Redline Issue 16 (Free Version)

TECHNICAL DATA: MERCEDES-AMG GT

STOCK STAGE 1 STAGE 2

503 BHP & 714 NM

581 BHP & 885 NM

631 BHP & 897 NM

PLEASE NOTE: FIGURES ACCURATE FOR CAR PICTURED

SCAN HERE TO DISCOVER

HOW MUCH POWER YOUR CAR COULD MAKE

S

WELCOME

If you’re picking up a copy of Redline for the first time, then welcome, we’re pleased to have you along and we hope you stick with us for the long run. However, regular readers might notice that in Issue 16, we’re doing things a little differently. Our new look magazine has been optimised to improve your reading experience with its more compact dimensions and thicker paper weights. We’ve also refreshed the Redline logo, you know, for the visuals. Not only do we love to produce quality car content for you, but also an exceptional print product, so we hope you like the updates.

Speaking of content, we have an abundance of exciting features lined up for you to get your teeth in to. Our cover feature is dedicated to the new Aston Martin DB12 which Steve Sutcliffe has been testing along the famous Route Napoleon. We have plenty of McLaren road tests with a review of the 765LT Spider and a feature on what it’s like to live with the new Artura. The Lamborghini fans among you are also well catered for with our review of the Urus Performante, coverage of the SC63 LMDh race car reveal, and our sit down with Lambo’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann. Elsewhere, our friends at the Car Crowd chuck us the keys to a gorgeous, manual Ferrari 360 Spider, and we get behind the wheel of the Bentley

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor - Mark Rose

Head of Financial Operations - Julian Penninston-Hill

Lead Photographer - Dom Ginn

Contributing Editor - Steve Sutcliffe

Content Assistant - Stevo Jones

Photographers - Andy Morgan, Harry Grant

Writers - Victor Harman, James Ford, Mark Starzynski

Print Consultant - David Gilbert

Continental GT Speed, BMW M3 Touring, and the FL5 Honda Civic Type R for some more road testing.

In other news, we’ve been back to the sunny Algarve for Round Seven of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship. We bring you coverage of Supercar Owner UK’s European driving tour. And we get hands on with a rather excellent vintage inspired dive watch from Christopher Ward.

All of this is supplemented by our regular columns, which brings me neatly on to some content related news. One of our columnists and long-time contributor, Victor Harman, has made his Issue 16 article his final contribution to Redline. Victor has been entertaining our readers with enjoyable and informative content since 2018, but has decided that now is the right time to put down the pen and kick back. I’m in no doubt that our readers will join the Redline team in thanking Victor for his fantastic work over the past five years, and for being a part of our motoring magazine.

So that’s Issue 16 all wrapped up. We hope you enjoy it and please remember to subscribe if you haven’t already. Also, make sure to follow us on social media for more content between magazine releases. As always, thank you for reading Redline.

Warm Regards, Owner & Managing Director.

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ROAD TESTS TRACK SIDE

It’s all teenage memories for Mark as he gets behind the wheel of a manual Ferrari 360 Spider.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

MEMORY LANE

When it was launched in 1999, the Ferrari 360 didn’t exactly receive the warmest of welcomes from the brand’s fan base. Its predecessor, the 355, was a difficult act to follow and Maranello’s approach to their latest mid-engine V8 supercar had more than a hint of revolution about it. Gone were the boxier proportions and popup headlamps of previous cars, and in came a more curvaceous design with venturi tunnels and a powerful diffuser which prioritised downforce. This was Ferrari setting a new template for its supercars, and the changes weren’t just obvious to the naked eye. The new bodywork was made from aluminium as was the chassis, all of which brought improvements in weight and structural rigidity. However, Ferrari wasn’t interested in throwing the baby out with the bath water, and so their flat-plane crank V8 was carried over relatively unchanged from the 355. Capacity was increased from 3.5 to 3.6 litres – hence the name 360 – and some extra power was extracted. Like its predecessor, it too came with a choice of manual or F1 gearbox,

with the latter recalibrated for smoother shifts. The 360 was better than the 355 in nearly every objective way, yet somehow, it failed to capture the hearts of the Tifosi.

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One heart it did win over was mine, albeit a few years later. When I was 14, we used to take family trips to Bournemouth and not far from there was a Ferrari dealership in Lyndhurst, where I convinced my father to take me for a look around. After a couple of visits, he too was bitten by the Ferrari bug and ended up purchasing a 360 Spider. It was beautiful – finished in TDF Blue over tan leather with a manual gearbox – I instantly fell for it and for the first time in my life, I’d built an emotional connection with a car. I loved everything about it, from the way it looked, to how it sounded, to the ferocity of its acceleration. It was a 14 year old’s dream come true, and then after just three months, my father decided to sell it and break my heart. To my astoundment he didn’t like it all that much. He complained endlessly about how low it was, that it made too much noise and that it was difficult to move off in first gear. To this day I’ve never forgiven the old sod and have

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Image taken at Belvoir Castle.

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always wondered whether he was just being miserable or if his comments were valid.

Fortunately, our friends at the Car Crowd have recently taken one on to their investment platform and were happy to chuck me the keys for a trip down memory lane. This particular example which is finished in Rosso Corsa over Crema leather with challenge grilles and a manual gearbox, was offered to investors on a fractional share ownership basis and is fully funded, and for good reason. As discussed, the 360 may not have been well received on release, but it’s aged beautifully and is now starting to grab the interest of enthusiasts and collectors alike.

how low it is to the ground. Yes, like any supercar it sits low to the ground which means you to have to be mindful of sleeping policemen and large bumps in the road. However, after enough time behind the wheel, you learn to read the road and work around the problem, so no, not a valid reason to get rid of the car.

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As for the “noise” from that glorious V8, I was surprised to discover that it’s actually quite subdued when you’re not revving the crackers off it, so no, it wasn’t sufficiently loud to warrant parting company with the vehicle.

With the keys in hand and the sun shining, I hopped in the car, lost the roof and left the Car Crowd’s facility in search of country roads. It was now crunch-time. Had I been viewing the 360 through the rose-tinted glasses of a love drunk teenager, and was this going to be a perfect example of ‘don’t drive your heroes?’

Determined to debunk my father’s gripes with the car, I set about assessing the areas he moaned about most, starting with

Finally, the area which received the most criticism, the gearbox. When my father bought his it only had 800 miles on the clock so it was unlikely to suffer from any clutch issues, which makes his gripe with the six speed manual rather puzzling. Coincidently, the 360 supplied to me by The Car Crowd had only covered around 16,000 miles and had been fitted with a new clutch some 1,000 miles prior, which made for an appropriate reference point. It was perhaps a little on the heavy side, but it wasn’t exactly a leg buster which means once again I found myself wondering what the hell

Rosso Corsa and Crema leather is the classic Ferrari colour combo!

Perfection in every sense of the word.

the old man was complaining about.

Feeling myself becoming increasingly miffed over an event that happened 17 years previous, I decided to forget about it and enjoy the driving experience, because believe you me, there’s a lot to love.

The naturally aspirated motor is absolutely gorgeous and still packs a punch despite the 360’s considerable age. It puts out 400hp at 8,500 rpm and 275lb ft. meaning it prances to 60mph in just 4.6 seconds and will top out somewhere north of 180mph. In 2023, that’s sports car performance and any modern supercar would leave it for dust, but the enjoyment comes not from the speed, but the response of the motor and the way it hunts down the rev limiter. Like all the best nat-asp engines, the speed and noise build as you work your way up the rev range, then culminates in a wonderful crescendo as the needle kisses the red line. The 360 sounds utterly exotic and possesses a character that modern Ferraris – though brilliant – seem to lack. If you’re in the market for a 360, then the engine alone is enough reason to go for

the convertible instead of the coupe.

But it’s not just the motor that offers up excitement, but the package as a whole. The mid-engine chassis now feels its age and therefore the driving dynamics are, erm, lively. It may be made from lightweight materials, but it’s not the best balanced car and has a habit of pushing in to understeer, only to then oversteer if you try to adjust your line using the throttle. Twitchy is the word which springs to mind, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drive round the problem. Keeping your braking neat and tidy, balancing the throttle mid corner and bleeding it back on as you accelerate from the turn helps the car settle. It requires some finessing, it forces you to consider your inputs, but once you have the dynamics figured out, the experience becomes deeply rewarding.

As if managing the waywardness wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I also had the open-gated manual to grapple with. I say grapple, but in truth it was anything other than a hardship because the six-speed gearbox is a real treasure and I dare say, just as special as the engine it’s mated to. There’s real pleasure in rowing

If you’re in the market for a 360, then the engine alone is enough reason to go for the convertible

“

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it between the gates, to the point where you just change gear for the sheer hell of it so you can feel the rifle bolt action and hear it click-clack in to position. You can even see part of the mechanism which is enough to get this car enthusiast all hot under the collar. An F430 I recently drove had the F1 gearbox meaning I’ve used both transmissions and I can now say with absolute certainty that manual is the way to go in these older V8 Ferraris. Because the 360 isn’t as large as modern supercars, it’s also easy to place on the road and with the roof down you benefit from fantastic all-around visibility. The steering is typical Ferrari – not much going on in the way of feel, particularly off-centre – but it makes the car feel light on its feet and only requires small inputs to get it turned. The suspension is also purposeful although never crashy, but that’s to be expected in a supercar from this era. Performance cars from the late nineties and early noughties are now starting to feel older, but driving the 360 allows you to

understand the thinking which was happening inside Maranello at the time and how it’s influenced the bloodline. This is the beginning of modern day Ferrari and that makes the 360, frosty first impressions aside, one of the most significant models in its history.

The more I drove it, the more the memories came rushing back. It reminded me of the ballistic tunnel blasts, the sketchy overtaking manoeuvres, and the weekend drives out. I can recall the excitement of when the car was delivered, and I remember having something annoying stuck in my eye the day Dad told me he was selling it.

The Ferrari 360 Spider is a special car to me personally because it brings back so many precious, teenage memories, some of which I’ll never forget. It was the first car I ever fell in love with, and after spending the day driving one, I now love it that little bit more. Grazie, Papa.

Arguably one of Ferrari’s most significant models, the 360 is one of those rare cars that gets better with age. Buy one while you still can.

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ULTIMATE TOURING

MACHINE

Since the E30 M3 appeared in 1986, BMW has offered their fast 3 Series as either a saloon or coupe. Despite relentless calls from M car owners and the wider automotive community for an M3 Touring, a fast estate variant has remained curiously absent from BMW’s model range. The company dabbled with the E34 M5 Touring in the early to midnineties, and the E61 in the late noughties, but neither were a sales success despite their somewhat posthumous popularity, and were likely the reason for the M3 never receiving the estate car treatment. Also, making a Touring isn’t just about shoving an estate car bodyshell on an M3 chassis and adding it to the model range. No, BMW drivers want the extra practicality without sacrificing the handling characteristics of the saloon car – ultimate driving machine and all that – meaning BMW had to think this one through if it wanted to produce a car that could live up to expectations.

for years, bmw enthusiasts have been asking for an m3 touring. finally, bmw has listened, and the results are far from disappointing.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

In many respects the current platform has been the perfect place to start from. Weighing 1,780kg at the kerb, the G80 is already somewhat porkier than the M3s which came before it, but does an exceptional job of masking its weight. The Touring (codenamed G81) is only 85 kilos heavier than the saloon, 25kg of which is thanks to extra bracing at the rear to improve body stiffness. The body shell is also bespoke and does without the carbon roof, the front dampers have been recalibrated and the rears are new. Given the extra weight and higher centre of gravity, you would think the Touring would give away at least some straight line performance and dynamic ability, but truth be told, you’re hard pushed to tell the difference on the public road, especially given it comes with xDrive as standard.

Stationary to 62mph is completed in just 3.6 seconds and the top speed it limited to 174mph. The performance comes via a turbocharged 3.0 litre straight-six engine which puts out 503bhp and 479lb ft. of the twisty stuff. In a straight line it is a shockingly quick car with fantastic throttle response for a twin-turbo motor,

only a maximum of 50 per cent of the power ever goes to the front wheels which gives the feel of a rear wheel drive car

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and offers up all the performance you could ever need on the public road. The only downside is that the engine isn’t the most charismatic six cylinder, but at least it’s not a four-pot. MercedesAMG, we’re looking at you...

However, you soon forget about the uninspiring vocals and extra weight when you realise that somehow BMW has made the wagon handle exactly like the saloon car. Call it witchcraft, magic, or just good ol’ German engineering, whatever it is, they’ve pulled it out the Karl Lagerfeld. It feels properly dialled in to the road thanks to its meaty steering and eagerness to turn, and despite the 4WD system, the rear still comes round to meet you when you tap the throttle mid corner. In fact, only a maximum of 50 per cent of the power ever goes to the front wheels which gives the feel of a rear wheel drive car. If you want to disconnect the front driveshafts entirely, just dip in to the driver set up and configure it accordingly, then marvel at how it can transform from an all-weather super wagon to tail wagging, rear tyre killing M car. The really clever bit is that it has a ten-stage traction control system, so you can pick

your preferred level of hoonery depending on your skill level and confidence. That’s typical, dry, German humour if ever I’ve seen it.

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Because of the extra bracing and the staggered alloys – 19s at the front, 20s at the rear – the ride is a little on the firm side in the Sport+ driving mode, but it’s not so stiff that it gets deflected by bumps in the road. The ride may be purposeful, but the body control is tight and it still rounds off the worst of our broken tarmac. If you want a sportier set up but would also like the dampers in the softer setting, then you can configure the different parameters and map them to the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. However, one thing that’s a little disappointing no matter how aggressive you go with the settings is the eight-speed ZF gearbox. It may be a smooth, daily companion that never skips a beat when you’re just going about your business, but it doesn’t possess the snappy gear changes of a twin-clutch, and in like every other M car, it’s the weak link in the package.

Now, we can’t talk about a Touring without discussing how practical it is. The boot commands 500 litres of boot space and,

This particular M3 Touring came with a lot of carbon fibre.

with the rear seats folded down that figure swells to just over 1,500 litres. To test this, we decided to load up the Touring with suitcases boxes, a Christmas tree and some alloys from an EP3 Honda Civic Type R, and go for a drive. If you want to see how the M3 faired and how I nearly broke my back in the process, then check out the YouTube video using the QR code on this page. Also, doesn’t it look even cooler with a bike on the roof? Needless to say, the Beamer doesn’t disappoint in the practicality stakes. It swallows a whole lot of stuff including the dog, which makes ferrying the family, their luggage and fury companions around an easy task. We just don’t recommend using all 503bhp if your cargo is capable of reliving its lunch.

The rest of the cabin is exactly the same as the one you’ll find in the G80 which is no bad thing at all. This comment might be a little subjective, but I for one prefer BMW’s current interiors to those you find in an Audi or Mercedes-Benz. Like its competitors, the build quality is high and the material choices are excellent, but most importantly, there are plenty of physical buttons to use. iDrive also continues to be one of the best infotainment systems

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you’ll find in any production vehicle, and if you don’t want to use the touchscreen, you can simply use the clickwheel to make your selections. As per the BMW way, the seating position is also spot on with loads of adjustment options.

As you would expect of a car that’s this capable and been in such demand for so long, it doesn’t come cheap. The base price is £80,550 and our press vehicle was loaded with options sufficient to tip it in to six figures, or £100,150. Admittedly, a lot of that was carbon fibre although we do recommend the M Pro Pack which includes carbon ceramic brakes and the VMAX increase to 174mph.

This admittedly sounds like a heck of a lot of money for an M3, and I would be inclined to agree, but the Touring is a bit more special than that. What it is, is a Swiss army knife on wheels. It’s infinitely cooler than an SUV but just as practical, it handles better than an Audi RS6 and it offers far more performance than you realistically need. It’s also incredibly desirable. The M3 Touring is the M car we’ve all been waiting for, and I’m delighted to report that BMW has absolutely nailed it.

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HOT HATCH

THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R IS BACK, THIS TIME WITH some IMPROVEMENTS AND MORE SOCIABLE STYLING. BUT IS IT STILL THE BEST HOT HATCH ON SALE?

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

Regular readers of Redline will know that the FK8 Honda Civic Type R wasn’t just our favourite hot hatchback, but one of our favourite cars. So when news broke of a replacement in late 2022, we waited in anticipation for our chance to drive it. Fast forward to a rainy morning in March 2023 when an all-new FL5 arrived in Championship White, and the excitement was palpable. This wasn’t just any old road test, but a chance to see if Honda’s obsessive, sweat the small stuff approach had improved the recipe we loved so much, or whether they’d gotten complacent and actually made it worse – stranger things have happened.

Given the shoddiness of the weather, we knew that the serious road testing would have to wait for a day or two for things to dry out, but nevertheless, we trundled off in pursuit of backroads to see if we could capture a glimpse of what the new car was about. The FK8 was a bit of a handful in the wet so if anything, it served as a good test to see if the FL5 could fair better in soggy conditions.

A quick glance at the spec sheet would suggest little to no gains in wet weather performance. The FL5 is powered by the same K20C1 engine as before and it’s received a small bump in power, bringing outputs up to 324bhp and 315lb ft. It’s also marginally faster than the old car with a 0-62mph sprint of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 171mph. There’s increased throttle

response thanks to a flywheel that’s 18 per cent lighter than previous. The turbo now features a compact housing to improve efficiency, and the turbine has had its blade count and shape optimised to improve airflow and boost power. Like in the old FK8, the additional poke and sharper response is being distributed to the front wheels, so in theory, the increased performance should make for more wheelspin.

To our surprise, the FL5 found traction where the old car struggled. It’s not capable of getting all the power down, especially in the lower gears – it’s made by engineers not magicians – but under partial throttle it spins up its wheels less and you can ride the wave of torque for longer before having to change up a gear. However, when the roads are dry, the Type R is one hell of a straight line weapon.

it could trouble sports cars in a straight line.

That said, the magic of the Type R has never been outright performance, but the way it devours a country road and makes a mockery of some rather special machinery in the process. Here in lies probably the biggest difference between the FL5 and the car it replaces – adjustable suspension. Like the FK8, it has options for Comfort, Sport and +R which ramp up in aggressiveness, but the issue with the old car was that you couldn’t slacken off the suspension independently, so you were forced to have the firmest set up if you wanted to utilise the other benefits of the +R mode.

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The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (previously Continentals) dig in to the tarmac and the 2.0 litre 4-cylinder VTEC engine pulls all the way to the rev limiter. Once you’re rolling, it feels faster than the numbers on the spec sheet suggest, to the point where it feels like

With the new car, there’s now an Individual mode that allows you to customise the sound and response of the engine, the steering weight, and most importantly the suspension stiffness. The best set up for UK roads is the engine in +R, the steering in Sport and the suspension in Comfort. In this configuration you benefit from the most aggressive engine setting with finely weighted steering and a level of compliance that the old car wasn’t capable of when everything was in +R. The FL5 still feels tightly

The FL5’s cabin is a big improvement over the one in the FK8

sprung and over really bumpy roads it does run out of suspension travel, but it also has fantastic body control and doesn’t get deflected quite as badly as the FK8 did. Unless the road is particularly treacherous, the Type R gives you the confidence to push on and extract the potential. It possesses just the right amount of performance for the public road without always risking your driving licence, and even at lower speeds, you still feel connected to the car and road surface.

Key to this is two things. Firstly, the steering has real precision to it and offers plenty of feedback through the rim. You don’t so much as drive but feel your way down a country road, with strong brakes and lack of understeer also helping you find confidence in the car. Secondly, the six-speed manual gearbox is the best you’ll find in any car at any price point. The ‘box in the old model was excellent, but it’s also another area where the engineers at Honda sought to make small improvements. The gear knob is now 230g heavier than previous and the shift feels even slicker than before while retaining its tactile, mechanical feel. It also has an auto-blip

“ TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

road test 27

There isn’t a better gearshift. Period.

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function for perfect rev matches on the down change, or you can turn it off and heel and toe yourself. Rowing the shifter around is one of the highlights of the package and helps you feel properly dialled in to the car and connected to the engine.

Another area that has taken a step on is the refinement. The old model had an issue with road noise and the interior left something to be desired, especially the infotainment graphics that had more than a whiff of PS2 about them. Thankfully, the cabin in the FL5 feels of higher quality, if still lacking compared to German rivals. However, the focus has been on the major touch points that you interact with most often – steering wheel, gear stick, pedals and seats – and it’s paid off. The seating position is perfect with excellent bucket seats that hug you in all the right places, the steering wheel is trimmed in Alcantara, and the gear stick and pedals have a weighty, metallic feel to them. It’s these small but essential tactile delights that help you feel more connected to the car, even if you don’t realise it at the time. And praise the hot hatch Gods, the rolling refinement and shoddy graphics have been

improved. But then, Honda had to give the interior a significant overhaul because the new Type R costs around £47,000.

This leads us neatly on to how expensive the Type R has become, especially when the old FK8 represented something of a performance car bargain at around £35,000 with all the options included. You could accuse Honda of getting greedy and cashing in on the fact that the keener driver now doesn’t have many options to choose from in the hot hatch market. But to think of the Type R as a £47,000 Honda Civic or fast family hatch, is missing the point. Of course, it’s those things, but it’s also much, much more. The Type R remains one of the best performance cars on sale. You can have as much fun in it as you can a supercar, but it’s also a perfectly capable daily driver with a cavernous boot and ISOFIX points. One moment you can be driving around at a leisurely pace, minding your own business, and in the next breath you can be bullying backroads and leaving far more expensive performance cars for dust. The FL5 Type R is a scintillating driver’s car and the hot hatch king, and for that Honda, we salute you.

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Supercar Owner UK head to Switzerland for their annual European tour, and in search of some of the world’s best driving roads

WORDS: MARK STARZYNSKI / PHOTOS: HARRY GRANT

SWISS ADVENTURE

s I drive down the ramp to board the Eurotunnel for yet another SC:UK driving adventure, it dawns on me that, no matter how many times I travel via the tunnel, the feeling of excitement is always the same. The novelty of driving into a train and being teleported to another country in the space of 30 minutes, only to be met at the other end with what feels like a world of endless road-tripping possibilities is every petrolhead’s dream, and one I look forward to the most in SC:UK’s annual calendar.

But with so many iconic destinations within shooting distance, the hardest question to answer is – where should you go? The Black Forest, Nürburgring, the South of France and Monaco can all be reached within one (albeit long) day of driving, and offer a variety of unique driving experiences, as does Austria and Italy if you’re willing to crack open the energy drinks and push on a little further. However, if you’re looking for a destination that’s reachable from Calais and ticks all the boxes from a driving perspective, then in my opinion there’s one country that stands above the rest –Switzerland.

Nestled in the heart of the Alps, Switzerland’s plethora of breath-taking mountain passes and pothole-free roads makes it a paradise for road trip enthusiasts, regardless of the car you’re driving. Sure, no country is without its downsides, and what Switzerland offers in scenery it can occasionally lack in – let’s say – leniency from the authorities when it comes to spirited driving. But, putting that to one side, it still offers an incredible experience for performance car owners irrespective of the pace you wish to travel.

For this year’s SC:UK European trip, we opted to spend the majority of our time experiencing the many passes that the Swiss Alpine region has to offer. It’s hard to appreciate just how many awe-inspiring roads are within just a short drive of each other until you are there – and while it feels impossible to choose a favourite, here are our top five routes from our recent tour that you need to experience at least once in your lifetime.

For those who seek a mixture of challenging roads and breathtaking scenery, the Susten Pass delivers. With hairpins, tunnels, waterfalls and a varying landscape from forests to glaciers, the route offers everything a petrolhead could wish for. There are several car parks along the route perfect for media opportunities, and if you have enough time in hand, it can be combined with Grimsel Pass for a driving experience which, in my opinion, is unrivalled.

Just beyond Susten Pass lies Grimsel Pass, a mountainous route famous for its reservoirs and dams. Grimsel Hospiz, an Alpine hotel on the route makes the perfect place to stop if you’re looking for an overnight stay - and when you see it, you’ll see why. Situated at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres and imprinted into the side of a dam, it’s unique location and character makes you

“

TO

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McLaren 600LT Spider + Swiss mountain roads = driving heaven.

Where there’s a road trip, there’s a GT3.

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TO WATCH

feel like you’re living in a Bond villain’s lair.

The iconic Furka Pass, featured in James Bond movies, has been etched into automotive history for decades. While its fame makes it busier than other passes, this doesn’t make it any less special – the stark mixture of wide and narrow roads, long straights and hairpins makes it one of the most varied driving experiences available.

There are a couple of different routes you can take up Gotthard Pass, all of them with their own unique character. The two main choices are tarmac verses cobbled road – and whilst the cobbled route has a lot of character, my recommendation is the tarmac route which offers an incredible mix of straights, bends and movieworthy tunnels – all on an extremely well-maintained road surface, of course.

Pass, which is a bucket list destination in its own right.

Beyond those, there are a few other honourable mentions which you need to fit in if you can - Klausen Pass, Bernina Pass and Julier Pass, to name a few. However long I’m there, I always wish I could stay longer to experience more, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

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Driving home after such an epic trip is never the fun part, but if you have some time in hand, I highly recommend driving north to Baden-Baden and then back towards Calais via France’s D3 road and the Autobahn. A forest road that runs along the French/ German border, the D3/D35 (Sturzelbronn) offers miles of twists and turns with very little traffic and feels a fitting way to end a driving-focused trip.

Connecting the towns of Davos and Susch, the Flüela Pass is a hidden gem that takes you towards the Italian border. Its long straights and great visibility makes it perfect for a bit of spirited driving, and it also puts you a stone’s throw away from Stelvio

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JAMES FORD

ON REGRETS AND WHY YOU SHOULD SCRATCH YOUR AUTOMOTIVE ITCH

As an opening caveat, I want to point out that I am not anti-EV by any means, and I am not against the idea of producing more vehicles with lower tailpipe emissions as, like most of you, I quite like breathing clean air. However, I am also a car enthusiast, and I will always be a lover of the internal combustion engine. This puts me in a difficult position as the times are changing rapidly in the automotive world and if things go the way we are all thinking, our beloved piston-powered cars may well become a much rarer sight – with only those who have the space and funds able to keep the dream alive.

With that in mind, there has never been a better time to go with your heart and buy that car you have always wanted before it’s too late. I’ve recently been sampling some of Ford’s ‘Performance’ range and as much as I’ve enjoyed it, it has left me feeling a bit sad. When I was younger, I never really embraced my inner ‘boy-racer’ as I was much more of a ‘bang for your buck’ kind of car buyer – I had S Classes, Range Rovers, Jaguar XJs, Audi A8s and a variety of other large barges (all bought for as cheap as possible, may I add!) and looking back I wish I’d just waited until I was a bit older for all that and instead spent my money on more fun, dynamic and ultimately faster cars. The sad truth is that now I’m at an age and time in my life where things like new curtains, vet’s bills, and garden machinery take priority, so the small fast hatchback or sports car ship has all but set sail. It is not just the financial side of car ownership that has me regretting some of my previous choices – after spending a week testing a “Race Red” Ford Focus ST, I couldn’t help but feel like a bit of a plum as the exhaust popped and banged as I drove it.

They say you miss 100 per cent of the shots you do not take, and this statement is true for car ownership. I rolled the dice several times on cars in the past, but there are a few I always wanted to take a punt on and my biggest regret to date is not buying an E46 M3 back when I was offered one for £8,000. At the time it was a toss-up between the E46 and a Mercedes-Benz CL500 and as you can probably guess, I went for the latter. I don’t regret buying the CL, as it was and still is the best car I’ve ever owned, but I do regret not buying the E46. I haven’t seen another one with the same spec and mileage for less than £25,000 now and with my priorities now focusing elsewhere, I will probably never get the chance to have one. Having said that, you never know, although these days the car I want is a modestly optioned Porsche 997 Carrera 2 which again, will almost certainly pass me by as they start to slowly creep up in value.

It’s not all doom and gloom, as there are some very exciting new things happening in the automotive space including all sorts of advances in in-car tech and there will no doubt be some more interesting BEVs hitting the road soon – Hyundai has announced an Ioniq 5 “N” which may well be the first hot-hatch EV, and there’s also a load of very interesting things soon coming across from China which will certainly help you stand out from the crowd, they just won’t have throaty V8 soundtracks or noisy flat-sixes.

So, if you have the means and you’ve been hanging your head over that one car you always wished you had, just go for it. You will never forgive yourself and you will always have the niggling question in the back of your mind asking you “What if?” You only live once, and all that.

“They say you miss 100 per cent of the shots you do not take, and this statement is true for car ownership”

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VICTOR HARMAN

ON WHY HYDROGEN ISN’T THE FUTURE OF MOTORING

With the electrification of road transport turning out to be rather problematic, and the prospect of the rest of the free world being held hostage by China’s near monopoly of many key battery raw materials, it’s no wonder that other alternatives to battery EVs are being contemplated. Let’s explore them briefly. Synthetic fuels for internal combustion engines, in the form of hydrocarbon liquids to replace petrol and diesel, are quite feasible, well-proven, and superior to existing fossil fuels in performance and emissions. But their likely cost makes them unrealistic substitutes for anything other than selective usage, like track racing, which has masses of spectator appeal. That’s where proper engines may survive. This really only leaves “green” hydrogen as a viable alternative to solar, wind, or maybe nuclear-powered electricity for zero carbon road transport. But the only source of true green hydrogen is when it is produced by electrolysis of water, using green electricity, and then used as a fuel. In what alternative ways can this be done?

Let’s first consider using hydrogen in traditional combustion engines. BMW pursued this fifteen years ago showing it is quite possible to convert a petrol engine to run on clean hydrogen. They did this with their stunning six litre V12 engine. Installed in the “Hydrogen Seven” concept car, its tailpipe emissions were nothing but good old H2O. Over a hundred Hydrogen Seven prototypes were given to selected people for proving trials, but the whole project was then canned. Like all internal combustion engines, over half the hydrogen’s energy is lost as waste heat, which is not acceptable in today’s world. The whole exercise was perhaps a flag-waving one for BMW, but the conclusion was that using hydrogen in this way had no future as a mainstream power source. After pausing to research and reconsider, BMW is now trialling hydrogen power in the iX5 fuel cell car, the other option for green hydrogen, again with a trial fleet on the road, using Toyota fuel cells.

What exactly is a fuel cell power unit? It’s composed of a stack of fuel cell units, typically around 400, close-packed in modules, much like the batteries in an EV. Hydrogen gas is metered to the anode of each Polymer Electric Membrane fuel cell, whilst humidified air, a source of oxygen, goes to the anode. The electrochemical reaction, in effect a reverse electrolysis, breaks down hydrogen into protons at the cathode, and electrons

at the anode, thereby producing electricity, along with heat and oxygen gas. The electricity is stored in a small buffer battery which supplies metered power to the drive motor and the wheels, in the fashion of today’s battery EVs.

It sounds good on the surface, but is it viable for millions of cars? The crunch comes when we consider the energy efficiency of the whole process. Ten litres of water produce one kilogram of hydrogen, which takes a fuel cell car sixty miles. So, a 300 mile hydrogen tank needs to be over 200 litres in capacity, four times that of a typical petrol tank. To produce hydrogen from water, the water must be purified, using significant energy. Over twenty per cent of the energy is then lost in the electrolytic hydrogen production process. Compression of hydrogen, and cooling to a very low temperature, as a more compact liquid for bulk storage, uses another ten per cent. Finally, over thirty per cent more energy is lost in the fuel cell itself, leaving around forty per cent of the original green hydrogen’s energy left to drive the car. It’s just not good enough to meet today’s zero carbon challenges.

EV battery technology offers up to seventy per cent overall efficiency, with some room yet for improvement, making hydrogen fuel cell power hard to justify. Some crystal ball gazers visualise hydrogen power and pure electric power co-existing, with fuel cell power for buses, coaches, and HGVs, and battery electric power for cars. Some enthusiasts even argue that, as long as wasted energy is green, that’s all OK, as we can always make more of it, with the sun and wind offering endless “free” energy. But we can’t build twice as many wind farms, or solar panel arrays for green energy and then waste half of it! The capital costs are not justifiable, just as they are not for a nationwide retail hydrogen distribution network.

I’m quite confident that, for mainstream passenger road transport, hydrogen fuel cell power will not survive. The parlous financial state of some of the hydrogen power pioneers, like Britain’s ITM Power, that makes hydrogen electrolysis plants, suggests that industry is not buying into the concept either. But then the same might be said about manufacturing EV batteries and fast charging facilities for electrified private transport, so where do we go from here?

“It’s just not good enough to meet today’s zero carbon challenges”

ASTON ON A ROLL

Is the new DB12 the car that finally allows Aston Martin to take on the likes of Ferrari? Steve Sutcliffe drives it on the Route Napoleon in search of answers.

WORDS: STEVE SUTCLIFFE / PHOTOS: ANDY MORGAN

A

This is no coincidence, however. Behind the scenes much has changed at the 110 year old British sports car company since the lows of the pandemic. New boss Lawrence Stroll has been quietly restructuring and refinancing the company – to a point where there is now both the talent and budget to take on Ferrari at its own game: the company’s new CEO Amedeo Felisa, for instance, used to do the same job for the Scuderia, overseeing the creation of such luminaries as the 458 Italia and the F12 when he was at Ferrari, so he knows a thing or two about how to make great road cars.

And now everything is falling neatly into place at Aston Martin, and the brilliant new DB12 is very much the car that proves it. For starters, it looks knee-tremblingly beautiful in the flesh, with a profile that’s quite beautiful on its own, plus a front end that looks every inch as arresting as that of the One-77 on which it’s unashamedly based.

Beneath its long and equally dramatic new composite bonnet, the DB12 is powered by a heavily reworked though still AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine which, in this case, has been tuned by Aston to produce 671bhp and a thumping 800Nm. Gone is the V12 of the DB11, in other words, but in reality this matters not one iota because, if anything, the V8 has more personality to it than the old Ford-sourced twin-turbo V12 ever had.

In any case, compared with its AMG installation the V8 has new turbos, different cams, a new induction system, a completely different exhaust system and, of course, home-grown mapping to give it both a feel and soundtrack that’s entirely bespoke. In practice, it has so much more character and thrust in the mid to high ranges, and sounds so different to an AMG, you’d be hard pushed to identify its roots.

The gearbox is an eight-speed paddle shift auto by ZF (so not the 9-speeder from the DBX 707, which wouldn’t fit) again with entirely bespoke mapping to give it a feel and shift quality (plus numerous drive modes) that are unique to the DB12. Drive then reaches the enormous (and also bespoke) 325 section, 21in rear Michelin PS5S tyres via a fully electronic diff that will, as you can see, allow you to do all sorts of silly things for the cameras on a closed road. But also generate a tonne of traction on any road, with or without the electronics engaged.

All up the DB12 weighs 1685kg, claims its engineers, but only if you specify each and every one of the numerous lightweight options including a pair of Carbon Performance seats. In regular guise it weighs just over 1700kg, so about the same as the outgoing DB11, which isn’t bad considering how much more highly specified it is inside and out, and how much more tech it contains. Aston claims it can hit 62mph from rest in 3.6 seconds with launch control (3.3sec to 60mph) before reaching a top speed just the other side of 200mph. So, it’s seriously quick for a so-called

“

TO

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The V12 may be gone, but the V8 more than makes up for it.

‘super tourer’ even though it can’t quite match the outrageous acceleration of the DBX 707 due to it being rear, rather than four wheel-drive.

No matter, because the DB12 isn’t meant to be a tyre-shredding hot rod in a straight line, even though it kind of is. Instead, it’s designed to carry you across continents with breath taking pace and refinement, enabling you to arrive at your destination in more style and charisma than pretty much anyone else who pulls up at the valet parking area. James Bond was born to drive a DB12, or maybe it’s the other way round. Either way, this car oozes panache in a way that no recent Aston has ever quite managed to replicate. Not just because of the way it looks, although inevitably this plays a key role.

gear, never more so than in Sport+ up at 6500rpm.

Then, the exhaust gets a lot louder, the body control goes up a notch and the steering feels crisper. As does the way the diff and gearbox respond. Switching from Comfort through Sport to Sport+ exacts a transformation in the DB12 that’s as impressive as it is wide-ranging, and it gives the car a huge breadth of ability, even if you’re best off running in Sport for most of the time, with a switch to Sport+ being just a simple wrist-flick away.

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On the RN85 – the famous Route Napoleon – the DB12 feels soothing and effortless but also rabidly fast, the twin-turbo V8 providing a level of thrust from 2000rpm onwards that, in any of the first five gears, is deeply seductive. It feels and sounds MUCH quicker – and naughtier – than the DB11 did at any revs, in any

In everything it does on the move, the DB12 is just a hugely more capable car than the one it replaces, and sometimes in ways you’d not necessarily expect. The interior on its own makes it feel like a far more expensive and luxuriant grand touring car than the 11, and it isn’t just the on-board tech that impresses, either. The cabin itself has been completely redesigned both visually and logistically, and the end result is spectacular.

As such, zero excuses are now required once you climb aboard the DB12. Good car though it was, you could never sincerely say that about its predecessor. You tend to gasp quietly to yourself

The DB12’s cabin is a huge improvement over the DB11’s.

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about how lovely the 12 is inside, and how high in quality everything seems, in much the same way you do when you climb aboard a contemporary Ferrari. You can also see out of it far better than you could its predecessor, thanks to a combination of bigger, better-designed door mirrors, a slightly lower scuttle at the base of the windscreen plus lighter, fresher styling for the upper reaches of the dash.

Yet it’s on the move where the biggest changes have taken place. Dynamically the DB12 has a much more cohesive feel to it compared with the DB11. Its steering, chassis, engine response, brake feel, diff behaviour – everything it does on the move – all have a new-found sense of polish and focus to them that, when taken as a whole, make it way better to drive. And the DB11 was no no dud, remember.

It’s also breathtakingly fast on give and take roads. From the extra noise it makes under full load to the thundering acceleration it delivers in fourth and fifth gears, let alone second and third, the DB has become a seriously good driver’s car. Yet it’s also deeply

refined when you want it to be, with a dynamic calm and clarity that always eluded the DB11, somehow. Bottom line; it’s now as sharp to drive as it is luxurious just to travel in; as thrilling as it is soothing. As a combination, that makes it hard to beat once you factor in all its other new-found core strengths.

Issues? The gearshifts are fine in the regular modes but could be snappier in Sport+ mode to get anywhere near those you’ll experience in a dual-clutch Ferrari; the manual gear indicator graphic could be a touch bigger within the instruments; there were a couple of tiny fizzes from the centre console in the preproduction car I drove; and the rear seats remain fairly cramped for humans of any size.

But overall, the DB12 is just a great car, an outstanding one in many ways. It’s as lovely to drive as it is to look at, which is saying something, plus it has a fantastic new cabin that’s far higher in quality than any other Aston Martin in history. It deserves to succeed, and it will. And remember, this is just the beginning. The really good stuff is yet to come. Excited? You bet.

The DB12 is better than its predecessor in every measure. Aston Martin is back on top of the GT car game with a car that will keep the competition looking over ITS shoulders.

REDLINE RATING: 8/10

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this car oozes panache in a way that no recent Aston has ever quite managed to replicate. Not just because of the way it looks, although inevitably this plays a key role

GAME GAME

FOLLOWING ON FROM OUR FIRST DRIVE OF THE ALL-NEW MCLAREN ARTURA, WE SPEND FOUR DAYS BEHIND THE WHEEL TO SEE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE WITH WOKING’S HIGH-PERFORMANCE HYBRID.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

CHANGER

CHANGER

In the previous issue of Redline, we conducted our first drive of the new McLaren Artura. It consisted of a quick trip to the McLaren Technology Centre with some other journalists to collect a car, and grab some images along with a couple of hours of seat time. While it offered a good opportunity to develop a baseline understanding of Woking’s all-new highperformance hybrid, it wasn’t sufficient for conducting a thorough road test, especially when you consider how complex the car and its powertrain is. Fast forward a few months and we’re back with an Artura, but this time for four days of uninterrupted evaluation and a chance to see what it’s actually like to live with a hybrid supercar.

Usually when we spend time with a supercar we subject it to a good spanking, send it back to the manufacturer and then write about how it performed during that period. Daily use and liveability typically receive a passing mention, but given how new the production hybrid supercar concept is, it’s worthwhile focussing on how it impacts one’s daily experience with the vehicle.

The Artura is new from the ground up with very little carry over from other McLaren models. To those of you who keep calling it a facelifted 570S, please see yourselves out. We’ll get to the techy stuff in a moment, but it’s worth noting that the car is built round a new carbon composite tub which is optimised for the hybrid powertrain and has new aluminium subframes at each end. There’s a new E-differential which works with the multi-link rear suspension to improve traction and reduce understeer. The hydraulic steering has been recalibrated, the brakes have been borrowed from McLaren’s LT models and the wheels are wrapped in next-gen Pirelli P-Zero tyres. The twin-clutch gearbox is new and has eight speeds instead of seven, and the interior represents a significant departure from the McLaren cabins of recent years. At this stage, I’m going to take the opportunity to point out that the Artura is the best built McLaren I’ve tested. In terms of the exterior, the panel gaps are consistent, and inside the car the cabin is well put together – in other words, nothing was loose or flimsy.

From here on, McLaren could have gone down the easy path and dropped a non-hybrid V6 engine in to the chassis and put it on sale while citing gains in terms of fuel economy and reduced CO2 outputs, and it would have been job done. But instead, they opted for the long, drawn-out process of bringing a plug-in hybrid supercar to market, and one look at the powertrain specs will tell you all you need to know about how problematic a task that is. Getting an internal combustion engine and an electric motor which draws power from a separate battery, to talk to each other harmoniously is complicated. The E-motor has to successfully deploy and harvest electricity while supporting the ICE and it also needs to be able to decouple from the engine so it can run in EV-only mode. This requires hardcore thinking-power by lots of intelligent people to bring to fruition, however, when executed properly, the results are game changing.

The twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 engine makes 577bhp and the E-motor which is powered by a 7.4kWh battery produces 94bhp. The combined outputs are 671bhp and 531lb ft. which give the Artura a 0-62mph time of 3.0 seconds, a 0-124mph sprint of 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 205mph. Entry-level supercar my a***!

Of course, if you’re familiar with McLarens then you’ll know that these kinds of performance figures are the norm, but the inclusion of the E-motor has fundamentally changed the way the Artura performs compared to other cars in the range. By far the most responsive McLaren I’ve driven, the Artura benefits not just from torque in-fill but some clever packaging which sees the turbos

Just a thought… an Artura run on e-fuel would be a motoring and environmental wonder!

“

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mounted between the cylinder banks which brings improvements in response and performance. Gone is the momentary lag and slingshot effect of previous cars from Woking, and in its place is pin sharp throttle response and a linear power delivery. Peak power is now at 7,500rpm and the torque comes in from just 2,250rpm. This is the first McLaren I’ve driven that relishes the rev-limiter and can unlock performance without hesitation. And it’s fast. Viscously, frantically fast. In a straight line it’s more than a match for a Ferrari F8 Tributo which despite no longer being on sale, should be a class above the Artura.

to the one found in a Formula One racing car, which means the battery never fully discharges and can be topped up on the move. This is something you have control of while driving, with options to use the available power for pure EV driving of up to 19 miles, to support the engine, or to top it up as you go about your business.

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However, the biggest gains brought by the E-motor come in the form of usability and economy, not necessarily the straight-line performance. By design, the car starts up in electric mode and the engine will only spring in to life once you apply enough throttle. On cold starts, the ICE needs time to warm up, so when it kicks in it will idle in the background while you zip around in EV mode, and once it engages you can then select your preferred gear and be on your way. The regen comes via a lift and coast system similar

When I collected the car from Woking, I spent the following ninety minutes on the motorway where I ran the battery down. I averaged just over 30mpg which is frankly ridiculous when you consider the performance on offer. The only caveat is that if you wish to top the battery up while driving, you don’t get the same fuel economy because the focus is on regen not deployment. You can’t have your cake and eat it. When I encountered some traffic, I simply popped the Artura in to its electric mode which saved fuel, eradicated the stop-start engine drone and made it ironically the cleanest car in a traffic jam filled with normal, every day cars which are designed to be economical and kinder to the environment. A 3 Series driver even gawped in amazement when he noticed me switching from engine to E-motor.

Between the stealthy looks and the electric mode, the Artura could easily slip through town unnoticed. Sort of...

If you leave the car in comfort, it will also swich over to electric only without you having to do it manually, but in sport and race, it will always leave the V6 running. The transition from engine to milk-float mode is generally smooth, although sometimes the change-over is accompanied by a small thud as mechanical bits disengage and the E-motor takes over. In time, I’m sure McLaren will smooth this out.

For the purpose of testing, we took the Artura to a Grid Serve charging station so we could plug it in. In the real world, this is probably something you’ll never need to do given the regen system and the fact you can plug it in at home. The Artura also does without fast charging because the battery is only small and it also helps save weight. McLaren reckons it can charge up to eighty per cent in just two and a half hours which is believable given our testing. Unless you’re embarking on a particularly long journey, this is a charge at night, regen during the day kind of hybrid, and you can drive free of range anxiety knowing that you’ll always have a glorious V6 engine which drinks this magical

substance called petrol, to get you home. Just a thought... an Artura run on e-fuel would be a motoring and environmental wonder!

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One of the main things I enjoyed though, was driving through a town or village using electric power and then turning the ICE back on once I hit a country road. McLaren may have created a car which is more sociable, drinks less fuel and puts out less nasty carbon dioxides, but it’s still a McLaren and therefore it’s a stunning driver’s car. Weight saving measures mean the Artura tips the scales at a little over 1,500kg with fluids, which has helped them retain all the driving dynamics we’ve come to expect. The recalibrated hydraulic steering which now has a touch more weight off-centre is full of feedback, the front end of the car is sharp, and there’s barely any body roll to speak of. It’s conventionally sprung with an anti-roll bar and is a touch more rigid than other McLaren road cars, but nevertheless, it soaks up lumps and bumps in the road and rarely becomes unsettled, even while deploying the full 671bhp through the rear wheels. The Artura is a car that breathes and flows down a country road, and

Target MAX means the battery will recharge while on the move.

The new bucket seats are rather comfortable across long journeys!

the compact size helps you place it accurately – it feels like an extension of your inputs. And because the regen has been kept away from the brakes, the LT-spec carbon ceramics also have fantastic feel. The new E-diff also makes the Artura one of the more playful McLaren’s I’ve driven and it responds more positively to throttle adjustments mid-corner. The only area that really requires improvement is the gearbox. The new eight speeder doesn’t quite have the snappy downshifts that the previous ‘box did. This is probably to do with the fact that the E-motor is incorporated in to the clutch bellhousing, so reverse is now electric only which has freed up the space for the extra ratio, but also might be slowing down the shift speeds a touch. We’ll see if McLaren can tweak this over the car’s life cycle.

hi-fi has also been improved and it now, shock horror, actually plays quality sound! The driving position? Perfect, if you ask me. Even the most habitable of supercars tend to be compromised in some way which means I rarely recommend them for daily use, but not so with the Artura. I’d happily drive it every single day.

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When you’re not chucking it about, the Artura is also an accomplished cruiser. It’s no grand tourer, but it’s by far the most refined McLaren I’ve tested with good ride quality, a pleasant cabin, an improved infotainment system and cabin ergonomics, and a distinct lack of wind and road noise. The Bowers and Wilkins

After four busy days with the McLaren Artura, I’d come to two realisations. The first was that it’s certainly the most complete production vehicle McLaren has made to date. The second is that hybrid supercars are now the way forward. This car is proof that you can have the same adrenaline pumping, high-octane fun but in a package that’s refined, usable, kinder to the environment and more socially acceptable. The great irony is that Woking set out to show how hybridisation can improve the performance of the supercar and extend the perceived life of the internal combustion, but inadvertently they made one with merits that extend beyond driving pleasure and mechanical excellence. The Artura is all thrills and very few spills, and serves as proof that McLaren is on top of its game.

PAPER REVOLUTION

74% of paper and 83% of paper-based packaging is recycled into new products; one of the highest recycling rates of any material in Europe!

Sources: Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), 2020 and Eurostat, 2018. Europe: EU27 + Norway, Switzerland and the UK.

WILD BULL

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT SUPER SUVS COULDN’T GET SILLIER, LAMBORGHINI DECIDED TO MAKE AN URUS PERFORMANTE. IS IT TOO MUCH?

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

The Urus Performante is a car which amusingly conjures up images of Lamborghini engineers huddled round a table, joking about how many climate activists it takes to screw in a light bulb.

If ever a car was a colossal middle finger to the green agenda, then this is it. The subject of Super SUVs is already a contentious one, so to take an Urus and make it louder, faster and more expensive was always going to rile people up. And for perhaps the first time behind the wheel of a car, I could feel it. I’ve driven my fair share of shouty, willy-waving motors, but the Perf’ takes the proverbial. Predictably, kids and car enthusiasts were enchanted by it, but in my five days with the Urus, I was the subject of more disapproving looks than I’ve ever received in any low slung slice of exotica I’ve had the privilege of piloting. And you know what? I didn’t give a rat’s you-know-what.

My selfish rational was this: vehicles like the Urus Perf’ were always going to be a flash in the pan, a brief moment in history when supercar engineers were allowed off the leash to create

the most hysterical, bonkers car they could ever wish to concoct, and I for one was intent on enjoying it while I could. Performance SUVs have always been a bit of guilty pleasure because the notion of making a large car not just move quickly but handle well, has always tickled me. Logic should dictate that such things aren’t possible, and so I find it deeply impressive when clever people manage to engineer their way round the fundamental laws of physics.

I remember spending some time with a standard Urus a few years back and being amazed by its breadth of ability, but with the Performante, it’s clear that Lambo were keen to bring out the big bull’s wilder side. The biggest change on the Perf’ is the removal of the air suspension in favour of steel springs which lowers the ride by 20mm and reduces the centre of gravity, bringing increased dynamic ability. Elsewhere, the front and rear tracks are wider. There’s a new Torsen centre differential with active torque vectoring at the rear. The steering and throttle have been recalibrated for quicker response. A new aero kit brings an

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Alcantara, more Alcantara, and yet more Alcantara covers the interior!

The yellow stitching makes the cabin feel special.

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Lamborghini won’t let you forget that this ain’t no ordinary Urus.

overall downforce increase of eight per cent, and it weighs 47kg less than an Urus S thanks to more carbon fibre panels and forged wheels with titanium wheel bolts. However, don’t mistaken it for some lightweight SUV, because despite the weight reduction it still weighs 2,150kg at the kerb.

Behind the wheel however, you quickly forget how porky it is because the only thing that reminds you that you’re in an SUV is the lofty driving position. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it accelerates like a supercar, and in the corners, it handles like a sports car.

The twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 engine sees a small uplift in power, with the Perf’ putting out 657bhp, although the torque figure is the same 627lb ft. as in the Urus S. It’s not just quick for an SUV, it’s fast, full stop. Zero to 62mph takes just 3.3 seconds and it will hit a top speed of 190mph. And because it’s four wheel drive, you get seamless, all-weather traction in even the most sodden conditions. It also now sounds even angrier thanks to a factory-fit titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic which thunderously rumbles away when you come off the throttle. The engine might be used in other VW Group cars like the Audi RS6 and Bentley Bentayga, but in the Lambo, it has a personality all of its own.

Most impressive though, is the way it monsters a twisty piece of road. Close to home I have a driving route which is full of tight, off-camber corners which present a stern test of any car’s dynamic prowess, but the Urus Performante set about decimating the twists and turns with very little body roll and a front end that doesn’t know the meaning of understeer. The only thing that unnerved me slightly was the recalibrated steering which was too light and left me feeling a touch disconnected from the front wheels, even if visually I knew where they were positioned on the road. For such a large car, I’d have liked to be more keyed in to the road surface, but steering feel aside, it’s uncanny what the Perf’ is capable of when the mood takes you. This is also partly down to the Pirelli Trofeo R tyres – yes, you read the correctly, hardcore rubber on an SUV –which offer monstrous levels of grip. Carbon ceramic brakes also ensure it stops well, although if you did venture on to a track, the jury’s out on how long they would endure before fading, given the weight and sheer forces at play.

The typical Lambo driving modes were present and included Strada, Sport and Corsa, with a new option called Rally which is meant to be used for sliding around on loose surfaces – Tyrone would love that! You can also use the Ego mode to configure the powertrain, steering and suspension independently of one another. Cycling through the driving modes also changes the responsiveness of the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which when ramped up in to Corsa snaps through down changes with real ferocity.

the Urus Performante set about decimating the twists and turns with very little body roll and a front end that doesn’t know the meaning of understeer

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As far as SUVs go, the Performante is by far the most driver focussed example I’ve driven, but as with other track-inspired performance cars, that focus comes at the expense of ride quality. While not terrible in Strada mode, it has lost the suppleness that came with air suspension. This becomes apparent when you encounter more severe bumps in the road, particularly when you’re travelling at pace. Sometimes, getting some speed beneath you can help a car breath over the bigger imperfections, but the Perf’ likes none of it and requires a smooth piece of tarmac before properly settling down. Put it in to Corsa and the ride can become quite jarring.

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the memo. I’ve never seen so much Alcantara in a car before – the dash, headlining, steering wheel, door bins, door trim, seats and boot partition were caked in it. The carbon trim was unlacquered and smooth to the touch, and the rest of the cabin was built well with quality materials. The other upshot of abundant faux suede and carbon is that it distracts you from the amount of Audi lurking around the interior, but the Urus has now been around long enough we can forgive Lamborghini for upcycling some German switchgear.

On the plus side, at least you won’t scrape the floor like you do in other Lambos. Also, because only 47kg of weight has been stripped out, all the sound deadening has remained intact, meaning it doesn’t suffer from wind and road noise despite the stupendously large wheels.

This brings us neatly to the cabin. My two favourite materials are carbon fibre and Alcantara, and to my delight, Lamborghini got

What truly matters when paying upwards of £210,000 for a hardcore SUV from Lamborghini is theatre, and let me tell you, the Urus Performante has it in spades. Not only does it look entirely bonkers, but it moves at a pace that no large thing should, it drinks super unleaded at a rate of 14mpg, the noise from the exhaust borders on comical, and it will make the kids and family dog throw up. The Urus Perf’ is a car of bombastic excess in a world that can’t stop taking itself seriously, and for that reason alone, it’s nothing short of utterly wonderful.

DRIVING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

BIG

SPEED

The W12 engine will be retired from Bentley’s line up in April 2024, so we grab the keys to a Continental GT Speed to see what it’s like in its most potent form.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

TThere are many evocative names in the world of motoring: Super Sport, Super Veloce, Superleggera, Speciale, Challenge Stradale, Superfast, the list goes on. Notice that these monikers belong to some of the world’s most potent performance cars from the likes of Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Ferrari. All do their bit to convey that the models in questions are either the go-faster version of an already stupendously fast car, or in the case of the DBS and 812, just bonkers from the outset. But one thing these great manufacturers have never called their cars is “Speed.” This name belongs to Bentley and it’s perhaps the most fitting of badges for a car that truly epitomises the essence of effortless performance, the Continental GT Speed.

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of powering it, the big W12. The motor which has Volkswagen origins will officially go out of production in April 2024 – something about emissions, blah, blah, blah – and along with it the Speed nomenclature. But for now, at least, we can enjoy it, although if you’re in the market for one you best hurry up as there are now limited build slots available.

A standard Continental GT is already one of the best cars on the planet thanks to its unmatched combination of pure luxury motoring and sporting credentials, which means for the Speed model, Bentley had to up their game even further if they were to create a clear separation between the two cars.

Bentley’s line up of powertrains now consists of a plug-in hybrid V6, a twin-turbo V8 and their range topping twin-turbocharged 6.0 litre W12. If you’re going to give your car a simple yet poignant name like Speed, then there’s only one engine suited to the job

First on the list of upgrades is a bump in power. The Speed has a whopping 650bhp – up 24bhp on a regular Conti – and 664lbs ft. which comes in from as little as 1,500rpm. For a 2.2 ton vehicle, it takes off at a truly alarming rate, especially when you engage launch control which is simply done by holding the brake and building the revs. As you take off, the rear squats, the bonnet rises and you’re catapulted towards the horizon. Zero to 60mph is

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In Comfort, the ride quality is supreme, particularly over the larger bumps in the road which it steamrolls over

“

This image would be picturesque if it weren’t for the weather!

despatched in 3.5 seconds and it will carry on to 208mph. Most impressive though is the effortless performance that comes with the swell of torque, how low in the rev range it’s offered up, and its quick response despite the inclusion of two turbos. You can be doing any speed in whichever gear you like; the Conti will unleash performance on demand with zero fuss. The W12 doesn’t sound as entertaining as the burbly V8, but what it lacks in character it makes up for with sheer, unfaltering and smooth performance. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

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larger bumps in the road which it steamrolls over. Across a broken piece of tarmac it will pick out some of the rougher elements of the surface, but that might have more to do with the 22-inch alloy wheels rather than the suspension. For the most part though, it wafts along in a way that only true luxury vehicles can thanks to its three chamber air suspension.

Mated to the motor is a twin-clutch, eight-speed gearbox designed by ZF which offers a good balance between snappy and smooth gearshifts. If you want to change the Speed’s personality from lazy cruiser to sporting GT, then you have Comfort, Bentley and Sport driving modes with a Custom option so you can configure your preferred set up. The car defaults in to Bentley mode on start-up which bridges the gab between Sport and Comfort, but I found myself using the two latter modes more often. In Comfort, the ride quality is supreme, particularly over the

Flick it in to Sport however, and the Bentley’s persona shifts to that of a more sporting vehicle. It’s physics defying how such a hefty car can feel so agile, especially on the entry to corners. There are a number of items working away to help the Speed retain its composure including a 48v anti-roll system that keeps the body in check through corners. The steering is also beautifully calibrated; it’s light enough to ensure the Bentley feels quick on its feet, but offers enough heft so you don’t lose sense of where the front wheels are which is essential when you’re trying to place such a large and heavy vehicle at pace. What really separates the Speed from the standard Conti, however, is the fact that it comes with four-wheel steering as standard which assists with low speed

Attention to detail at its finest. Bentley knows how make a car feel special.

manoeuvrability but gets it turned in to corners when really on the move. And you can sense it working, not in an unnatural way, but you can feel it just pushing the rear of the car in to corner in a way that makes it feel rear driven. This agility makes the GT Speed feel like a car that weighs sub-2.2 tons and the huge reserves of grip give you the confidence to push on in a way that you didn’t think possible. Brakes are mighty too, with our test car wearing the upgraded carbon ceramics which measure a truly colossal 440mm up front and 410mm at the rear. The stopping power is as immense at the acceleration, although the pedal is a little grabby at the top of the travel and they require some finessing when you’re hustling the car along.

cabin, but its only ever a consequence of driving over a particularly poor road surface while riding on those huge alloy wheels.

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What your backside is feeling most of the time is the massage seats with separate heating and cooling functions. Any noise that does filter in from outside is quickly drowned out by the upgraded NAIM hi-fi which offers some of the finest audio in any car. The depth of quality and modern feel of the interior is unmatched by any manufacturer. Bentley do this best, walking a line between pure luxury while also appealing to younger customers in the process. The cabin is layered in leather and Alcantara, but also brings the bling with knurled instruments and the traditional organ stops for the heaters.

But when you’re done being a bit of a yobbo, you just put it back in to Comfort and revel not only at the aforementioned ride quality, but the rolling refinement. It’s one of those cars that goes the extra mile to ensure you’re cossetted from the outside world by filtering out any unwanted wind and road noise, and intrusive vibrations. Occasionally the odd shudder makes its way in to the

If like me you don’t appreciate the old boy’s smoking club wood veneer, then you’ll be pleased to see that you can option sportier trims like piano black or the ‘engine turned aluminium fascias’ pictured. Also, shout out to the Bentley press team who just know how to spec a car. We’ve now taken delivery of a fair few and each one has shown us how creative you can get with the various

Wherever you look around the cabin, you’re reminded that you’ve bought the Speed model.

colour options. This Conti GT Speed was finished in Portofino with the Blackline specification to the exterior, and the cabin was trimmed in Brunel leather with Camel accents with contrast stitching. It was exquisite.

My favourite thing about Bentley interiors, however, isn’t the quality or how much fun you can have with the options list, but their approach to technology. In run-of-the-mill premium cars and even some which bridge the gap between premium and luxury, there’s often a big emphasis on tech and how many screen you can cram in to the cabin, but not so here. There are screens for the infotainment system and instrument binnacle, and they’re accompanied by actual buttons. If you don’t want to look at the main touchscreen, then you can either replace it with more fascia or three beautifully crafted clockfaces via the rotating display. I drove around with the clock faces on display nearly all of the time, and when I needed the navigation or wanted to change the song I was listening to, I accessed it using the instrument binnacle. Best

of all, not once was I bothered by a pesky lane assist. Utter Bliss. This is how luxury motoring should be defined, non-invasive and not overly complicated.

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So how much does all this hand crafted luxury cost? A normal Bentley Continental GT W12 starts from around £177,000, but for the Speed you pay a premium with the price starting from £219,400. Our test car was optioned to a little over £265,000. Perhaps the question is whether the Speed model is worth more than £40,000 over the standard car? In truth, the regular W12 offers ninety percent of the experience for a lot less money, but as is the way when playing in this area of the market, money doesn’t really factor in to which car you buy. These are emotional not logical purchases, and in the case of the GT Speed, you heart tells you to spend the extra money and buy the best you can afford, because you can. It is the most desirable and evocative Bentley you can buy, and a fitting tribute to the mighty W12 engine. It is, as its very name suggests, the epitome of speed.

LONG

WE DRIVE THE HARDCORE, TRACK-READY VERSION OF MCLAREN’S STUNNING 720S SUPERCAR, THE BALLISTIC 765LT SPIDER.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

TAIiiiiiil

Longtail. It’s a name steeped in McLaren history and one that first appeared on the F1 GTRs that were raced in 1997, owing to their elongated rear overhangs. Only 10 were built including the development prototypes and they won their class at the Le Mans 24 Hours with an overall finish of second and third. However, since the dawn of McLaren’s road car era, the LT name has appeared on the manufacturer’s trackinspired production vehicles, starting with the 675LT, then the 600LT and more recently the 765LT. Each of these cars represents the purest iteration of their lineage, with the latter building on the already wild 720S.

With 720S production coming to an end ahead of the release of the new 750S, we took the opportunity to grab a McLaren 765LT Spider for a week to see what the ultimate expression of one our favourite supercars is like to drive, and in a nod to its motorsport pedigree, we even took it to a racetrack, but more on that later.

In typical McLaren fashion, the LT isn’t just a faster 720S with a desirable badge, but a significant overhaul of a car that never needed to be a) any faster, or b) any more focussed, not for a road car at least. However, contrary to the impression that McLaren lack a sense of humour, the boys and girls at Woking have shown little self-restraint in ensuring that the 765 is as wild a road car you could go searching for. Where some supercars charm you with their theatrics, the LT leaves you with your eyes wide open and your jaw in your lap with its fighter jet aesthetics and utterly shocking performance.

To turn a 720S in to a 765LT, McLaren has bumped the power output from the twin-turbocharged 4.0 litre V8 engine to 755bhp, weight is down by 80kg bringing it to 1,388kg at the kerb, the gear ratios in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission have been shortened, and it benefits from a new titanium exhaust, bespoke springs and dampers, and you could even spec the brakes from the Senna hypercar if regular track work is on your agenda.

The results are astonishing. The LT isn’t just a marginal improvement over a 720S, but one that cranks the dial all the way up eleven. To even call it a supercar seems like a misjudgement, because the 765 is all hypercar, from the way it accelerates to the manner with which it decimates a B-road. At this point, reading the spec sheet is almost meaningless because nothing prepares you for how the performance makes you feel. Zero to 62mph takes 2.7 seconds, 124mph is seen in an eye watering 7.2 seconds, and the top speed registers at 205mph. Note that the VMAX is 6mph less than a 720S. That’s to do with the shorter final drive but it’s a reasonable trade-off when you realise how much faster it feels than the car the LT is based on, besides, rarely does anyone ever max out their car. In a straight line it’s a monster. It offers acceleration so intense that it must be felt to be understood, and even then, it’s a struggle to get your head round the way it seemingly bends the very properties of space and time. It’s warp drive for the public road.

And then there’s the benefits of driving the Spider. Weighing just 50 kilos more than the coupe, there’s no difference in the way it performs, and with the roof off you also get to experience the full ferocity of the titanium sports exhaust which pops, bangs and even spits flames on occasion. An engineer from McLaren told me that the Spider also feels more dialled in to the road than the coupe, a car which has a reputation for being spiky. Given the amount of power going through the rear wheels, the extra slither of weight probably aids traction and helps keep the rear in check, but McLaren has also softened the dampers and the steering is a touch slower than in the coupe. However, these small changes

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What do you listen to when you hit the race track?

The seats may say 765LT, but they’re actually taken from the P1 hypercar.

haven’t turned the drop-top LT in to a softie, because one of the main differences between the LT and a 720S is how playful it is. Where the base car often feels a little too locked down, the 765 moves around and offers up a more dynamic driving experience. It requires you to think ahead more and be gentler with your throttle application, otherwise that elongated rear end will get out of shape. It makes the LT more of a challenge, but also more entertaining and rewarding.

In truth though, you’re never getting anywhere close to its potential on the public highway, such are the limits of grip and performance. Across a country road, it’s hard to think of anything else with number plates that gets anywhere near the 765LT Spider in terms of pace. A more rigid supercar would be unsettled by our bumpy, broken roads, and there’s nothing else that offers the kind of dynamic prowess and relative surefootedness that the McLaren possesses. Then there’s the detailed feedback of the road surface it provides through the hydraulic steering and the seat of your pants. For a twin-turbocharged car with 755bhp, it

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also has fantastic throttle response. All of this adds up to a truly sensory driving experience. Where some supercars feel like they do the hard work for you but leave you feeling a touch distant, you feel like you’ve driven the LT. Every input is met with a near instant response, from the way the nose dives in to a corner, to the excitement with which the engine delivers its prodigious power. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is whipcrack fast on the down change, and the carbon ceramic brake discs with pads from the Senna hypercar rearrange your internal organs when called upon.

However, the true magic comes from how each element gels with the other to create a car that feels cohesive. The straight line speed is truly out of this world, but objectively it doesn’t feel any more outstanding than the steering, body control, brakes and ride quality. The 765LT is more than the sum of its parts, a fact which became apparent on one of my final drives before McLaren came to collect it after a week’s worth of seat time. I have a number of regular testing routes, one of which is particularly well trodden,

The rear wing on the LT also doubles as an air brake.

and on this very road the LT transported me to that special place where only the best performance cars take me. That place where it’s just you and the car operating as one, that moment where you’re demolishing a twisty stretch of road at real speed, yet somehow time seems to slow down. A moment in time where you forget all your troubles and you become absorbed in the pleasure of driving. It was driving nirvana, and when it was all over, I hopped out the car an enlightened man as I’d come to the realisation that what I had just driven was absolute perfection.

However, one of the main reasons we had the LT that particular week was because our time with it coincided with the Intelligent Money British GT media day at Donington Park. There are a number of McLaren customer racing teams that compete in the championship so it made sense to display the LT at the event for teams, drivers and punters to see. Donington Park is also a three hour drive from where I live, so it offered me an excellent opportunity to see how this track-honed supercar faired over a long distance. Needless to say, it’s not a daily driver. It’s certainly

habitable and you can easily complete a long trip in it, but you would grow weary if you used it every day as like every other supercar, it’s compromised in some way. In this test car, it was the P1 seats which we’re unforgiving over a long stint behind the wheel.

As we drove in to the paddock at Donington, we were greeted by the sight of the 765LT’s predecessor, the now legendary 675LT. The release of the 675 pre-dates my career as a road tester by a few years, however, I do know that it represents something of a watershed moment in McLaren’s road car history. Early models like the 12C and 650S were hugely capable while lacking in personality, but the 675LT is the car that people recognise as the model which helped the company find their mojo. I’m fortunate in that over the last few years, I’ve driven a lot of McLarens and each one has been outstanding in its own way, but the 765LT is a different beast. It’s animalistic, unhinged and at times, too much performance car for the public highway, but that’s what makes it one of the finest cars you could ever wish to drive.

VERDICT

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They’re all sold so unless you have circa £400,000 to spend on a used example, keep dreaming. However, for the lucky few, this is one hell of a road going, track day weapon.

REDLINE RATING: 10/10

BRITS

ABROAD

We fly to the portugal for round 7 of the intelligent money british gt championship. it’s time for sun, sea and supercars!

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

2 Seas Motorsport ready for take off!

The on-track action was as hot as the weather!

TThe Intelligent Money British GT calendar is predominantly made up of some of the UK’s best racing circuits including Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Donington Park. However, once a year the championship takes the relatively short trip to Spa Francorchamps for some racing at one of the world’s most revered race tracks. But for 2023, Spa was dropped from the calendar in place of the Autodromo do Algarve.

Portimão, as it’s better known by racing fans, might not possess the legendary status of its Belgian counterpart, but it’s still a fantastic grand prix circuit and unlike Spa, you can rely on the weather to be nothing other than pitch perfect.

So off we flew to the sunny Algarve for sun, sea and supercars, with a particular emphasis on the latter. And it wasn’t just us that were keen to go to Portimão, because the majority of the grid also took the trip to one of Europe’s southern-most destinations. A total of 66 drivers, 33 cars and 21 teams were in attendance, all of them ready to fight it out for the best result possible in the hottest race of the season which boasted ambient temperatures in the midthirties. The heat was perfect for laying around on the beach, but less so when you’re strapped in to a GT3 or GT4 racing car.

The event also attracted VIPs, including TV presenter and celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott. As the on-track action unfolded, guests and Intelligent Money private clients were treated to fantastic hospitality with endless amounts of food and drink. The champagne flowed, the food was delicious, and best of all, the VIP area was situated immediately above the pitlane and start/ finish straight for the best seats in the house. The grid-walk also presented VIPs with the opportunity to get close to the action, as the race-honed supercars formed the grid ahead of the race. Being able to wonder between the GT3 and GT4 cars, grab pictures, and see first-hand how the teams and drivers prepare for the race is a unique experience, and something that only motorsport allows.

But there was to be no lying about for the teams and drivers who put on a real show for the fans. British GT tends to stage action packed race weekends, and the event in the Algarve brought the same energy, just without the British weather.

On the Saturday it was the world’s fastest GT driver Raffaele Marciello who went fastest in both practice sessions for RAM Racing in his #15 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, with R Racing’s Seb Hopkins and Josh Miller in the #23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 sharing the honours in Free Practice 1 and 2 respectively.

When it came to qualifying, only 0.14 seconds separated the top three with Garage 59’s Miguel Ramos and Marvin Kirchhoefer snatching the GT3 pole in their #88 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. Following through with their fantastic pace in FP1 and FP2 were the lads at R Racing who claimed pole in the GT4 class.

Unfortunately, on the Sunday neither driver pairing would convert their Saturday form in what was an incident packed race which threw up two safety cars in the first half-hour and mixed up the team’s strategies.

Ultimately, it was 2 Seas Motorsport’s James Cottingham and

The event also attracted VIPs, including TV presenter and celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott

Julian Penniston-Hill by the British GT Photographer

Ainsley Harriott by the British GT Photographer

Jonny Adam who took the win, with the latter driver picking up a record equalling nineteenth British GT victory and his third of the season. The rest of GT3 podium was made up of Optimum Motorsport’s Mark Radcliffe and Rob Bell who claimed P2, and Barwell Motorsports’ Shaun Balfe and Sandy Mitchell in P3.

On the top step of the GT4 podium was Michael Johnston and Chris Salkeld for Century Motorsport who battled their way from eighth on the grid in their #14 BMW M4 GT4 to claim a maiden British GT victory for the pairing. Making up the GT4 podium places were Enduro Motorsport’s Harry George and Darren Burke in P2, and P3 went to DTO Motorsport and their drivers Aston Miller and Josh Rowledge.

After three hours of hot, sweaty racing, the winning drivers took to the podium for a well-deserved gulp of cold champagne and the trophy presentation. Handing out the silverware was Julian Penniston-Hill, CEO of the championship’s title sponsor, Intelligent Money. After the race he said:

“This was a very special race weekend in the Intelligent Money

British GT calendar, the first time in its 31 year history that the championship has come to Portugal and its incredible F1 track.”

“For me personally the weekend had extra meaning, as despite Intelligent Money being a UK based investment company, I actually live in Portugal, on the Algarve coast just down from Portimão, so it was the first time on my home turf.”

“It was a fantastic grid and the teams performed spectacularly under the searing heat against the Algarvian backdrop. SRO managed the event with their usual precision and our guests from the UK and Portugal all commented on how it was a weekend to remember.”

Overall, the trip to the Algarve for sun, sea and supercars turned out to be a standout fixture in what’s been a classic season of British GT. Not only did we revel in some of the best motorsport you’ll see at any level, but we got to sip on champagne and top up our tans in the process, which made everyone who attended a winner. Spa Speedweek will be back on the calendar in 2024, but the sheer fun of Portimão will live long in the memory.

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HYPER LAMBO HYPER LAMBO

IN 2024, LAMBORGHINI WILL GO ENDURANCE RACING IN THE ALLNEW HYPERCAR CLASS WITH THE SC63. HERE’S THE LOW-DOWN FROM ITS UNVEILING AT THE GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

Thanks to new cost reducing rules that have resulted in the standardisation of various car components, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) is currently experiencing an uptick in manufacturer participation, with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Peugeot and Cadillac all getting in on the action. The success of this new Hypercar class has now resulted in an entry from Lamborghini, and at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, we got our first look at Lambo’s allnew hybrid racer, the SC63.

the turbos have been mounted outside the engine vee which lowers the centre of mass and makes them easier to cool, which brings improvements in grip and serviceability. Remember, this is endurance racing, so heat management and durability are essential to achieving results.

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Yes, you read that correctly, the new SC63 is a hybrid. The LMDh rules it’s been designed to are rather prescriptive and insist that it’s propelled as such. The battery, Bosch ECU and motor generator unit are all off-the-shelf parts, as is the gearbox and suspension, although Lamborghini has been free to choose its chassis supplier, in this case Ligier. Lambo has also made its own combustion engine – a twin-turbocharged 3.8 litre V8 – although the total powertrain output must be limited to 671bhp. Cleverly,

The aerodynamics are also designed in-house with the only stipulation being that the race car has to incorporate some design elements from the road car division, in order to keep it relevant to the machinery that ordinary folks with deep pockets can buy. Lambo’s Centro Stile department were responsible for the bodywork and had to design the car to work across a wide temperature range, as in-season changes to the aero are forbidden by the regulations.

With the new rules also designed to create closer racing, Lamborghini will be hoping the SC63 is competitive from the outset. Two cars will be run, one in the WEC, and the other in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, which means both Le Mans and Daytona will be contested in 2024. Such a

The SC63 takes styling inspiration from Lambo’s road cars.

commitment also requires a star driver line-up and Lambo has gone to town to secure ex-F1 racers Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat, among other PRO racing drivers. The multiple championship winning GT3 racing team, Iron Lynx, will be running the two cars, both of which will sport Lamborghini’s motorsport livery which is Verde Mantis and Nero Noctis with the Italian Tricolore colours running down the centre of the car.

All of this chimes well with what Lamborghini is currently achieving with its road cars. Not only do they look as exotic as ever, but the company is now all-in on hybrid powertrains after recently selling its final combustion-only build slot. To unveil the SC63 at the Festival of Speed - an event where one of the buzz words was sustainability - clearly represents the completion of Lamborghini’s pivot towards an electric future, even if they’ve found a way to keep the mighty V12 engine alive and kicking in the Revuelto. We know that a hybrid Urus is imminent and the successor to the Huracán will use the same technology. The company also recently unveiled the new Lanzador which – despite

KEY INFO: LAMBORGHINI SC63

CHAMPIONSHIPS

WEC & IMSA

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CATEGORY CLASS

POWERTRAIN

ECU BY POWER OUTPUT

CHASSIS PARTNER

SUSPENSION

TYRES

RACE TEAM

ENDURANCE

LMDh (HYPERCAR)

HYBRID V8

BOSCH

671 BHP

LIGIER

PUSH ROAD

MICHELIN

IRON LYNX

sounding like an old, fossil fuel powered dinosaur – is an all-new EV slated for release in 2028.

Such was the significance of the occasion; Lamborghini’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann attended the unveiling. Later that afternoon, we got the chance to sit down with him and talk about why Lambo has gotten into endurance racing. He reminds us the company’s founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, was never actually interested in motorsport and just wanted to build the best super sports car in the world. But times have changed and the manufacturer has now had a racing programme for around fifteen years, with much of its success coming in the GT3 category.

Long gone are the days when technology tested in racing influenced the development of road cars, but as the old saying goes “win on a Sunday, sell on a Monday” and Sant’Agata will be hoping for a slice of that pie. Racing, more than ever, is a marketing tool.

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The LMDh opportunity is attractive to Lambo because the budget, as Mr. Winkelmann puts it “is foreseeable” and that a lot of OEMs are engaging with the worldwide opportunity that WEC and IMSA provide. He also cites the synergy between LMDh and automotive, “the fact that it’s hybrid is perfectly fitting with our strategy”, referencing Lambo’s move to hybrid powertrains in its road cars.

But there’s also another motivation behind LMDh and one that’s more personal to Mr. Winkelmann: “We don’t want anyone to be left out of the family, because we are more than a high-end super sports car, or luxury manufacturer.” He continues, “racing is something that, even if you will never be able to buy a car like this [a Lamborghini], you can be part of the community and this is very important.”

He is of course talking about the fan base. There are plenty of people that love Lamborghini’s road cars, but will never be able to afford one. However, giving fans a racing team to follow breaks down some of that barrier to entry while attracting new supporters, and that’s something we can get behind. This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours was a classic, and 2024 is shaping up to be even better.

Such was the significance of the occasion; Lamborghini’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann attended the unveiling

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AquItainable

You don’t normally associate swiss made dive watches with value for money, but the Chris Ward C65 Aquitaine GMT is here to buck the trend.

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

Christopher Ward is a watch brand on the ascent. The Bel Canto put them on the map and The Twelve has only solidified their place as one of the industry’s watchmakers of the moment. Whilst these timepieces don’t offer anything particularly innovative, what they do is tear up the rule book when it comes to quality and the price you pay for it. £3,000 for a chiming complication is unheard of, and The Twelve has more than a whiff of Czapek Antarctique about it, but for a small fraction of the price. However, the bread and butter of this British-Swiss brand is dive watches, the most interesting of which is the C65 Aquitaine GMT.

There are plenty of other divers in Chris Ward’s catalogue, but we chose to review an Orca Black Aquitaine because you can’t help but look at it and draw parallels with the widely popular Tudor Black Bay 58. Whether it’s the subtle two-tone appearance, the Oyster-style bracelet, or the Submariner-inspired hour markers, the Tudor and therefore Rolex inspiration is there for all to see.

Again, there’s nothing innovative about it, but it’s a watch that’s affordable, well made and comes with a few extra tricks up its sleeve that you won’t find elsewhere for the price.

We’ll gloss over the similarities to the aforementioned watches and focus on the extras you get from the Chris Ward. Besides, nearly every vintage-style diver you see on the market regurgitates design elements from the original Submariner, meaning we’re now long past chastising other brands for copying Rolex’s homework.

Over the last couple of months, the C65 Aquitaine has fit neatly in to my daily life. Whether I’ve been dressing up or dressing down, the watch has proven a versatile companion that can be used for any occasion. This is down to a number of things. Firstly, the neutral colourway which matches any outfit, but also the physical and perceived size of the watch. Measuring 41mm and with a height of 12.7mm, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s a touch proud for my 16cm wrists. But the beauty of the Light Catcher case is that it shrinks the visual weight of the watch and makes it look at home on smaller wrists like mine. A lug-to-lug measurement of

there are a couple of small but striking details that elevate the C65’s personality

“

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46.7mm and the curvature of the case means it sits comfortably on the wrist and can fit under shirt cuffs. The stainless steel bracelet also comes with micro-adjustment for the perfect fit.

The Sellita SW330-2 movement, although nothing special, is solid and reliable with a power reserve of up to 56 hours and a quoted timing tolerance of +/- 20 seconds a day. Chris Ward has also seen fit to give the Aquitaine an exhibition case back for those who enjoy looking at sturdy but ultimately uninspiring movements. I’d rather it be closed off but it does give this retro diver a more contemporary feel, and one thing I can’t fault is the power reserve which allowed me to rotate between other watches in my collection before the Aquitaine came to a stop.

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lume gives the Aquitaine a two-tone appearance. Amongst the matte black dial is a date window at six and a bright, red GMT hand which contrasts the richness and depth of the watch face. Earlier, I mentioned the Rolex inspiration, but watch enthusiasts will also draw strong parallels with early Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, particularly if you swap out the stainless steel bracelet for one of Chris Ward’s black leather straps.

Perhaps most impressive though is the amount of functionality it packs in for the price, and there are a couple of small but striking details that elevate the C65’s personality. Chris Ward divers always come with big water resistance, with this particular watch able to perform at depths down to 200 metres. The bezel is topped with sapphire crystal which shimmers in the light, while the old radium

Wherever the inspiration has come from one thing is undeniable – the C65 Aquitaine GMT is a heck of a lot of watch for the money. Perhaps the most complete diver in the Chris Ward collection, you can pick it up on the steel bracelet for £1,350. Like the C65 Chronograph I previously reviewed, I’m once again looking at another vintage inspired, Swiss made watch with plenty of complication for less than £1,500. However, this isn’t just an objectively good watch, but one that can be enjoyed by an enthusiast who has a collection or someone with a passing interest who just needs one, well rounded timepiece they can admire. Christopher Ward is on a roll.

Chris Ward’s Light Catcher case makes this 41mm watch well suited to this 16cm wrist.

The open case back displays a Sellita SW330-2 movement.

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The Garage Flooring

Revolution has arrived.

Say goodbye to boring flooring and hello to a new system that opens up a world of opportunities.