RUSH 001

Welcome to RUSH…

The new digital quarterly for the driving enthusiast.

I’ll cut to the chase. Nobody here is a professional journalist or writer, we’re just a bunch of hard core Petrolheads asking you to ride shotgun as we try and string a few sentences together. We still believe in the written word over any ‘influence’ of social media. To think that we could do a better job than the professional road testers and journalists out there would be an insult to their work. To hope that we can inspire a few of you to not trade in your performance car for something more appropriate to the current driving climate, but to actually get back behind the wheel just for the hell of it? Well that would be the ultimate compliment. Driving pleasure still exists despite car enthusiasm coming under threat from all angles, we all just have to work a little harder to find it. We have fifteen years left, let’s make the most of them.

So, what’s our mission statement? I’m not going to make any secret of the fact that we are massively inspired by EVO magazine & spiritual predecessor Performance Car. Throw in a little bit of Modern Classics and a pinch of Motorpunk into the cocktail shaker and hopefully RUSH is the spirit that emerges. We’re not interested in wall to wall supercars & watches. Numbers and data can help quantify performance, but we get more excited about how a car makes you feel. Around this brief we’ll include stories about iconic car people, motorsport hero’s and throw in the occasional epic adventure, such as our first 5,500 word feature across the west coast of Scotland. Also, we figure there’s no point in having a news section as the internet will render any information second hand by the time we go to ‘press’.

Speaking of that, we would have dearly loved to have made this publication in print, but finances simply won’t permit. Perhaps one day. On the bright side, digital has several great advantages besides cost, the first of which is we can keep all back issues available. The second is any magazine that enthuses over swilling high octane should recognise the responsibility to be as carbon neutral as possible, and digital allows us to minimize our footprint. Whilst we are touching on the subject of cost, the download will remain completely free, but we will need to sell advertising space. Nobody involved is receiving any remuneration we only aim to cover the cost of production. Our rates are very reasonable.

Before you get stuck in, allow me to make an appeal. Since we aren’t a known entity or come complete with an army of followers, our name isn’t on any manufacturers list. Hopefully, this means you can trust our word, but to keep the fire alive we need your help and much valued input. If you have an interesting car or perhaps even an article of your own please get in touch.

Please enjoy this first edition. Any feedback is much appreciated

Craig, founder

10. MEGANE R26.R

Can a performance car be made too extreme for the road in the singular pursuit of speed? We take the Renaultsport Megane R26.R to the Snake pass to find out​

22. ABARTH TO THE FOREST OF BOWLAND

The cheeky 595 Trofeo takes on the twists and turns of Lancashire’s hidden driving gem​

32. MAZDA RX-7​

Mazda aimed to shake up the sportscar establishment with its rotary engine rebel, but ultimately failed. The car makes less sense than ever in 2021, yet somehow its appeal has never been greater​

42. COLUMN TORQUE​

Craig takes aim at Ford for once again killing off the RS lineage, whilst Kotto has a weekend romance with an Alfa Romeo 4C​

46. THE SPACE RACE​

Few cars offer space and pace like Audi’s omnipotent RS4. With prices of the first three generations within touching distance, we decide where the smart money goes​

60. THE TEFLON DON OF F1​

A profile on Flavio Briatore, one of the most colourful and crafty team principals in the worlds most glamourous motorsports​

68. ​FORD RACING PUMA​

Written off by the power hungry, the Racing Puma is one of the most underrated fast Fords. Find out why ignorance is bliss​

78. TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

A road trip adventure across the heart of the Scottish Highlands and along the stunning West Coast leg of the NC500.

Featuring a BMW M2 Competition, Mini JCW and BMW M135i​

94. MERCEDES A35 AMG​

There is little doubt the A35 has speed and style. But is 302bhp enough to justify its AMG badge?​

106. BIG STICK DIPLOMACY

Counting down the biggest firecracker engines ever fitted to the most unsuspecting production cars​

118. SHORT SHIFT​

A collection of recurring short motoring stories, including Lap of the Gods’ Ayrton Senna at the 1993 European GP, ‘Dream Machine’ where a reader talks about their love affair with a car, in this case a very special Mercedes 500e. We pen a tribute to Sabine Schmitz before signing off with ‘Virtual Reality’ what happened to iconic concept cars between motor show and production. First up is the Jaguar XJ220

The Team

CRAIG TOONE

founder, designer, editor KOTTO WILLIAMS staff writer CHRIS TSOI road test assistant JAKE THOMAS principal photographer

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ben Midlane Alex Salway

Marek Barnet

Dan Hamilton Isaac Hunter

SPECIAL THANKS TO Andrew Ambrose

Richard Powell Alison Yeow @pissed_on_petrol

RUSH is created on Microsoft PowerPoint, converted on Adobe PDF and hosted on ISSUU. All views within belong solely to the author and do not wholly represent RUSH.

The magazine is non profit and exists as a medium to display our passion and hobby for cars and writing. Any copywrite infringement is wholly unintentional and the team would be grateful to correct any errors.

All images and words submitted to RUSH remain the property of Zero Two Sixty publishing and the authors. We would be overjoyed for you to share the magazine and its content, we only ask to be credited. Thank you.

Introducing the RUSH RADAR

We have a unique take on rating the cars we drive, as we feel a simple overall score no longer cuts the mustard. The aim of the radar is to give you a clear visual image of the key assets that matter to driving and owning a particular performance car because after all a car can star in more ways than one. All marks are awarded on a scale of ten and are logged relative to the intended purpose of a vehicle and it’s direct competition

ADVERTISE WITH RUSH

With over 22,000 views and counting, RUSH offers great exposure to a key enthusiasts market. Digital production means savings as passed onto our sponsors, and any adverts can be updated on the fly meaning your message is always bang up to date, even in back issues. Contact us now to find out our highly competitive rates

www.rushmagazine.co.uk

TWIST AND SHOUT

Few cars offer as many smiles per mile as an Abarth, but how will one fare across the Forest of Bowland’s challenging and corrugated tarmac?

Craig Toone Ben Midlane

can almost feel the car tense up an extra degree in anticipation Crossing the River Hodder is where the real questions start getting asked of the Abarth's chassis, exiting the narrow stone bridge the throttle is floored into a ninety left that climbs sharply before cresting into an undulating, military march Left, right, left, right, the car hooking into the rolling camber as if diving down a toboggan run A right that can be taken faster than your eyes permit comes next before a short straight, then it’s hard on the brakes as another ninety left bookends the short, frantic section A huge amount has been asked of the car camber, crest & corner, all at the same time, but the Abarth has coped admirably

There hasn’t been the room or need to exceed the limit of grip, and as the road briefly turns single track I ease off, convinced nothing could have entertained as much as this punchy little hot hatch. It’s a reminder that shoehorning a lot of go into a small package remains a compelling recipe, one that stands tall at any price point. The British Isles just seems to suit a compact performance car unlike any other realm, and the roads through the Forest of Bowland area of outstanding national beauty feel tailored to fit. The fells and moors of East Lancashire might sit in the shadow of its Lake District and Yorkshire Dales neighbours, but that just means the National Parks hoover up all the tourists, leaving the roads blissfully free of traffic. It was across this ground TVR developed its famed Blackpool bruisers.

More time here is spent on a balanced throttle than at full chat, and more time is spent carving a line through the twists and turns than dealing with torque steer, a property noted only by its absence The Abarth may only have a dinky 1 4 litre turbocharged inline four, but it punches above its weight, with a strong spread of torque before peak power of 145bhp arrives at 5,500rpm It’s enough for a 0 60 dash of 7 8 seconds with a clean launch, but the roll on performance feels stronger, no doubt enhanced by the raucous Monza exhaust, Fiat's lax attitude to the likes of NVH and the proximity to the dry stone walls That mid range torque comes in handy squirting between the bends, as you’ll need to lean on it if you have any intentions of making serious progress

Compact footprint essential to negotiate the narrow Lancashire lanes Rush

It certainly distracts from the driving position, which is of the Vatican church pew variety As stylish as the Scorpion embossed seats look, I’m sitting far too high with little depth offered by the padding and minimal support in the Abarth you perch rather than sit. At six foot I’m no beanpole, but after fiddling around with several different driving positions I still can’t get settled. It also leads to other serious flaws due to the awkward positioning of the pedals with the throttle above the brake, any attempts to execute a heel and toe downshift become a non starter. Compensation is offered by the pleasingly chunky steering wheel and gear shifter, which has a light & slick action matched by a dip it n’ rip it clutch. The funky dials are also nice and clear, with sport engaged the blue driving efficiency graph exits stage left, replaced by a throttle application reading. The big digital speedo makes the numbers appear to climb faster than reality and the periscope

boost gauge whips around its circumference as the wastegate opens and closes

Onwards towards Whitewell, two tight chicanes are fired at the 595 in quick succession, the open sightlines allowing an opportunity to explore the car's playful side. You get the impression the Abarth isn’t the sort to tripod its way towards the apex, but the progressive way the momentum transfers to the front with an aggressive lift means you don’t need the snap reflexes of a Venus Fly Trap to gather it back up. Neutrality is the name of the game, with the car staying flat and the front gently pushing wide if provoked. Sadly, the electrically assisted steering feels curiously under geared for a car of this size & intention, meaning I'm consistently applying additional lock after turning in and the feedback I crave just isn’t there, however this could be down to this car sensibly wearing winter tyres. On the exit of the second chicane the

LONGRIDGE

PENDLE HILL

BENTHAM

QUERNMORE

SLAIDBURN CLITHEROE

FOREST OF BOWLAND A.O.N.B

The Inn at Whitewell

ABARTH TO BOWLAND

frequency of bumps in the tarmac increases enough to warrant backing off the road wins this battle and I don’t fancy being pole vaulted into the river below, ricocheting off multiple trees.

I take it as a sign for a good opportunity to stop at the Inn at Whitewell and take a walk around the car, and it if it wasn’t for a certain pandemic, I’d normally indulge in one of their sumptuously thick hot chocolates whilst the snapper bags some statics. The base 500 has been with us since 2007 now, with a mild facelift in 2017, meaning it’s certainly a familiar sight on our roads, but in that time it certainly hasn’t lost any of its appeal, nor has the shape dated Styling is always a subjective topic, but I think the Abarth is a great looking bit of kit It just screams fun and personality from every angle, doubling down on retro details without becoming kitsch or parody of itself It’s a look you’ll either love or loathe, but one that isn’t shy about gathering attention In order to keep things fresh over its extended production run, Turin adopted the Mazda MX 5 philosophy of churning through special editions, and what we have here is a 2016 595 Trofeo Potential buyer beware the 1 4 Tjet engine comes in many flavours, from 138bhp to nearly 200 in the ultra rare, two seater Biposto halo model, so make sure you do your research beforehand. The chassis also comes in many flavours, from standard suspension, to Koni dampers (but oddly and perhaps tellingly only fitted to the rear axle) to an optional limited slip differential. Under the skin sits a widened version of Fiat’s ‘Mini’ platform, which made its debut below the 2003 Panda, so while the chic styling remains current, the underpinnings are well past their sell by date, however it does convey one huge advantage a featherweight sub 1,100kg kerb weight.

I can’t help but pin the throttle again as I set off. The turn key to barrelling into a corner far too fast time must mirror that of 0 60. The road chases the meandering River Hodder upstream, its constant turns giving the area its name. Dunsop Bridge flashes by in a blur before the torrent of water devolves into a tributary through the slim Trough of Bowland pass What makes a driver fast here is local knowledge and strong, sheep avoiding brakes, which the Trofeo thankfully possesses

Leaving the Mutton behind, we emerge onto the moorland over the top of the fells as the final cattle bridge is rattled off This is the fastest road of the day and I’m grateful for the full sightlines as I summon full steam ahead Like most of Bowland, the section is short but packed with a density of sweeping turns for maximum driving pleasure Extended time in the upper reaches of the rev band highlights the Trofeo peaks at around 5,000rpm and holds firm to the 6,300rpm redline, and whilst there is no dramatic crescendo when

you encroach on the limiter, mercifully the performance doesn’t tail off either. Dropping back down to the hedgerows the Torque Transfer Control system is getting a thorough workout as it tries its best to imitate a limited slip differential, meanwhile the damping develops ADD because it never stops fidgeting even over the smoother surfaces, and Bowland likes it’s tarmac on the weathered side. It doesn’t ruin the fun, if anything the bouncy castle ride quality feels a part of the experience, but you can’t help but come away with the impression a set of aftermarket coilovers would let the car to breathe better with the surface and allow you to carry more speed, but at the end of the day there is only so much you can do with a 2.3 meter wheelbase.

After deciding on fish & chips in Higher Bentham the second most important decision of the day presents itself. A fork in the road leaves us with two choices carry on into the Yorkshire Dales towards Ingleton or turn south and scale the fells from the eastern front Opting for the latter is the right call save for a pack of ambitious ramblers, we have the place to ourselves I have to check the Group N fantasy at times, mindful of the scars left behind by the overly enthusiastic caught out by the road and its appetite for a chunk of sump A reminder of the remote feeling is a complete lack of phone coverage, this not a place to unwittingly become part of the scenery We don’t cross paths with another car in the entire twelve mile stretch to Slaidburn, another quaint sandstone village lifted straight off the cover of a shortbread biscuit tin The road then begins to behave and contort in a familiar manner it’s the one we turned off a couple of hours ago Another couple of miles along this route would see us return to our original detour point but like the Abarth’s chassis, Bowland gives you countless options and the B6478 is calling. One last chance to show off its effervescent character.

We’ve reached the end of the road at Pendle Hill, a spot famous for sacrificing witches, but the little Fiat has been conjuring up all the magic today. Not once have I pined to be in another car and if it wasn’t for the abundance of nocturnal creatures emerging from the undergrowth, I’d be spinning the front tyres on my way back up the fells. There’s a big feel of the first BMW Mini to the Abarth, from its retro styling, attention seeking, easily tune able engine, bouncy ride and chuck me at the next corner a little harder I double dare you personality. The Abarth certainly isn’t a car that’ll win any plaudits in a group test against rivals, but it will win your heart and if you think modern cars are becoming too fast, too aloof, too damn capable a Trofeo might just be the tonic you need It allows you to access its full performance without the need to sacrifice your sanity every time you climb behind the wheel, even if you might have to sacrifice your back But that’s not the only thing that aches, because I haven’t stopped grinning since driving the little Abarth

Some behind the wheel of RUSH are old enough to remember the FD RX 7 the first time around Those with greying stubble and wisdom around their eyes talk of a sleek coupe from the golden era of the Japanese sports car, when the yen was strong and the engineering was bold and creative It was a car that took the fight directly to the Porsche 968 and often came away with the spoils thanks to a Chapman like commitment to lightness Others grew up in the era of the RX 7’s second coming in pixelated form in Gran Turismo, or they’ll sheepishly admit to idolising a pouting Vin Diesel stirring a million ratio gearbox as he outran both Paul Walker and LA’s finest

I’m not ashamed to admit that I hail from the latter camp Gran Turismo was my hook It provided an education and admiration for Japanese machinery from the early to mid nineties that still lingers to this day The Toyota Supra, Nissan

Skyline R33 GTR, Mazda MX5 NA, Suzuki Pikes Peak Escudo, Subaru Impreza 22b and Mitsubishi Evo Each one had brilliantly rendered graphics and drove differently, sparking a curiosity as to why Each one responded to modifications in its own unique manner, forcing me to seek an explanation One of the cars that responded best was the Mazda RX 7, and every game reset involved acquiring one as quickly as possible It was agile, just as quick as the other monsters in a straight line and looked great drifting through to turns of Trial Mountain on the replay Then Need for Speed came along which allowed me to indulge Toretto fantasies at will Now, as I stand with the keys to an imported 1994 FD3S RX 7 in my hands and not a controller, is it going to prove to be a case of never meet your heroes or will the RX 7 live up to the praise heaped upon it by the old sages?

First impressions revolve around just how low this car is,

and dainty. It’s a very pretty car and if possible, much better looking in real life than on my bedroom wall Apparently Japanese customers had to pay a special tax due to the width of the car, but I think you’ll agree it was worth the penalty Any thoughts of nostalgia instantly evaporate with the tailpipe vapours however, for this thing is loud with a capital L True to JDM grey import form we have ourselves a modified RX 7 here, but the changes are minor a naughty exhaust, a sharp set of alloy wheels and an aftermarket radiator Importantly, the 1 3 litre twin turbo engine is as it left the factory, as is the suspension The 252bhp Japanese model is slightly more powerful than the UK version by a whopping 10bhp but the advantage wasn’t reflected in the recorded performance figures sixty takes around 5 2 seconds whilst the top speed is limited to a Germany pipping 156mph Talk about literal one upmanship Such strong performance comes from that

lightweight philosophy religiously applied to the RX 7 it weighs less than 1,300kg The UK version was also inflicted with an ugly rear bumper to add in reflectors, fog lights and a wider number plate recess It came with leather seats as standard but honestly, I prefer fabric over leather as it’s nicer to live with

Some of those kilos have definitely been saved in the interior, which looks and feels like any other Japanese car of its time meaning a mass of black plastic and black vinyl What makes the RX 7 stand out however is a dashboard that’s as curvy as the exterior and slightly canted towards the driver in the best BMW tradition The dials are crisp and clear whilst the switchgear is robust, again like most Japanese cars it does its job with no fuss or unnecessary frivolity It makes the somewhat comparable MR2 Turbo look dated and boring, as if they lifted the dashboard out of an Avensis You may notice

it has air conditioning but it’s rare to find one with a working setup as the condenser needs replacing every 3 4 years to be effective It’s somewhat common to simply rip out the plumbing and save a few extra pounds like the one I’m driving.

The driving position is as good as you can ask for, feet straight out in front of you on God’s own pedal setup’s clutch, brake, accelerator. A tall centre console keeps you in place on the left and sculpted door cards on the right stops you falling out of the window, which is open because of the sheer amount of heat generated by the engine. Right in front of you centre stage is a rev counter that tops out at 9,000rpm, on its right a speedometer that reads in kilometres per hour (cue a big panic when I thought I was doing 130mph) and then oil management intake flow rate, fuel and coolant temperature in three sub dials on the left The instrumentation is basic as expected but clear and accurate in day or night. AJ, the car’s owner has replaced the speaker at the top of the dashboard with an OEM style dial pod oil temperature and boost a good enough fitment to pass off as Mazda’s own. In terms of usefulness it’s a definite yes. The oil temperature rises and falls alarmingly fast depending on how you’re driving because of the rotary setup. Boost gauges in an old turbo car are definitely useful as old rubber tends to break down and collapse which can cause boost leaks or blocked pipework.

Apparently, a standard car requires an audible buzzer as the redline approaches, such is the smoothness of the rotary engine, but there is little danger of that today, for this RX 7’s staccato bark quickly fills the valleys of the Brecon Beacons. A BMW m240i or a Golf R is certainly faster but the experience of launching the RX7 feels like a Rocketship in comparison. The combination of the wall of noise, low slung driving position, widescreen view out and old fashioned boost heavy delivery creates the image of trying to hang onto Saturn IV. Despite the sequential turbos it the acceleration is somewhat sluggish until about 4,000rpm. Actually no, that’s unfair, it’s still quick at low revs with the initial turbo but the secondary turbo kicks in with such violence it catches you off guard It’s a massive rush and by no means a flaw, it’s just unusual because of the turbine smoothness of the rotary engine and a relatively benign on paper torque peak of 217lb ft Perhaps it’s because that peak is delivered at a lofty 5,000rpm, or perhaps it’s down to Mazda being early adopters of the technology, but such a sudden spike isn’t what you’d anticipate

Unfortunately the steering isn’t as communicative as I expected, I’ll refer to an MX 5 as the datum point because of the shared parentage and also because the RX 7 is so unique compared to its traditional rivals The MX 5 just has that extra bit of road feel whereas the RX 7 concentrates on meatier weighting, however its

responsive lock to lock taking direction changes and sharp turns in its stride Turn in itself is what I can best describe as obedient to make the car understeer you have to be driving very aggressively indeed. And it’s best to stay on the safer side as the brakes are fairly weak, especially as this car has the smaller early brakes just under 300mm on the front which are a good size but you really need to work them to compensate for the aged brake servo.

The five speed gearbox has fairly tall gears to compliment the tremendous rev range on offer. Apparently a four speed automatic was available but I can’t think of a more appropriate miscarriage of justice. The ‘box itself, like the MX 5 sister car is spot on, very direct, notchy in a precise, mechanical way. Curiously the shifter was also very hot after a spirited drive. Luckily, it’s November and I welcomed the

heated gear knob but in the summer it’s apparently unbearable It’s the shortened distance between engine block and gear stick because of the compact rotary engine which sits practically under the dashboard.

Luckily this means the weight distribution is pretty much 50/50 and gives a fantastically balanced ride and maintains great composure in corners. As promised by Gran Turismo the RX 7 is a joy to drive quickly, even in damp conditions the backend never felt skittish or threatened snap oversteer so long as you didn’t push it beyond anything necessary to go as fast as conditions allow. I mentioned it’s November and when your confidence grows, so does the tendency for unintentional oversteer… Too much throttle and the fast revving rotary will break traction very easily, especially at 4,000rpm when the booster rocket kicks in. Once dialled into the intimidation

factor, the RX7 fulfils the drift machine brief better than any MX 5 thanks to its stabilising long wheelbase and surplus of power to overcome any tendency to wash wide. Similar to the little roadster the RX 7 sports double wishbone suspension front and rear, but the RX 7’s rear control arm is a lot more complicated. Instead of two points of contact with wishbones it has three two control arms and a main lower wishbone or five in total if you include the shock absorber and control link which attaches to a control arm connected to the hub.

And before you jump up and down mentioning weak rotary engines, this one has covered nearly 46,000 miles and it’s yet to receive an engine rebuild or any real mechanical work. But the RX 7’s reputation still requires me to touch wood after writing that sentence. In very simple terms, the rotary engine as invented by Doctor Wankel is a triangular

central shaft spinning within an oval chamber and each ‘face’ of the triangle handles the compression, ignition and exhaust phases of combustion as it cycles. However, heat doesn’t dissipate from a rotary engine as efficiently as a piston one, which can lead to the infamous seal failure due to the extreme temperatures involved.

Fortunately, RX 7s tend to be well looked after by a committed bunch unlike the RX 8. Frequent oil changes as often as 3,000 miles can help maintain the engine alongside following a strict warming up protocol. I must point out however, at 46,000 miles the clutch was poor with a very high biting point I’m talking inches and sitting at lights with the clutch in quickly becomes tiresome. But I’ve been spoiled by driving mainly new cars recently with feather light pedals and millimetric travel.

Another thing, the cooling system, particularly when it reaches twenty years old becomes a weak point so don’t be afraid of an aftermarket radiator or entire system swap as it's pretty common, even welcome The setup is, as expected, complicated and a nightmare to work on and is known as the rat’s nest by specialists because of a complex labyrinth of cooling and vacuum piping and two locations to top up. Fortunately, there’s many different setups to choose from that eliminate a lot of old pipework and simplifies servicing requirements. In summary, an RX 7 isn’t as bad as rumour would have you believe, but certainly go into ownership with your eyes open.

As a sports car the RX 7 sits in the middle of my imaginary table of Japanese offerings. At the bottom of the scale you have the Suzuki Cappuccino Kei car and the Mazda MX 5 before graduating to the likes of the Nissan Skyline GTR, the Toyota Supra and Honda NSX. Right at the top sits a Lexus LFA. The RX 7 occupies the space between the MX 5 and Supra, bridging the gap with the lightness of touch and purity of focus of the former whilst offering the hardcore power and punch of the latter It’s the BMW M3 as interpreted by Lotus, with added lightness

It flows easily from light to severe corners with a talkative grace you won’t find in new sports cars, and once you’re clear you drop into second gear, bury the throttle and you’re pushed forward briskly at first and then by a violent sense of urgency as the rev needle passes into the kill zone Yet it’s surprisingly comfortable and quiet off the throttle It’s by no means a GT car because of a very shallow boot and a relatively snug interior but it’ll do a good day trip, where you might even achieve 25mpg if you have the will power But exercise the car as Mazda’s engineers intended and you’re more likely to log a fifteen mile per gallon average.

The RX 7 is a credit to Mazda’s non conformity and I’m grateful to have experienced one in real life and can happily report it far surpasses any pixel infused wet dreams. It’s left field and utterly engaging to drive. I love the way there’s a puff of blue flame on every full throttle upshift, I love the vocal bang and burst of orange flame on downshifts, and I absolutely love throwing it into a corner with a sense of apprehension that’s quickly dismissed by a stunning chassis balance and thoroughbred engineering. It grabs you by your heart, raises the hairs on your neck and at the end lets you go with your hands trembling. And then you look back, and a wave of heat hits you from the engine bay and exhaust. It’s truly one of the most beautiful Japanese cars ever made, and it has popup headlights

What more do you want?

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

Ford is once again retiring its flagship RS moniker. Craig thinks it’s a huge missed opportunity

So, after three generations Ford has announced the show will not go on with its flagship, the Focus RS. Personally I’m not wearing a metaphorical black arm band for the Focus, but for Fords lack of ambition. The manufacturer has blamed the decision on ever more stringent emissions laws, claiming a new RS would put them over the EU emissions threshold, thus incurring huge fines. This feels like snake oil, a cop out. BMW hasn’t killed off the M division we are only talking about a 2.3 litre turbocharged hot hatchback. Every M car sups significantly more fuel and spews bigger quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the Mustang will live on, even in V8 format. BMW doesn’t sell a majority of frugal 1.0 capacity superminis either to balance the pollution books. So what gives?

The real motivator, in my opinion, is a simple matter of financing. It’s no secret the RS has been a loss leader all its life for Ford. The results have been mixed, but the is no doubt each generation pushed the engineering boundaries in the sector The press reacted to the mk1 like it was a marmite sandwich, but there was no doubting its single mindedness The parts list read like the who’s who of a muddy WRC paddock Sachs dampers, Quaife torque biasing differential, AP racing clutch, Garett turbocharger, Brembo brakes, OZ racing alloys, Sparco bucket seats Custom body panels and wheel arch extensions that mimicked Colin McRae’s company car meant each of the 4,501 MK1’s sold had to be removed from the production line for hand finishing All in, Fords engineers changed over seventy percent of the donor car Rumour has it, the £19,995 list price was some £4,000 less than the genuine cost of production

When the Mk2 came along, the purse strings had been tightened the parts bin was now in house but Fords boffins still found ways to break new ground. Here was the first performance hatch to transfer 300bhp to the road via the front wheels alone, clever suspension and geometry witchcraft making it possible. By the end of its life, the power the run out RS500 had climbed to 350bhp. The difficult third album started with as much, but utilized a unique and thus hugely expensive twin clutch four wheel drive system. It over sped the rear axle adding agility and rear wheel drive handling characteristics whilst all its rivals stuck by the predictable Haldex arrangement. Add the embarrassing and costly head gasket warranty issue into the mix and you can see why the

Ford top brass have lost their bottle

So what’s with the obituary? It’s simple. For all its detractors at the time citing Ford didn’t have the stomach to take on Subaru or Mitsubishi, the Mk1 RS has blossomed into arguably the most desirable iteration with the passage of time. Criticised at birth for teasing an even more coveted badge Cosworth complete with four wheel drive and 300bhp, the RS eventually morphed into the car many wanted it to be. But for all the Mk3’s ‘baby Nissan GTR’ rhetoric, it doesn’t quite command the cult following of its predecessors. Ford need to remember that an RS doesn’t need to be the most technologically advanced tool in the box. It just needs to be loud, a little rough around the edges with enough power to allow the blue collar guy to stick it to the city boy in his Porsche. Tuneability is as important to the fan club as road holding.

Ford need to take a leaf out of their back catalogue. A simpler model, cheaper to produce but no less thrilling And one that can still satisfy any legislation They have the perfect solution right under their noses a Fiesta RS It has to be three door only, for no other reason other than its cooler Crank the feisty three pot up to 250bhp Add some vents to the bonnet Lower the chassis, widen the track and stiffen up the dampers Hell, they could even give it three spoke alloys if they like absinthe in their tea at the Ford Performance HQ

You only need to look at the fever the 265bhp Yaris GRMN has created Imagine the group test The Yaris and 305bhp Mini GP forming the cornerstones The VW group could join the party with its love of platform sharing an Audi RS1 is a very appealing prospect, a Polo R perhaps less so but the return of a proper Ibiza Cupra would have me positively Balearic. Renaultsport could find its mojo again and resurrect the Clio RS16 project. The current small hot hatch division lacks fire in its belly compared to the class above that’s positively bursting at the seams with talented cars. A new subcategory could be just the spark needed to inspire a new generation of pocket rocket hero cars, the supercar ankle biters. It’s a mouth watering prospect.

I’d probably be putting my name down for the still born RS16 should my attempts at playing fortune teller come true, but I predict plenty of Blue Oval fans elbowing each other out of the way into the showroom to place a deposit on a Fiesta Rallye Sport. They wouldn’t be able to build enough of them.

THE PETRO-SEXUAL

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of swimming with sharks, the most striking realisation isn’t that you've jumped into the wrong swimming pool at Blofeld's mansion it’s the shark's eyes Underwater, they’re the deepest black; soulless, morose and devoid of any warmth It’s deeply unnerving staring into the face of something that’s done nearly a century of killing Curiously, they reminded me of the carbon fibre headlights on the Alfa Romeo 4C

However, unlike a shark it emanates soul, fun and warmth It's a truly beautiful car To call it a machine would be an insult to the artists behind it The wide, low body flows delicately in places and dramatically in others The car could ride like a horse trailer, handle like a barge and accelerate with all the grace of me falling down the stairs in Wetherspoons and I’d still buy it It’s stunning, but intimidating.

The 4C brings a new personality to the wannabe sub supercar club. A touch of exoticness and some desperately needed flamboyancy. There are times when you wish it had a naturally aspirated Busso V6 and a manual gearbox, but once you overlook the clunky 6sp automated gearbox you can have a lot of somewhat exasperated fun. Don’t expect a rasping, crackly exhaust like the Alfa’s of old however. At best it’s a weird cross between a 2.0L MX 5 and an Abarth 595. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds well enough, but when you pull up next to a Ferrari F430 or Lamborghini Huracan, you’ll win on looks but as soon as you pull away you’ll be confused with an Audi S3.

The interior is quite bare. Think early Lotus Elise with added flair and you’ll understand. But the (mercifully padded) sports seats, exposed carbon fibre and metalwork lend the 4C a race car vibe, which I like a lot The steering wheel is a bit clumsy looking when compared to a Giulia but overall, it’s a wonderful place to be You can even expect to see over 30mpg on average and over 40mpg on a run, making it one of the most fuel efficient sports cars around, much like the Elise

Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but I reckon you could easily daily drive a 4C

Could you drive it through Germany or France? Certainly very cheaply, but I get the feeling after two hours you’ll be taking regular breaks unless you have an iron posterior or gas strut spine Something like a Porsche Cayman would be a lot better on a continental jaunt, but when you get to Paris people in yellow vests would throw eggs at you What really matters though is how the 4C really drives Now, we return to our shark analogy because if you were to latch onto a Great White, bite its dorsal fin and squeeze its testes, the ensuing chaos that follows is basically how a 4C handles It’s a ball of energy, scrabbling along the tarmac, the back wheels skittering across the surface and the steering wheels bucking in your hands The wide track is highly sensitive to the roads’ camber, sniffing blood in all directions anytime you add the throttle into the mix the steering controls you as much as you control it. It takes time to trust the 4C, but once you begin to trust it, a spirited drive becomes truly engaging.

By the end of my time with the car, I’d have sunken my Jaws into anyone who tried to take it away. I pondered how long it would take before the delightful Alfa Romeo employee who came to collect the car was reported missing. It’s a truly worn out cliche, but the 4C really does put a spell on you. It can utterly frustrate the majority of the time, yet the moment it's gone you instantly pine to have it back. Cruising around Bath for my final drive the 4C is splendid, and people seem to like this car there is none of the associated venom that comes as standard with a prancing horse or raging bull yet it still looks the part. It makes you feel like a million pounds and the contrast between the deep red bodywork and classical architecture of the city made me want to get out and take a photograph at every set of traffic lights

Despite its drawbacks, I absolutely adore the 4C It distils Alfa Romeo’s unmatched ability to infuse human soul into machinery, and I know that if you try one, you’ll fall for it too

A brief encounter with the Alfa Romeo 4C has seen Kotto come under the spell of the little Italian sports car

Few cars combine space and pace like Aud first three generations within touchin

Craig Toone Ben Midlane, Isaac Hunter & Dan Hamilton

di’s omnipotent RS4. But with prices of the ng distance, which is the one to have?

ain. On certain days it's therapeutic, cathartic. On others it’s frustrating, but today it's downright maddening. The clouds above have gone through fifty shades of grey, dropping every type of torrential from the fine drizzle that penetrates every single layer of clothing to Forrest Gump style big ol’ fat rain. Only Ben, the photographer, is as persistent as the precipitation but even he’s starting to lose all feeling in his fingers.

You might think these are the days where a Quattro equipped Audi would shine but any minute now the convoy is expecting Noah’s Ark to come past on the inside Tread depth and bravery are the barometers of performance right now, not bhp & lateral G Still, most other performance cars would have long packed up and gone home, or not even left the driveway in the first place so who are we to deny a couple of V8’s from singing in the rain?

The origin of the high performance estate car is up for debate, but arguably no manufacturer has the market cornered like Audi Volvo made a bid for the crown in the mid nineties but for all its image re defining boost and touring car chic, the T5R never troubled the rear mirrors of an RS2 Not much would the uber wagon could famously outpace a McLaren F1…to 30mph. The RS badge morphed into the four and later expanded by introducing the six, but the ability to humble supercars remained just as the dictionary states ‘see BMW M5 ’ under the super saloon definition, Vorsprung Durch Technik is the byword for plastering the family hound to the back window.

The RS2 spawned in 1994 as the offspring of a joint venture between Audi and Porsche. Audi supplied the donor S2 Avant whilst Porsche quite literally stamped their mark on the brakes, chassis & power delivery lift the bonnet of an RS2 and it's the iconic Porsche font that greets you, not the four rings of Ingolstadt. Porsche's engineers were rightly proud of extracting 315bhp from the S2's turbocharged 2.2 litre inline five an increase of 50% courtesy of a bigger KKK turbo, new intercooler, uprated engine management system, larger injectors and freer flowing exhaust To cope, the suspension was lowered by 40mm and Porsche fitted their own 17 ” Cup alloys from the 964 turbo that hid four piston Brembo callipers that also carried the Zuffenhausen seal

Porsche’s plastic surgeons then gave the bodywork a nip/tuck, adding a Carrera inspired front bumper, wing mirrors and extended rear light strip. With a 0 60 time that started with a four, a top speed in excess of 160mph and it's Stuttgart stardust the RS2 proved to be a big hit. Audi initially only planned for 2,200 units but such was demand another 700 rolled down the finishing line at Porsche’s specialist Rossle Bau factory pedigree's don't get much finer, both the 959 supercar and Mercedes 500E are previous residents. Sadly, only 180 were right hand drive, and due to such rarity and upwardly mobile values sourcing a car was beyond the tentacles of the RUSH little black book.

The RennSport badge lay dormant for four years until the RS4 came along in 1999. Audi decided to go it alone this time, tasking in house go faster arm Quattro GmbH to deliver an Avant with performance to humble its former partner in crime’s star asset the 911. This time the starting point was the already capable S4 with its 2 7 litre, five valve per cylinder, twin turbocharged V6 The engine started with 265bhp, however Audi picked up the phone to a certain British concern named Cosworth, who switched the turbos to parallel

Borg Warner K04’s, increased the dual intercoolers capacities, fitted a fatter exhaust, replaced the cylinder head with their own aluminium design featuring enlarged intake and exhaust ports and recalibrated the ECU. Internally, there were stronger connecting rods and dished piston crowns.

Audi rated the B5 at 375bhp & 325lb ft, however the B5 could be considered the German equivalent to the Nissan Skyline GTR, so over engineered and receptive to tuning is the Cosworth engine. The German aftermarket had a field day, and many a supercar were humbled by the turbocharged tourer on the Autobahn. A standard car is now as rare as an RS2, and this concours condition B5 in front of me now is no stranger to the rolling road, where it last laid down a 500bhp marker. Attempting to harness all that power is the Torsen central differential, which diplomatically splits torque 50:50 between the axles under normal conditions. Massive 14 ” discs with double piston floating calipers are the immovable object to the engines unstoppable force the B5 can perform an emergency stop from 60mph in an impressive 2 5 seconds Refereeing the battle are fat, 255 section tyres all round over beautiful but bend prone 18” multi spoke alloys

‘Audi rated the B5 at 375bhp & 325lb ft, however the B5 could be considered the German equivalent to the Nissan Skyline GTR, so over engineered and receptive to tuning is the Cosworth engine’

Contemporary road tests weren’t as kind to the B5 as they were the E46 M3 or 996 911 despite a famously lenient ‘155mph’ limiter, but the urRS4 is one of those cars that has aged well. Sure, the handling doesn’t offer much by the way of adjustability but the steering isn’t as mute as the armchair critic would have you believe it’ll never chatterbox in your hands in the manner of a Lotus and neither is it geared for instantaneous turn in, however there is genuine feedback on offer. Even its 1620kg kerb weight doesn’t seem the issue it was back in 1999 especially when you consider two decades on a Mercedes A class hatchback can only trim fifty bags of sugar from that figure.

There is also a surprising amount of chatter coming from the chassis, the B5 really squats under hard acceleration before pitching back forwards as the brakes are applied, whilst the car likes to roll and lean on its sidewalls when cornering There is turbo lag, no doubt made more acute by the rampant boost, but that just adds to the drama, and its performance you can exploit safe in the knowledge that Quattro has your back Away from the chequered flag the B5 is comfortably quicker in the real world than its contemporary rivals the combination of strong turbocharged torque and traction will flatter 90% of drivers more than the naturally aspirated Porsche or BMW

The B5 is a compact car by today’s standards yet it simmers with discreet menace there’s an air of confidence present that echoes the short wheel base Sport Quattro, from the greedy front air valances with shark gill exits, to the pumped up rear arches rolling into the rear doors, which cannot have been a cheap process to remanufacture a dramatic increase in track width making it a necessity. At the rear the chunky bumper aesthetic continued, visually lowering the weight of the car, plus how fantastic is it to see genuine exhaust pipes? The twin ovals are perfectly proportioned and jut out just so, and whilst the roof rack up top looks great, you can’t help but feel Audi misplaced it it would make the ideal grab handle for shaken & stirred passengers if mounted internally.

Speaking of the interior, the design is typically Germanic and sober, however the big, comfy chairs, courtesy of Recaro add some much needed personality with the RS4 emblem neatly embossed on the backrest. A quick glance over the shoulder confirms the load capacity is certainly generous enough for plenty of sports car drivers ego’s, and one great thing about the B5 age is the visibility slim A pillars and a large glasshouse adds to the warp factor of the passing scenery as I make another assault on the 7,000rpm redline & my adrenaline stock hold

This fettled B5 has been a real surprise It’s not a changing of the guard an E46 M3 CS will still find chinks in the RS4’s armour but compared to modern performance cars that cocoon the driver until speeds have become silly, the B5 has suddenly become a very desirable prospect

The B7 RS4 that followed in 2005 represented a step change in Audi’s philosophy out went the twin turbocharged V6, replaced by an 8,250rpm naturally aspirated quad cam 4.2 litre V8. The 414bhp engine was so good it went on to power Audi’s first ever mid engine sports car the R8. The Quattro system was tweaked to favour the rear axle, sending 60% of its thrust aft and the front wings were replaced with aluminium items to reduce weight over the nose. With a slick manual gearbox, discreetly flared arches and surprisingly talkative steering, the B7 RS4 burned off wooden handling Audi stereotypes faster than it did rubber.

Even on a day as grim as this nothing can dull this particular B7’s paintwork, but maybe one thing can outshine it that V8, especially since this particular one exhales through a full Milltek exhaust Each and every photography flyby puts Maverick and Goose to shame, invoking grins of approval from all in attendance Time to pull rank and flag the car down I’ve had extensive previous exposure to a B7, but as I drop into the driver’s seat I don’t recall it being mounted so low Nor do I recall the embrace from the wingback Recaro clamping my 36” waist tight enough to have me thinking cancelling that gym membership was a bad idea The flat bottom wheel looted from the Lamborghini Gallardo looks fantastic with its perforated leather and the same material is carried over to the stubby gear lever, whilst the aluminium effect pedals are perfectly spaced With its minimalist design, flashes of carbon and dials backlit in red it’s an interior that instantly puts me in the mood to drive, and one that makes the B5 feel the two generations older it is, despite the Adonis like build quality.

It takes all of fifty yards to know the B7 is a completely different prospect to what came before. Where you feel your way into the B5, building up the pace, in the B7 you’re already eager to press on it's a key difference. You notice it first in the powertrain, which has none of the slack that can sometimes permeate the B5. Throttle response is instantaneous and the clutch is lighter whilst the wonderful gear change slots home ratios with an oily precision. Then there is the damping, where owner Mark has fitted some KW coilovers in place of the notoriously leaky and expensive DRC suspension. There is a polished tautness to the ride quality it's firm at low speed but never jarring, taking on a wonderful

fluidity with speed as it smooths off the harshest imperfections in the road yet always maintains rock solid body control. The steering has less initial weight than the B5 but loads more naturally, and that’s before I press the Sport button, which brings the additional benefits of an even sharper throttle and even more wind knocked out of me as the side bolsters inflate. It also opens the exhaust valves courtesy of some cheeky coding by owner Mark.

It’s no surprise then given the on paper spec and the B7’s reputation that I’m quickly flying along at speeds that defy the conditions. Confidence floods back into my forearms from the perfectly geared steering, and you soon completely trust the car to go exactly where you tell it to, when you tell it to. There is certainly more finesse and precision to the way the B7 handles, and come to think of it stops, courtesy of this cars’ ultra rare optional carbon ceramic brakes

Acceleration is an altogether different topic Jump straight from the five into the seven and you’ll immediately ask where all the power has gone It's still there, this particular B5 has just warped your perception of speed But it’s also twisted your perception of shift points At 5,000rpm in the B5 you’ll be considering another gear, content to bask in the absolute mountain of torque, whereas the B7 will just be getting into its stride The V8 thrives on revs and Mark tells me the more time spent above that marker is a good thing, his official line being it helps to prevent the known carbon build up issue as if I needed more encouragement to venture north of 8,000rpm. Wind the B7 up to its redline and you’ll have no doubt it’s a genuine 170mph car sans limiter.

Mark is clearly as smitten as I am with his car. “Next year I plan on taking it to the Nürburgring to experience its full potential, where those carbon ceramics should come in handy. You’ll never find me complaining about this car no matter how much of my money it demands. The spec for me made this car irresistible, the unique paintwork combined with optional equipment that would shame most modern cars doubling glazing, solar roof, Audi exclusive interior and those wingback Recaro. In my opinion the car still looks as good as most cars coming out of the factory today, but if you are interested in owning a B7 make sure you have deep pockets because the parts prices come at a premium”

It’d be worth it though The B7 remains a coveted car today and is arguably Audi’s greatest drivers car behind the R8 UrQuattro included. It was even available as a saloon or chunky cabriolet this time around the only RS4 to experiment with other body styles, but neither has the cachet of the Avant.

Which means its eventual replacement the B8 had huge shoes to fill, ones it didn’t quite have the socks for down a twisting B road. That wasn’t because it lacked pace, the 4.2L V8 remained and the output had been raised to a mouth watering 444bhp. The problem was the adoption of electro mechanical steering with optional variable ratio rack, one that undid all the B7’s wonderful work. Factor in the loss of another star asset in the manual gearbox the B8 only came with a 7 speed dual clutch transmission and the RS4 had morphed into a baby RS6, more interested in crushing continents than sports cars across the Yorkshire Dales

Yet there is no denying the sheer feel good factor of the B8 as you slip into its sculpted bucket seats, take in the immense quality of its cabin and fire up that V8 Brace yourself as it’ll be mentioned an awful lot from here on, because it really is the focal point of the whole B8 driving and ownership experience Initial acquaintance is muted however, especially after the rowdy B7 and during acclimatisation the Jekyll side of the RS4’s character dominates the V8 acts the good doctor as the DSG gearbox shuffles between ratios without an attention seeking peacock fart with every upshift This is comfortably the best car here to burble around in, despite the 20” alloys wrapped in rubber bands, their 20 profile skinny enough to put a supermodel to shame during Milan fashion week.

Patience quickly wears thin however, as the rev counter taunts you with its high altitude redline and 200mph speedometer catcalls, daring you to take a sip of the potion. Once imbibed, you’ll dial up launch control, drop the hammer and rocket to 60mph in less than 4.5 seconds and pass 100mph in 9.4 rain or shine. This remains a seriously quick car even by 2021 standards, and a wonderfully vocal one when the mood takes you north of 8,000rpm. The latter acceleration benchmark is nearly two seconds faster than its predecessor, yet with

only a ‘mere’ 24bhp increase, the figures don’t stack up on paper.

Put it down to two factors, the first despite Audi’s claim the B7 in practice could never quite produce 400bhp, whereas the B8 is right on the money. Therefore the power jump is actually more like 50bhp. The second is Audi’s tweaking of the torque curve. Maximum twist remains an identical 317lb ft, but crucially is available 1,500rpm sooner at 4,000rpm and is sustained to 6,00rpm. The 85kg weight penalty of the DSG gearbox is also easily offset by the faster shift speeds on offer even think about dipping the clutch in the B7 and you won’t see a B8 for dust. It’ll even steal a few yards on the B5 if you catch its driver napping.

As well producing the goods, the V8 was mounted further back in the RS4’s chassis, although the bulk of its mass still resides ahead of the front axle Nevertheless, the move was enough to have a useful effect on the weight distribution, which had shifted from 60:40 in the B7 to 56:44, whilst the wheelbase grew by 162mm and the tyres swelled to 265 section all round Speaking of distribution, the Quattro system retained the B7’s 40:60 split in normal driving, but under duress up to 70 percent of drive can go to the front or 85 percent to the rear The system also gained a crown gear centre differential with selectable drive modes and torque vectoring Calibration also extended itself to the gearbox, steering, dampers, exhaust and throttle mapping Thankfully owner Rich is on hand to navigate that particular labyrinth He immediately rules out going full dynamic courtesy of the dampers, meaning the B8 driver needs to delve into the individual menus in order to get the best from the chassis. Comfort steering, auto damping, dynamic throttle, differential and exhaust with the gearbox in full manual.

Even setup as such, the B8 can’t fully let go of its inhibitions. The speed is massive too quick for the B7 along the straights, too grippy for the B5 in the corners but it remains too civilised producing it and the steering too inert. The wide track, lack of roll and artificially quick steering does mean you can chuck the B8 into low speed corners and direction changes with the same abandon as the much smaller S3, but pace is the only

RS4 Engine Output Weight

B5 2,671cc twin turbocharged V6 max 7,100rpm

B7 4,163cc naturally aspirated V8, DOHC 32V, max 8,250rpm

B8 4,163cc naturally aspirated V8, DOHC 32V, max 8,250rpm

375bhp @ 7,000rpm

325lb.ft @ 2,5 6,000rpm

414bhp @ 7,800rpm 317lb.ft @ 5,500rpm

444bhp @ 8,250rpm 317lb.ft @ 4 6,000rpm

1,675kg bhp/tonne 224 lb.ft/tonne 194

1,710kg bhp/tonne 242 lb.ft/tonne 185

1,795kg bhp/tonne 247 lb.ft/tonne 177

reward. There are videos on the internet of the B8 going sideways, but this isn’t the car for such antics. If you want those kinds of kicks, you need a C63 AMG. The tune coming out of those fat, signature oval pipes also remains slightly too subdued for our liking, but the response to even minor throttle applications is deeply impressive it’s a shame it never found its way into the R8 alongside the V10.

The brakes eight piston calipers & 365mm discs up front are another talking point, but thankfully not down to their performance, which is impeccable The curiosity comes from the unique flower petal design of the discs in order to better dissipate heat Beware however, their wavy circumference means a £2,000 bill come renewal time Suddenly the £6,000 factory carbon ceramics don’t look so pricey

Given its sheer quality, timeless class and never to be seen again magnificence of its engine, the B8 is an awful lot of car for the £25,000 the market starts at Whilst the steering and blurred lines to the RS6 hold the B8 back from outright greatness, we can forgive this RS4 its flaws because it represents the last of the line Instead imagine those subtly flared arches parked next to a weekend toy on your driveway and it can’t fail to raise a smile Buy wisely and you could have one of the most complete two car garages available to the motoring enthusiast this side of a winning lottery ticket.

Finally, the B9. The current generation model has seen the RS4 come full circle returning to a 90 degree, twin turbocharged V6 a unit borrowed from none other than Porsche. This time the capacity is 2.9 litres and whilst the headline bhp is only up a fraction to 450, the torque has multiplied to 442lb ft. Not only that, the B9 makes its numbers over a much greater duration of the rev range,

Transmission Performance

4WD, Torsen, 6sp manual

4WD, Torsen, 6sp manual

4WD, Torsen, 7sp dual clutch

0.60 4.8s

1/4m 13.3 @ 108mph max 155mph (L)

0.60 4.7s

1/4m 13.2 @ 109mph max 155mph (L)

0.60 4.7s

1/4m 12.7 @ 114mph max 155mph (L)

meaning acceleration has taken another quantum leap forwards. With its fast acting ZF 8 speed automatic, the RS4 is comfortably sub four seconds to 60mph, yet is capable of over 30mpg, two statistics the V8 cars can only dream of.

Disappointingly, we had a very special B9 RSR lined up to take part today, but Mr. Corona Virus and his quarantine restrictions stuck their oar in. Rest assured we’ll bring the car to these pages in the near future.

Until then, which is our favourite RS4? In terms of desirability the B8 is off the charts, striking the perfect balance of discretion and aggression if you know, you know if you don’t you won’t bat an eyelid It’s a feature that’s sadly faded from the current RS line up, as has the high revving, naturally aspirated V8 In fact it’s a combination that hasn’t just disappeared from Audi’s brochures, but nearly all car manufacturers

But as a driver’s car we demand more, meaning by any tactile measure the B7 is the undisputed winner It’s an Audi that legitimately went toe to toe against the M Division with the added benefits of 24/7 any weather security, Avant practicality and an engine that wouldn’t disgrace a Ferrari However once the rain clouds have cleared and the feeling has returned to snapper Ben's fingers, it’s the B5 that lingers longest in the memory. If the B8 is the all rounder and the B7 the communicator, the B5 is the beast. It’s something I can’t quite pinpoint with words, but the original RS4 just has a greater sense of mischief about it that keeps you coming back for more, a turbocharged charisma which isn’t solely down to the omnipotent 500bhp performance of this example. Or perhaps in this case absolute power really does corrupt absolutely.

B5 B7 B8

THE TEFLON DON OF F1

BY CRAIG TOONE IMAGES @F1fbmemories

inning at all costs was an understatement for Flavio Briatore, a man who frequently employed underhand tactics to gain even the smallest advantage. Whatever your stance on the man, you cannot deny he got results his fledgling Benetton team was the only one to break the Ferrari Williams duopoly on the championship during the ‘90’s, with his ruthless streak often overshadowing a shrewd eye for a driver with the right stuff his talent spotting roll call includes non others than Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, whilst quickly casting aside those who did not make the grade.

That Briatore employed such methods at all should come as no surprise, for he already came into F1 sporting a chequered past Born on the 12th of April, 1950 in Verzuolo, Italy to primary school teachers, Briatore failed state school twice before graduating from a private one with the bare minimum of grades But whatever the enterprising young Flavio lacked in classroom application, he made up for in street smarts, working as a ski instructor before opening his own restaurant Tribula which closed due to excessive debt Briatore tried his hand as a door to door insurance salesman before finding work as the assistant to Attilio Dutto, owner of the Paramatti Vernici paint company Dutto was killed on 21 March 1979 in a car bomb attack by unknown perpetrators, but the method of execution was the calling card of La Cosa Nostra It quickly emerged that Dutto was bankrupt and Briatore’s involvement in his business affairs would lead to his arrest on several counts of fraud.

During the prosecution, Briatore moved to Milan and worked as a stockbroker, making the acquaintance of Luciano Benetton, founder of the Benetton clothing company. Briatore racked up more arrests via a series of confidence scams and the courts eventually sentenced him to four and a half years in prison, reduced to fourteen months on appeal. Preferring the idea of an exotic paradise to the prospect of time behind bars, Briatore fled to the Virgins Islands and lived in exile as a fugitive. During this time Briatore retained his contact with Benetton, who placed him in charge of franchising the fashion brand throughout the United States. The chain expanded from an initial five stores

to over 800 by 1989 thanks to the duo’s acumen, earning Briatore immense wealth in the process. Flavio would eventually return to the EU after quashing his convictions via amnesty, having never spent a day in prison.

The move into Formula One was at the behest of Benetton, although perhaps it was inevitable that the glamour of F1 would attract a man of Briatore's bravado. Luciano had acquired the Toleman team but Briatore had displayed little interest in the sport, attending his first Grand Prix at Australia in 1988. Benetton asked his friend to become the team's commercial director, eventually promoting him to team principal. Once crowned, Briatore wasted little time in making his mark, firing the last remaining members of the Toleman management structure He hired and then fired chief engineer John Barnard, replacing him with Tom Walkinshaw before setting his sights on snatching Michael Schumacher from Jordan in 1991, plotting to build the entire team around him The gamble paid off Schumacher won at Spa in 1992, then again at Estoril in 1993 1994 would prove to be the breakout year, Schumacher claiming the drivers championship

Success brought greater scrutiny and the first of several allegations of cheating began to emerge The FIA had banned several electronic aids for the ‘94 season in order to slow the escalating pace of the cars and place greater emphasis on driver ability These included traction control, power brakes, anti lock brakes and active suspension. Refuelling was also re introduced. Murmurs of discontent surfaced straight away after the first round in Brazil. Ayrton Senna had been leading the race on lap 21 with Schumacher close behind. They both pitted and the German emerged ahead after a faster stop, going on to win the race, leading to accusations of misconduct.

Later on in the season, a fire during a pit stop for Benetton number two driver Jos Verstappen led to an investigation. The fuel nozzle had not properly sealed, and Verstappen plus four mechanics suffered minor burns. The report found evidence of a ‘foreign body’ in the fuel valve plus the removal of an anti fire filter, the result being fuel flowed into the tanks approximately.

12 5% faster, saving around one second per pitstop Benneton laid the blame on equipment manufacturer Intertechnique, responsible for supplying standardised fuel rigs for all the teams Summoned to a hearing, Briatore argued that all but four teams had removed the filter from their rig, and the night before it emerged that Larrousse, one of the teams, had been instructed by Intertechnique to remove the filter Benneton was found guilty of the offense, but escaped any punishment in mitigation of these developments

But it was the tragic deaths of Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola that brought the bigger controversy to light. Senna was convinced several teams were still utilizing the benefits of traction control, and after the race the FIA demanded the top three finishing teams submit their engine management systems for review. Ferrari handed over their code immediately, but both Benetton and McLaren submitted theirs after the FIA deadline. Benetton’s excuse was ECU supplier Cosworth’s ownership of the intellectual property on the system, who withheld their permission. Both teams were fined $100,000. The FIA would discover the existence of traction and launch control ‘hidden’ within the code of the Benetton ECU, but since they could not find any evidence of its use, Benetton astonishingly got off Scot free, arguing only its deployment and not existence contravened the rules.

In the weeks following Imola the governing body introduced new emergency regulations to reduce downforce and thus slow the cars down, but several teams suffered from issues as the hastily developed components placed stress on parts not previously designed to cope with being loaded There were further high speed crashes A feud broke out between FIA president Max Mosely and Briatore, who accused the FIA of incompetence Neither man would back down and the row continued throughout the season

One of these measures was known as the ‘plank’ a piece of wood attached to the underside of the car to raise the ride height thus reducing downforce, whilst also monitoring for excessive wear The rules stated the plant must be a regulation 10mm, with an allowance of one for wear After the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher’s car clocked in at 7 4mm, 1 6 under tolerance Both Benetton and Schumacher pointed to a spin by the German as an explanation, but nevertheless Schumacher was disqualified.

The driver aids conflict reared its head again after the French GP. Schumacher qualified third, but overtook both Williams drivers Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill before the first corner, raising suspicions Benetton used launch control. Briatore then employed his box of dirty tricks at the British

GP Schumacher had qualified second, but overtook Damon Hill on the parade lap, earning himself a five second penalty, which he was ordered to serve on lap 21 by the stewards But Schumacher was instructed to ignore the black flag whilst Briatore stalled and discussed the incident with the race directors Schumacher eventually served the penalty on lap 28, allowing him to finish second and collect six points Post race, another inquiry was opened, where this time it was the race stewards who came under fire from Benetton, who admitted wrongdoing but not before highlighting the time taken to inform Benetton of Schumacher’s infringement, which was 27 minutes outside the allotted fifteen.

The verdict of the inquiry was to fine Benetton $500,000 and Schumacher $25,000, whilst also handing out another disqualification. Schumacher was also banned for two races, a decision which he appealed but was ultimately unsuccessful, missing the Italian and Portuguese races. In the end it didn’t matter Schumacher still won the championship, but the rumours of cheating clearly irked the German. He stayed with Benetton for the 1995 season, winning again before signing for Ferrari alongside most of the engineering staff. Without his star driver, Briatore struggled to rebuild and was replaced by Dave Richards for 1997.

Flavio would return in the year 2000 at the behest of Renault, who had purchased the Benetton F1 team. During his down time Briatore had taken on the role of manager to a young Spanish driver by the name of Fernando Alonso and engineered him a drive at Minardi before bringing him over to Renault as test driver, before sacking the popular Jenson Button and giving the seat to Alonso Briatores' gamble paid off, the Spaniard winning the back to back drivers titles in 2005 & 2006 This time McLaren came calling for Briatores' prized asset

Not to worry, for he had a growing stable of drivers at his disposal his work with Alonso attracting the likes of Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli, Nelson Piquet Jnr and Heikki Kovalainen to his management roster None of them quite hit the mark for Renault however, and those who couldn’t deliver were shown little loyalty

The next scandal to engulf Formula One reared its head in 2007 and was centred around corporate espionage, dubbed spygate. McLaren were the main perpetrators, caught in possession of detailed technical information of the Ferrari race car, but naturally Briatore was in the thick of it, voicing accusations against the McLaren team principal Ron Dennis. Initially McLaren escaped punishment before new information came to

‘THE FIA WOULD DISCOVER THE EXISTENCE OF TRACTION AND LAUNCH CONTROL ‘HIDDEN’ WITHIN THE CODE OF THE BENETTON ECU, BUT SINCE THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF ITS USE, BENETTON ASTONISHINGLY GOT OFF SCOT FREE‘

light and the FIA reopened its investigation, handing out a guilty verdict and an unprecedented $100 million fine and banning the team from the constructors championship

It later emerged that Alonso was the source of the new information, disclosing a series of emails to the FIA Alonso was unsettled at his new team and had failed to tame the raw pace of a certain wonderkid rookie by the name of Lewis Hamilton, his relationship with Dennis becoming fractured in the process Alonso left McLaren at the end of the season and Briatore welcomed him back to Renault with open arms He was still his manager after all Yet Renault themselves weren’t innocent in the Spygate debacle, having been supplied information "including, but not limited to the layout and critical dimensions of the McLaren F1 car, together with details of the McLaren fuelling system, gear assembly, oil cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars“ according to an FIA statement. But the team and Briatore would escape the same fate as McLaren despite being found guilty no punishment followed.

Reunited, the dream duo struggled to recapture their past high so Briatore started to work the angles, searching for a new advantage, one he would employ at the 2008 Singapore GP. With the assistance of chief engineer Pat Symonds, Briatore had calculated the exact moment and corner in the race for number two driver Nelson Piquet Jnr to tactically crash, causing the deployment of the safety car which served to Alonso’s advantage he took the chequered flag.

Allegations of race fixing began to emerge in 2009 after Piquet Jnr’s acrimonious departure from the Renault team. In September the FIA charged Renault with conspiracy and granted Piquet Jnr immunity from punishment in return for his testimony. After leaks of the supplied evidence, Briatore and Symonds threatened legal action against their former driver, but five days later Renault released a statement declaring the team would not contest the charges and both Briatore and Symonds had tendered their resignations Briatore continued to protest innocence and claimed the resignation was his duty for the good of the team

At the hearing, the FIA banned Briatore for life from all sanctioned events, making an example of the Italian for refusing to admit guilt despite the overwhelming evidence against him The governing body also refused to grant a Super License to any drivers managed by him, effectively ending any involvement with F1 Renault were shown leniency by the FIA due to their swift action after the allegations came to light, receiving a two year probation sentence if any similar affairs came to light the team would also suffer a lifetime ban.

In 2010 Briatore challenged the FIA ban in the French justice system, arguing his public feud with Max Mosely led to a Kangaroo court He won the trial, overturning the ban and was awarded a €15,000 settlement Perhaps wisely, Briatore opted not to return to the sport, choosing to diversify his business interests, launching his own fashion label and opening a string of nightclubs & restaurants Briatore treated himself to a 207ft superyacht, which would be seized by the Italian government over tax evasion on VAT for its charter status and fuel duty The amount owed was estimated at five million euros

Outside of F1 Briatore continued to live life in the fast lane In 2008 he married Wonderbra model Elisabetta Gregoraci after previous relationships with Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum Fernando Alonso was the driver of the bridal car, and the marriage produced a son in 2010 before ending in divorce Briatore had a daughter with Klum but had no involvement with the child's upbringing as Klum had started a relationship with Seal. In 2009 Briatore allowed the singer to legally adopt his offspring.

One of the earlier investments Briatore had made was the ill fated takeover of Queens Park Rangers football club. Briatore partnered up with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, becoming the clubs chairman in 2007. Briatore proved himself to be a volatile boss, chewing through a jaw dropping ten managers and signing forty seven players in three years, many of them fading superstars on fat contracts. The FIA ban proved to have far reaching consequences, putting Briatore at the mercy of the Football Associations ‘fit and proper’ persons test, meaning another resignation. Briatore was also the orchestrator behind the GP2 series, which quickly established itself as the primary feeder channel for aspiring Formula One drivers. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are both graduates He sold the rights to the championship in 2010 to CVC, the owners of Formula One

He may no longer be a feature in the paddock on race day, but his presence is still felt, for sport thrives on its heroes and villains, and no sport attracts pantomime like F1 Briatore remains an outspoken critic of the FIA, singling out the spiralling costs and lack of engagement with the fanbase He may have a point Perhaps he will be back before long he remains the manager of Alonso, touting his services to Renault for the 2020 season Briatore even starred in the Italian version of the apprentice for two seasons but so far he hasn’t expressed any interest in politics, but don’t rule it out Where Briatore is involved it seems anything is possible

He certainly has the skillset.

‘ALLEGATIONS OF RACE FIXING BEGAN TO EMERGE IN 2009 AFTER PIQUET JNR’S ACRIMONIOUS DEPARTURE FROM THE RENAULT TEAM. IN SEPTEMBER THE FIA CHARGED RENAULT WITH CONSPIRACY’

TOP

The Racing Puma is one of the most underrated Fast Fords, written off by the power hungry. Find out why ignorance is bliss

Kotto Williams Alex Salway

o after an eighteen year hiatus the Ford Puma is back, but sadly in name only. Any thoughts of a repackaged Mk8 Fiesta ST in a Gucci suit fall by the wayside as soon as you clock the new bug eyed SUV. If you’re above the age of eighteen you’ll remember the original Puma, a truly refreshing take on a dull and dying baby coupe segment. The Puma was essentially a late nineties Ford Fiesta with a new body, lots of kit and a new engine. So how did this car come about?

At the time Ford was struggling globally, the mk4 Escort was long in the tooth and the Mondeo was suffering from the cessation of tax free company cars causing a huge slump in sales. The brand seemed to be surviving on the good will of the Fiesta in Europe and the Crown Victoria & F150 in America. They came up with many schemes and projects to reignite the fire, including the Ford Focus but that’s a feature for another day One such project which was ultimately canned led to a dilemma because they’d contracted Yamaha to develop a 1 7 litre petrol engine with VVT; Variable Valve Timing Faced with the choice of losing the technology and paying a hefty fine, or honouring the agreement, Ford chose to find a new home for the new engine

Fortunately, they decided to make a car worthy of this fairly technical engine and developed the Ford Puma based effectively on the 1996 Ford Fiesta but with uprated suspension, bigger brakes and a huge amount of standard equipment and a remarkably pretty bodyshell based on the “new edge” styling philosophy Its sharp engine, sweet gearchange, critically acclaimed chassis and keen pricing policy resulted in Ford being unable to keep up with demand. In order to satisfy the public's appetite, the blue oval introduced 1.4 & 1.6 litre iterations. The marketing campaign alone was gold Steve McQueen photoshopped into the driver’s seat of a silver Ford Puma, racing around the iconic streets of San Francisco mimicking the iconic car chase from Bullitt. If you’re into fast cars and movies it’d be weird if the advert didn’t captivate your attention.

How did Ford build upon this tour de force of success? The answer is obvious, you enter into motorsport and develop a hot version, but the one that filtered down to customers wasn’t your usual common or

garden homologation special The process was a unique one Imagine the scenario where a Mr & Mrs customer walks into their local Ford dealership to sign for a Ford Puma, but at the last minute see the Racing Puma brochure. Seduced, they order the one, which isn’t actually a car but an optional extra.

Then a small but mighty workshop by the name of Tickford sends their heavies to Neihl in Germany where they effectively kidnap a Ford Puma and bring it back to Daventry. A team of mechanics thereupon rip the Puma apart, throwing anything not welded in place into a skip. They widen the front track by 35mm a side, replace the front wings with bespoke aluminium ones, fit extended driveshafts and custom suspension arms complete with Eibach springs and dampers. Then they bond on the Marilyn Monroe spec steel rear arches, made necessary by a huge 90mm increase in rear track girth, just 15mm behind the full bore rally car. Next comes racing spec Alcon 4 pot brakes 295mm diameter at the front, 253mm at the rear Inside, Tickford fitted bespoke Ford Racing Sparco seats, reclaimed the remaining interior out of the skip and covered it in unique royal blue alcantara

The extended track makes the Puma appear fantastically low and wide, the bolt on arches pouring over the 17” MiM alloys like a marshmallow dipped in a chocolate fountain You’d swear those rims bearing 215/40 tyres were a larger diameter but it’s an optical illusion the Puma is just perfectly proportioned The Imperial Blue paint mica 93, shade II for the anoraks was the only factory colour choice available but I do hope whoever chose it got a well deserved promotion It’s a combination that’s so right it's hard to imagine the car in another hue Visually the Racing Puma turns a base car that’s as friendly as a kitten into something more befitting of a real Puma.

The final piece of the puzzle was fettling the Yamaha 1.7. But Ford blew all the budget on making it drive as well as physically possible. The original plan involved some light pressure turbocharging with 180bhp in mind, however in the end Ford resorted to good old fashioned engine tuning more aggressive specification camshafts, a custom alloy inlet manifold, Janspeed exhaust with 4 2 1 manifold and sports catalytic converter, and a recalibrated ECU. The result was 153bhp at 7,000rpm and 119lb ft. of torque available from 4,500rpm. Combined with the 1,174kg kerb weight it was just enough to dip below eight seconds from zero to sixty.

Sadly, despite such a promising start and list of ingredients, the Racing Puma didn’t have the same sales success as the regular model because the major surgery required for the conversion resulted in a steep £22,750 asking price It was a tough sell given the Subaru Impreza Turbo had already arrived on the scene harassing Porsches and BMW M cars with its WRC four wheel drive pedigree and a turbocharged 215bhp output, complete with £2,000 change Alternatively you could have an original Lotus Elise for a list price of £23,000 You had to

be a very committed fast Ford fan to opt for the Puma over either of those two Consequently, less than half of the planned UK production run of 500 actually made it into genuine customers hands, with the balance of cars distributed amongst Ford's senior management via the company car scheme

Anyway, what about driving one today? If the Honda Integra Type R DC2 is arguably recognised as the best front wheel drive car of all time, the Racing Puma must be pushing for a spot on the podium, for any drive is guaranteed to raise eyebrows The Puma has that same ability to maximize every single bhp and transfer all the right information to your fingertips You can give it death and it loves it, bang the rev limiter, flat shift, stay in second or third gear with the revs hanging at around 6,000rpm with the exhaust crackling away. Throw the car into corners at unholy speeds then hammer the brakes and it just keeps smiling. Suddenly, you’re flying

around a sharp bend with the wheel at 90 degrees, right foot welded to the floor and the car’s still complying, finding grip and simply going where you want it to and giving you the sort of rush any Japanese four wheel drive homologation special or track bred hyperhatch can It’s as close as you’ll get to a race car in road going form, and I don’t mean like a Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport that has a roll cage, a bucket for a seat, detachable everything The Racing Puma is more like a tarmac spec rally car made tame It feels like the pit crew has just decided to put back in the normal interior, peel off the stickers and muffle the exhaust

Even now, at two decades old and with 94,000 miles showing on the odometer, it doesn’t feel like you've entered classic territory. Of course, you can tell it’s getting on, the steering wheel is shiny, the gear knob is peeling and yet everything that truly matters from the steering, to the gearbox, to the handbrake, the engine response feels taut and

box fresh It even has everything you need and more for mundane duties air conditioning, heated front screen, electric windows and mirrors, ESP and traction control It also has modern brakes, tyres, engine, ignition, fuel system

Follow the standard servicing and it’ll be unburst able If you drive the FRP sensibly it settles down, there’s no need for any pointless driving modes because it was conceived exceptionally well from the start The aggressive, stiff suspension actually has some give to it You could easily daily drive this car just make sure to dial up a couple of extra decibels on the radio

So, what are the drawbacks? Well, they’re very expensive £15,000 is the mid rate price of a Racing Puma about £14,000 more than a normal 1.7 Puma. Not only that, the exotic parts and coach built body mean parts are either hugely expensive or simply no longer available from Ford. See that left front wing? £800. The Eibach suspension strut

underneath it? Just name a price because you can’t get one anywhere Owners have become so exasperated they’ve even created their own memes, if you crash a Racing Puma the sad reality is you’re probably better off breaking it Any repair to OEM standard will involve a very long time spent waiting and searching for parts to come up for sale The brake callipers also need frequent attention annual servicing and regular maintenance is wise due to the likelihood of erosion to the unpainted aluminium within the calipers

On the flip side, it’s unlikely prices won’t go down so it’s a very safe purchase You’ll probably make back whatever you spend on routine maintenance and petrol if you keep it a year All the major mechanicals are as robust as any Fiesta’s, you’re unlikely to open the garage to find a puddle of oil underneath the car, nor will it ever leave you stranded. The only caveat is they’re prone to rust those bonded rear arches are a breeding ground for oxidisation, so inspect any possible purchase

closely and make sure you have somewhere warm and dry to keep your new pride & joy

So far I've managed to avoid talking about the elephant in the room because to pigeonhole it is to miss the point of the Racing Puma, but the issue of the low power output needs addressing. The FRP is very much a product of its time and even back then 150bhp could at best be described as adequate when Renault offered a Clio with another 300cc and 20bhp. It’s the sort of power you can get today from a middling hybrid Fiesta. Yes it’s glacially slow compared to the turbocharged hot hatches you get now, but it does have an ace up its sleeve that’s not the fantastic handling and brakes but the lack of a turbo. Its power is accessible at all levels, there’s no delay for the turbine to spool up and give you the oomph. It won’t win a race but it’ll surprise a competitor, especially when exiting a corner. The real reward is just how good it feels to drive, it feels a lot faster than it really is which makes it fun And working your way up to 7,200rpm with a fantastic naturally aspirated soundtrack it’s also rewarding It endears you to it in the same way old cars did

To give you a taste on what the Racing Puma is truly about, this is a direct quote from Peter Beattie the mastermind behind the Racing Puma “I remember one evening following Richard Parry Jones home, he was driving one of the development cars, so a support car always had to go along in case it broke down in the middle of nowhere It was too dangerous for us to try to keep up with him When we eventually arrived at his house, he told us there were two things we should never change: first were the pops on the over run that sounded like rally car anti lag, and second was that we should never put a rear wing on it”

Would a new Fiesta ST win in a drag race? Yes. Would it beat it on track? Certainly. Would you be laughed at by teenagers if you bought the new Puma? Yes. Would you care that your Racing Puma is slower than both the new Puma and the new Fiesta ST? Not for a single nanosecond. It’s simply one of the best handling cars of all time and it’s been almost forgotten about in the modern power race. It’s a shame, but because of that it’s become a secret weapon. The owners of the Racing Puma smile every time they see it parked on their drive, they love to take it on hill sprints, they wait in angst for their next Castle Combe track day. It’s like being a member of an exclusive club that when others find out about, they’d want in. But if too many people found out it’d be spoiled

And that’s the way the Racing Puma should be unspoiled It’s a pure driving experience that can’t be replicated in another car It features the old school rawness but modern reliability and comfort It’s like having a pet and not a car: your time with it may be fleeting or it may be very long But you’ll always, always remember it fondly and even if you get another it won’t be the same Special car, this

Craig Toone

Ben Midlane, Isaac Hunter & Dan Hamilton

Craig Toone Marek Banert

Rush

he heart of the Scottish highlands

doesn’t matter how many sheep I count. The anticipation of the days ahead wins out, and the phone next to me constantly buzzing confirms the insomnia is contagious. All went to bed hours ago, eager to be of fresh mind and body for the road I had even invited the members of our Motley Crew over to my house under the false pretences of saving time, thus extra sleep, but they saw right through my snake oil the pub would have come calling and this trip is far too important for that nonsense Still, the WhatsApp group would not stop pinging its excited messages across the airwaves, even the Witching Hour passed without a ceasefire in transmission

There’s a good reason for our enthusiasm Ahead lies a road trip of epic proportions fifteen hundred miles over four days and three nights, a mission to sniff out the best roads Scotland has to offer This isn’t a road test, its an adventure with the best possible company, bucket list stuff. The three cars we are taking certainly aren’t rivals, more like a progressive ownership curve. A finishing order isn’t the objective, but it doesn’t mean a few questions can’t be answered along the way. Copious amount of tea and biscuits were sacrificed refining the details of the plan, a route that pierces through the heart of the Trossachs before slingshotting around Ben Nevis and tracing the coastline to the Isle of Skye. The best of the NC500 follows then it’s an abrupt turn South at Kylesku, seeking out the challenge of the Cairngorms and its Old Military road.

The warm night’s air is making it even more difficult to settle, but it would be wrong to curse

it. We are about to be blessed with the hottest spring on record, yet a week ago the trip was in jeopardy due to gloomy weather reports. A Nürburgring pilgrimage, the Isle of Man and even Ibiza were floated as alternatives.

The cutting 4 15am alarm call will be the least pleasant experience of the trip Whilst the urge to abuse the snooze button is strong, abuse from a late arrival would be stronger so I leap out of bed and hit the road But already the night has claimed its first victim as I leave the house Paul sits in the BMW M2 Competition, waiting for his co pilot to rise Soon a bleary eyed Chris emerges, muttering something about a faulty alarm clock

News relayed, I dial back the cruise control of the Mini JCW to 65 and enjoy seeing the mpg counter climb north of fifty, impressive for a car loaded with the essentials of highland survival sandwiches, snacks, water and fermented hops Fifty to the gallon is certainly a number that won’t be seen again over the next four days.

Somewhere over the North Pennines meanwhile a third car is making progress, our meeting point and breakfast awaits. Only it’s heading in the wrong direction the night has claimed a second victim as Marek, the man behind the lens, is on the phone apologising profusely for forgetting his cameras and having to turn around. A second round of sausage and egg butties is ordered.

Thirty minutes later a sheepish looking M135i pulls onto the car park, its owner craving caffeine. Addictions and rumbling bellies satisfied, the convoy settles into an eco pro cruise along the M6 for the long journey north

he adventure proper begins at Aviemore. The tourists head for Loch Lomond, but we have an ulterior motive for coming to the Trossachs. The A809 & A81 have acted as the perfect palette cleansers after the motorway, but now our target is in sight The Dukes Pass. The innocuous turn off Aberfoyle High Street didn’t show much promise, but immediately the forearms are given a workout as we’re pitched into a series of wide, sweeping hairpins, constantly climbing Once scaled the road levels off but undulates with constant direction changes, never letting the cars settle Any straights are short but sweet, the speedometer acquiring a quick thirty mph before the brakes are tasked with scrubbing it back off again The corners keep coming, a kaleidoscope of turns of all shapes and angles

Up front in the M2 Chris is using all his race craft but the hyper agility and low mass of the Mini are what count up here, and despite the difference in skill it’s easy to maintain touch The Mini is aided by a couple of tricks up its sleeve the car is both lower and wider to the tune of 30mm thanks to the fitment of the optional KW coilovers, 15mm spacers all round and 17” wheels wrapped in performance orientated Michelin Supersport tyres. The new suspension set up and stickier footprint has combined beautifully to eradicate the standard cars’ floaty behaviour, locking down any pitch, dive and body roll. Beforehand, the centre of gravity felt as if it gathered at a point around the driver's shoulder line, giving a distinctive and unpleasant top heavy feeling to the handling balance. Now however, the Dan Tien is significantly lower, the mass of the car pivoting into a turn from your hips, each axle sharing the load rather than rolling into submission.

The steering's glassy initial turn in has been eradicated and the chassis now makes sense of the quick steering rack command and the car responds to the exact degree and tempo, with an economy of movement the others simply cannot match. It isn’t a complete transformation however, for all its accuracy the finer details still remain elusive A change in surface? Seen and heard but not felt The transition from grip to slip? Not well telegraphed You end up searching for alternate answers, learning to extrapolate the limit of adhesion through the seat of your pants and the oration of the

tyres, assuming you can hear them over the racket of the JCW’s sports exhaust Another optional extra party piece, the carbon tipped pipes emit a riot of pops and bangs that ricochet back off the rock face and chase you up the road. It's little wonder the Bluetooth fob to operate its valve comes with an anti social behaviour warning.

As Loch Achray comes into view the exhaust valve is quietly closed in order to not disturb the Lady of the Lake. Glencoe is the next port of call and I slip behind the paddles of the M2, but it’s an uneventful, if highly pretty, commute over to our first overnight stop of Fort William. In this environment the M2 reigns supreme, picking off traffic with absolute authority, its companions no match for the rapid fire gear changes or top end reach of the additional turbo. If only the voice generated in the process had more personality. All around us gentle slopes give way to towering jagged peaks and every side road shows promise it takes considerable will power to resist their siren call but tiredness and range anxiety curb our enthusiasm One detour we do take is to Appin, where Castle Stalker stands isolated on a small island, stoically guarding the coast of Loch Linnhe

A swim, steam, sauna and shower later we’re sat in the hotel bar with a beverage in one hand and the menu in the other Upon seeing two unfinished Macaroni and cheese pass by we decide to take our chances with the trip advisor lottery and head to the Fort William high street After some hangry bickering, a small bistro is chosen and seafood, burgers and fries are washed down with Peroni’s and a side of car chat Chris in between a mouthful of fries “The Dukes felt like a rally super stage Short in gear bursts then hard on the brakes for the next bend Left right, left right The M2 felt like it was on a Scalextric track that you’d put together without any thought The car defied its weight, tyres grabbing at the tarmac pushing us into the bolsters with every turn of the wheel and twist of the road”. Marek, after grabbing the last onion ring “I bravely fought with the law of physics trying to move the mass of the M135i from right to left quick enough, to stay behind that nimble Mini and more powerful M. Then the brakes started losing the battle, increasing in heat with every corner. Over this rollercoaster road, the car felt like it reached its limits and started showing its weaknesses. No matter how hard I hustled, I simply couldn’t keep up. ”

Back at the lodgings the cabaret act is in full swing, the dancing on display straight out of the Phoenix Nights playbook. We leave Les Alanos and the young at heart to it, and shuffle off to bed.

The next morning we wake up the entire hotel with booming cold starts. The Mini fires up first, followed by the M135i, exhausts amplified by the courtyard When the M2 rumbles into life several curtains twitch Time to make a hasty exit north

It’s a striking morning, the sun has risen against a crisp,

azure sky but the word remains asleep Free from the responsibility of shouldering commuters, the A82 comes alive, a short fifteen minute stint taking us to the commando memorial, where the gaze of the soldiers falls upon Ben Nevis, the last of the snow clinging to his peak, defying summer's advance. We linger a little longer than planned, nobody complains.

Back on the move we’re making progress but taking our time. Inputs are measured and deliberate, short shifting through the gears, letting torque do its thing. A road sign proudly announces we’ve reached the Territory of Skye. We navigate around a series of breath taking lochs under the watchful eyes of the Five Sisters of Kintail, each shoreline influencing the road in its own unique manner. Only one car is passed, German tourists who cheerily wave us through. If only the real world had such etiquette.

I finally manage to wrestle the keys back off Chris after a couple of choice jujitsu moves at the foot of the Applecross pass He runs off to take up residence in the M2 This stretch has a reputation not for the faint hearted with a warning sign speaking in bold of 1 in 5 gradients and hairpin bends Narrow width aside, the initial encounter is friendly a gentle climb overlooking the beautiful bay of Kishorn Then the compass needle swings north into the mouth of a dramatic glacial valley, typical in its U shape but somehow larger in scale As the cliff faces tower above us, we get the same feeling the crew of the Pequod must have felt as they encountered Moby Dick for the first time Swallowed whole, we thread the needle through the signature zig zag hairpins that deliver us to the summit, stopping for a dose of vertigo having climbed to 2054ft The Inner Hebrides are scattered in front of us, their outline distorted in the heat haze We all agree that we’d like another crack at the pass, preferably at 7am with only the highland cows for company, or as Stewart quips “where the steaks have never been higher”.

Tumbleweed cleared, all the day’s action has seen us work up quite a thirst and it’s amazing how people can suddenly find an extra gear when there’s a beverage at stake. Marek declares the last one back to the hotel buys the beers and does a Le Mans start into the M2. I’m left with the keys to the M135i with no complaints, for it’s the perfect combination of size, gearing and grunt for the Isle of Skye.

The engine takes centre stage after the Mini, its throttle response a highlight, even if it lacks the extra 500rpm lung capacity of the M2’s bespoke motor. It counters with a more cultured note emanating from the sports exhaust, easily putting the monotone M car in the shade. When the pace inevitably quickens it’s actually the front axle that impresses faithful to inputs and gripping tenaciously, but offering little by the way of information to the palm of my hands Traction isn’t an issue in these optimum conditions, but an off camber left right combination approaches with a hidden ridge It’s

telegraphed by a contained wiggle from the M2 in the lead so I keep my foot in, but the M135i ties itself in knots, the shockwave producing an odd corkscrewing sensation from the rear It shakes my confidence in the chassis and from that point onwards I back off, wary of getting an encore I pinpoint it to the bushing at the rear axle, which is just too soft for an engine of this magnitude Unfortunately as the trip goes on I won’t be the only one to notice the twerking action, which is quickly dubbed the M135i’s truffle shuffle

The other two have disappeared over the horizon but it doesn’t matter Free of the peer pressure of trying to keep up, I strike up a rhythm with the baby M running with the windows down, the warm breeze mixing with the aroma of salty air and the occasional whiff of tortured rubber and acrid brakes, all underlined by the soundtrack of the sonorous straight six Driven at seven tenths, the M135i is fine

company. I’m eventually reunited with the group in Kyleakin, where I pay my forfeit and our thirst is quenched whilst overlooking the stunning Skye Bridge and Kyle of Lochalsh We are treated to a stunning molten orange sunset as dinner is devoured more fresh seafood With jutting bellies, we walk back under a sky of a thousand stars Paul makes his excuses and heads to his hotel he’s being a lone wolf tonight, staying in plusher surroundings, no longer able to cope with the group's snoring

The morning see’s us rudely awakened by the feral cry of a wild animal Soon Paul is on the phone howling over a breakfast mix up, in that he doesn’t get any We explain how we’d love to come and help him find some, but our bacon is as thick as gammon and we may be some time We smuggle a ham and cheese croissant past the army of waiting on staff, saddle up and cross the bridge back onto the mainland

After another “lap” of the Scotsschleife, we hit Applecross and pick up the NC500, which takes us out to the Atlantic coast before retreating inland towards Ullapool The roads are fast and open, the corners requiring steady hands, quiet feet and a calm head The M135i and M2 are in close quarters, the advantage of following playing into my hands, the M2 ahead announcing every hesitation whilst I’m being decisive on the throttle, using every last revolution available and shifting that little bit harder The pretender proves to have the speed but not the endurance as I’m forced to call the chase when the brakes expire

The further north we press the more the traffic thins and our jaws slacken Gairloch & Kylesku flash by in a blur before the team re assembles at the foot of the A838, which follows another glacial valley cut across the spine of Scotland It's at this point we feel the most isolated of the entire trip

between small off the grid settlements there’s little sign of human presence The M2 maintains point duty, the others tucking into its slipstream The road is single file but well sighted, and save for the occasional road train, swift progress is made towards Inverness

After dinner we take up position in the ski lodge and the Cairngorm craft lager starts flowing As it’s our last night the conversation is animated, and the rounds keep coming After one too many pints Paul lets slip “I admit it, I respect that Mini, bloody brilliant” and in the car equivalent of a drunken bromance, the compliments keep coming “It feels like a baby touring car, it’s the great basis for a project ” Hiccups Marek

“You never go full project” interrupts Stewart, who wants to talk about the M135i “sure it tails off just as the M2 is getting into its stride, but break down the nature of a day’s driving only around one hour spent at maximum attack, the

rest in the making progress zone, and it starts to make a lot of sense out here ” Marek is keen too “you could close the dynamic gap to the M2 by modifying it like the Mini, fit some springs, a differential and maybe even a tuning box, but honestly it's quick enough, and that means you’d have less money for trips like this, and I know what I’d rather do ” Paul, banging his shoe on the table, slurs “M performance exhaust!”

Chris, nursing his pint brings the focus back onto the Mini “The Mini is the most fun, it constantly eggs you on You can really lean on the tyres thanks to the stiffer sidewalls of the Michelin, trusting the grip, taking liberties due to the friendly nature of front wheel drive” But then the tone changes to a more serious one “there was one nasty point however where I had to really stand on the brakes mid corner on a rough

surface and the car leapt to the left, following the camber The rear went alarmingly light” Marek has a different axe to grind “It’s not the best looking car, but the new stance goes some way towards toughening up the kerb appeal One critique is the engine, there is no doubting its ability from a performance standpoint, but on an emotional level I find it lacking look past the demented exhaust and you’ll realise it never reaches a truly engaging climax, the mid range offering the meat of the performance You can tell it’s been plucked from the BMW parts catalogue, this engine feels like it has a much higher ceiling it doesn’t strike you as the apex predator of small hot hatches The rev counter is also far too small, I found myself running into the meek limiter too often with the shortest gearing here ” The consensus is Mini should make the optional heads up display standard equipment

As the last order bell tolls, Paul rises “I don’t think the M2 has shown its hand yet It’s spent most of the time in fourth gear, gobbling up the long sweepers We’ve saved the best till last the old military road, and tomorrow I think it’s going to come into its element” Hat thrown in the ring, he gingerly heads towards the bar

After a predictably late start, the final day brings my chance in the M2, but like some of the humans on this trip it takes longer to wake up than the others As we set off the car is hesitant, the brakes sharp, the gearbox engaging ratios with a clunk The fluids are yet to warm, and the car imposes a cold rpm limit I like this process, it’s a subtle hint that the M2 operates on a different plane to the others here Perhaps there’s still some truth to that Motorsport badge

It’s a process that also means I'm positively foaming at the

mouth by the time we get to the Old Military Road The electronic shackles are finally released the moment we crest the first rise, which promptly stops me in my tracks I pause for a look around, studying the tarmac ahead as it bobs and weaves its way down into the glen, before reappearing across the other side, meandering invitingly across the moorland before finally disappearing into the next valley But let’s not stand on ceremony too long, the fluids have gained their vital viscosity and the tyres have some heat in them, and I now have a JCW and M135i to catch

Picking up speed, one of the first things you notice about the M2 is just how solid the structure feels The M2 amplifies bumps in the road more than the M135i but the chassis seems to absorb them without consequence The chunky steering wheel feels appropriate as it's easily the meatiest to operate

here, and straight away the feedback elevates itself above the others Where the Mini & M135i are concentrating on filtering out NVH, the M2 begins to load up in a wonderfully linear manner you can really admire the road holding, the car performing the double trick of absolute stability with rapid reflexes.

I’m soon back in the lead but the pursuing JCW is right on my tail, close enough to clock Chris wearing his game face behind the wheel, but my confidence has grown and any traces of a lingering hangover evaporate every time the twin turbochargers spool. I’m now secure enough to activate the M dynamic traction control setting and an open chicane allows the M2 to play its trump card. I leave the braking late and lean heavily on the optional M5 sourced six piston callipers, clicking off a couple of ratios. The M2 turns in with precision and dismisses the hard direction change with the balance of a lighter vehicle I’ve got full traction and a clear view on the exit so I push hard and the rear arcs out naturally as I apply the slightest, instinctive amount of counter steer, feeling the absolute hero as the big six digs the fat Michelins into the ground and fires us up the next hill It’s a task that asks too much of the little upstart chasing

There hasn’t been any divine intervention by a flickering yellow light the microchips computing the yaw as playful rather than excessive but for a fleeting moment, I’ve tapped into that magical progressive handling balance at the limit that’s a hallmark of all truly great M cars The noise of the S55 straight six remains a complaint but the trade off is throttle response that makes the other two here feel asthmatic, with just the right amount of forceful performance that can be exploited on the public road you question the need for anything faster.

As we keep climbing the heatwave of the past few days becomes a memory, for the Cairngorms seem to have their own microclimate the iconic ascent to Lecht Ski Station is heartbreakingly shrouded in fog. Fortunately, on the other side the valley is clear, the mountains blocking the progress of the pea soup. Past Ballater the road tracks the River Dee and dances in and out of a lush pine forest we’re on the floodplain now, moving in two dimensions rather than three, but are no less entertained. The treeline recedes at Braemar before a steady climb towards Glenshee Ski Centre, the cars making light work of the gradient. The huge car park is deserted, so we make it our base for the next couple of hours. A game of musical chairs occurs as we each sample the cars and retrace our steps north After a blast in the M2 Marek jumps out, utters some expletives in his native tongue, mimics oversteer and wanders off for a lie down Chris claims the keys to the M135i, Paul giving pursuit in the M2 I listen to the duelling straight sixes storm the glen, the rhythm eventually distorting, signalling one driver has gained the upper hand

It’s a good opportunity to form some conclusions Each car has its own unique properties the M135i is the

standout grand tourer of the bunch that’s ultimately let down by having too much Autobahn and not enough B road in its suspension We mourn its passing however as its successor has joined the 2 0 litre, turbocharged four wheel drive imitation game more practicality, less petrosexuality it’s USP of creamy straight six and rear wheel drive propulsion killed off by a marketing survey in which the participants stated they didn’t care if their premium hatch was pushed or pulled

The Mini has won us over with its flame thrower exhaust and gung ho attitude to corners Obviously the conversion to bring it to this level isn’t cheap, but the rewards are rich. This is exactly how a JCW should feel from the factory, putting clear air between itself and the Cooper S, filling the classic hot hatch brief to a tee. Of the three it was certainly driven the hardest, harassing the more expensive metal with its rabid

cross country pace and playful balance Chris describes it as a modern version of the Honda DC2 Integra Type R, with turbo punch if you know the man praise doesn’t come any higher We wonder if the oxygen light mountain air and excessive Iron Bru consumption has gone to his head

In the end, the truth is the M2 had any thoughts of a giant killing sewn up within the first 500 yards It feels special in a way the other two can’t and never lets you forget it Sure, it can cruise as well as the M135i save for a little more tyre roar, but it never becomes mere transport like the 1 series can One glance at the vast hips in the mirrors or the 7,500rpm redline is all that it takes to quicken the pulse. The engine transplant from original M2 to the Competition’s bespoke M Division unit might steal the headlines, however BMW should be praised for having the confidence to stick to a passive damping arrangement. When a set up is this good, you

question the need for any complicated electronics It’s exactly how a 21st century M car should feel as serious as you want it to be, or as silly with its drift on demand alter ego should you have the talent and the space Whatever the approach, it always involves the driver in the process Perhaps it should be named an Evolution, for this is far more than a tweak of the suspension geometry and a mild ECU tickle

The descent from Glenshee feels endless, the throttle of little use, gravity alone providing enough momentum which remains unchecked as we level off Wild moorlands fade into manicured lawns as suburbia creeps towards the fringes of the national park. Then just like that it’s over, no fanfare, no climax or salute just the bitter embrace of the bloody A9, where ominous looking dark clouds release a deluge of monsoon proportions. The highs of the past four days give way to overwhelming feelings of melancholy and it’s not long

before we hit roadworks Despite the conditions other road users still tailgate each other whilst simultaneously hogging lanes A sign of things to come perhaps, only serving to remind us how special this journey has been

It’s on the final stretch home when inception for this whole magazine endeavour occurs There’s a burning desire to turn around and do the trip all over again, and to do it elsewhere a wanderlust via the road and to share the journey I finally pull onto my driveway and switch off the engine, but it’s me that lays idle Tired but wired, I take a moment to relive the adventure, the cars, the company, the warm hospitality but above all the stunning combination of tarmac & topography Scotland has to offer. Walking towards my house, contracting metal clinking away, I cannot resist another look back over my shoulder, feeling the RUSH once again.

IMAGE RIGHTS

There’s little doubt the Mercedes A35 has speed and style, but is 302bhp enough to justify the hype of that AMG badge?

ast your eye over the spec sheet for the A35 and you’d be forgiven for thinking the new model is essentially an A45 with the wick turned down, but study the details closer and you’ll realise that Mercedes is wearing its poker face The first bluff comes in the form of the turbocharged, four cylinder engine, which happens to be a development of the lesser A250 engine, rather than a close relation of the possessed AMG M139 found in the A45 Bluff two is found within the dual clutch gearbox, which makes do with only seven ratios compared to big brothers eight The four wheel drive transmission is also guilty of sin number three the twin clutch packs are missing from the rear axle, meaning the celebrated drift mode is also absent without leave. This leaves the question is the 302bhp A35 a worthy addition to the AMG range, or could it possibly be a cynical car by committee, one that exists to tick boxes on a spreadsheet? Can a brand that prides itself on luxurious V8 muscle really withstand diluting itself into a world of Hyundai and Honda?

At this point those of a continental disposition may wish to remind me that this isn’t AMG’s first bite of the hot hatch apple, for the go faster arm of Mercedes actually has previous in this arena, and a diesel at that the oddball C30 CDI AMG with its turbocharged inline five, although it was never produced in right hand drive. You can hardly blame Mercedes for wanting a slice of the lucrative Golf R market though. Here was a car that struck such a chord with UK buyers it almost became the default purchase a badge that impressed the Jones, with enough turbocharged pace to keep serious sports cars honest whilst being both engaging to drive & all weather secure in the process Other hot hatches might score points for greater tactility, but as an all round, do it all combination the Golf had no equal

Until now? Mercedes and BMW have both arrived on the scene with a copycat formula, and the three pointed star has confidently chucked it’s keys down on the table courtesy of the kudos of those three important letters This, we are told, is the full fat, full cream AMG no watered down ‘M performance’ malarkey here Mercedes’ timing could not have been better either, for the new R is not estimated to arrive in the UK until mid 2021, and there are question marks over the cabin quality and complicated touchscreens in the mk8 Golf. The rival BMW M135i is already looking vulnerable with fans of the outgoing six cylinder car sharpening their

knives whilst the Bavarians haven’t done themselves any favours adorning the new 1 series with the next generation bucktoothed kidney grill.

Under the glare of the showroom spotlights then the Mercedes is a clear winner. Let’s be honest, in this sector that’s half the battle for the majority of buyers, and the onslaught continues when you open the drivers door as the Mercedes outclasses either domestic rival in terms of style.

Some may find the giant LCD split screen a step too form, preferring the more sober M135i’s cabin, but we are big fans of the rotary air vents and sculpted bucket seats. Externally, Mercedes has been clever with the styling of the A35 by offering a tier of exterior packages to suit all tastes. Leave it standard, specify a discreet shade and you’ll blend into traffic as anonymously as an A180 diesel. The £2500 premium package adds gloss black trim and tailpipes, tinted rear glass

and sharper alloy wheels, alongside an upgraded media package and other such trinkets Prefer being an extrovert? You’ll need to specify the £6,000 premium plus package which adds the A45’s aero kit, complete with the attention grabbing rear wing, 19” multi spoke alloys, a panoramic roof, LED headlights, Burmester HiFi and crucially, adaptive dampers. More of which later.

This makes the £38,345 list price pretty much irrelevant as most A35’s won’t leave the showroom for less than £44,000. Metallic paint will set you back a further £595, or a hefty £1795 for the more flamboyant ‘Designo’ range. Out of the ten colours available, five of which are variations of silver or grey, we’d be quite partial to the no cost yellow. Tyre options on the 19” rims are a bespoke Pirelli P zero or Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, in 235/35 all round. Our test car has the P zero fitted. Overall, it’s a handsome car, one that

manages in aero trim to separate itself from the regular A class without stepping on the A45’s toes A saloon slash four door coupe is available with a small increase to the aforementioned list price.

But what if, like us, you make up the minority of buyers? A deeper look into the spec sheet swings suspicions back towards this car being a pukka AMG. The suspension has undergone a complete overhaul, with little carried over from the A250. The geometry is unique to the A35 whilst the front wishbone bushes have been annexed in favour of uniball joints in search of greater steering precision. AMG has also added an aluminium sheer panel below the engine compartment to increase structural rigidity, whilst the rear axle has been solidly mounted, further increasing the strength of the shell. The revised 4 Matic four wheel drive has also received similar attention. True, in normal situations the car

is front wheel drive until slip is detected, when up to fifty percent of the torque is shuffled rearwards, however the new multiplate clutch is operated electro mechanically rather than hydraulically, sharpening response times, and the four wheel drive controller has developed the power of precognition, using the ESP & ABS sensors to anticipate load, dialling in some torque vectoring if necessary. Left to its own devices the system learns from driving styles and adapts accordingly, but the driver can dial up a variety of calibrations from slippery, comfort, sport and sport plus, or customise via individual, cherry picking from similar mode for the steering, throttle and dampers if specified.

AMG states the engine mapping has been deliberately calibrated to encourage drivers to explore the upper rpms the full 300bhp isn’t delivered until 5,800rpm, whilst the torque peak of 295lb ft doesn’t arrive until 3,000rpm is on

the dial For a modern turbocharged engine that’s a rather lofty delivery, and raises eyebrows when the chunky 1555kg kerb weight is factored in. This means the power to weight ratios are both cut to sub two hundred: 194bhp/tonne & 190lb ft/tonne respectively, despite the application of a new twin scroll turbo with water to air intercooling and a revised intake tract.

That heft doesn’t seem to blunt the acceleration against the stopwatch mind using a draggy we log a 4.7 second 0 60 sprint and 13.3 quarter mile pass, which is by any measure a very fast car and a match for the M135i & Golf R. However, once over the ability to launch away from the lights like a startled cat in a YouTube video, the A35 never really feels as quick as the numbers suggest, and the in gear thrust doesn’t quite match the snap, crackle & pop coming from the exhaust. Blame the comically short gearing, each ratio is blink and you’ll miss it with third barely breaching 70mph, meaning in manual mode you spend more time concentrating on avoiding the 6,500rpm redline than noticing the impressive throttle response Has AMG compromised in order for the car to do the numbers? Still, the paddles themselves have a crisp, positive throw and the steering wheel they are attached to lifted straight from the AMG GT feels great in the hands

Some might suggest it’s a shame there is no manual option, but the A35 doesn’t seem like the sort of car to suit three pedals It thrives in point and squirt situations, clawing the maximum amount of grip and speed out of the ground and not concerning itself with the details As is the modern way, the steering does lack feedback but the weighting is confidence inspiring and being a variable ratio rack it doesn’t require twirling arms to operate. The car goes exactly where you point it with very direct responses, but nothing more. Diving into a corner, the A35 has strong resistance to any form of roll. In fact, the chassis feels very much like a well sorted front wheel drive car, although right at the point where a Megane RS or Civic Type R is offering its driver some adjustability the A35 is sending its power aft, but there is never really enough twist being sent down the prop shaft to provoke some oversteer at least in the dry where the Pirellis refuse to relinquish their purchase on the road. Any attempts to unstick the rear only occur with forced provocation and at cornering speeds that would leave the forensics searching dental records should you get it wrong. Making up for this lack of playfulness is the speed at which you can get back on the power exiting a corner, and whilst you’re at it the ride lets you know you’re moving at speed but filters out the roughest imperfections However watch out for potholes the suspension travel is as short as the gearing this is not a car we’d recommend fitting lowering springs to

Switching to the left hand pedal, the four piston, 350mm brakes have little trouble reigning in the easily acquired speed, the fat pedal remains encouragingly firm and responsive throughout hard driving despite the

bloated kerb weight Later in the week, a light sprinkling of rain permits the chassis to show a sense of humour a sharp stab of the throttle exiting a junction or tight ninety degree bend will see the rear axle carving a wider arc rather than following the leader. It’s a pleasing discovery and a side of the car that shouldn’t be too hard to find given the UK’s inclement weather. The formidable cross country pace hardly diminishes in such conditions either.

Adopting a more grand touring critique, those impressive looking standard leather seats are actually found wanting after prolonged exposure, lacking in support and mounted a fraction too high. Thanks to the previously mentioned solid mounting points and fat UHP tyres, significant road noise is transmitted into the cabin but that is the only compromise wind noise is nil and the secondary ride improves noticeably with the dampers set to comfort, whilst the engine does it

work silently During a motorway run the A35 returned an impressive 36mpg, with the long term average clocking in at 28, and the optional LED headlights x ray any oncoming traffic.

By the end of our time with the car we’ve toggled through all the driving modes on offer and settled on an individual calibration for serious driving sport plus throttle, advanced dynamics, sport dampers and manual gears, then pretty much leave it there. One member of our team who will remain nameless must be a secret sadist however as whenever he handed the keys back the car was in sport plus damping too, which the owner of this particular car comments is the mode closest to the passive springs and that he simply wouldn’t buy the car without adaptive dampers. It grates then to discover they are now only available when you go premium, as initially they were a stand alone option priced at £695. Another note

of caution is that we’ve sampled two A35’s now one fresh to the market early car and this later 2o2o model year, and it feels like there has been some tweaking going on behind the scenes as this later example has a noticeably smoother powertrain. Sadly, it doesn’t yet appear Mercedes has recaptured its durability of years gone by either, as many owners continue to report minor niggles online.

Overall, summing up the A35 is pretty straightforward. As sure footed as the chassis is, it still isn’t at the absolute sharp end of the handling envelope offered by the likes of the much lighter, front wheel drive Civic Type R. The Mercedes trades more on ability than engagement. However as an all round, 365 day a year car that’s a lovely place to spend time in, but can still indulge the devil in you, the A35 has no peer. It has filled the niche temporarily vacated by the Golf R, even if it hasn’t moved the game on dynamically. So it’s a victory for

Mercedes and the A35, albeit an expensive one when the necessary optional extras are factored in

But what about the A35’s merits as a true AMG? We can’t help but feel the A35 is more like a development of the previous generation A45 rather than a lower abv version of the pleasantly unhinged current model. Question marks remain over the engine for it lacks that definitive fire & brimstone to truly justify being regarded as a full bore Affalterbach nutter. You can tell the A35 has been held back in order to not encroach on the A45’s patch the engine has always been the centrepiece of any AMG and the A35 feels like it needs another 10% of power & decibels to properly come alive, to corrupt potential customers into signing on the dotted line the first time the throttle is floored and the exhaust bellows. In this arena, AMG merely matches its competitors rather than overwhelms them.

Speak softy and carry a big stick is the motto o Here’s our selection of craziest engines ever

Craig Toone Manufacturer media

of the Q car, but some cars went even further. r fitted to the most unlikely production cars

20.

FORD SIERRA RS COSWORTH

Okay, so we’re bending the rules with a mere 2.0 litre four cylinder, but underestimate the Cosworth YB at your peril. Ford had fallen behind in the arena of touring car racing and wanted to do something about it, enlisting the services of F1 engine builders extraordinaire Cosworth, who attached a giant T3 Turbocharger. There had been giant killers before, but nothing slayed Goliath as convincingly as the 204bhp Sierra Cosworth, or did it with as much attitude. Porsches and BMW M cars were left trailing in its wake, and that’s before the tuners started working their magic.

19.

ALFA ROMEO 147 GTA

The early 2000’s saw its fair share of well endowed hot hatches the BMW 130i and VW Golf R32 being two rivals with a six shooter under the hood, but neither did with quiet as much style as the Alfa Romeo. Equipped with the firms famous Busso V6 in 3.2 litre form, it didn’t dominate its competitors with power, but boy did it have character. It may have led to famously lively torque steer, but the 250bhp GTA is far more coveted today than either German, and we haven’t seen its like since even from Alfa itself.

18.

ALPINA B8 4.6 E36

Alpina has always enjoyed a special relationship with BMW. In the 90’s Alpina always respectfully bowed to the M Division in terms of power outputs, but all that changed with the B8. BMW themselves had tried and failed to shoehorn a V8 into the E36’s engine bay, yet Alpina succeeded after making 43 changes to the engine bay. Their tuned 4.6 litre V8 made 333bhp, but it was the torque that gave the M Division sleepless nights it made the M3’s maximum twist at just 1,000rpm.

17.

TALBOT SUNBEAM LOTUS

Hailing from an era when front wheel drive hadn’t completely taken over, the Sunbeam Lotus was another creation with one purpose to take the chequered flag, only this time it was in the WRC. It was a huge task and Talbot called in the expertise of Lotus, who slipped their famed 2.2 litre four into the snout. The result was 150bhp for the road car and 240bhp in race trim, enough to claim the 1980 world rally title. The Sunbeams output would not be bettered by a naturally aspirated hot hatch until the Peugeot 306 Gti 6 came along in 1997.

16.

MERCEDES C63 AMG

We came close to awarding this slot to the lesser known, special order C55 AMG, but as powerful as the previous generation V8 was it pales in comparison to the follow up. Despite the C63 designation, the V8 actually displaces 6.2 litres, but that’s nit picking. The important point is that mammoth capacity only has a compact executive saloon to motivate, and it comes complete with a soundtrack Thor would be proud of. The C63 could tyre smoke its way to sixty in 4.6 seconds and its 457bhp made the BMW M3 look limp wristed. When the naturally aspirated C63 finished production, it was producing 507bhp 80bhp more than even the next generation M3.

15.

TVR SPEED 12

The fact a TVR makes such a list is no surprise given their long history of fitting fat Rover V8’s to hairy chested sports cars. Even by TVR standards however, the Speed 12 measured completely off the bonkers chart. Mating two Cerbera Speed 6 engines on a common crank resulted in a broken engine dyno one that was rated to 1,000bhp. Testing each bank individually resulted in 480bhp a side, so TVR claimed 960bhp. Even TVR’s famously unhinged chief Peter Wheeler condemned it as too fast and wild for the road. The fact only one road registered car exists is why it doesn’t climb even higher.

14.

BMW M5 (E28)

The super saloon that started it all, and for many, the one that remains the pinnacle. BMW had kicked off its official M Division road car efforts with the bespoke, mid engine M1 supercar. The car was great, the sales were not. Around the time of the M1’s demise, BMW’s bodyguards were in need of a stupidly fast, but anonymous saloon car to safely transport the top brass. Some bright spark had the idea of fitting a five series with a leftover 286bhp, M88 3.5 litre straight six from the M1, and the saloon car that could munch a Porsche 911 whilst having space for fix and their luggage was born.

13.

GMC CYCLONE

Take one commercial US pickup truck with a 4.3 litre V6, slap on a huge turbocharger, a water to air intercooler, fit low compression pistons, a new injection system, intake and exhaust manifold. Simmer with super unleaded fuel and bake at 280bhp & 350lb ft, before garnishing with a four wheel drive system. The Syclone and its SUV twin the Typhoon could outsprint a contemporary Corvette, dispensing 60mph from standstill in 4.3s

12.

VW TOUAREG V10 TDI

The first V10 on the list, and a diesel SUV too. The V10 Touareg was another one of VW supremo Ferdinand Piech’s engineering indulgences that also gave us the W16, quad turbo Bugatti Veyron and a 4.0 litre, W8 Passat of all cars. Even though there was a later V12 500bhp Tdi Audi Q7 that easily eclipses the Touareg’s 309bhp, it’s the sheer naughtiness of the 553lb ft of torque that elevates the VW onto the list. That and an unforgettable advertising campaign featuring the V10 towing a Jumbo Jet.

11.

ROVER 75/MG ZT V8

Its hard to know where to begin with the Rover 75 V8. The regular 75 was a fine car, despite its over reliance on nostalgic styling, but a sporting one it was not. MG had done a credible job sorting the chassis, but out of the dying embers of the BMW/Rover divorce and the ‘Phoenix 4’ acquisition came the V8. It was a complete re engineering of a transverse, front wheel drive car into a longitudinal, rear wheel drive monster, created on a budget with money found down the back of sofa of the works canteen. Rover imported a 4.6 litre Mustang V8, Prodrive came in to consult, and the production car ended up with a rather lacklustre 260bhp. But the fact it even exists makes us happy

10.

HOLDEN MALOO HSV GTS

Holden Special Vehicles is essentially the M Division of the southern hemisphere, only they ply their trade on distinctly Aussie muscle cars the Maloo is a Ute. HSV crowbarred in the 6.2 litre LSA V8 from the Corvette, then chucked on a supercharger to create the Ferrari baiting 576bhp GTS. 0 60 is dispatched in under four seconds, whilst a limited slip differential, torque vectoring and planet sized Brembo brakes means the super Ute can still go around corners unlike its spiritual predecessor, the El Camino.

09.

WESTFIELD SEiGHT

Lotus Seven derivatives always work best when fitted with a small, revvy four cylinder or even a motorbike engine. Imagine then, the ferocity of one fitted with a titanic Rover V8, sporting anything from 180bhp to 400bhp depending upon the depths of your pockets. All had sufficient power to break traction in 4th gear. But in order for the old school V8 to fit, Westfield had to move the heavy lump forwards, destroying the handling balance, but 0 60 in 4.3 seconds was ample compensation.

08.

BMW M5 (E60)

The odd decision to fit a 5.0 litre V10 to the flagship M5 stems from BMW’s brief return to F1, and the marketing suits wanted to capitalise by connecting the race track with the road. M cars had seen high revving, scalpel sharp engines before, but not like this. One way or another an M lump could always trace its origins back to a production unit, but the S65 V10 was the first clean sheet design. Making just over 100bhp/litre, the engine produced 507bhp, redlined at 8,250rpm and if you removed the 155mph governor, the E60 will hit 207mph. Despite a reputation for fearsome running costs, the V10 M5 stands head & shoulders clear in a lineage of cars with truly exceptional powerplants, and with next car going turbo, for many it represented the end of an era.

07.

FORD F-150 LIGHTNING

Love or hate the supercharged pickup truck you cannot help but fall for its silliness eventually. Number one on every aspiring rednecks lottery garage, the Lightning is home to a 5.4 litre V8 not unusual across the pond, but this one is aided by an Eaton supercharger and forged internals. Nothing defines the US policy of ‘shock & awe’ better than a Lightning. The trucks obese 2.8 tonne kerb weight is easily overcome by the V8’s 380bhp and 450lb ft, delivering 60mph from rest in just 5.3 seconds, despite the handicap of a live rear axle and leaf springs. The GMC Syclone might have been faster off the mark, but it’s the mad, bad Lightning that leaves the bigger impression. Yippi ki ay mother f**cker!

06.

AC COBRA 427

When Carroll Shelby moved to California in 1959 and tapped into the Hot Rodding scene he created two icons the AC Cobra and himself. A Le Mans winning veteran, Shelby longed to take the fight to the omnipotent Ferrari in GT racing. After some extensive wheeler dealing and bluffing, AC agreed to modify the chassis of its Ace sports car to suit a V8 providing Shelby could secure a supplier. After a brief flirtation with Chevrolet, Ford stepped into the void, starting with the Series I 4.2 litre V8. The Cobra would eventually evolve into the Series III in 1965, becoming the fastest accelerating car in the world thanks to its 7.0 litre engine aka 427 cubic inches. Twenty years later, the Porsche 959 came along and finally outran it.

05.

MERCEDES AMG HAMMER 6.0

Who says Germans don’t have a sense of humour? How about a 1980’s luxury coupe that could show a clean pair of heels to a Ferrari Testarossa all the way to 186mph thanks to its 385bhp V8? AMG started with the 5.0 V8 from the S class and bored it out to 5.4 litres before Mercedes introduced their own 5.6 litre version in 1987. Not to be outdone, AMG worked their magic on the updated motor and returned with the 6.0 Hammer, and a legend was born. With its flared arches, aggressive body kit and coming in any colour you want so long as its black, the Hammer had an intimidation factor that could make any Russian Mafia enforcer blink.

RENAULT CLIO V6

The Clio V6 might come over all shy and retiring against the others here with its measly 252bhp output, but feed it a couple of shots of high octane and it’ll remember than TWR ended up redesigning the entire car to make it happen. Such were the changes required to convert the front wheel drive production Clio into a mid engine, rear wheel drive Frankenstein the car had to be hand built by Renaultsport at its Dieppe HQ. Robots simply weren’t up to the complex tasks involved. Unfortunately, the changes were so extensive the car ended up weighing 300kg more than a Clio 182 hot hatch, so it was barely any faster in a straight line. The weight distribution and short wheelbase also resulted in some questionable handling, but those who experience the 3.0 V6 Clio didn’t care Renault had created a true exotic for a fraction of the price.

03.

LANCIA THEMA 8.32

I’d love to know what sort of Grappa the Lancia engineers must have been drinking when they came up with the concept of fitting the front wheel drive Thema saloon with the Ferrari 308’s lusty V8. I’d also like to know how much of it they plied the management with before they signed it off for production. Orchestrating a unique sound more suitable to a luxury sports gran tourer, Lancia’s team switched the firing order up and swapped the flat plane crank out for a more traditional cross plane item, with the help of Ducati. The name 8.32 is a reference to the number of cylinders and valves not the capacity, which is 2.9 litres. An E34 M5 might have run rings around the Lancia, but no super saloon has ever looked so effortlessly cool, or sounded so tuneful Maserati Quattroporte included.

02.

LAMBORGHINI LM002

No self respecting oppressive dictator was ever seen far from their Mercedes 600L “Grosser”, a car which was also considered for inclusion due to its 300bhp 6.3L V8, however its indirect successor upped the ante and then some. Production of the Mercedes limousine stopped in 1981, and with the cold war in full swing and power to the people the new agenda in politics, Mr Dictator needed a car with heightened security that was also capable of suppressing an uprising just by pulling up. Enter Lamborghini in a crazy detour from their core supercar business the Italians created military division, and the LM002 was one of the fruits of its labours. Imagine a Humvee fitted with a 5.2 litre, 420bhp V12 lifted straight out of a Countach, trimmed in opulent leather complete with the ability to carry eight burly bodyguards and the ability to withstand a land mine. The Urus isn’t fit to lace its boots.

01. LOTUS

It just had to be, didn’t it? Surely any car that upsets the nanny state enough for it to begin a witch hunt against its existence is our worthy winner.

Back in 1992 Vauxhall and continental twin Opel wanted a slice of the burgeoning super saloon market, but neither had the firepower or expertise to make an assault. Instead, they called a certain Norfolk based concern that’s already made an appearance on this list and gave them the keys to the GM treasure chest. Lotus took the already brisk 3.0L, 24v GSi as its base and bored the straight six out to 3.6 litres, before slapping on two turbochargers for good measure.

The result was a colossal 377bhp and 419lb ft. of torque, figures which made the 310bhp and 265lb ft. M5 look puny. The resulting performance was staggering, the Lotus Carlton could accelerate to 100mph from standstill in an astonishing 10.6 seconds, and was good for a claimed 180mph maximum. The numbers were so strong, some people believed that early press cars were ‘massaged’, but whatever the truth the only production car that could outrun this comfortable executive

saloon was a Lamborghini Diablo. Even the 911 Turbo didn’t launch as hard and a Ferrari Testarossa was easy pickings.

In order to transfer such savage poke to the road Lotus raided the global GM parts bin, taking the heavy duty six speed gearbox from the Corvette ZR1 and the limited slip differential from the V8 Holden Commodore. Thankfully the campaign by the outraged didn’t gain enough steam and the Lotus Carlton remained in production, even when Vauxhall resisted calls to fall into line by restricting its M5 basher to the recently announced gentleman’s agreement of 155mph by German manufacturers.

Th Daily Mail newspaper the epicentre of the angst was given even more ammunition when an infamous stolen Carlton with the registration 40 RA began taunting and outrunning the police on a regular basis. The Fuzz berated the car’s performance by stating “we simply can’t get near the thing”. Sadly the car remained stolen and never recovered, but no British car has ever ruffled so many of the establishments feathers, nor gained as much notoriety since.

SHORT SHIFT

118. A tribute to Sabine

120. The Debate have we reached supercar saturation point?

124. Ayrton Senna’s “Lap of the Gods” at the 1993 European GP

126. Dream Machine Mercedes 500E

128. Virtual Reality the Jaguar XJ220 concept car vs reality

A TRIBUTE TO SABINE, THE QUEEN OF THE NURBURGRING

The legendary racing driver and TV personality who touched so many passed away on 16th March after a hard fought, private battle with cancer. She is deeply missed.

I’ve never been one to indulge in cosmic predictions such as fate, but in the case of Sabine Schmitz I’ll make an exception. Sabine seemed destined to become the ‘Queen of the Nürburgring’ she was born within the expanse of the circuit, growing up at the Hotel am Tiergarten owned by her parents, just 300 metres from the track entrance. It was an establishment often frequented by famous GP drivers such as Alberto Ascari and Nelson Piquet whenever Formula One came to town.

Her first lap occurred at just six months old in the back seat of her father’s BMW you get the impression if she could talk at the time she’d have been bellowing out “schnell, schnell”. Perhaps it was her first word. She became Fazcinated by speed from that moment onwards, be it roller skating, cycling or horse riding she had to be the fastest. By thirteen she knew her purpose was to become a racing driver and at age 17, when most teenagers are lying about their age to get served alcohol, Sabine was fibbing the circuit officials so she could be let out onto the track in her mothers car.

It was a rebellious streak that fuelled her talent, propelling her to become the only woman thus far to win any endurance race the gruelling Nürburgring 24hrs, back to back in 1996 and 1997. In total her racing career spanned 89 races, with five victories and sixteen podiums. Alongside this Sabine also found the time to become a helicopter pilot and restaurateur.

To most she shot to fame in an episode of Top Gear, acting as Jeremy Clarkson's’ chaperone and instructor as he attempted to lap the fearsome circuit in under ten minutes using a then new 200bhp diesel Jaguar S Type. Her beauty, effervescent character and derisory analysis of Clarkson’s driving style immediately adorned her to the

viewers. After several days of trying a beaming Jeremy returned to the pitlane having completed his task with a second to spare, only to be cut down with the iconic line “I could do that lap time in a van”. Sabine promptly snatched the Jaguar keys and cut 47 seconds from Jeremy’s lap in one attempt.

The episode proved so popular Top Gear later dedicated an entire feature to Sabine, returning to the Nürburgring with Richard Hammond and a Ford Transit van. Alas she just fell short of her mammoth task, but not before her chatterbox commentary as she overtook multiple motorbikes and sportscars earned her even further affection and a recurring guest spot on the show.

But for us it was grainy dial up YouTube videos attempting to chase or taken within her E39 BMW M5 Ring Taxi that won us over. Here was this mad daredevil female who flew over kerb stones and casually drifted corners whilst four up, laughing and joking with her terrified passengers the entire time. She helped cement the lore of the Nürburgring as the ultimate Mecca of car enthusiasm, and despite having completed over 30,000 laps of the circuit, her joy and admiration for the place never dimmed, nor did her sheer lust for life. There was no act, she was warm, genuine and always, always had time for her fans. I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but I felt like I knew her.

Sabine retired from racing and television in July 2019, revealing she had been battling persistent cancer since 2017 which had aggressively returned. She passed away aged just 51 and is survived by her husband Klaus Abbelen, and their Frikadelli Racing Team. Her connection to the circuit was absolute, and calls to name a corner after her feel very appropriate.

"WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SKY AT NIGHT, IT WILL BE TO YOU AS IF ALL THE STARS WERE LAUGHING, BECAUSE I LIVE ON ONE OF THEM, BECAUSE I AM LAUGHING AT ONE OF THEM. YOU ALONE WILL HAVE STARS WHO CAN LAUGH"

‘I

IMAGINE USING 2,000BHP ON BRITISH ROADSBY THE TIME YOU’D FIND ENOUGH SPACE YOU’LL PROBABLY BE OUT OF RANGE’

OVER/HYPED?

The recent gluttony of hypercars coming to market from both established players and new kids on the block shows no sign of slowing down. Should we be concerned about the potential side effects of such excess on the future of the motor vehicle, or choose to live in the moment? It’s Craig vs Chris, soap boxes at the ready

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST - CRAIG

In our modern world, speed matters Every new computer must be faster and contain more memory The latest phone must have a sharper camera, 5G internet connection and more apps A new TV must have a bigger screen and better definition And the same is true for any vehicle omitting the sweetest odour known to man new car smell

The consumer has been conditioned because the majority see a car as a piece of technology, a means to an end They demand the latest and greatest and considering a car is likely the second most expensive purchase a fellow could have after four brick walls and a roof, it must be up to snuff. The thing is

Carl Benz applied for a patent on his ‘vehicle powered by a gas engine’ in 1886. The PC was domesticated in 1974 and the mobile phone became the yuppie yardstick in the 1980's. The motor car has had a huge head start, and I think it’s already hit its apex unlike the other essential devices we take for granted in the developed world. Caught in the web, each new generation of car must be faster, more powerful, cleaner and safer. The latter two points cannot be argued you want your family to be secure and you want them to breathe clean air. But the first two, are they really necessary?

This egotistical desire for superior performance and quicker lap times has led to hot hatchbacks and EV’s that can make mincemeat out of yesterday's performance hero’s. The pressure to stay on top ripples all the way up the food chain and no body is feeling the heat more than Supercar manufacturers unfortunately in 2021 performance has evolved to the point of irrelevance, and we are now in danger of supercar saturation

Why is this so? Well, despite all the doom & gloom in the news about the world’s economy due to the Corona virus pandemic, the rich continue to get richer In 2018 alone Forbes added 221 new billionaires to its rich list, in 2019 they chalked up another 195 and despite the pandemic their wealth swelled by an estimated $1 9 trillion last year

And any ambitious CEO worth his salt wants a slice of the money pie Consequently, it doesn’t seem like seven days pass before a new ultra expensive, invite only addition to the unobtanium club debuts Manufacturers are offering what is essentially one car underneath, just with a different skin, all under the premise of bespoke exclusivity. You might argue that these multi million pound machines are a necessary evil to the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin they add much needed cash flow to the bottom line. Yet car companies these days aren’t owned by maverick CEOs who march to their own

beat and who’s cars reflect their personality They are multinational behemoths with shareholders holding them accountable Margins, not motorsport are the lifeblood of today’s supercar manufacturer

This means their constant stream of hypercars feels cynical, a method of relieving billionaires of their millions Hypercars are now conceived in a marketing meeting and signed off by the accounting department only then are the engineers tasked with delivering Gone are the days of the skunkworks projects, machines that exist because a passionate group of employees gave up their Saturdays just for the hell of it. Because of this, the greatest supercars of all time all lost money. It wasn’t about improving finances; they wanted to be the best.

When the Ferrari F40 cracked 200mph it felt like a monumental achievement. Now Koenigsegg and Hennessey are knocking on the door of 300mph. It feels inevitable rather than a new line in the sand, and surely a car with the aerodynamics and tyres to be stable at that speed will be inherently compromised everywhere else? Bugatti has already done 305mph in a specially modified Chiron. The Ehra Lessien test track had to be cleaned with special matts before it was declared safe enough, whilst Michelin insisted on X raying the specially developed tyres to satisfy their insurers.

Boundaries need to be pushed, but when you get ten new cars that can do X or Y it desensitises the achievement. One is ground breaking, special Five at the same time brings on an onset of fatigue Ideas are running so low that some manufacturers have resorted to offering customers an opportunity to buy even more extreme versions of the extreme car, one so nutty it can’t even be legally driven on the road

The party piece of the Lotus Evija is its acceleration 0 186mph in under nine seconds is undoubtedly impressive, but sheer speed alone doesn’t make a car better I cannot imagine using 2,000bhp on British roads by the time you’d find enough space you’ll probably be out of range It sounds as frustrating as it will be engaging, and that defeats the point

Give me the set of keys to a Carrera GT any day of the week, because with a ‘mere’ 612bhp I could actually contemplate using full throttle where conditions permitted

Perhaps it’s me taking my first bitter steps into middle aged mean spiritedness. But it comes down to this a Diablo causes a primal injection of fight or flight adrenaline into my bloodstream just thinking about it. Another 1,500bhp Hypercar? That just causes my eyes to roll.

THE ARGUMENT FOR - CHRIS

“If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward” is the famous line by Mikhail Gorbachev. I’m sure motor car engineering was the last thing on his mind at the time something about the trivial matter of preventing a nuclear holocaust but his words rang true for a greater meaning, summing up the pioneering human spirit to push boundaries. It's part of our nature and a part of what separates us from the apes. In many arenas however, moving backwards is exactly what we seem to be doing. Passenger aviation has called time on the Concorde and our greatest accomplishment landing a man on the moon happened in 1969.

But it has not occurred in the world of cars. Bloodhound SSC is on the verge of breaking the land speed record, potentially passing 1,000mph in the process. Despite all the environmental bashing of the combustion engine, the supercar has never been more popular and EV’s will only hurl us down the road faster than ever before. Clever engineers will devise hardware and software that’ll mask the inevitable weight penalty and emotional deficit Charging times will fall, the future is inevitable

Competition improves the breed All these new start up EV hypercars manufacturers emerging from all four corners of the globe are evoking the traditional spirit of a Enzo Ferrari, Ettoire Bugatti or WO Bentley The majority will fail before even making it to the prototype stage, but those that make it have the power to change the landscape

Imagine a world without Pagani A former employee of Lamborghini, founder Horacio took his P45 and showed Sant’agata how it should be done The Zonda and Huayra brought proper craftsmanship and obsessive attention to detail back to the forefront Swedish entrepreneur Christian Koenigsegg pushed the Veyron so hard Bugatti introduced the Grand Sport just to remain the Top Trump. The Noble M600 is the spiritual successor to the F40 and every bit as mad, all for the price of a well spec’d 911 Carrera. Shouldn’t that be celebrated? The world is brighter for these cars, they push supercar royalty harder. The astonishing story of Rimac buying Bugatti proves similar waves can still be made today.

Progress is essential, the market demands it. The SF90 Stradale will show a La Ferrari a clean pair of heels for a third of the outlay. A McLaren 720S can get close enough to a P1 to be its shadow. The cars of today always get overtaken by those of tomorrow. Supercars need to maintain their edge, which means they need to take advantage of or develop new technology themselves, which eventually filters down. But the supercar of each generation drives completely differently an F40, F1 and Veyron all have their distinct personalities making them worthy It’s the character, not the numbers that makes them memorable

Supercars also play an important role far into the future Car enthusiasm is declining, passing the driving test is no

longer a rite of passage for young people as sky high insurance costs keep them off the road. Supercars provide the hook to impressionable children I’d put good money on the first toy car you pushed around being a Ferrari or Lamborghini of some sort. Nothing will grow if the seed isn’t planted. If the mission statement of this magazine is to try and whet the appetite for car enthusiasm, why should we argue against anything that lights a new fire?

We are also set to see them go racing too, unlike in the past. The new Hypercar class is set to become the most exciting endurance series on the planet. As impressive as the LMP1 prototype cars have been at Le Mans, they bear no resemblance to road cars and budgets have escalated to unpalatable levels estimated at £180 million a season. Manufactures have been flocking to the on trend Formula E, and the hyper car class is aiming to be the antidote bringing back screaming V12’s to Circuit de la Sarthe. Le Mans is going to get its mojo back

The road tests are set to be classics It’s going to be the only opportunity for traditional, over the top piston engine cars to face progressive hybrids and the clean cut electric future Two of the greatest ever Formula One designers are set to face off, using the dark art of aerodynamics and stratospheric naturally aspirated V12’s I’m relishing the head to head between the Gordon Murray T 50 and Aston Martin Valkyrie, designed by Adrian Newey

Does it matter that most will hardly rotate their vast tyres? It is a shame, but if it’s already happening with a 911 GT3 then it’s a fact of life we will have to accept The charge more for less game isn’t just reserved for the supercar look at the Mercedes AMG GTR, then the GTR Pro, now it’s the GTR Black Series. As long as there is demand, they will keep coming. All 63 of the Aventador based Lamborghini Sians’ are accounted for, with similar projects in the pipeline. Why should the manufacturers listen to the rant of someone who will never be able to afford their product when there is a cheque waiting with several zeros on it?

The Elva and Speedtail may share their basic architecture with a lesser 570S, and use a development of the same V8, but it allows a healthy profit margin which cycles back into the company. Put it this way would you rather McLaren make the Elva or be forced to go down the dreaded SUV route?

I guarantee one day we'll look back on this era with affection in the same way we do the 959 v F40, or P1 v La Ferrari & 918. The government has just moved forwards the ban on producing internal combustion engine cars from 2040 to 2035, and the EU is pressing ahead with mandatory GPS speed limiters on all cars produced from 2022 In fifteen years’ time, it won't be the lack of ferocious supercars you’ll be mourning, it’ll be performance driving as we know it, full stop Enjoy it while you can, you’ll miss it when it’s gone

‘IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT PAGANI. A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF LAMBORGHINI, HORACIO TOOK HIS P45 AND SHOWED SANT’AGATA HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE

LAP OF THE GODS ARYTON SENNA, 1993 EURO GP

Chocolate Easter Eggs aside, the one thing guaranteed during the British Springtime is rain, and for the hastily organised European Grand Prix mother nature would turn the dial up to eleven. Race number three in the 1993 F1 calendar was supposed to be the new Asian Grand Prix, but the organisers had filed for bankruptcy with two months to go. Into the void stepped Donington Park, and given the dramatic race that followed it’s surprising Formula One hasn’t been back since.

In the McLaren garage Ayrton Senna cuts a frustrated figure. The new MP4/8 was simply not in the same league as the all conquering Williams FW14, no car was. The McLaren had to make do with a Ford V8 that was inferior to the Williams’ Renault supplied V10 whilst also lagging behind in both aerodynamics and active suspension technology. Senna had finished a lacklustre forth in the 1992 championship and it was an open secret that he’d tried to secure Nigel Mansell’s Williams drive, which had been bagged by arch nemesis Alain Prost, back from a years’ sabbatical. Prost demanded final say on his teammate in his contract, and torpedoed Senna’s ambition. Ayrton stayed with McLaren on a race by race basis.

In the season so far, Prost had drawn first blood at Kyalami, Senna answered with a win at Interlagos. At Donington qualifying was dry and Prost hammered home the advantage of the Williams, taking pole. His teammate Damon Hill would occupy the other spot on the front row. Next up was a certain rising star by the name of Michael Schumacher in a Benetton, 1.5 seconds off the pace. Senna languished in fourth, nearly two seconds adrift of pole, highlighting the gulf in class between the cars. When the race starts the German shows his trademark ruthless streak, blocking Senna into the first turn, pushing him towards the grandstand, which costs them both time & position. Karl Wendlinger senses an opportunity and slips through from fifth to third in his Sauber.

Enraged, Senna immediately delivers comeuppance, dispensing Schumacher at the next turn. Into the treacherous high speed & downhill Craner Curves Senna astonishingly

drives around the outside of Wendlinger, braking hard for Old Hairpin. He carries so much speed on the exit he almost careens into the back of Damon Hill in the Renault in the long drag up to Mcleans, where he takes the Brit. Prost is now the target. Senna makes his move on Le Professor with a classic out braking manoeuvre, diving down the inside into Melbourne Hairpin. The rest of the pack, led by Schumacher, has fallen some distance behind the leading trio.

Ayrton crosses the line ahead of Prost and manages a flick of opposite lock exiting the high speed Redgate. It feels like a victory dance, and it would prove to be Senna takes the chequered flag by one minute and twenty three seconds from Hill. Prost would finish third, having been lapped.

The Brazilian shot to the top of the drivers’ standings with 26 points, as did McLaren on the constructor’s leaderboard Their accumulated points were the same Senna’s teammate Michael Andretti had fallen foul of the conditions as Senna was concocting his historic first lap. Prost would go on to win the drivers’ title that year and promptly retire. Senna would occupy his seat, but the active suspension that gave the Williams team such an advantage would be banned for 1994 by the powers that be. Forced back to the drawing board with a car that was designed around such technology meant the new FW16 became a tricky car to drive. Williams would still be refining the car as the season began. Ayrton would not win a single race for his new team before tragically passing away during the San Marino Grand Prix whilst in the lead.

During the winter break Senna and Prost had patched up their differences and became close friends Alain would be a pallbearer at Senna’s funeral and has since been appointed a trustee of the Senna Foundation. Donnington and F1 would suffer a similar fate as the European Grand Prix rotated to the new look Nürburgring for the 1994 calendar. The circuit made another bid to host F1 in 2008, but it wasn’t to be as, mirroring the Asian GP, the re structure of the circuit’s facilities proved to be a step too far and the project collapsed.

Perhaps it’s fitting that such a special drive remains a one off.

Donington Park may have only hosted a solitary Grand Prix, but thanks to the exploits of a certain Brazilian, it was one for the ages

DREAM MACHINEMERCEDES 500E

THERE’S NO DOUBT IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

Since the very first time we saw her in the corner of the of the garage, we knew she was sitting there waiting for us. In 2012 Camilo, my son, with whom I share a mad passion for cars by ‘mad’ I mean that we end up turning off the radio in the car just so we can hear the roar of the engines of cars around us and I decided to turn our dream of buying a car with the ‘DNA’ of a true classic, into a reality.

By Enrique Martinez Sanchez & Camilo Martinez Ortiz, father & son, Bogota Columbia

The tachometer evidenced what this car was made of, and the manufacturer´s pedigree, responding beautifully with her 326 hp and delivering her top speed of 260 km/h without any hesitation in spite of being 20 years old.

Back then we had already seen some potential cars to buy. In fact we were considering buying a 1973 Datsun 240Z in lime yellow that had been imported from California and whose ‘pedigree’ showed that she only had one previous owner, a high school teacher which made perfect sense given the bumper sticker it had , for an asking price of U$27.000. Out of the blue, one of my dearest friends, Edgar, who is a real car connoisseur, phoned me and told me he wanted to show me a ‘very special’ car, but refused to give us any further details. With such a build up of anticipation, which one might compare to the feeling Howard Carter must have had when he was getting closer to discovering Tutankhamun’s tomb, Camilo and I embarked upon our journey to meet up with Edgar so he could show us the car. While on our way we could not stop thinking about what this ‘very special’ car could be. We were so excited that a simple one hour journey seemed to take ages!

Finally, the intrigue came to an end when we finally arrived and the current owner removed the protecting cover. From the depths of the darkest corner in the garage a 1992 Mercedes Benz 500E in graphite grey emerged displaying her beautiful AMG aluminium alloys and enlarged side skirt, which was one of the characteristics that differentiated her from her siblings in the standard range. Her dark grey interior and beautiful condition left us absolutely speechless. We could not believe that the car which multiple critics had referred to as a ‘wolf in a sheep’s skin’, was right in front of us.

The owner asked us if we wanted to take her for a spin, which we obviously agreed to, and handed me the keys. When I turned her on, the 5 litres of her V8 engine with 32 valves immediately let out a wonderful baritone howl making the whole place vibrate at its core, giving us the kind of goose bumps that only petrol heads get. It was our first experience driving a V8 but it wasn’t just any V8 and we could not believe our eyes. Camilo and I looked at each other, trying to disguise our emotions behind a poker face so as not to reveal our hand and leave the door open for at least some sort of negotiation with the owner, but we both had a very clear goal in our minds and could see ourselves waving goodbye to the 1973 Datsun, as its humble 6 cylinders were not able to produce this level of excitement or testosterone. Her owner asked me to put my foot down, so I followed his instructions.

When we got back to the owner’s garage, we were a bit anxious to find out what was the asking price for such a beast. The owner, while sipping coffee and looking us in the eye, revealed that the asking price was U$25,000. We had to literally force ourselves to keep a straight face, as we were SO excited to hear that he was willing to sell the car for such an affordable price, and we then proceeded to do some minor negotiations, as is customary in these situations, although deep inside we both knew that the car was ours already. We finally agreed on payment terms and most importantly, agreed on the delivery time it was going to take 3 days for the car to be ready and delivered to our doorstep.

During those 3 days we both felt the same mix of intrigue and butterflies in our stomachs that a child feels on Christmas eve waiting for their first bike after having included it in their letter to Father Christmas. To cope with what seemed an endless wait, we started researching everything we could about this car. We discovered that this model had been developed in partnership with Porsche on a W124 chassis and that Porsche had not only designed its powertrain and suspension but assembled the cars in its Zuffenhausen workshop for technical practicalities. The manufacturing and assembly process lasted 18 days and in 1992 its retail price was U$81,100. Lastly, we discovered that it would do 0 100Km/h in 5.5 6 s, which was absolutely remarkable for a car that weighs over 1700 kgs. This information filled our hearts with joy, and now as present day owners she still makes us shake every time we put our foot down.

Ever since we received her our 500E has become our true companion. In all honesty we would struggle to find a good reason to get rid of her given all the history we’ve had together and all that she represents. In fact, every time we’re out, she always gets compliments and looks. She’s been invited to 3 Mercedes exhibitions ‘FUR FANS’ in Colombia where we reside. In fact, the last exhibit she attended broke the world record of the highest number of different types of Mercedes gathered together in one place 370 to be exact. During all of these events we’ve received multiple offers from eager buyers that surpass by far what we paid for her , one of which in fact is her regretful former owner.

It has been a lifelong belief, just as it is the case with love, whatever we are truly passionate about in life, is waiting for us in some corner of the world and that the universe is conspiring to ensure that our paths cross all we have to do is tap into our true desire and enthusiasm and it will just be a matter of time.

VIRTUAL REALITY

JAGUAR XJ220

When Jaguar unveiled the XJ 220 concept, it looked like it was doing 220 mph standing still, yet in many eyes the production car missed the mark

By Craig Toone

Jaguar has often been the custodian of the world’s fastest car the XK120 and XK180 triumphantly boasted of their top speed in their title Meanwhile the XKSS was a road going Le Mans winner whilst the XJR 15 was cut from a similar cloth When the XJ220 broke cover at the 1988 British motor show however, it dropped the jaws of everyone present. It even slackened ones as far away as Maranello and Stuttgart.

Jaguar was riding the high of its recent Le Mans victory and the confidence was reflected by the XJ220 It was a clean, slippery shape a UFO with alloy wheels and a number plate lacking any of the excess that had come to define supercars from Ferrari & Lamborghini, yet managing to retain all the important signature cues impossibly wide, obnoxiously long and lower than a snake's belly. The spec sheet had the Italians covered too. Jaguar's famous V12 engine had been bored and stroked to 6,222cc, gifted with four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts, a dry sump and made extensive use of magnesium No official output was declared but the rumour mill put it comfortably north of 700bhp, enough to give weight to the name Meanwhile, the body was crafted from aluminium whilst the chassis used knowhow garnered from Le Mans garnished with four wheel drive, four wheel steering and active suspension & aerodynamics Inside the

XJ220 retained all the luxurious craftsmanship expected from a Jaguar with a full glass canopy, leather seats and climate control Compared to an F40 it was the QE2

The concept XJ220 had never been intended for production It was the brainchild of Jim Randle, Jaguars director of engineering Over Christmas 1997, he put together a CAD model of a potential new supercar not of the computer aided variety as we know it, but cardboard He pulled together a team of volunteers who worked on the project after hours, quickly designated “The Saturday Club” Two design studies were created, with the one sketched by Keith Haflet getting the nod for its futuristic aesthetic The club eventually presented the mule to Jaguars Chairman in secret, who immediately approved its unveiling. The concept was only finished 24hrs before its debut and the marketing department hadn’t even clocked eyes on it not something you can imagine happening today, unless you worked at BMW

Reaction to the XJ220 was so overwhelming it was only a matter of time before the supercar became a production reality A purported 1,500 deposits at £50,000 a pop had been secured off the back of the motor show, and after a feasibility study the project was rubber stamped in December 1988 with a proposed £290,000

list price Immediately the headaches began Jaguar didn’t have the capacity to produce the XJ220 themselves so Jaguar extended its partnership with TWR, the motorsport team running its Le Mans campaign, contracting them to develop and build the XJ220

Almost immediately costs spiralled out of control and when the first production cars were delivered in June 1992, the price had spiralled to an eye watering £470,000. Not only that, TWR had found the promises of the concept car to be far too ambitious The V12 engine had no hope of meeting emissions regulations or couldn’t make enough power when it did Not only that, it was far too heavy, and occupied too much space Enter the infamous “Metro 6R4” engine, a twin turbocharged 3 5 litre V6 with distant links to the Austin Rover V64V engine. It mattered not that nearly every component was changed from the iconic Group B rally cars, the association killed the halo stone dead leading to a flood of cancelled orders, despite its 542bhp output being good for a sub four second 0 60 time Sadly, what it wasn’t good for was the 220mph top speed The closest a production car got was 217mph minus its catalytic converters, or 210mph with It was still comfortably the worlds’ fastest car, but somehow XJ210 doesn’t have the same ring to it

Not only that, the number of cylinders wasn’t the only thing

that halved the 4WD system had been jettisoned along with the four wheel steering and adaptive suspension The sci fi supercar was beginning to look like a charlatan Unimpressed, customers began suing Jaguar for breach of contract, whilst the manufacturer counter sued for unfulfilled deposits Complicating matters was Jaguar getting hit hard by the global recession of the early ‘90’s, leading to a takeover by Ford and that's before we get into the sticky mess of TWR covertly developing their own V12 powered Jaguar supercar alongside the XJ220 TWR also had a further role to play by developing the XJ220 S, which put the car on a crash diet, ditching all luxuries, replaced select panels with carbon fibre, lost the complicated swivel headlights and cranked the output of the V6 up to an eye watering 680bhp. It was enough for a claimed 228mph, but it still wasn’t enough for customers in the end, only 281 XJ220’s were sold by the time production was halted in 1994, some way short of the planned 350

With the passing of time, complaints about the XJ220’s VMAX faux pas are starting to look a little silly After all, a claimed 150mph top speed never did the E Type any harm What really killed the XJ220 was the car nobody saw coming the McLaren F1 which instantly outclassed the Jaguar and the supercar landscape was never the same again

TO THOSE WHOSE WORK INSPRIES US

In no particular order…

Henry Catchpole

Nathan Chadwick

Harry Metcalfe

Peter Tomalin

Jethro Bovingdon

Richard Meaden

John Barker

Stuart Gallagher

Ian Eveleigh Russel Bulgin Rich Duisberg

Darrel Slueth

David Vivian

LJK Setright

Mel Michols

Richard Porter

Andrew Frankel Dan Prosser

Peter Dron John Simister Mark Hales

Brett Fraser Chris Harris Steve Sutcliffe

Paul Frere

Jason Cammisa

Matt Prior Colin Goodwin

Gavin Greene George Kacher

Jeremy Clarkson

James May

Richard Hammond Tiff Needell

Jason Plato

Vicky Butler Henderson Sid North

John Joe Vollans

Jonny Smith

Tom Ford

Ben Barry

Ollie Marriage

Nick Trott

Will Beaumont

Aston Parrot

Andy Morgan

IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT Alison Yeow

Richard Powell

Kristian Speckley Andrew Ambrose

Mike Rainbird

Ethan Hunter Camilo Martinez

Harry Hunter Mark Mcluskie

Richard Gibson Dave Welsh Phil Mountain Peter Flowers Paul Toone Stewart Forest AJ Shaun Taylor Alec Moore John Shilcock

Most importantly: thank you for reading.

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