +Rewardingandhighlyeffectivewhenfullylit-Datedcabin,steeringlacksfeel 33334
www.evo.co.uk
153
Showroom Knowledge
154 www.evo.co.uk
TheKnowledge MPR /T F BL
THGIEW
N OT /PHB
HP)MDE2M6IAL-C0(
4/1969 4/1988 4/1988 4/2497 4/2497 6/3995 6/3995 6/3436 6/3436 6/3800 6/3436 6/3436 6/2981 6/2981 6/2981 6/2981 6/2981 6/2981 6/2981 6/3800 6/3800 6/3824 6/3387 12/6592 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 6/2998 4/1587 6/3996 6/3996 6/3996
592/6000 296/6500 296/6500 345/6500 360/6500 394/7000 414/7600 321/7400 335/7400 380/7400 316/7200 325/7400 380/6500 444/6500 444/6500 365/6500 365/6500 414/6500 444/6500 394/7400 380/6500 350/6600 300/6800 624/5600 197/7000 197/7000 254/5000 335/5000 122/6600 406/7000 400/7000 350/6800
737 280/2150 280/2150 310/2100 310/2100 310/5000 310/5000 273/4500 280/4750 310/4750 273/4750 273/4750 332/1950 391/1700 391/1700 332/1700 332/1700 369/1700 406/2150 324/5600 310/4400 295/4600 258/4600 590/1500 151/6400 151/6400 295/1550 369/1600 105/5000 349/5000 315/5250 330/5000
2350kg 1335kg 1350kg 1355kg 1375kg 1405kg 1420kg 1320kg 1345kg 1340kg 1350kg 1295kg 1505kg 1480kg 1530kg 1430kg 1425kg 1440kg 1450kg 1415kg 1425kg 1420kg 1320kg 2360kg 1230kg 1240kg 1395kg 1495kg 977kg 1078kg 1100kg 1130kg
256 225 223 259 266 285 296 247 253 288 237 255 257 305 295 259 260 292 311 283 271 246 231 260 163 161 185 228 127 383 369 315
4.2 5.1 5.1 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.4 5.0 4.9 4.4 5.2 5.0 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.1 4.5 4.7 4.6 5.2 4.6 7.6 7.6 5.2 4.3 8.2 3.7 4.0 4.4
HPM XAM
MPR /PHB
£139,000 £47,230 £51,145 £53,030 ’17-’19 £64,480 £75,780 ’13-’16 ’14-’16 ’15-’16 ’06-’13 ’11-’13 £84,870 £94,350 £99,925 ’16-’18 ’17-’18 ’16-’18 ’17-’19 ’12-’15 ’08-’11 ’04-’08 ’98-’01 £240,768 ’12-’20 ’12-’20 £45,995 £54,340 ’84-’89 ’05-’07 ’05-’07 ’98-’04
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE
269D 287F 270F 249F 260F 283F 277F 202F 219F 265F 231F 158F 287F 285F 285F 218F 264F 217F 238F 201F 121F 249F 249F 205D 248F 286F 287F 269F 237F 265F 076F 004F
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
ECIRP
)ELAS NO SRAEY RO(
.O N E U S S I
MAKE & MODEL Polestar1 Porsche718Cayman Porsche718CaymanT Porsche718CaymanS Porsche718CaymanGTS Porsche718CaymanGTS4.0 Porsche718CaymanGT4 PorscheCaymanS(981) PorscheCaymanGTS(981) PorscheCaymanGT4(981) PorscheCaymanS(987) PorscheCaymanR(987) Porsche911Carrera(992) Porsche911CarreraS(992) Porsche911Carrera4S(992) Porsche911Carrera(991.2) Porsche911CarreraT(991.2) Porsche911CarreraS(991.2) Porsche911CarreraGTS(991.2) Porsche911CarreraS(991.1) Porsche911CarreraS(997.2) Porsche911CarreraS(997.1) Porsche911Carrera(996,3.4) Rolls-RoyceWraith SubaruBRZ ToyotaGT86 ToyotaGRSupra2.0 ToyotaGRSupra ToyotaMR2(Mk1) TVRSagaris TVRTuscanS(Mk2) TVRCerberaSpeedSix
3.9 4.5 4.3 6.9 5.0
9.3 10.5 9.5 16.5 11.4
155 170 170 177 180 182 188 175 177 183 172 175 182 191 190 183 182 191 193 188 188 182 174 155 140 140 155 155 124 185 185 160+
SUPERCARS/HYPERCARS
OUR CHOICE
McLaren 765LT. Runner-upatevoCaroftheYear2020,whereitfinished aheadoftheLamborghiniHuracánEvoRWDandFerrariF8Tributo,the765 meldsmind-bogglingpacewitharemarkablytalentedchassisandsublime steeringtodeliveranotherunforgettableLongtailexperience. AstonMartinDBSSuperleggera AstonMartinDBSSuperleggeraVolante AstonMartinVanquishS(Mk2) AstonMartinVanquishS(Mk1) AstonMartinV12Speedster AstonMartinOne-77 AudiR8V10RWD AudiR8V10 AudiR8V10Performance AudiR8V10RWS(Mk2) AudiR8V10(Mk2) AudiR8V10Plus(Mk2) AudiR8V10(Mk1) AudiR8V10Plus(Mk1) BugattiChiron BugattiVeyron16.4 BugattiVeyron16.4SuperSport BugattiEB110 FerrariRoma FerrariPortofinoM FerrariF8Tributo FerrariF8Spider Ferrari488GTB Ferrari488Pista Ferrari458Italia Ferrari458Speciale FerrariF430 Ferrari430Scuderia Ferrari360Modena Ferrari360ChallengeStradale FerrariF355Berlinetta Ferrari348GTCompetizione Ferrari812Superfast Ferrari812GTS FerrariF12Berlinetta FerrariF12tdf Ferrari599GTBFiorano Ferrari599GTO Ferrari575MFioranoHandlingPack Ferrari550Maranello FerrariGTC4LussoT FerrariGTC4Lusso FerrariFF Ferrari612Scaglietti
264F 273F 260F 110F 287F 179F 273F 261F 256D 254F 234F 250F 254F 190F 244F 134F 151F 078F 278D 288D 281F 276D 228F 262F 288F 274F 254F 274F 163F 274F 231F 274F 275F 280F 275F 230F 275F 161F 200F 275F 246D 264F 194F 090F
RATING +Oneofthemostappealinghybridsyet-It’sleft-hand-driveonly,andjollyexpensive 33332 +Chassisremainsadream-SoundslikeaToyotaGT86 33332 +Afurther-honed2-litreCayman-Flat-foursoundtrackstilldisappoints 33334 +Fasterandbettertodrivethanever-Bringearplugs 33334 +Crackingpackageofupgrades-Havewementionedtheengine…? 33334 +NinetypercentoftheGT4’s magic-Canfeelalittletoocapableandpolishedattimes 33333 +evoCaroftheYear2019-Longgearingisn’tidealforroaddriving 33333 +TheCaymancomesofage-Erm… 33333 +Tweaksimproveanalreadysublimepackage-Slightly‘aftermarket’looks 33333 +evoCaroftheYear2015(eventhoughthe991GT3RSwasthere!)-Second-handprices 33333 +Stillwantthat911?-Yeah,ustoo 33334 +Totalhandlingexcellence-Stylingadditionsnottoalltastes 33333 +Fast,composedandcomfortable-Missesthepowerandtechofmoreexpensive911s 33334 +Animmaculatelypolishedmachine-Lackscharacterunlesswrungout 33334 +Terrificallyexcitingwhendrivenhard-You’llreachsomebignumberswhendoingso 33334 +Forcedinductiondidn’truintheCarrera-Puristswon’tbehappy 33334 +Lightweightwindows,norearseats,anLSD…-Only5kglighterthanabasicCarrera 33334 +Blindinglyfast-You’llwantthesportsexhaust 33334 +Everythinga911Carrerashouldbe-Costsnearly£20kmorethanabasicCarrera 33334 +ACarrerawithsupercarpace-Electricsteeringrobsitofsometactility 33334 + Poise,precision,blindingpace-Feelsabitclinical 33334 + evoCaroftheYear2004 - Doyourhomeworkonpotentialengineissues 33333 + ThefirstevoCaroftheYear,anditstillstacksuptoday - Mightfeelasmidgedated 33333 +Refinement,chassis,drivetrain-Sharedcomponentryletscabindown 33334 +Finechassis,greatsteering-Weakengine,nottheslide-happycartheypromised 33332 +Boldlyputplayfulnessaheadofoutrightperformance-Seeabove 33332 +Avoidstheedginessofthe3-litreSupra-Lacksfeel,feedbackandbite 33332 +BetterthanitsBMWZ4cousin-NotbetterthananM2Competition 33332 + Mid-enginedfuncomesnomoreaffordable - Findingagoodonewilltaketime 33334 + Looksoutrageous - 406bhpfeelsatouchoptimistic 33334 + PossiblyTVR’sbestevercar - Aerodynamic‘enhancements’ 33334 + Accomplishedanddesirable - Whenit’srunning 33334
£225,000 £247,500 ’17-18 ’05-’07 £765,000 ’10-’12 £117,325 £131,130 £144,130 ’17-’19 ’15-’19 ’15-’19 ’09-’15 ’13-’15 c£2.5m ’05-’11 ’10-’11 ’91-’95 £170,984 £175,345 £203,476 £225,897 ’15-’19 ’18-’20 ’09-’15 ’13-’15 ’04-’10 ’07-’10 ’99-’04 ’03-’04 ’94-’99 ’93 £262,963 £293,150 ’12-’17 ’17 ’06-’12 ’11-’12 ’02-’06 ’96-’02 ’17-’20 ’16-’20 ’11-’15 ’04-’11
12/5204 12/5204 12/5935 12/5935 12/5204 12/7312 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 16/7993 16/7993 16/7993 12/3500 8/3855 8/3855 8/3902 8/3902 8/3902 8/3902 8/4497 8/4497 8/4308 8/4308 8/3586 8/3586 8/3496 8/3404 12/6496 12/6496 12/6262 12/6262 12/5999 12/5999 12/5748 12/5474 8/3855 12/6262 12/6262 12/5748
715/6500 715/6500 595/7000 520/7000 690/6500 750/6000 533/7900 562/8100 611/8250 533/7800 533/7800 602/8250 518/8000 542/8000 1479/6700 987/6000 1183/6400 552/8000 611/5750 611/5750 710/8000 710/8000 661/6500 710/8000 562/9000 597/9000 483/8500 503/8500 394/8500 420/8500 374/8250 316/7200 789/8500 789/8500 730/8250 769/8500 611/7600 661/8250 508/7250 478/7000 602/7500 680/8000 651/8000 533/7250
664/1800 664/1800 465/5500 425/5800 555/5000 553/7600 398/6400 413/6300 428/6500 398/6500 398/6500 413/6500 391/6500 398/6500 1180/2000 922/2200 1106/3000 451/3750 560/3000 560/3000 568/3250 568/3250 561/3000 568/3000 398/6000 398/6000 343/5250 347/5250 275/4750 275/4750 268/6000 239/5000 529/7000 529/7000 509/6000 520/6250 448/5600 457/6500 434/5250 420/5000 560/3000 514/5750 504/6000 434/5250
1770kg 1863kg* 1739kg 1875kg c1700kg 1740kg 1595kg 1660kg 1595kg 1590kg 1640kg 1580kg 1620kg 1570kg 1995kg 1888kg 1838kg 1618kg 1570kg 1664kg 1435kg 1400kg* 1475kg 1385kg 1485kg 1395kg 1449kg 1350kg 1390kg 1280kg 1350kg* 1180kg* 1630kg 1645kg* 1630kg 1520kg 1690kg 1605kg 1688kg 1690kg 1865kg 1920kg 1880kg 1875kg
BEST OF THE REST
TheLamborghiniHuracánEvoRWD(left)isSant’Agata’sV10modelatitsmost desirable,whiletheFerrariF8TributotakesMaranello’s mid-enginedV8linetoanew stateoftheart.ThelatestPorsche911GT3onceagainbringsimprovementstoan alreadybrilliantmodelline,andtheAudiR8V10remainsacorkingentry-levelsupercar. 410 390 348 282 c410 438 340 344 389 341 330 387 325 351 753 531 654 347 395 373 503 515 455 521 384 435 339 378 288 333 281 276 492 487 455 514 368 418 298 287 328 360 347 289
3.4 3.6 3.5 4.8 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.1 3.7 3.5 3.2 4.1 3.8 2.5 2.5 2.5 3.6 3.4 3.5 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.4 3.0 4.0 3.6 4.5 4.1 4.7 5.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.7 3.4 3.7 4.4 3.5 3.4 3.7 4.0
3.9 4.9 2.9 3.9 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.5 4.2 4.3
8.3 10.1 6.3 8.4 5.8 6.8 7.7 6.2 7.4 9.6 9.8
211 211 201 200 298 220+ 199 201 205 199 198 205 194 198 261 253 258 213 199+ 199 211 211 205+ 211+ 202+ 202+ 196+ 198 183+ 186 183 175 211 211+ 211+ 211+ 205 208+ 205+ 199 199 208 208 199
+Broadspreadoftalents-It’snotreally‘Superlight’ +Dazzlinglooks,immenseperformance-Widthandweightbringcompromises +Noise,poise,dramaandcharm-NotasroundedastheDB11 +Vanquishjoinsthesupercargreats-Atadintimidatingatthelimit +Amusingtodrive;genuinedepthtoitsdevelopment-It’snotthelastwordinanything +Theengine,thelooks,thedrama-Gearboxhatesmanoeuvring;only77weremade +Moreaffordablethana4WDR8-Butnotmoreentertaining +Beatsthe992Carrera-Couldbethelastofitskind +StunningV10;approachableperformance-OptionalDynamicsteeringfeelsunnatural +Thefirstrear-wheel-driveAudifor40years-Driveslargelylikeits4WDcounterpart +AlltheR8youreallyneed-Youcan’tgetamanualgearbox +Timelessdrivetrain,hugeperformance-Sometimesseemsordinaryatsteadyspeeds +Realsupercarfeel-TheV8ischeaper,andstillsuperb +AnR8fittotakeonthe458and12C-Firmridemaybetoomuchforsome +Backsupthenumberswithfeelandemotion-Limitedtopspeed(!) +Superblyengineeredfour-wheel-drivequad-turborocket-Er,lacksluggagespace? +Wasoncetheworld’s fastestsupercar-Limitedto258mphforusmeremortals +Superblyengineeredfour-wheel-drivequad-turborocket-Itjustfizzledout +Notfaroffbeingafront-enginedF8-ChoosingbetweenaRomaandanF8 +Matchesuseabilitytosupercarperformance-LacksthepassionofthebestFerraris +Ferrari’sbestseries-productionV8ever-Thenextonecouldbeahybrid +Asabove,withafoldinghard-top-SomemaypreferMcLaren’s720SSpider +Staggeringlycapable-Lacksalittleofthe458’s heartandexcitement +Searinglyfastandeffortlesslycapable-Takesawhiletofullyappreciateit +Anastoundingachievement-Paddleshiftonly +evoCaroftheYear2014-Ifyoudon’townaregular458,nothing +Justbrilliant-Didn’tyoureadthepluspoint? +SuccessfulF1technologytransplant-Likestoshoutaboutit +Worthysuccessorto355-Notquiteasinvolvingasitshouldbe +Totallyexhilaratingroad-racer-Automatedsingle-clutch’boxdatesit +Looksterrific,soundsevenbetter -Areyoukidding? +Utterlyabsorbing,withexceptionaldynamics-Steeringalittlewoolly +Incredibleengine-Findingopportunitiestoexploitit +Abrilliantreturnforthefront-enginedV12FerrariSpider-Therewon’tbemanymore +730bhpisn’ttoomuchpowerfortheroad-Super-quicksteeringisanacquiredtaste +Alarminglyfast-Doesn’tflowlikea458Speciale +evoCaroftheYear2006-Banksaregettinghardertorob +OneofthetrulygreatFerraris-Erm,theairconisn’tverygood +Fioranopackmakes575trulygreat-Itshouldhavebeenstandard +Everything-Nothing +Effortless,comfortableGT-MissestherichersoundtrackoftheV12 +Rear-wheelsteeringincreasesagility-NotasengagingasotherFerraris +Fourseatsand4WD,butaproperFerrari-Looksdivideopinion +Awesomelycapablegrandtourer-Seeabove
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Exclusive evo merchandise available to buy now
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TheKnowledge MPR /T F BL
THGIEW
664/6750 485/5500 347/6500 426/4000 550/5900 500/3750 476/2000 224/5300 224/5300 475/4500 1011/6000 885/2700 796/5600 413/6500 442/6500 442/6500 397/6500 413/6500 442/6500 442/6500 398/6500 398/6500 398/6500 376/4250 509/5500 509/5500 509/5500 509/5500 531/6750 531/6750 531/6750 487/6000 487/6500 479/5400 457/5500 354/6800 295/4250 443/5000 443/5000 457/5500 457/5500 465/5500 568/5500 568/5500 590/5500 500/6000 516/5500 442/3000 590/5500 664/4000 479/4000 516/2100 516/2100 590/2000 479/4750 468/5500 575/3250 604/3800 737/2250 553/4050 575/4000 347/6100 339/6000 347/6250 347/6000 553/2500 324/6250 339/6250 339/6250 317/6250 317/6750 339/5750 516/2250 298/5500 298/5500 284/5000 284/5000 472/3500 273/5000 590/2500 590/2500 524/1950 553/2250 553/2200 479/1950 457/1950 413/2700 398/4500 944/6600 435/5750
1570kg* 1574kg 1365kg 1230kg* 1100kg* 1385kg* 1583kg 1776kg 1410kg 1270kg 1470kg 1360kg 1435kg 1280kg* 1389kg* 1422kg* 1542kg* 1389kg* 1422kg* 1382kg* 1507kg* 1380kg* 1410kg* 1340kg* 1430kg* 1575kg* 1575kg* 1625kg* 1525kg* 1525kg* 1575kg* 1600kg* 1665kg* 1565kg* 1650kg* 1625kg* 1480kg 1299kg 1452kg 1498kg 1356kg 1386kg 1530kg 1419kg 1468kg 1339kg 1428kg 1328kg 1434kg 1198kg* 1490kg 1138kg 1575kg 1561kg 1520kg 1620kg 1550kg 1693kg 1198kg* 1350kg* 1280kg* 1230kg* 1418kg 1413kg 1465kg 1430kg 1470kg 1430kg 1420kg 1370kg 1395kg 1370kg 1360kg 1370kg 1395kg 1375kg 1380kg 1360kg 1420kg 1350kg 1640kg 1710kg 1595kg 1600kg 1605kg 1570kg 1585kg 1540kg 1500kg 1674kg 1380kg
638 613 485 424 437 475 353 328 196 221 375 1002 796 797 440 451 416 385 430 464 425 399 398 426 364 445 471 456 493 506 490 513 385 429 351 343 379 274 393 381 444 448 406 508 491 572 456 510 435 669 616 560 372 376 480 335 408 370 551 542 441 497 360 355 349 364 477 333 353 366 312 329 368 453 298 302 272 280 338 271 397 381 340 363 349 319 303 273 272 531 445
2.5 3.0 3.7 3.9 4.1 2.8 3.9 2.9 5.7 4.4 3.7 2.9 2.8 2.9 3.3 2.9 3.1 3.4 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.9 3.7 3.4 4.0 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 <2.8 3.8 3.3 4.0 3.9 3.7 4.3 3.2 3.4 2.9 2.9 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.9 3.3 2.8 2.8 3.2 3.6 3.6 3.2 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.2 2.8 3.5 3.3 3.8 4.1 4.0 3.8 3.5 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.8 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.7 3.7 4.2 4.3 2.6 3.9
HPM XAM
MPR /PHB 986/7500 950/9000 651/7800 513/8500 471/7000 647/6250 550/6500 573 276/7300 276/7300 542/7200 1341/7500 1124/7100 1004/7000 602/8000 631/8000 631/8000 572/8000 602/8250 631/8000 631/8000 542/8000 552/8000 562/8000 513/8000 690/8250 730/8400 730/8400 740/8400 759/8500 759/8500 808/8500 631/8000 661/8000 572/7500 543/7100 552/8700 349/6500 562/7500 562/7500 592/7500 611/7500 612/7500 710/7250 710/7250 754/7500 641/7250 666/7100 616/7500 789/7250 903/7500 627/7500 577/6250 577/6250 720/6700 563/6800 622/7400 617/6500 650/6800 720/5800 555/5900 602/6150 503/8400 493/8250 503/8400 513/8250 690/7000 468/8250 493/8250 493/8250 429/7600 444/7900 493/8250 611/6500 409/7600 409/7600 375/7400 375/7400 475/5700 360/7200 641/6750 641/6750 533/6400 572/6750 552/6500 493/6000 472/6000 414/6000 402/5750 875/8500 604/8000
HPM)D0ET6S-E0T(
CC / LYC ENIGNE 8/3990 12/6262 12/5999 12/4699 8/2936 6/3497 8/5409 6/3493 6/3179 6/3179 6/3498 8/5065 8/5032 8/4800 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/4961 12/6498 12/6498 12/6498 12/6498 12/6498 12/6498 12/6498 12/6496 12/6496 12/6192 12/5992 10/4805 8/3506 8/3799 8/3799 8/3799 8/3799 8/3994 8/3994 8/3994 8/3994 8/3799 8/3799 8/3799 8/3999 8/3799 12/6064 8/3982 8/3982 8/3982 8/6208 8/6208 8/5439 8/4439 12/5980 12/7291 12/7291 6/3996 6/3996 6/3996 6/3996 6/3800 6/3799 6/3996 6/3996 6/3797 6/3797 6/3996 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3745 6/3745 6/3800 6/3800 6/3800 6/3800 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 8/4593 10/5733
HPM)0DE0T1S-E0T(
ECIRP
£376,048 ’13-’15 ’02-’04 ’95-’97 ’87-’92 $450,000 ’04-’06 £144,765 ’97-’05 ’02-’03 ’92-’94 ’14-’15 ’11-’14 ’08-’10 £164,400 £198,307 £218,137 ’16-’19 ’14-’19 ’17-’19 ’18-’19 ’09-’10 ’08-’13 ’10-’13 ’03-’08 ’11-’17 £271,146 £301,754 ’15-’17 £360,000 £387,987 £312,000 ’06-’11 ’09-’11 ’01-’06 ’00-’02 ’10-’12 ’99-’01 ’15-’19 ’16-’18 ’18-’21 ’20-’21 £163,000 £208,600 £242,000 £280,000 ’14-’17 ’15-’17 ’11-’14 £750,000 ’13-’15 ’94-’98 £158,285 ’19-’20 £335,000 ’10-’15 ’13-’15 ’03-’07 c£200,000 c£1m ’02-’05 ’05-’06 £127,820 ’17-’19 ’19 ’18-’20 ’18-’19 ’13-’16 ’15-’16 ’16 ’09-’11 ’10-’11 ’11-’12 ’10-’13 ’07-’09 ’07-’09 ’03-’05 ’04-’05 ’04-’06 ’99-’01 £155,970 £170,410 ’16-’19 ’16-’19 ’13-’15 ’09-’13 ’06-’09 ’00-’06 ’95-’98 ’13-’15 ’04-’06
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.O N E U S S I
MAKE & MODEL
FerrariSF90Stradale FerrariLaFerrari FerrariEnzo FerrariF50 FerrariF40 FordGT FordGT HondaNSX HondaNSX(NA2) HondaNSX-R(NA2) JaguarXJ220 KoenigseggOne:1 KoenigseggAgeraR KoenigseggCCXREdition LamborghiniHuracánEvoRWD LamborghiniHuracánEvo LamborghiniHuracánEvoSpyder LamborghiniHuracánRWD LamborghiniHuracán LamborghiniHuracánPerformante LamborghiniHuracánPerformanteSpyder LamborghiniGallardoLP550-2Balboni LamborghiniGallardoLP560-4 LamborghiniGallardoLP570-4 Superleggera LamborghiniGallardo LamborghiniAventador LamborghiniAventadorS LamborghiniAventadorSRoadster LamborghiniAventadorSV LamborghiniAventadorSVJ LamborghiniAventadorSVJRoadster LamborghiniSiánFKP37 LamborghiniMurciélagoLP640 LamborghiniMurciélagoLP670-4SV LamborghiniMurciélago LamborghiniDiabloVT6.0 LexusLFA/LFANürburgring LotusEspritSport350 McLaren570S McLaren570GT McLaren600LT McLaren620R McLarenGT McLaren720S McLaren720SSpider McLaren765LT McLaren650S McLaren675LT McLaren12C McLarenSenna McLarenP1 McLarenF1 Mercedes-AMGGTR Mercedes-AMGGTRPro Mercedes-AMGGTBlackSeries Mercedes-BenzSLSAMG Mercedes-BenzSLSAMGBlackSeries Mercedes-BenzSLRMcLaren NobleM600 PaganiHuayra PaganiZondaS7.3 PaganiZondaF Porsche911GT3(992) Porsche911GT3(991.2) Porsche911Speedster(991.2) Porsche911GT3RS(991.2) Porsche911GT2RS(991.2) Porsche911GT3(991.1) Porsche911GT3RS(991.1) Porsche911R(991.1) Porsche911GT3(997.2) Porsche911GT3RS(3.8,997.2) Porsche911GT3RS4.0(997.2) Porsche911GT2RS(997.2) Porsche911GT3(997.1) Porsche911GT3RS(997.1) Porsche911GT3(996.2) Porsche911GT3RS(996.2) Porsche911GT2(996.2) Porsche911GT3(996.1) Porsche911TurboS(992) Porsche911TurboSCabriolet(992) Porsche911Turbo(991.2) Porsche911TurboS(991.2) Porsche911TurboS(991.1) Porsche911Turbo(997.2) Porsche911Turbo(997.1) Porsche911Turbo(996) Porsche911Turbo(993) Porsche918Spyder PorscheCarreraGT
3.5 3.0 3.5 4.3 3.2 2.9 3.3 4.1 3.8 3.0 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.5 2.6 3.2 4.0 4.1 -
6.7 6.9 9.4 7.3 5.6 7.1 8.4 7.7 7.1 9.2 9.4 9.2 10.3 6.0 7.3 8.7 10.0 -
211 217+ 217+ 202 201 216 205 191 168 168 213 273 273 250+ 202 202+ 202 199 201+ 201+ 201+ 199 202 202 196 217 217 217 217+ 218 217+ 217+ 211 212 206 208 202 175 204 204 204 200 203 212 212 205 207 205 207 211 217 240 198 198 202 197 196 208 225 224 220 214+ 199 198 192 193 211 196 193 200 194 193 193 205 192 193 190 190 198 187 205 205 198 205 197 194 193 190 180 211 205
RATING
+Hugelyimpressiveseries-productionhypercar-HybridturboV8nomatchforaV12 +PerhapsthegreatestFerrariever-Brakeslackatouchofprecisionontrack +Intoxicating,exploitable-CabindetailingfallsshortofaZondaorF1’s +Abetterdriver’sFerrarithanthe288,F40orEnzo-Notbetterlooking,though +Brutallyfast-It’sinthedictionaryunder‘turbolag’ +Everythingitdoesontrack-Toomanyofthethingsitdoesontheroad +evoCaroftheYear2005-Don’tscalpyourselfgettingin +Blisteringlyquickandbrilliantlyengineered-Limitedrangeonafulltank +Theoriginaluseablesupercar-276bhpsoundsabitweedytoday +evoCaroftheYear2002-HardtofindintheUK +Britain’s greatestsupercar…-…untilMcLarenbuilttheF1 +Oneofthemostpowerfulcarswe’vetested-Wecouldn’taffordone +Asfastandexcitingasyourbodycanhandle-It’sVeyronmoney +Oneoftheworld’s fastestcars-Spikypowerdelivery +ThemostcompleteHuracányet-Prescriptivedrivermodesstillfrustrate +Performanteengine,trickchassis-Badlyneedsan‘Ego’modeforroaddriving +Drop-topdrivingenhancesthatepicV10-BeingmistakenforaKing’sRoadposer +Moreseductivethanthe4WDHuracán-Feelslikethere’s moretocome +Defiesthenumbers;incrediblepoint-to-pointpace-Takesworktofinditssweet-spot +TherealisationoftheHuracán’s everelusivepotential-Kitchen-worktopcarbonfibre +Asabove,butevenlouderforthedriver-Notfortheshyandretiring +Mad,rear-wheel-driveLambo-Limitednumbers +StillamissilefromAtoB-Feelsalittledatednexttosomerivals +LessweightandmorepowerthanoriginalSuperleggera-LP560-4runsitveryclose +Onafull-borestartitspinsallfourwheels.Cool-Slightlyclunkye-gear +MostimportantnewLambosincetheCountach-Canfeelalittleclumsy +Amoreagile,moreconnectedAventador-Syntheticsteering +Asdynamicasthecoupe-Fiddlyand(very)expensiveroof +MoreexcitingthanthestandardAventador-ISRgearboxinconsistent +AsignificantsteponfromtheSV-Havewementionedthegearbox? +IncreasedexposuretothatV12-Nexttimeit’llhaveelectricassistance +Ourkindofhybrid-Feriociouslyexpensive +Compellingold-schoolsupercar-You’d betterbeonyourtoes +Asupercarinitstruest,wildestsense-Bepreparedforstares +Gorgeous,capableandincrediblyfriendly-V12feelsstressed +Best-built,best-lookingDiabloofall-People’sperceptions +Absurdandcompellingsupercar-Badgeandpricedon’tquitematch +Lotus’s pukkaV8-poweredsupercar-WeightofthatV8makesitmoreintimidating +Atrulyfunandengagingsportscar-McLarendoesn’tcallitasupercar! +Blursthelinebetweengrandtourerandsupercarbrilliantly-570Sismoreinvolving +evoCaroftheYear2018-There’s noglovebox +Atrue911GT3RSrival-TheGT3RShasamorescintillatingengine +Fieryperformance;refinement-Don’texpecta720Stoemergeonagreatroad +evoCaroftheYear2017-Favoursprecisionoveremotion +Everybitasballasticasthecoupe-Butafractionlessprecise +Intense,extreme,insane-Howmuchdoyouvalueyourdrivinglicence? +Betterbrakes,balanceandlooksthan12C;morepowertoo-Whichallcomesataprice +Runner-upateCoty2015;asksquestionsoftheP1-Aventadorpricetag +Staggeringperformance,refinement-Enginenoisecanbegrating +Astoundingperformance,stellarpresence-Only500beingmade +Freakishbreadthofability-Atitsmind-bendingbestontrack +Stillthemostsingle-mindedsupercarever-Theairconwasabitweak +Funandblisteringlyfast;atruerivalforthe911GT3-Atouchshowy,perhaps +AGTRfine-tunedforthetrack-A911GT3RShastheedge +Terrifyinglyfastandcapable-Subtleitain’t +Greatengineandchassis(gullwingdoorstoo!)-Slightlytardygearbox +Stunningengine,superbbodycontrol-Becarefulonless-than-smoothroads… +Zonda-pace,575-styledrivability-Dreadfulbrakefeel +SpiritualsuccessortotheFerrariF40-It’sabitpricey +JointevoCaroftheYear2012-Engineisn’tasnape-pricklingastheZonda’s +evoCaroftheYear2001(inearlier7.0form)-Valueshavegoneupafairbitsincethen +EverythinganItaliansupercaroughttobe-LooksabitblingynexttoaCarreraGT +Sparklingprecisionandpoise-DecidingifyouwantstandardorTouringspec +Almostimpossibletocriticise-Wasn’ttheeasiestcartoplaceanorderfor +EssentiallyatoplessGT3-Only1948weremade +Evenbetterthanthe991.1RS-Demandexceededsupply +Aproper,angryturbochargedPorsche-‘Limitedavailability’ +evoCaroftheYear2013-PDKonly +Sensationallygoodtodrive-TheCaymanGT4isevenbetter +evoCaroftheYear2016-Limitedavailability +Evenbetterthanthecaritreplaced-Giveusaminute… +Wenameditourfavouritecarfromthefirst200issuesofevo-Forpeoplelikeus,nothing +evoCaroftheYear2011-Unforgivingon-roadride;crazyusedprices +MorepowerfulthanaCarreraGT.Handles,too-Erm… +Runner-upatevoCaroftheYear2006-Ferrari599GTBs +evoCaroftheYear2007-AchunkmoremoneythanthealreadybrilliantGT3 +evoCaroftheYear2003-Chassisabittootrack-focusedforsomeroads +AnevenmorefocusedversionofthesuperbGT3-Limitedsupply +Revisionsmadeitevenmoreofastarthanthe456bhp996.1GT2-Carestillrequired +evoCaroftheYear1999-Porschedidn’tbuildenough +Morethree-dimensionalthanrecentTurbos-Requiresself-restraintontheroad +Ahighlyappealingindulgence-Therearebetterdriver’s911 +MakestheTurboSseemunnecessary-Butyoustillwould… +Enormousperformance-Notasthrillingassomerivals +Superbeverydaysupercar-Attimesdisguisesthethrillsitcanoffer +TheTurboattheverytopofitsgame-Favoursoutrightgripoveradjustability +Monstercorneringability-Abitwoollyonitsstandardsettings +evoCaroftheyear2000;the911forallseasons-Wecan’tfindanyreasons +Stupendousall-weathersupercar-Itdoesn’trainenough +Blisteringperformance;cohesivehybridtech - Addedweightandcomplexity +Feltaheadofitstime - Needsmoderntyrestotameitsspikiness
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Showroom Knowledge
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Showroom Car Storage
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STORAGE LOCATIONS
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AUTO CLASSICA ‘Specialising in automotive storage’
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with confidence. with le er seats. with deli ry to yo door. with our expert ad ce. with a li e extra oo ph. with the finance sor ed. The easiest way to buy a used car online Delivery directly to your door £150 off any used car on BuyaCar 14-day money back guarantee Exclusively for evo readers 30-day warranty always included To find out more visit Certified cars from UK dealers buyacar.co.uk/readeroffer Part exchange with free collection We’re part of the Autovia family. Terms and conditions apply. This offer is valid until the 31st of December 2021. To see the full statement visit https://www.buyacar.co.uk/readeroffer Buyacar Ltd t/a Buyacar is a credit broker and not a lender. Registered at 31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP (GB09151058) (FRN:667368) Buyacar is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
TheKnowledge
BuyaCar Buying Guide: McLaren 570S
The oft-overlooked British supercar can be a real bargain with help from BuyaCar
S
UCH IS THE PACE OF PROGRESS AT McLaren that you may well have forgotten that the 570S exists. Humble Sports Series model with an alphanumeric name it might be, but it remains an incredibly capable supercar in its own right, and its maker’s relentless introduction of new models means that, while it’s far from being outdated, used examples of just a few years old now look impossibly good value. How much so? Try £1451 per month for the silver 2018 570S Spider we found on BuyaCar, with only 4400 miles on its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 and carbonfibre chassis.That figure includes a £300 BuyaCar contribution and 6.9% APR, plus all the usual guarantees, such as an HPI check, at least six months’ MOT and service, delivery, and a 14-day
Buyacar– the easiestwayto finance an evofavourite online
Browse almost 50,000 deals on our website, personalise your finance package to suit your budget, and we’ll deliver your performance car straight to your door – with 14 days to return it if you don’t like it!
money-back guarantee.Alternatively,you could pay a cash price of £113,150 for the same car – a car that listed at £150,000, before options, when new. If that’s still a little rich, or a drop-top isn’t your thing, then it’s possible to find a 570S with a price that’s more high-end sports car than supercar, such as an 8600-mile, 2016 coupe for £90,290, or £1344 per month.That means you’re getting undisputed supercar performance (0-62mph in 3.1sec, 204mph), a five-star evo rating and a third-place finish in eCoty 2016 for 911 Carrera money. The 570S is wonderfully useable too.While Sports Series models don’t get McLaren’s trick interlinked suspension set-up, their more conventional arrangement still seems capable of masking bumps that some supercars make all too apparent, and the
fine ride is backed up by an excellent driving position, panoramic visibility and light but communicative steering, all of which conspire to make fast driving feel more natural than in almost any rival. If the bare performance figures didn’t convince you, be in no doubt the 570S is wildly fast, despite its position near the bottom of the McLaren hierarchy. The flat-plane turbocharged V8 isn’t the most musical, but it piles on speed at a ravenous rate, while gearchanges from the seven-speed dual-clutch ’box are no hindrance either.Yes, electrical gremlins aren’t unknown, but find the right car and the 570S will punch well above its price tag. Visit BuyaCar.co.uk to find the latest offers on the McLaren 570S.
EVO ARCHIVE
by HENRY CATCHPOLE
Car-less fandango How the traces of dancing Japanese drift machines made it onto an evo subscribers’ cover THE ONLY EVO MAGAZINE COVERS NOT TO feature a car (or any part of a car) were the subscribers’ covers of issues 100 and 219. It’s the second one that has the more interesting story. Instead of a supercar or hot hatch there was just an empty squiggle of road. There had been covers with beautiful scenic shots where the car was almost incidental, but it felt like quite a big step to go that one stage further and simply have an empty stage. It’s quite a peaceful image and yet it’s also a photo that conjures a cacophony of revs and squeals, because tattooed on the tarmac is a veritable Medusa’s hairdo of writhing tyre tracks. It tells a story of the bold, the timid, the overcommitted and the neat. Too much throttle and not enough. Too much correction and not enough. It is an artful aftermath. A detached display of illicit drifting. It’s certainly one of my favourite covers and, anecdotally, I’d say it was a lot of other people’s too. But we nearly didn’t get the shot. The feature it belonged to was a sort of adjunct to a trip to the Tokyo motor show. By doing a drive story, as well as a piece on former Porsche factory racing driver Tetsu Ikuzawa and his incredible car collection (which appeared later, in issue 227), we were helping to justify the long-haul flights and the extended time out of the office. Aston Parrott and I had already spent most of a day in a Cayman GTS near the location of the cover shot, on the famous Mazda Turnpike and Hakone and Ashinoko Skylines. But only after wasting a lot of time following a satnav that was meant to be guiding us but was clearly lost. ‘Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson may as well have been our tour guides,’ recalls Aston. ‘And do you remember the meal we had in Tokyo that evening? Sushi? Wagyu? Oh, no. My introduction to Japanese cuisine was pancakes with bananas and whipped cream. They weren’t even nice pancakes.’ I remind Aston that they were at least made into a sort of culinary crown. And I’m sure the side serving of maple syrup took the sweetness level to something between bathing in caramel and snorting sherbet. ‘It’s all coming rushing back…’ he says. Much like it did on the night. But we digress. Just as we did on our second day in the GTS when looking for the entrance to the rubbered road. It was hidden to the extent that we drove past it several times, but
I knew it was there somewhere. Aware that sign reading might be tricky, I had done some research before we left the UK and had identified the 337 as our way to the Fuji Speedway, which I’d initially thought we might drive to. We had no idea that, when we eventually found it, the road would have been the scene of some Initial D action. We didn’t have much time and I remember Aston looking slightly askance at me when I suggested we shoot the road without the Cayman anywhere in frame. Although that might have been the pancakes again.
Anyway, as you can see, he did an amazing job, but because we were a little unsure if the rest of the evo office would think we’d gone gaga we also tried some long-exposure shots with the lights of the car tracing through the image. They were cool, but somehow the empty road was more evocative. It’s not pretty, but there’s just something aesthetically arresting about the contrast between the squiggles and the straight trees. My only regret? That it didn’t make it onto the newsstand cover too – now that really would have been brave.
220161#03 9 M A R C H
evo, ISSN 1464-2786, is published monthly by Autovia Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London,WC1E 7DP, United Kingdom.The US annual subscription price is $115.Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor,Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to evo,WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor,Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Autovia Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London,WC1E 7DP, United Kingdom.Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. For subscriptions in the USA and Canada,visit imsnews.com, phone 1-757-428-8180,or email cs@imsnews.com
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