BBC Top Gear Magazine Sample Issue

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HEditor-in-chief

@jack_rix editor@bbctopgearmagazine.com

is name is Thommie and I’m staring at his belly for the second time in as many days. Yesterday he was stretched across a table like a go-go dancer, shirt lifted to reveal his prize torso, for a group photo none of us will forget in a hurry. Today he’s swapping T-shirts with Ollie Marriage in a dark car park outside Gotland’s premier waffle house (both pictures can be obtained for a fair price, DM me).

He’s a warm, funny chap with a waxed moustache who used to work for Lamborghini and Koenigsegg, but now lives part-time in a caravan at the Gotlandring and is The Man That Gets Things Done. Like angle grinding padlocks of the garages so we can get our cars out because the keys have gone walkabout (later found in nearby undergrowth), or finding us an in-no-way-leaky fuel pump at short notice so we could transfer our precious biofuel from barrels to cars, or throwing us the keys to his 300,000km Volvo because our taxi hadn’t turned up, we don’t speak Swedish and we were about to miss our flight.

I mention him because he represents everything that makes Speed Week the highlight of our year. Yes, meeting new people and making friends along the way, but it’s more than that. Getting 15 cars and 16 journalists, photographers and videographers to an island off the east coast of Sweden, finding somewhere to sleep, things to eat and producing a library’s worth of the world’s greatest car content over the course of a few days is a logistical cluster bomb. It requires a can-do attitude and an allergy to sleep, something Thommie has in abundance, which is why we now consider him an honorary member of the TG team.

“PRODUCING

On a more serious note, it won’t have escaped your attention that wildfires are raging, dams are bursting and even the UK has been melting in near 40°C heat. Fixing these problems, or at least stemming the tide of climate change, is the responsibility of all of us, which is how the plan to try to decarbonise Speed Week came about. The idea wasn’t to carry on as normal then pay a third party to plant some trees on our behalf, but to look at our own actions and reduce our carbon footprint where possible. Turns out it’s not an exact science, and we had to travel to Sweden to find the perfect venue, but I hope we’ve proved it’s possible to still enjoy the cars we love, while treading a little lighter on our planet. Enjoy the issue,

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JACK RIX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DEPUTY EDITOR Ollie Kew

HEAD OF CAR TESTING Oliver Marriage

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Ford

CONSULTANT EDITOR Paul Horrell

EDITOR AT LARGE Jason Barlow

US CORRESPONDENT Pat Devereux

DIGITAL DIRECTOR Simon Bond

BRAND MANAGING EDITOR Esther Neve

SUB-EDITORS Sam Burnett, Peter Rawlins

EDITOR, TOPGEAR.COM Vijay Pattni

CAR REVIEWS EDITOR Joe Holding

STAFF WRITERS Greg Potts, Cat Dow

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Chris Mooney

HEAD OF CONTENT STRATEGY Rowan Horncastle

HEAD OF VIDEO Charlie Rose

ART TEAM

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Andy Franklin

ART EDITOR Elliott Webb

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Mike Channell, Chris Harris, Richard Holt, Sam Philip

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lee Brimble, Mark Fagelson, Jonny Fleetwood, Wilson Hennessy, Rowan Horncastle, Olgun Kordal, Jamie Lipman, Dennis Noten, Richard Pardon, Mark Riccioni, Philipp Rupprecht, John Wycherley

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jason Elson

HEAD OF CLIENTS AND STRATEGY Phil Holland

ACCOUNT MANAGER, CLIENTS & STRATEGY Kit Brough

HEAD OF AGENCY TRADING Simon Fulton

HEADS OF DIGITAL INVESTMENT James Walmsley/Blake Seabrook

PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Liam Kennedy

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Koli Pickersgill

GROUP PRODUCTION & SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER Jo Beattie

SENIOR PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Katie Panayi

SENIOR REPRO TECHNICIAN Darren McCubbin

AD SERVICES MANAGERS

Eleanor Parkman-Eason, John Szilady

AD SERVICES COORDINATORS Cherine Araman, James Webb

INSERTS COORDINATOR Agata Wszeborowska

NEWSTRADE MARKETING MANAGER Gareth Viggers

MARKETING MANAGER Laura Connaughton

REGIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Richard Burns

HEAD OF INSERTS Steve Cobb

SALES EXECUTIVE Louis Filler

DIGITAL SALES PLANNING MANAGER Isabel Burman

HEAD OF PARTNERS, BRAND MANAGEMENT & ETHICAL

COMPLIANCE Molly Hope-Seton

HEAD OF LICENSING Tom Shaw

HEAD OF SYNDICATION Richard Bentley

DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL, LICENSING & TOPGEAR

MAGAZINE Tim Hudson

DIRECTOR, SUPPLY CHAIN & LICENSING Alfie Lewis

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Tom Bureau

COO & CFO Dan Constanda

GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR Stephen Lavin

FINANCE MANAGER Hari Kannapiran

JUNIOR MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT Ben Simmons

BBC STUDIOS, UK PUBLISHING

GLOBAL DIRECTOR, MAGAZINES Mandy Thwaites

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER Eva Abramik

EDITORIAL

AND LICENSING Stephen Davies

COMPLIANCE MANAGER Cameron McEwan

Jane Lush, Alex Renton, Charlotte Stockting CHAIR,

ISSUE 377 / NOVEMBER 2023

050 THE

CONTENDERS

We made it to Speed Week the trucks full of cars and snacks also made it time to meet the 15 hopefuls

060

AIR FRYERS

Plenty of winged talent on display at the Gotlandring and we’re not just talking about the wind turbines

068 BABY FORMULA

OK, it’s not as quick as F1, but how serious is a Formula E racecar? We don our shockproof overalls to find out

074

DIRTY SCOUNDRELS

It’s the Porsche 911 Dakar versus the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato in battle of the best supercar turned off-roader

095 50 SHADES OF WAHEY

The hot hatch isn’t dead not yet Though if this bunch are anything to go by, the times they are a-changing

102 THE FINAL THREE

The votes have been counted, the scores have been verified, time for one final roadtrip before we crown our champion

LOTUS EMEYA · VW ID GTI CONCEPT · TESLA MODEL 3

All you need to know on the new Taycan rival from Lotus, Volkswagen says t s bui ding an electric GTI plus all the nfo on the upgraded Model 3 012 LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO · ROMA SPIDER · CR-V A track drive in the £450k Lambo Revuelto Plus, Ferrari Roma Spider Mercedes CLE Honda CR-V and more 034

ALFA 33 STRADALE · RICCI’S GARAGE

Jason Barlow gets to grips with Alfa Romeo s reborn 33 Stradale, Mark wa ts on parts from Ukraine and Porsche Caymans compared 113

ALFA ROMEO TONALE · AUDI TT · PEUGEOT 408

We welcome the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Audi TT and Peugeot 408 but say goodbye to the VW Multivan and Ora Funky Cat 123

LOTUS REPOSITION

Hot on the Eletre’s heels, the Emeya is another EV and the first four-door Lotus since the Carlton

This is the new Lotus Emeya, and it is 17mph slower than the last saloon car to wear four doors and a Lotus badge. That infamous Nineties troublemaker – because not enough has been written about it – was a Vauxhall breathed on by Norfolk’s specialists deemed too fast for public roads.

TopGear estimates there’ll be 100 per cent less parliamentary debate and newspaper campaigns to get this car off the public highway, such is the 21st century motoring landscape. You’ll likely have some internal debate over the Emeya’s silhouette and visual language, though.

And how that debate materialises rather depends upon your feelings about the Eletre SUV, from which this new Emeya clearly takes its aesthetic. The twin headlight treatment sits atop a similarly fang-like front, sweeping back over the four-door silhouette to reveal a familiar single line brake light treatment. If the Eletre had been sat on by something heavy, the Emeya is the result.

Like that car – and the Porsche Taycan it is clearly born to rival –the third all-new Lotus comes bursting at the seams with power and technology. Lotus tells us the Emeya features a pair of electric motors – a single speed unit up

front, a dual speed unit at the back – for full-time AWD, powered by a 102kWh battery (able to accept a 350kW DC charger to add 93 miles in 5mins), and harnessed through a two-speed gearbox. Optional carbon ceramic brakes, too.

Lotus claims 905bhp, 726lb ft of torque, 0–62mph in 2.8secs and 159mph flat out. Not quite the infamous 176mph achieved by the Lotus Carlton, but plenty fast enough in the so-called ‘real world’.

And it’ll apparently be able to read the ‘real world’ incredibly quickly, like some sort of hyperactive voiceover reading out credit card terms and conditions.

The adaptive air suspension can read the road “1,000 times a second”, constantly adjusting the dampers to deliver what Lotus claims will be a “confident and comfortable drive”.

A stable drive, too, courtesy of aero trickery applied throughout.

An active front grille helps reduce drag (and cool the batteries and brakes), while an active air lip increases high speed downforce that, says Lotus, makes the Emeya “a truly exciting car to drive with great front end feel”.

Further aero wizardry comes via an active rear diffuser and rear spoiler, the former “inspired by motorsport”, the latter a dual layer set-up 10mm wider than the one on

the already wide Eletre SUV, able to offer 215kg of downforce. Eight vents dotted about the Emeya’s body help smooth overall airflow over and under the thing.

Inside there are definite shades of Tesla, centred around a large central touchscreen and an in-car audio system from KEF. Looks good. Clean. There’s active noise cancellation to drown out the aforementioned ‘real world’, along with such luxury materials as aluminium, Alcantara and leather. Lotus makes mention of a new thread repurposed from cotton scraps from the fashion industry, which is nice.

Lotus also makes mention of a 55in “projected augmented reality head-up display”, which – in lieu of any further explanation – we imagine is a fancy HUD displaying nav, ADAS, obstacle warnings, lane departure assist and so on.

“Bringing together our rich heritage with performance and the latest technologies, we’re pushing the boundaries for how a luxury EV should look and handle, making it truly for the drivers,” said Group Lotus boss Feng Qingfeng.

Expect prices to mirror the £90k to £120k it asks for the Eletre, with deliveries starting in the middle of next year. Vijay

Pattni

Predator, Dracula, Huracán Technica... the Emeya’s design influences are many

Lotus has come a long way from the gearstick, handbrake and backache you got in an Elise S1

COFFEE BREAK

What we’re watching/ listening/doing, while we should be working

Men’s Cricket World Cup, 5 October Aussies ruled the women’s game in 2022, can the men do the same in India? England bats off against New Zealand in the first game. We expect editor Rix to be WFH with a pumpkin spice latte

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, BBC iPlayer

Season six of this angling revelation is on BBC2 now – catch up on iPlayer. Carp(e) diem

TopGear magazine fix

You can download the latest edition and back issues direct to your phone or tablet from the App Store. Because when life gives you lemons... settle in and read TG

Pumpkin spice amnesty Literally keeping our coffees normal and everyday. So maybe a flat white (extra hot), cortado or an extra large mocha with cream and sprinkles. None of this autumnal nonsense...

TopGear TV, BBC iPlayer

Don’t forget that ALL of TopGear telly is ready and waiting on iPlayer

FAIL OF THE CENTURY #183

BMW 5-SERIES GRAN TURISMO

What was peak niche? This is a question FOTC likes to ask, mostly because it sounds like FOTC is adopting a strong foreign accent while asking about al fresco dining.

And a strong contender for the peak niche crown was 2009’s 5-Series Gran Turismo, a car looking to exploit a gap in the market only visible through an electron microscope.

BMW claimed the GT catered to the buyer wanting something more spacious than a regular 5-Series saloon. Problem was, BMW already offered precisely that in the shape of the 5-Series Touring, one of the most excellent estate cars of its generation.

Ah, said BMW, but the GT caters to the buyer who wants something taller and also very slightly less sporty than a 5-Series Touring. Problem was, BMW already offered precisely that in the shape of the X5 SUV.

Ah, said BMW, but the 5-Series GT caters to the buyer who wants something with a more distinctive, sleeker profile than an X5. Problem was, BMW already offered precisely that in the shape of the X6 coupeSUV, which, though quite obnoxious, was unquestionably distinctive.

So, when you boiled it down, what BMW succeeded in creating with the GT was... a very slightly shorter X6, with added frumpery in the styling department. Were there humans out there requesting such a thing? Possibly. Should they have been listened to? Absolutely not. GT sales tanked, especially in America. Niche try, no cigar.

CAR NEWS

GTI

CANDY

Hot damn! The new ID.GTI Concept delivers VW’s legendary badge to the future

You read that correctly: the GTI badge has a future in the electric age after all, and the Volkswagen ID.GTI concept is the car that proves it. Huzzah!

Based on the ID.2all concept that was revealed back in March, the ID.GTI is the hot hatch version that head of design Andreas Mindt (who drew up the MkVII Golf) has quietly had in mind all along.

And as you can see from the pictures above, various GTI hallmarks have been retained: the red grille surround (though the ‘grille’ is mostly closed), the towing eyes, flared wheelarches, the head turning 20in alloys that pay tribute to the original, the tartan seats... it’s all there. Even the

golf ball of all things lives on. Sort of, repurposed as a rotary dial.

If you’re hastily skimming for performance details, you can’t have ’em, sorry. For now VW will only commit to vague promises of low weight (in an EV?), good aero, comfy ride and a large battery.

However, it has disclosed that the GTI concept will be front wheel drive and get the electronic, front locking differential that debuted on the GTI and GTI Clubsport, meaning the driver will be able to configure the drive, running gear, sound experience (fake engine noise?) and simulated shift (fake gearchanges) points.

GTI lives. Now come on Volkswagen, make it good Joe Holding

ASTON MARTIN VALOUR

n p o c e T

Just because your 1 of 110 V12 Aston was inspired by a Seventies racer doesn’t mean you can pay tribute to the brownest of all the decades by painting it in Dulux Nappy. Try one of the Fifties racing green hues instead

Procrastination

ALFA 33 STRADALE REBOOTED

The original 33 Stradale helped build the Alfa legend in the Sixties, and the firm is hoping for some of the old magic to flow again with this modern reworking, available with either petrol or electric power We take a closer look

SPEED WEEK: IONIQ 5 N TRACK TEST

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the firm’s first fully electric performance model, but is it the hyper hatch of the future? We’ll let you know when we’ve figured out the difference between N Grin Boost and N Drift Optimiser To the user manual!

SPEED WEEK: 911 DAKAR vs HURACÁN STERRATO

Supercars that can conquer both the race and dirt track just make sense, right? Handy, then, that one from Porsche and one from Lamborghini have arrived at almost identical times. Time to adjudicate the battle to end all battles.

SPEED WEEK: MEET THE CONTENDERS

It’s that time of year again when we arrange all 15 of our Speed Week contenders in an abnormally neat row, before Jack Rix takes a very deep breath and introduces them in a single take Would you pick the same winner as us?

DESIGNATED DRIVER

It’s a me, Enzo – Adam Driver plays Il Commendatore in this new biopic about the life of Ferrari Watch the trailer, read the review on TopGear.com, then decide for yourself when the film comes out in cinemas on 26 December

FOUR IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Four-cylinder engines are for boring economy focused company saloons, right? Well, wrong actually – the humble 4cyl can be a beast in the right hands, especially when those hands are attached to restomod royalty.