Redline Issue 17

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THE PERFORMANCE CAR MAGAZINE

issue 17

TECHNICAL DATA: MERCEDES-AMG GT S STOCK STAGE 1 STAGE 2

503 BHP & 714 NM 581 BHP & 885 NM 631 BHP & 897 NM

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WELCOME

The New Year presents all of us with an opportunity to reflect on the previous twelve months while looking to the year ahead. Without getting bogged down in to world affairs, 2023 was hardly one to remember, but it did provide some motoring highlights that were a healthy distraction from the outside world, some of which made it on to the pages of Redline which I hope you also enjoyed, albeit vicariously. Our commitment to providing engaging car content never fades, and we can’t wait to bring you more of the same in 2024.

So, we’re kick starting this year with a magazine that includes fantastic road tests of some truly stunning cars including the new McLaren 750S, Ferrari 296 GTB, Aston Martin DBX707 and BMW M3 CS. We take a trip to Sardinia to drive the current Lamborghini Huracán range for an article that celebrates the life of Lambo’s era defining V10 supercar. On the subject of many cylinders, we also spent a day with a gorgeous Ferrari 550 Maranello which packs a V12 engine and manual gearbox. For the first time in Redline, our readers have had the chance to put pen to paper and tell us what they drive and why, for our new Reader’s Rides section. Here, you can enjoy owner’s words on the Ferrari 296 GTB, Porsche 911 (992) GT3, McLaren 570GT, Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S, and Ford

Mustang ‘Terminator’ SVT Cobra.

Road cars aside, 2023 was a standout year for motorsport even if Formula One fans endured what was arguably the most predictable season in history – something about a Red Bull driver who won 19 out of 22 races. Thankfully, we had the Intelligent Money British GT Championship to keep us entertained and for the last race of the season, we arranged VIP hospitality for a group of Supercar Owner UK members. This was our first collaborative event with our official supercar club partner which you can read all about in this issue. To round off Issue 17, we have watch reviews on pieces from Christopher Ward and Timex, an article on GAD Tuning’s AMG event at Mercedes-Benz World, and our regular columns.

Returning to the opening paragraph, and I’d like to finish by looking to the year ahead. We have some exciting experiences and content lined up for 2024 and I hope that you stick around to see it. Whether you’re a regular reader or are picking up Redline for the first time, we’re pleased to have you along for the ride. Happy New Year and see you in April for Issue 18.

Warm Regards,

Mark Rose

Mark Rose, Owner & Managing Director

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTACT

Editor - Mark Rose Head of Financial Operations - Julian Penninston-Hill Lead Photographer - Dom Ginn Contributing Editor - Steve Sutcliffe Content Assistant - Stevo Jones Photographers - Matt Price, Josh Walters Writers - James Ford, Lewis Warren, Anthony Newman Print Consultant - David Gilbert

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contents REDLINE ISSUE 17

FEATURES

ROAD TESTS

watch reviews

18: SUBSCRIBE TO REDLINE 19: reader’s ridES 30: DAY AT THE RACES WITH SC:UK 37: the current state of f1 39: how to love slow cars 41: THE GREAT CONNECTOR 89: GAD TUNING’S BIG AMG MEET

10: Ferrari 550 maranello 42: mclaren 750s 52: Lamborghini Huracán Group Test 62: ferrari 296 gtb 72: aston martin dbx707 80: bmw m3 cs

93: christopher ward the twelve 96: timex marlin chronograph

Please note, whilst we take care to be accurate, no liability will be accepted under any circumstances should any of the content of this magazine be incorrect. Reproduction of whole or in part without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. Redline Magazine.

contents 09

MANUAL 10 redlinemagazine.co.uk

WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE A CLASSIC FERRARI WITH A V12 ENGINE AND MANUAL GEARBOX COMES ALONG, YOU DON’T TURN DOWN THE CHANCE. WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

MACHINE FERRARI 550 MARANELLO

road test 11

The shape of the 550 screams Ferrari Daytona, and it’s all the more timeless for it.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | Engine

| Power

| Torque

| 0-60mph

| VMAX

| Weight

| Price

| 5,474cc, V8

| 478bhp @ 7,000rpm

| 415lb ft @ 5,000rpm

| 4.3 secs

| 199mph

| 1,716kg

| N/A

For some time now, I’ve been a big fan of performance cars from the turn of the century.

In the late nineties and early noughties, manufacturers were becoming rather good at factoring refinement and general usability in to their cars, without sacrificing the mechanical feel of the machine. The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a perfect case in point. It has a naturally aspirated 5.5 litre V12 engine out front which sends its power rearwards through a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited slip differential. Tactile oily bits aside, Ferrari’s GT car can also cover long distances in comfort and is perfectly usable day-to-day thanks to a reasonable boot and quiet road manners. It’s a “get yourself a girl – or boy – that can do both” type of car, and one I’ve been eager to drive for some time.

When I realised that The Car Crowd had one on their investment platform, I asked nicely if they would let me have a go. This particular example is a perfect car for their investors to get involved in. It’s now proper classic car age at 25 years old,

F

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and the combination of V12 engine and manual gearbox make it highly desirable, especially as increasing numbers of electric vehicles get rammed down our throats. This isn’t financial advice, but with examples popping up for £85,000 plus, the 550 is a car that likely has headroom to grow in terms of value. Australia is also a booming market place for 550s as they never received an allocation from Ferrari when the car was in production. At the time, seven examples were rumoured to have been imported in to the country, but since then, our friends from down under haven’t been able to get their hands on it until recently, when it finally became an official classic vehicle. Fun fact about this particular car: it’s part of a special collection that The Car Crowd have curated with Jodie Kidd and you can find extra content for this vehicle on her YouTube channel ‘Kid in a Sweet Shop’.

Needless to say, David and the team were happy to chuck me the keys for the day, so off I pranced in to the late autumn sun.

Ferraris of this era were much simpler than today’s offerings, not just in terms of the mechanical platform, but the interior and

COLLABORATING WITH

“

You turn the wheel and the light steering weights up as you apply lock which builds connection with the front wheels road test 13

Not a screen or haptic button in sight. Perfect!

Manual dials for the win!

general operation of the vehicle. There’s no push to start and no touch sensitive screens or haptics; just dials that require twisting and buttons that work with a simple press. The key turns in the ignition, the manual handbrake goes down and the transmission is pushed in to gear. Simple.

The first thing that strikes you is the weighting of the pedals, particularly the throttle which requires a solid push before you can get moving. However, you soon become accustomed to it and the extra heft helps you modulate the brake and throttle for more precise inputs. I also thought it would feel like a heavy car to navigate given the kerbweight is 1,716kg and it has hydraulic steering, but to my surprise it felt light and was easy to thread through the village I encountered on my travels. It also rides well although some of the suppleness does fall away when you encounter broken tarmac. Still, the vibe is of a car that can cover big distance in genuine comfort and it even boasts a 100 litre fuel tank.

But it’s not until you find some open road that the 550 really

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comes alive. The V12 engine puts out 478bhp at 7,000rpm and 415lb ft at 5,000rpm meaning you need to rev the motor to get the best from it, and when you do that, my word does it charm you.

At low revs it’s rather muted, but this is a car that sings its way to the red line once you unlock the upper reaches of the rev range.

I found the gearing to be quite long, but when you keep your foot in, you’re rewarded with a beautiful, orchestral sound as twelve cylinders do what they do best. The power delivery is smooth and linear, and offers up a 0-60mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 199mph – not quite a 200mph car, but who cares when you have an engine as sonorous as this one?

And to top it off, the powertrain is mated to Ferrari’s famous open-gated six-speed manual gearbox. Usually, the pause in proceedings caused by lifting off the throttle and engaging the clutch are an annoyance, but in the 550, the momentary break from the engine tone is filled with the satisfying click-clack of the gear stick being rowed around the ‘box. Not only does it sound wonderfully metallic, but it feels rifle-bolt in its action and creates a

“

it feels rifle-bolt in its action and creates a direct connection between you and that glorious V12 ahead

direct connection between you and that glorious V12 ahead.

Now, you would assume that a 25 year old GT car with a big engine would be a bit of a blunt instrument when presented with twisty roads, but you would be wrong. The 550 benefits from double wishbone suspension and adjustable damping with a Sport mode.

It also has an aluminium body, as well as magnesium wheels and aluminium brake calipers to help keep unsprung weight down. The result is a car that feels agile and does a fine job of resisting roll in the corners, even if it’s not as hunkered down as a modern grand tourer, which is to be expected. You turn the wheel and the light steering weights up as you apply lock which builds connection with the front wheels. Most impressive, however, is the front engine rearwheel drive chassis which feels balanced and rotates around you.

It’s not a car that you would want to manhandle, instead it responds better to calm and well-judged inputs, and when you treat is as such, it flows down a twisty piece of road. Point-to-point, a modern car is faster and I did uncover some understeer, but it’s easy to see why motoring journalists raved about the 550 when it was released

and why many still consider it one of the great Ferraris – it’s an absolute honey to drive. Unfortunately, as the afternoon went on the poor weather came in and dampened my proceedings.

Not wanting to prang a classic Ferrari that more than seventy people have invested in, I decided to calm things down. I suspect given its age, a major limiting factor concerns the brakes and subsequent stopping distances should one need to anchor down in a hurry. As the drizzle continued, the roads became increasingly wet and a moment of over-confidence in the throttle pedal while in second gear caused the rear to break traction. It was at that moment I realised it was time to return the Ferrari 550 back to The Car Crowd. Besides, there was no AC which made the windows difficult to demist when the rain really got going.

Back at the unit, I spent a little extra time pouring over some of the visual details. In my opinion, the 550 is a gorgeous car that harks back to a period when car designers were interested in elegance, not how angry they could make a performance vehicle look. It’s not surprising that the underlying architecture is from a

456 although the 550’s wheelbase is around 4 inches shorter than its four-seater stablemate’s. If you look at the body shape, you can see it’s been inspired by the Daytona, while the air vents on the side take inspiration from the 275 GTB. Finished in classic Rosso Corsa over Nero black leather, it really is a thing of beauty.

At the top of this article, I explained why I’m currently enjoying cars from this era and the Ferrari 550 does nothing to change my opinion. I love driving modern supercars – the performance is mind bending, dynamically they’re superb, and they’re now easier to live with than ever. But in most cases, they’ve lost a considerable amount of the engagement and character that older cars possess.

Don’t get me wrong, my dream garage wouldn’t be filled with classic cars only, of course I would drive their modern equivalents, but given limited space there would certainly be room for a couple of models from years gone by. They truly don’t make them like this anymore, and as the world leaves behind big displacement, multicylinder engines and ‘antiquated’ manual transmissions, the want to own a slice of the past only grows stronger.

VERDICT FOR MANY, THE 550 MARANELLO IS ONE OF THE GREAT FERRARI ROAD CARS. WITH AN ENGINE AND GEARBOX PAIRING THIS GOOD, IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY.

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READER’S RIDES introducing reader’s rides - a place where magazine subscribers can tell us what they drive and why. please email enquiries@redlinemagazine.co.uk for the chance to feature your car.

IN THIS ISSUE

FERRARI 296 GTB

PORSCHE 911 (992) GT3

MCLAREN 570GT

MERCEDES-AMG GLC 63 S

FORD MUSTANG SVT COBRA ‘TERMINATOR’

READER’S RIDES

FEATURE 19

READER’S RIDES HINESH’S FERRARI 296 GTB

HINESH TALKS US THROUGH WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT HIS FERRARI 296 GTB, THE BUYING PROCESS, AND HOW FERRARI HOSPITALITY CAN BECOME RATHER EXPENSIVE. On reflection, this was one hell of a marketing attack. In 2021 I was invited to a private unveiling of the Ferrari 296 GTB. Honestly, I didn’t understand it. Ferrari’s test driver was making cringeworthy statements along the lines of “we’ve listened to customer feedback” and “defining fun to drive”. I stood there a-gasp, first because I was never consulted as a customer and second, having just had a brilliant and entertaining run to the venue in another Ferrari, how could it be possible to make driving any more fun? And the front-end styling didn’t do it for me either. In the end, it was great to see a few old faces and be back at Down Hall after all those rolling lockdowns but the 296 was not for me.

The 296 test drive invites began to pop through in summer 2022. I resisted the UK drives, instead saving myself for a Stratstone Ferrari event to the factory for me and a few friends later in the year where we were immersed into the 296 experience at the factory to driving the glorious hills above Maranello and ultimately, Ferrari’s own Fiorano test-track. Having driven the SF90 briefly on UK roads and a few laps of Snetterton, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed driving the 296 GTB. Yet, I still loved

0

my F8 Tributo for its feel, brute force and styling.

I had the opportunity to track the 296 in the UK with Ferrari Passione in early 2023. We’d covered a few hundred miles in Italy with the engineers and test drivers in the passenger seat, providing their well-scripted dialogue and constant guiding on how they want the car driven. For the first-time, I was able to drive the car back-to-back with my own F8 Tributo, and more important, with my own personal driving style. I was simply blown away. I now understood Ferrari had done something beyond special here. The balance of the car, missile-seeking system turn-in and ferocious stopping power were in a different league to the already incredible F8. There is one major thing to note - in the F8 and 488 its clear when the amazing systems are intervening. The 296 marries so many technologies there can be moments when you’re not 100% sure if you or the car is defying physics. Still sensational, though!

At Goodwood Festival of Speed, I was lucky enough to be sent up the hill in a 296 GTS and enjoy Ferrari’s hospitality. After lunch, Stratstone Ferrari called me and the deal was done - my new GTB would be ready for late summer. There are two important lessons from my journey. One, Ferrari lunches are costly. Second, drive the 296 at your peril. It will ruin every car you drive thereafter.

MEMBER

FEATURE 21

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READER’S RIDES JAMES’ PORSCHE 911 (992) GT3 James Ibbetson has long debated the pros and cons of turbocharging, but here he explains how experiencing natutally aspirated engines led to him buying a 992 gt3.

Being born in the 80s and spending most of my younger years in the 90s and 00s, my love for cars started in the days of Max Power, Ali G and the first Fast & Furious films. I must be honest, the lure of a dump valve and turbo whoosh used to get the hairs on the back of my neck. Then, as we all do, you start to grow up and mature. I think attending a Grand Prix in the days of the naturally aspirated V10 and V8s makes you realise a dump valve isn’t anything compared to an NA engine screaming at 9000rpm, and that is where the journey started for me.

My first venture into the world of NA was a 981 GT4; having been taken for a spin in a friend’s GT4, the sounds of the flatsix engine had me hooked, and not long after that, I got my first GT4. I have to admit I was never really a Porsche fanboy, but GT4 ownership opened my eyes; once you had it above 4000rpm, it was a sensational car to drive. Below that magic 4000rpm, I felt it always lacked pace compared to the previous turbo engines I had

B

driven.

Roll on the 991.2 GT3 with its iconic rear wing and a 4.0 flat-six engine, and it is safe to say all qualms about the GT4’s pace at the bottom end of the rev range disappeared, and I was sold. This was a car that was equally at home on a track as it was navigating a British A road on a Sunday drive.

Porsche then developed the 992 GT3, and while in some respects, due to emission rules, I feel I may have lost some of the acoustic symphonies from the engine, what the car now gives me with the handling changes is nothing short of sensational. It lives up to every comment you hear about it being a driver’s car – nothing I have driven drives as well as the GT3 or fills you with the confidence to send it into a corner, knowing it will turn in and send you out the other side with complete precision.

For me, driving cars has always been about the emotions they make you feel and taking the GT3 out never fails to make me smile and ignite the senses. Something I don’t think you get as easily from a non-naturally aspirated car.

MEMBER

FEATURE 23

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READER’S RIDES NICK’S MCLAREN 570GT

MAGAZINE READER NICK COLLINS DISCUSSES MCLAREN OWNERSHIP, WHY HE CHOSE A 570GT OVER RIVAL CARS, AND SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES HE’S HAD WITH HIS PRIDE AND JOY.

fter a few months of watching YouTube videos, reading magazine articles on various supercars, and visiting plenty of supercar showrooms to determine my choice, I collected the 570GT in May 2018 from McLaren Glasgow – a 67 plate with 3,500 miles in Ice Silver.

I had looked at Audi R8s, Mercedes-AMG GTs, Ferrari 488s and Lamborghini Huracáns, but just loved the shape of the 570GT, the comfort and practicality (all relative) and most importantly, the great drive. From day one it put a massive smile on my face and five plus years later and with 46,000 miles on the clock that has not changed.

The ownership experience has been mainly good. McLaren Leeds opened three months after I bought the car and they have been very good in looking after me and the car. It has suffered

A

from the paint bubbling common to many pre 2020 models. Pretty much all panels have been changed under warranty and whilst not ideal, Leeds and McLaren HQ provided great customer service.

Mechanically there have been no major issues – a broken spring, one damper replaced and a couple of steering bushes. I joined SC:UK in 2019 and have had many great driving days and tours getting to know like-minded people and making new friends. The Switzerland trip in 2022 was epic with over 2,000 miles covered.

Living in the Northeast gives me easy access to many great roads and I often take a morning drive over Blakey Ridge or across the Pennine roads to Alston. The 570GT can easily be used as a daily driver to pick up the shopping. It attracts attention on the road and when parked up, especially with the dihedral doors open.

I still enjoy every mile whether in town, cruising on the motorway or something more energetic on a great B-road.

MEMBER

FEATURE 25

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READER’S RIDES

PAUL’S MERCEDES-AMG GLC 63 S SOME CARS TRULY ARE PERFECT FOR THE JOB, AS MAGAZINE READER PAUL CONNAUGHTON EXPLAINS WHY HE DAILY DRIVES A BIG AND VERY POWERFUL MERCEDES-AMG SUV.

I’ve always had the need for an SUV as my son James is a wheelchair user. I’ve had many firsts with the original Range Rover Sport and the one prior to the newly launched version. They always attracted attention with only having just arrived on the scene. Equally the BMW X6 raised eyebrows and was very much a Marmite car, but the four seat option never went down with my good lady as we couldn’t take her mum shopping along with us and my two children.

From beasts like the Mercedes-Benz GLS and the technological advanced Volvo XC90 Hybrid and BMW X5, I’ve experienced most on the market. However, the best car I’ve ever owned is my current Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S which is an all-round amazing car.

There’s enough room for James’ wheelchair, five adults and our luggage, and has all the performance you could ever need.

I

Weighing in at just over two tonnes and with a handcrafted AMG 4.0L V8 biturbo engine, it pushes 503bhp, will do 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and tap out at a whopping 174mph. On a 700 mile trip of Scotland with my Dad, I averaged 27.6mpg which is a lot better than I expected. I’m going to find it hard to replace this car at some point over the next year, but in the meantime, I’m going to continue to enjoy every second of pleasure this amazing rocket SUV brings.

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MEMBER

FEATURE 27

READER’S RIDES

matt’s ford mustang svt cobra not a car commonly seen in the uk, magazine reader matthew gill talks ABOUT how he came to own his childhood dream car, a 2003 ford mustand svt cobra “terminator”.

My story with this car begins when I was around 14 years old. I had always had a love for American muscle cars from a young age which had been passed on from my dad. When YouTube was in its infancy and many street racing videos were uploaded onto it, many of them featured these cars pretty much beating anything that was thrown at them. I watched them become underground icons and the sound and looks just made me realise that this was my dream car, I just had to have one.

Fast forward to 2022 and I spy on an American car dealers Facebook page an image of this particular car, but it didn’t appear on their website. I immediately called them up to enquire and despite the fact it wasn’t ready for sale, I could come and have a look. When we got there and I saw it up close, all those YouTube memories came flooding back and I just knew I had to have it.

This particular car had been owned by a US soldier since 2005 and lived most of its life in Arizona before being imported to the

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UK in 2016 when the owner was drafted here in the military. She drove it for a year and then put it into storage up until 2022 when I bought it. Many other Mustang enthusiasts wondered where, how and when this came into the country. It had flown very much under the radar.

The bad points on the car are due to its high mileage, nearly 120,000 on the clock. A lot of the parts are just worn out, but thankfully the engine isn’t. As with all early 2000s American cars, the interior build quality is pretty poor and feels very cheap.

However, nobody is buying one of these to sit in a luxurious car.

They buy it for the driving experience.

These bad points are massively overshadowed by the good points. The engine is a bespoke 4.6 DOHC Supercharged V8 which developed 420 to 430 horsepower when new, and is mated to a ‘TREMAC’ T56 six-speed manual gearbox in the middle. It has a full independent rear suspension and LSD set up at the back.

This car also has a smaller supercharger pulley to provide more boost and has upgraded Cobra R, front Brembo brakes.

MEMBER

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DAY AT We team up with Supercar Owner UK and arrange an event at Donington Park for the finale of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship.

WORDS: mark rose / PHOTOS: josh walters

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THE RACES

SC:UK BRITISH GT EVENT

FEATURE 31

Over the course of a year, the team at Supercar Owner UK plan a plethora of events for their members, ranging from coffee mornings at local supercar dealerships, drives out, car shows, and even large European driving tours. With the curtain falling on racing season, we decided to team up with them to arrange race day hospitality for a group of their full members at the final round of the 2023 Intelligent Money British GT Championship, at Donington Park.

Something we really enjoy about the championship is the synergy between the cars that hit the race track and the road vehicles that regular people can purchase. The grid is filled with GT3 and GT4 cars from the likes of McLaren, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG and BMW, which makes attending one of the races with our official sports and supercar club partner all the more memorable as they get to see iterations of what they drive being raced in anger.

Before making our way to the track, we met up with the SC:UK members at the appropriately named Donington Park services which are situated just off the M1. Once everyone had gathered, we took the five minute drive to the circuit in a convoy that consisted of some seriously cool metal including a Ferrari F8, a McLaren 600LT and 570GT, a 996 generation Porsche 911 and Taycan, an Audi R8 V10 and RS5, a Mercedes-Benz SL400, a BMW M5 Competition and G80 M3, a Jaguar XKR, Toyota GR Yaris, and a classic Austin Mini that was in mint condition. Waiting for us at Donington was our designated parking area within the paddock where racing fans could see the cars on display, and conveniently, it was a short walk from the hospitality.

Once we arrived, all the guests enjoyed a champagne breakfast which was then followed by some on-track action as the British GT cars took to the circuit for their morning practice, ahead of the race. Between sessions there’s a lot to enjoy, including support races, an array of display vehicles consisting of super and hypercars, gift stalls with motorsport merchandise and memorabilia, and on site activities and entertainment. You’ll even found copies of Redline hanging around the hospitality area!

However, the highlight of the day had to be the British GT grid walk, as SC:UK members got the opportunity to watch up close the GT3 and GT4 cars take their grid spots and perform their final pre-race preparations. No other sport lets you get this close to action and there’s nothing quite like traversing a starting grid moments before a motor race.

At 13:00, the final round of the 2023 Intelligent Money British GT Championship got underway. With the cars battling it out on track, it was time to grab something to eat, and handily, there were screens in the hospitality so that VIPs could watch the action while enjoying their buffet lunch. But of course, few things beat live motorsport, so once SC:UK had finished their meals, they

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Waiting for us at Donington was our designated parking area within the paddock

SC:UK members brought some serious cars to the event!

FEATURE 33

COLLABORATING WITH

SUPERCAR OWNER UK IS REDLINE’S OFFICIAL SPORTS & SUPERCAR CLUB PARTNER

took to the viewing areas to see and hear the cars in the metal.

There are some fantastic viewing spots around Donington Park, and no matter where you are around the track one thing you can’t escape is the sound of these GT3 and GT4 cars. They make some glorious noises from a range of engines with six, eight and ten cylinders. Still lament the introduction of turbo-hybrid V6s in F1? Then check out British GT if you’re in to proper internal combustion.

The championship also provides a real spectacle with some of the closest wheel-to-wheel racing you’ll see in any category.

The 2023 season was a genuine classic with a GT3 team’s championship that was wrapped up with just one race to go – congratulations to 2 Seas Motorsport on the win – and two driver’s titles that went down to the wire at Donington Park. On this day it was Century Motorsport’s Darren Leung and Dan Harper who clinched the GT3 driver’s title after going in to the weekend with a points deficit to championship leaders James Cottingham and Johnny Adam, but came out on top after a safety car-hit final race.

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Academy Motorsport’s Matt Cowley and Erik Evans overhauled a huge 16.5 point deficit, a 26 second Silver pitstop handicap and a maximum 20 second Compensation time for winning the previous race at Brands Hatch, to win the GT4 driver’s championship.

Such is the unpredictability of British GT, that two driver pairings can go in to the final race of the season with serious ground to make up in their respective title fights, and still come out on top.

Congratulations to all on a fantastic end to 2023.

Throughout the day we caught up with a number of SC:UK members and discussed the racing and the cars they brought with. Given our partnership with the club is still new, this was our first chance to meet some of the membership and talk cars.

Not only did everyone thoroughly enjoy the event and comment on how they would return in 2024, but it’s clear that there is a shared passion for cars and a mutual respect for what everyone drives. Our thanks go to all the Supercar Owner UK members who attended the race day hospitality we arranged, and we look forward to doing it again, and more, in 2024.

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5 x 20 minute drive sessions in our race fleet; McLaren 570 GT4, BMW M2 CS RACING & Ginetta GT4 GTA. One-to-one instruction with a DTO race coach.

Comprehensive support from our British GT pit crew.

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COLUMN MARK ROSE

ON THE CURRENT STATE OF FORMULA ONE It’s not often I take to this section of the magazine to voice has transpired. Admittedly, some of the racing has improved and my opinions, but I have some thoughts on the current state of ahead of each weekend there’s uncertainty around the competitive Formula One and as a long term fan, I feel inclined to air them. order, providing of course you’re not Max Verstappen. To Red Bull’s Just to be clear, I am a proper fan. I loathe the off-season, check credit, they’ve nailed the current ruleset although the conditions the F1 website multiple times a day for fresh articles, and get up for them to do so were favourable given Adrian Newey was around at 6am to watch flyaway races. I’ve attended Grand Prix, bought during the last ground effect era. The RB19 was and will likely merchandise, and I always try to judge on and off track action as remain the most dominant F1 car ever to turn a wheel, and Max neutrally as possible, even if like everybody I have a preference for has done what all the great champions do and that’s drive the four certain drivers and teams. wheels off it.

My current dissatisfaction with the sport isn’t aimed at any The problem is, while we all enjoy swashbuckling midfield of the competitors, but Liberty Media who are the commercial battles, what fans really want to see are the best drivers at the rights holders. It’s no secret that Formula One and controversy front fighting for wins and championships. I’d hate to bring up are regular bedfellows, and I doubt the championship would be as 2021 again, but Abu Dhabi aside, that year will go down as one popular as it is today if it weren’t for the juicy scandals and endless of the great F1 seasons because the two best drivers on the grid mishaps that at times can be season went hammer and tongs all season long defining. Abu Dhabi 2021 is the greatest “what fans really want to see in the mother of all title fights. Apart from modern example of how bad the sport can Gasly’s brilliant and emotional win at are the best drivers at the front Pierre make itself look when things spiral out of the Italian Grand Prix, I challenge anyone control, and while I’m not going to publicly to remember a single thing that happened fighting for wins” discuss my views on what took place that behind Lewis and Max that season. I sure evening, it clearly was the greatest sporting robbery of all time. can’t. Fast forward to 2023 and there was some fantastic midfield Oops, did I just let that slip out? Anyway, the point I’d like to make racing and a great fight for best of the rest, but in truth, the is that regardless of whether you’re a Lewis or Max fan, F1 looked narrative of the season and the thing that fans will remember in like a clown show that fateful night, and more than two years on years to come is how boring it was watching one team win 21 out it’s still feeling the aftershocks of what was a seismic cock up. of 22 races, 19 of which were won by a single driver.

But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the sport always And that’s not the fault of Red Bull or Max, it’s the fault of manages to pick itself back up and dust off controversies, Formula One and its owners for not coming good on the promise sometimes by simply ignoring them until the problem goes away. that changing the rules for the millionth time will create a more However, F1 currently has various issues, all of which shouldn’t entertaining championship. Quite frankly, I think they’re so be ignored, with one of them being the current regulations along obsessed with cracking the American market and making the with the cost cap which governs how much teams can spend sport look glitzy on Instagram that they don’t even notice how dull on their racing commitments. These ground effect cars and it’s become, and that’s bad because snoozy Sunday afternoons kill financial rules promised closer racing and an end to periods of audience retention. There’s no amount of Drive to Survive – which dominance by one team and driver, but largely, that’s not what itself is hugely contrived – that can fix that problem.

@REDLINEMAGAZINE

COLUMN 37

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.

Discover the story of paper www.lovepaper.org Scan for paper facts, activities, blogs and much more!

®

COLUMN JAMES FORD

ON HOW TO LOVE SLOW, UNINSPIRING CARS I believe it’s safe to say that we all like nice things – whether it the Rover range and moved over to big barges like Mercedes be a perfectly cooked meal at our favourite restaurant, that S-Classes, Jaguar XJs, and a few Land Rovers when a sudden beautiful timepiece we only wear on special occasions, or a drive drop in work had me back at an office-based nine-to-five with in an expensive, fast car. But that isn’t always so easy because not little money to my name and a lot of field sales miles ahead of me. all of us have the keys to an Aston Martin Vantage or a Porsche I wanted more than anything to waltz into my nearest Mercedes 911, so we need to make the best of what we do have. dealer and drive off in a well-kitted E-Class but it really wasn’t I’ve had many cars that have made me look back at them when an option, so instead I ended up in Peterborough’s world-famous parked up and grin from ear to ear when I was at the helm, but “dodgy used-car district” handing over a minimal amount of I’ve also had my fair share of less desirable motors. I think the best money for a 2008 Ford Mondeo Estate – a 1.8 TDCi in Zetec trim. example of getting every last ounce of enjoyment out of something Experts among us will know that the 1.8 TDCi is the worst of the not intended to be fast or fancy is the classic ‘first car’. three diesel engines on offer – the others being a 2.0 and 2.2 On my seventeenth birthday, I was given £500 and told to go litre – and unlike the other two, only had a five-speed manual out and buy my first car. Looking back, this was, and still probably transmission. It was soulless, unsightly, heavy, already slightly is, one of the best days of my life. I finally had my ticket to freedom dented and I wanted to hate it. and real independence. I instantly set about What I didn’t realise was just how useful thumbing through pages of the various “For me it was never about the it would be and also how much I would local free ads and car magazine classifieds. secretly grow to love it. The chassis of the destination, but always about MK4 Mondeo was possibly one of the best I had my heart set on something cheap, but hopefully fast. Unfortunately, the car I’d owned and despite the underpowered the journey” insurance Gods had other plans so I had diesel engine, made an excellent driver’s to settle for a 1994 Rover Metro 1.1L. A five door model finished car at weekends if you knew just how to work the gearbox and in turquoise and fitted with remote central locking, but no power throttle. I drove that car everywhere. From work trips three times a steering, no fuel injection or manual winding windows. It was month in Bristol and Manchester, to family trips to the Welsh coast, perfect. it never missed a beat and never let me down. I put 30,000 miles For about a year I learned how to replace the thermostat, fix a on it in a year and I think I only washed it once, but when I came to lot of rot, change various wheels by the roadside, and even once sell it, I was genuinely a bit teary-eyed. use the plucky little Metro to pull a mate’s Peugeot 205 out of a The point I’m trying to make here is that we live in a world ditch. I also learnt that for me it was never about the destination, where we are fed so much content showing us where we should and always about the journey. I think our current vacuum cleaner be in life and what we should be doing and it’s not always possible, has more power than that Metro did, but I spent every waking but instead of being miserable that we don’t have a Ferrari SF90 hour behind the wheel of that thing and it had me smiling like a on our driveway, we should be thankful for what we do have and Cheshire cat the whole time. fully celebrate it. Whether it’s a twenty year-old work van or a new Fast forward a decade or two and I’ve worked my way through electric whatever, just go out and enjoy it, and create your own fun.

@welldriven

COLUMN 39

DRIVING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

COLUMN LEWIS WARREN

ON BUILDING UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS THROUGH CARS I’ve been fortunate enough to be in some interesting places treated any differently to any other attendees because of the cars with some interesting people, mostly thanks to my passion for they drove, they just wanted to enjoy cars and learn more about the automotive. From the local meets held by close knit groups of one they found interesting. enthusiasts, to the big shows filled with the most rare and exotic The ultimate example of this for me occurred whilst on holiday machinery, one thing runs throughout, the people. in Naples. As the family had chosen to have a pool day, I decided The car world is a great connector of people from across broad to pick up my camera and go for a wander around the town we and diverse backgrounds, most importantly it harbours inclusivity were staying in, hoping to capture some of the interesting charm of all that get involved. Like any enthusiast group there are things we had seen when we arrived, and maybe spot some of the old we don’t agree on, the race teams we support, the particular cars Italian cars that are in abundance on the Neapolitan roads. As I got we choose to drive etc. Yet despite these differences, above all to the town square there was an immaculate Series 2 Alfa Spider else we connect over the passion, especially when we’re not at a parked up outside a newsagent which I obviously began nosing car event and meet another enthusiast. There’s nothing that can around and taking photos of. The newsagent spotted me and the connect two people quicker than finding out they’re both into cars.

Alfa Giulietta on the back of my t-shirt, and in a mix of his broken Most people have heard of the phrase “six degrees of English and my very broken Italian, we shared our appreciation separation” which is derived from the for the car. He then gestured for me to wait Stanley Milgram study conducted back as he wandered off into the square, returning “There was no ego, no in the sixties which found on average, with an elderly gentleman who was the any two individuals are separated by only judgement, and no expectation owner. What then transpired through an five connections. I believe the automotive of gestures, and exuberant Italian, was to be treated any differently” array world brings this down to around three an offer for a ride round the town, during degrees of separation. It’s impossible to which we even had time to pull in (parking 45 count the number of times I’ve been to an event and began talking degrees into the road in true Italian style) at a local bar for a proper to someone about their car only to find out we have a common espresso, sharing a passion through a mix of languages and the friend. This is one of the founding principles of why I started the Google translate app. A true connection was made between two Takona brand – the way cars can connect people is like no other complete strangers, both from different countries and different enthusiast environment. As soon as two strangers find out they are generations, over something as simple as the transport they get both into cars, the barriers around their conversations melt away, around in. whatever they were originally talking about becomes a secondary There’s no other passion I can think of where this could happen, topic to cars, and a friendship blossoms almost instantly. if I’d been wearing a football shirt instead of one with a car on, Recently, one of our coffee and cars mornings was attended by it would have more than likely created a divide rather than a two Carrera GTs that parked up next to a bright orange Bond bug, connection. If I was nosing around someone’s mountain bike it drawing somewhat of a crowd on their entrance. The drivers of the would probably have raised a suspicion before it had a chance to Porsches immediately started inspecting the Bond Bug, asking the start a conversation. The true spirit of cars is unique, connecting owner about the things he had done with it and what it’s like to people no matter where you are, what background you’re from, or drive. There was no ego, no judgement, and no expectation to be even what language you speak.

@takona_official

COLUMN 41

IMPROVING

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THE BREED IS THE NEW MCLAREN 750S JUST AN EVOLUTION OF THE 720S, OR SOMETHING MORE? STEVE SUTCLIFFE HITS THE INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH TO FIND OUT...

WORDS: STEVE SUTCLIFFE

MCLAREN 750S

road TEST 43

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T They say the best things in life improve with age. If so, what does that say about the new but undeniably familiar McLaren 750S? Is it still too young to be taken seriously as a frontline, worldbeating supercar? Or has it now matured sufficiently to hit that elusive sweet spot, the one that only ever seems to arrive after time, enabling it to reach the next level?

“

The 750S will freak you out with its pure speed Having driven the 750S on road and track for a couple of days – at Estoril and on the roads that surround it – I’m pretty certain it’s the latter. The 750S might feel fresh and new in both its name and specification but fundamentally it’s a well-established, deeply grown-up machine. One that feels ready to deliver, finally, on the promise McLaren has shown in bursts since its rebirth in 2011 but which has never quite materialised in full, not within the confines of just one car. But the 750S is now that car.

According to McLaren itself, this the lightest, most powerful series production supercar the company has ever built, and although it might lack the hybrid sophistication of its more obvious rivals from Maranello, at its core the 750S is an endearingly oldschool, refreshingly simple kind of supercar. One that’s still cutting edge in much of its engineering but, at the same time, not a car that bamboozles with technical complexity.

Instead, it’s just a very potent mid-engined V8 supercar with two turbochargers, a rear wheel-drive chassis, an insanely fast-shifting seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox and a tonne of development miles beneath its new forged, ultra-lightweight alloy wheels. Think of it as three-quarters of a 765LT but with the practicality of a 720S and an interior heavily influenced by the Artura, and you won’t be a million miles away.

It’s not cheap at £243,500 for the Coupe and £267,900 for the Spider, but then no new McLaren is. Besides, you get what you pay for in this instance, and then some. The familiar-but-different 4.0-litre twin-turbo M840-T engine now produces a whopping 740bhp (750ps hence the name) and 800Nm, with numerous small but key modifications having been made to the way it breathes – and therefore revs – to provide the output increases over the 720S. It’s enough to propel both Coupe and Spider versions to 62mph in a scant 2.8 seconds. The Spider weighs 49 kilos more than the fixed head at 1438kg but is to all intents every inch as fast as the coupe – even on top speed, which has dropped from 212mph to 206mph for both versions because the gearing is lower and closer, to give even more meaningful acceleration where it counts.

Elsewhere, the 750S has been heavily revised and boasts a faster steering rack, bigger brakes, uprated dampers, a brand new interior featuring full Apple CarPlay/Android connectivity (but no folding instrument binnacle this time) plus numerous styling tweaks that make it look both sexier and more aggressive than the 720. The overall effect is dramatic but still familiar. You can tell it comes from the same gene pool that produced the 720S, but in its detail – especially its raw performance – the 750S feels like a radically different car. One that drives with more focus, more edge, more bite, more of everything. Yet on the road it’s a car that feels every bit as civilised as a 720S. And that was basically McLaren’s brief with the car; to increase the driving thrills to a level close to those offered by a 765LT without losing any of the 720’s refinement or usability.

It’s a strong cocktail of attributes, and although McLaren sees the 750S as a rival to the similarly priced Ferrari 296, in reality it’s a very different kind of car from the V6 twin-turbo hybrid 296.

One with a more open, arguably warmer and more approachable personality that’s easier to understand and, ultimately, simpler

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | Engine

| Power

| Torque

| 0-62mph

| VMAX

| Weight

| Price

| 3,994cc, twin-turbo V8

| 740bhp @ 7,500rpm

| 590lb ft @ 5,500rpm

| 2.8 secs

| 206mph

| 1,389kg

| £243,500

The 750S is capable of serious speed...

road test 47

The Spider only weighs 49kg more than the Coupe, and arguably looks even better!

to enjoy. And I kind of love it for being this way – for being so easy to interact with and, ultimately, to have a scream driving.

There are still the same three drive modes to choose from – Comfort, Sport and Track – each of which has more definition than of old to make the transition between modes more obvious.

In Comfort the ride is calm, the V8 engine relatively quiet, the gearchanges smooth. In Sport the exhaust gets louder, the throttle response much keener, and there are pleasingly random crackles and bangs on both up and downshifts. Occasionally flames erupt out of the central exhaust. And in Track mode everything – from the throttle map, to the gearshift speed, to the response from the dampers – is retuned to deliver the fastest times possible on a track. The gearshifts actually get smoother in Track mode because this is faster, says McLaren, than the more dramatic ignition cuts and subsequent exhaust bangs you get in Sport.

You can even specify the brakes from a McLaren Senna for an extra £15k if you think the standard carbon ceramic rotors aren’t good enough for you, while Pirelli Trofeo tyres are also an

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The new driving mode selectors are from the Artura.

“

Its ability to shock, impress, intrigue, elate and amaze simply never fades.

road test 49

advisable no-cost options if you’re going to drive your 750S on a track. And if you have one, you really should – because although it’s a still a very lovely car to drive on the road, only on a track does it come fully alive.

There are no stand out elements that define the 750S dynamically. Instead, it excels at pretty much everything it does on the move, which is a serious credit to just how good a job McLaren has done on this car. It feels connected and harmonised in the way it responds to your inputs – be that at the throttle, steering or brakes – in a way that even a 296 never quite manages to replicate. As a result, it’s a remarkably easy car to get quite a lot out of, quite quickly on a track – mainly because it’s so friendly and approachable in its demeanour. It feels delightfully analogue from this point of view. For a 200mph full beans supercar it is uniquely easy to get along with, right from the get-go, but only because McLaren has got so many of the fundamentals like the driving position, instruments and control clarity, visibility etc, so spot on.

This is not to say the 750S is in any way dull, however, because it

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is not. To unlock the last 10-15 per cent out of it you need to know what you are doing, and if you don’t, you will inevitably end up in trouble – because despite being unusually easy to interact with at seven tenths, it’s also fast enough to remove your skin if you try to go all the way in it. Not just in a straight line but through corners and under brakes, too. Under brakes especially, in fact.

The way the twin-turbo V8 delivers its acceleration so smoothly is deeply impressive, of course it is. The noise it makes is also now much more dramatic than before, and far more appropriate for this kind of car. But the rate at which it will catapult you towards the horizon is still magnificently shocking the first few times you experience it, and even after several laps at full beans, it doesn’t abate. The 750S will freak you out with its pure speed as much after two hours as it will in the first two minutes. Its ability to shock, impress, intrigue, elate and amaze simply never fades.

It is the car McLaren has been promising to build for some years now, and even at a quarter of a million quid it is worth every penny, and then some.

VERDICT THE MCLAREN 720S WAS A GREAT CAR, AND THE NEW 750S TAKES EVERYTHING WE LOVE ABOUT THE OLD MODEL AND TURNS IT UP TO 11. SUPERCARS DON’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS.

REDLINE RATING: 9/10

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IT’S THE END OF THE ROAD FOR THE LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN and its NATURALLY ASPIRATED V10 ENGINE. WE TAKE A TRIP TO SARDINIA TO SEE IT OFF IN STYLE. WORDS: MARK ROSE

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HEAVEN LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN GROUP TEST

road TEST 53

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L Like any occupation, running a motoring magazine has its good and bad days. It’s not all fast car road tests and trips to sunny destinations for the purpose of “work”, although this year we have been on a few of those. Anyhow, today is one of the very good days because I’m currently driving a Lamborghini Huracán Evo Spyder on a mountain road in Sardinia.

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The STO looks like it belongs on a Super Trofeo or GT3 starting grid.

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Ahead of me is a Tecnica and behind is an STO with the new Sterrato bringing up the rear. Unsurprisingly, the noise being fed to my ears is extraordinary. This naturally aspirated 5.2 litre V10 engine is sadly at the end of its life, but it isn’t fading away quietly, rather the opposite. It rampantly howls its way to the rev limiter, barks on down changes, and feels like a living, breathing extension of my right foot. And if you thought one Huracán sounded exciting, imagine being surrounded by three others.

I’ve flown to the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea to drive what is effectively the Huracán’s greatest hits. Production will soon be wrapping up on Lamborghinin’s entry-level supercar and as of 2024, the manufacturer’s entire model range will be hybrid. I’ve spent plenty of time testing Huracáns over the last few years and even featured an Evo RWD on a front cover, so being invited to give it a proper send-off was an unmissable opportunity.

My selection of test cars included the aforementioned models, all four of which represent a different flavour of Huracán and embody the best of the multiple variants that have been produced over the years. The Evo is the every day, all-round supercar, the STO is the track-orientated version, the Tecnica sits between the two with an emphasis on fun, and the Sterrato which is made for off road excursions is about as bonkers as a supercar can get – I dare say there’s more personality in this one model line up than some car manufacturers can summon from an entire range.

The day of driving began with the Evo Spyder which conveniently was the best place to start. Ideally, I wanted to get the convertible out the way before the day peaked and it became too hot to drive with the roof down, and it also gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with the base model before hopping in to the crazier variants. For many, this is peak Huracán. You get all the thrills and spills of driving a V10 Lamborghini, but with a considerable slice of usability and the option to drop the roof for full access to that atmospheric engine.

With 631bhp and 443lb ft. distributed to all four wheels via a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, the straight line performance is suitably outrageous. Zero to 62mph takes 3.1 seconds and it will top out at 202mph, but as with all Huracáns, it’s the engine which dominates the driving experience. It compels you to extract its potential, not necessarily for the performance, but the fury it offers.

This is a motor that crescendos in both noise and ferocity. It’s an engine that relishes the limiter and intensifies its pursuit of it the deeper you explore the rev range. No matter which Huracán you’re driving, the V10 is just as glorious from each model to the next and is likely the main reason why it’s been such a sales success for Lamborghini.

Jumping from the Evo Spyder to the Sterrato is interesting because they represent the opposite ends of the line up. Where the Evo is a road car, the Sterrato is built to be an off roader which is a mad thing to say, let alone put in to practice. Unfortunately, I only got to drive it on the public highway but even on tarmac it offers a very different experience to every other Huracán thanks to longer adaptive dampers, and springs which are 25 per cent softer and 34mm longer. It also rides 44mm higher and wears a thick Bridgestone tyre that was specially developed for the car.

All of this bring astonishing improvements in ride quality and a reduction in road noise – to say it deals with poor surfaces like a Mercedes is by no means an exaggeration. However, the Sterrato is also something of a paradox. Sure, it possesses superb ride quality and quieter road manners, but there’s no view out the rear, the seat is firm, and the interior door panel is a sheet of carbon fibre with pull tabs for the door release. It also looks like a complete maniac with a full complement of rally-inspired

road test 57

Even on the road, the Sterrato is an absolute hoot to drive.

bodywork including arch cladding, roof bars, spotlights and a roof snorkel.

Predictably, it feels as mental to drive as it does to look at, mainly because all your reference points scream supercar, yet you command an unusually high driving position. In the corners it rolls about more than other Huracáns, and as mentioned, it feels uncharacteristically soft. It also has a ‘Rally’ mode for if and when owners wish to take their supercar off road, if any do at all. Despite having only an hour or so to become acquainted with the Sterrato, it became clear that it’s a real Frankenstein of a car, but in an immensely charming way. Predictably, all 1,499 examples are sold and it’s likely that most of them will only see light road use, but I hope that at least one owner has the minerals to take it off road and give it a good thrashing, because I have no doubt that if they do, they will have one hell of a time.

While on our travels, we ventured through some typical, small Sardinian towns where the sight of a Lamborghini convoy stirred up excitement. You can’t help but feel that back home in the UK,

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people would quietly hate you for looking flash and causing a racket, when all you’re actually trying to do is innocently enjoy your supercar and go about your day. Pleasingly, Italians take a different view on this, something which I noticed throughout the day.

People of all ages and backgrounds enjoyed the sight of us rolling through town, they goaded us in to revving our engines, they took pictures and videos, and cheerfully beeped their horns as they drove past us. Even the local Polizia stopped to have a poke around the cars. When we think of Italian automotive pride, we often think of Ferrari and founder Enzo’s rags to riches story that inspired a nation, but it’s clear that Lamborghini, and Ferruccio’s achievements, are similarly coveted by the people. If there was one real highlight in a day of extraordinary experiences, it was bringing a little excitement to all who encountered us on our tour.

After we stopped for a traditional Sardinian lunch, it was time to strap myself in to the Tecnica before finishing the drive in the STO later that day. The Tecnica was clearly conceived at a time when Lamborghini was in the process of shifting its design language.

Just 1,499 examples worldwide makes this a rare beast.

“

I only got to drive it on the public highway but even on tarmac it offers a very different experience road test 59

It’s still obviously a Huracán, but the Y-shaped design of the bumper has now been brought to the Revuelto’s and SC63’s headlights, and overall, it looks more aggressive. This sets the tone nicely because the Tecnica which is rear driven is livelier than the standard Evo, but not as hardcore as the track-inspired STO. Outputs from the V10 engine are unchanged, but this is a lighter, more feral car with rear-wheel steering, recalibrated driving modes specific to the model, and a redesign which brings a 35 per cent increase in rear downforce as well as 20 per cent less drag. This is a Huracán for keener drivers, but despite the wilder dynamics it’s still perfectly usable and shrugged off some of the worst tarmac that the mountain roads we toured that afternoon could muster up.

Engine aside, one of the Huracán’s highlights is the steering.

While it’s not a system that brims with feel, there is a fluidity to it that feels more akin to that of a light weight sports car than a supercar. Turning in to a corner simply requires one clean sweep of the wheel without the need to make adjustments. The twin-clutch gearbox is also a triumph, not just because of its snappy gear changes, but the way the revs peak and the exhaust crackles when pulling for a lower ratio. These points are true of the Tecnica and every other Huracán I’ve driven over the years, but even though each model retains common traits, every car has its own feel and personality.

The Tecnica filled me with a sense that it’s capable of far more than what any public road could throw at it, that there was plenty of untapped potential waiting to be unlocked. This feeling peaked when I made my final car swap of the day and stepped in to the STO. If you like hardcore Lambos then this is the Huracán for you.

Consider it the prized fighting bull of the model range; everything about it screams track refugee, from the big wing and weight reduction, to the pure assault on the senses it serves up. If the Sterrato begs to be driven across a loose surface, then the STO demands you take it to a race track, but then that’s not surprising given it’s inspired by the one-make Super Trofeo racing series.

On poorly surfaced roads it feels unforgiving in terms of ride quality and road noise, but there’s a purity to it that’s a step beyond the Tecnica or any modern Lamborghini I’ve had the pleasure of driving. And just when you thought the engine couldn’t excite any more, you hop in the STO and realise there’s a world of fire and brimstone that you didn’t know existed. It isn’t just the purest Huracán, but the naturally aspirated V10 in its most extreme and animalistic state. For the drivers, this makes the STO the pinnacle of the model range.

Picking a personal favourite from such an awe inspiring bunch is hard, however, the trip was never about deciding which model is the best; it was about celebrating the life of a supercar that has been universally loved by car enthusiasts and the wider public.

Driving along Sardinia’s stunning coastal routes and mountain roads gave me the opportunity not just to test different versions of the Huracán against beautiful backdrops, but to really reflect on how special a supercar it is. In the ten years it’s been on sale, Ferrari and McLaren have replaced their offerings numerous times over, but the Lambo has been a constant among a rapidly changing supercar landscape. And despite its advancing years, it has outlived and – in many respects – outshone its V8 counterparts because it’s been the bridge between the modern day and a bygone era when supercars were loud, look-at-me pieces of exotica that cared not for lap times or efficiency, but instead prioritised pure, unwavering, adrenaline-fuelled excitement.

That is the Huracán’s legacy, and whatever replaces it will have extraordinarily large boots to fill.

VERDICT The Lamborghini Huracán is better than ever and with production soon coming to an end, now is your last chance to get one. Hurry up! cars like this will soon be resigned to the history books.

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HYBRID with the ferrari f8 now resigned to history, it’s the job of the 296 gtb to serve as the entry-point to ferrari’s range of supercars. is it up to the task?

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: MATT PRICE

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ferrari 296 gtb

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E Every now and then, a car comes along which forces you to reassess the market place in which it resides. The idea of the hybrid supercar is no longer new, but making the concept work in a package that can be produced in volume is a triumph of modern technology and manufacturing. In this respect, Ferrari is now firmly ahead of the curve with two hybrid supercars in its line-up, the SF90 and our test car for this feature, the 296 GTB. road TEST 65

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all the competence is backed by a glorious soundtrack

Since the F8 went out of production, the 296 has represented the ‘entry point’ to Maranello’s range of supercars, but with 818bhp at its disposal, any notion of this Ferrari being entry-level-anything is completely absurd.

To say the 296 is fast is like saying Death Valley is merely hot.

Both statements are of course correct, but they downplay the truth of the matter by some margin. We’ll get round to what’s powering the Ferrari in a moment because instead I’d like to open by discussing how devastatingly, eye wateringly, ballistically fast it is in a straight line. Zero to 62mph takes 2.9 seconds and the top speed is 205mph which seems like par for the supercar course, but the real headline grabber is the 0-124mph time of just 7.3 seconds.

On paper it will trade acceleration stats with a McLaren 765LT, but in practice it feels like a faster, more rampant machine. Peak power comes in at 6,250rpm and it hunts down its 8,000rpm rev limiter with pure vengeance. On a fully open throttle it rearranges your internal organs along with your perception of speed as your brain struggles to keep pace with the rate at which it accelerates.

McLaren’s own hybrid supercar, the Artura, is an indecently fast car but wouldn’t see which way the Ferrari went. It’s that bonkers.

The power and performance come curtesy of an all-new twinturbo 3.0 V6 engine which in isolation puts out 663bhp but is also supported by a 165bhp e-motor which is powered by 7.45kWh battery. The engine’s cylinder banks are positioned at 120 degrees and between them sits the IHI turbos. Hot vees are now the rule rather than the exception when it comes to hybrid supercars because the layout improves engine response by allowing the turbos to spin up faster and run more efficiently. Reduced lag and the instant hit of torque from the e-motor means the 296 possesses a level of the throttle response that’s more than a match for anything naturally aspirated. Initially when you pin the throttle, a burst of torque fires the car forward in an almost EV-like manner, but then the engine really comes in to its own as it relentlessly pursues the red line. And unlike the SF90 which is all-wheel drive, the 296 sends all of its power to the rear wheels which makes for a complete hooligan of a supercar.

Fortunately, Ferrari has created a new selection of driving modes to help contain the fury, or unleash it when the mood takes you. The famous manettino with the Wet, Sport, Race, CT Off and ESC Off driving modes remains, but there’s now a new e-manettino with eDrive, Hybrid, Performance and Qualifying.

The 296 has an electric range of 15 miles, and eDrive and Hybrid allow the car to run in its electric only mode with the latter setting allowing you to call upon the combustion engine when you apply enough throttle. Selecting Performance will keep the V6 running at all times with the assistance of the e-motor, and it also recharges the battery while you’re on the move. Qualifying is like Performance mode on steroids; it gives you maximum deployment when you need it but when you come off the throttle or brake, it will also recharge as quickly as possible.

This gives the Ferrari a split personality. While running around just using the e-motor it’s quiet and sociable, but in Qualifying it serves up an animalistic driving experience, especially if you slacken off the stability control. CT Off gives you some slip without letting you slide off the road, although you can feel it working overtime to stop 818bhp from spitting you off in to the nearest

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Rosso Corsa and Baby Blue - yes that’s the actual name of the colour according to Ferrari - proved to be a very divisive colour combo. One thing’s for certain, it stood out from the crowd.

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On a fully open throttle it rearranges your internal organs along with your perception of speed

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | Engine

| Power

| Torque

| 0-62mph

| VMAX

| Weight

| Price

| 2,992cc, hybrid V6

| 818bhp @ 8,000rpm

| 663lb ft @ 6,250rpm

| 2.9 secs

| 205mph

| 1,470kg

| £241,560

hedge. I tried ESC Off on a few occasions and if you have the skill to keep it on the road, it uncovers a chassis which is beautifully balanced and can cut all kinds of shapes with very little provocation from your right foot. But don’t get cocky with it, this is a supercar that will chew you up and spit you out if you take liberties with it.

In truth, you don’t need to play the hero to have a great time behind the wheel. Despite how complex the 296 is, every element comes together to create a cohesive driving experience that leaves you in complete awe of its abilities. The eight-speed gearbox riffles through down shifts, the steering is light but rhythmic and doesn’t leave you guessing where the front wheels are, and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres serve up huge levels of grip. On a tight, twisty road you turn the wheel and the front tyres continue to bite; just when your brain tells you you’re about to run out of grip, the car keeps turning in to the corner. Even on bumpier tarmac, the body remains composed and it feels surefooted, never to be thrown off its line. And with a dry weight of 1,470kg it feels light and agile

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which is something you don’t normally associate with hybrid vehicles.

It’s a sensational driver’s car, and the beauty is that all the competence is backed by a glorious soundtrack that makes you wonder why we ever lamented the end of the non-hybrid V8. While in development, the Ferrari engineers affectionately nicknamed the V6 ‘piccolo V12’ which is Italian for little V12, and you can tell why. Obviously, it doesn’t possess the sheer majesty of a twelve cylinder engine, but at points in the rev range you can pick out some similarities with Maranello’s most glorious arrangement of cylinders. Something which really took me by surprise is howpronounced the turbos were. Usually, it’s McLaren that goes in for the whooshing and whistling, whereas Ferrari do their best to cover up the fact that they’ve had to bolt on turbos. However, the tone of the V6 is supplemented by some serious wastegate chatter which adds another layer of lough-out-loud fun to the proceedings.

If you were worried that downsizing and hybridisation would ruin the supercar then the 296 debunks that theory. It brims with

You know you’ve made it when your steering wheel has a prancing horse on it!

Any excuse for an Italian flag on an Italian car...

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personality. Another benefit of going hybrid is fuel economy – not that Ferrari customers concern themselves with such matters – but if you’re a little eco conscious or are someone who doesn’t like to wake the neighbours at 7am, then being able to zip around on electric power will help you sleep better at night.

What’s most impressive though is how seamlessly the combustion engine shuts down and hands drive over to the e-motor when you’re in hybrid mode – there were times when I didn’t even notice the switchover had happened, such is the smoothness of the action. And apart from some tyre roar, the 296 is remarkably refined to the point where you could use it daily. Just don’t option the racing harnesses that our test vehicle came with if you are going to use it regularly. You’ll also need to spend some time learning the infotainment system and how to use the touch sensitive controls on the steering wheel because Ferrari appears to have forgotten the benefits of good, old fashioned buttons.

Once you’ve figured it all out though, you’ll just rely on Apple CarPlay for anything phone, maps or media based. As for the rest

of the interior, it’s beautifully made with quality materials, but this is a Ferrari so you expect nothing less for your £245,000 before options.

As increasingly more performance vehicles turn to hybrid powertrains, this idea that electrification is a thing of the future is no longer the case. It’s here now, and Ferrari is embracing it in a way that’s not of detriment to the supercar. The F8 was a fabulous machine, but the 296 is proof that if done correctly, hybridisation can enhance the supercar in nearly every way, to the point where it blurs the lines between super and hyper. A decade ago, LaFerrari came along and showed the world that electrification can be used not for environmental purposes, but to make performance vehicles faster. That was a limited run special that cost £1million, but just a decade later you can buy a series production Ferrari with nearly as much performance and a more advanced hybrid system for a quarter of the money. That rate of progress is deeply impressive, but not quite as impressive as the 296 which is undoubtedly one of the very best cars on sale right now.

VERDICT a ferrari that uses electrification to enhance, not hinder the supercar. the 296 gtb is now the HYBRID performance car benchmark.

REDLINE RATING: 10/10

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x-factor ASTON MARTIN’S SUV HAS BEEN DOWN THE GYM IN SEARCH OF SERIOUS GAINS. THE RESULT IS THE DBX707, BUT IS IT WILD ENOUGH TO TAKE ON THE COMPETITION? WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

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aston martin dbx707

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The DBX707 has serious road presence. Just look at the alloys, arches and aero. Serious stuff, that.

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ASTON MARTIN HAS thrown the kitchen sink at making the DBX707 as fast and engaging As possible 74 redlinemagazine.co.uk

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | Engine

| Power

| Torque

| 0-62mph

| VMAX

| Weight

| Price

| 3,982cc, twin-turbo V8

| 697bhp @ 6,000rpm

| 663lb ft @ 4,500rpm

| 3.3 secs

| 193mph

| 2,245kg

| £195,000

The arrival of my Aston Martin DBX707 press loan was rather timely. A couple of months prior, I spent five days with a Lamborghini Urus Performante, a vehicle which I concluded was as bombastic as a car could get. And so, with the Lambo still relatively fresh in my mind, it made for a reliable benchmark to judge the Aston against. Regular readers will know that unlike some motoring journalists, I have a particular soft spot for Super SUVs and the way they bend the seemingly unyielding laws of physics. I’d go as far as saying I would buy one for a daily driver, and yes, you can call me tasteless if you so wish, but I don’t care because these things are a riot and the DBX707 might just be the most laugh-out-loud of the lot.

For starters, just look at it: the gigantic grille could devour a Ford Fiesta, the rear diffuser looks like it’s been taken wholesale from a GT4 racing car, the 23-inch wheels are unnecessarily large, and the exterior adorns more carbon fibre than a hip-hop artist does diamond jewellery. Then there’s the performance which is

T

arguably even more ludicrous. The AMG-sourced 4.0 litre twinturbo V8 makes 697bhp at 6,000rpm and 663lb ft. and fun fact, the turbos are the same as those found on Merc’s weapons grade AMG GT Black Series. This is an Aston Martin that’s been well and truly let off the leash, which is a rare thing indeed.

So, what does all of that power feel like in a car with a kerbweight of 2,245kg and the physical proportions of a small house? Wonderfully alarming, and I know that sounds like a paradox but hear me out. Accelerating from zero to 62mph in just 3.3 seconds in such a large and heavy car does feel unnerving.

You’re acutely aware of the forces at play and what could happen if it all goes wrong, but life would be boring if it weren’t for some trepidation and happily, this is the balance the 707 strikes. It’s a potent machine, not just for an SUV but for any performance vehicle, and if you happen to live near the Autobahn, you’ll be able to test your nerve all the way to 193mph, if you so desire.

Before I get on to how it fairs across a country road, it’s worth highlighting how the 707 differs from the standard car.

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Remember, Aston Martin is now racing in Formula One, so slapping some beefy bodywork and an extra 155bhp on a run-ofthe-mill DBX simply isn’t going to cut it, not on Lawrence Stroll’s luxury watch.

Aside from the power bump, there’s recalibrated fuel mapping and a new exhaust, as well as a new e-differential that can send up to 100 per cent of the available torque to the rear wheels. Performance is distributed via a new nine-speed wet clutch transmission with a shorter final drive for more intense acceleration. The three-chamber air suspension has been revised to increase body control with top mounts which are now 55 per cent stiffer. There’s also been changes to the electronic active roll control system and the body is 9 per cent stiffer, which again helps dial out chassis roll.

As for the steering – something that’s an unexpected highlight of the package – it’s also been fettled with in pursuit of improved feel. The carbon ceramic brakes measure 420mm up front and 390mm at the rear and bring a 40.5kg reduction in unsprung

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mass, and those huge wheels are wrapped in 285 and 325 section Pirelli P Zero tyres. Finally, the bigger grille brings improvements in cooling and the rear lip spoiler helps reduce lift which aids high speed stability.

All of these changes wouldn’t look out of place on one of Aston’s GT cars, so to see that they’ve thrown the kitchen sink at making the DBX707 as fast and engaging as possible is proof of their commitment. The result is a car that possesses the handling characteristics of a super saloon rather than a fast SUV. You arrive at a corner expecting the chassis to roll and the steering to offer little sense of where the front wheels are, only to exit the turn while gawping at how composed the body control is and how connected you feel to the front of the car. The 707 feels agile, surefooted and keyed in to the road surface, but not so hunkered down that it comes across as unplayful.

In its Sport+ driving mode, you can feel the car sending torque to the rear wheels which makes it genuinely adjustable on the throttle. Make no mistake, this is an SUV that will drift. One damp

A black and orange interior, or “Phantom Grey and Californian Poppy” if you’re Aston Martin.

Still one of the coolest brands on the planet!

evening I was enjoying a spirited drive home when the DBX decided to attempt a swapper on me when I got over zealous with the throttle pedal, mid corner. This is one of the joys of the big Aston: it will decimate a B-road and cover ground at an astonishing pace, but also offer up the type of hoonery that’s usually the preserve of rear-wheel drive sports cars.

Fortunately, the 707 doesn’t trade ride quality for dynamic ability, a trait the Urus Performante suffers from. It does feel increasingly rigid as you cycle through the driving modes, but never does it feel crashy or uncomfortable, and there’s an Individual driving mode if you want to fine tune things to your liking. The only downside is that wider track and massive tyres causes the car to follow road cambers which can be frustrating when you just want to plod along at a leisurely pace. The wet clutch transmission also isn’t the sharpest instrument – a dualclutch offers faster gearshifts – but its miles quicker than a torque converter while being just as smooth, and is better suited to the 707’s luxury-performance SUV brief. Another trait you don’t

normally associate with SUVs is braking feel, but the DBX has it in spades and even though it weighs more than 2.2 tonnes, it stops with real urgency when required.

As dynamically competent as the DBX707 may be, arguably its biggest party trick is how good a luxury SUV it is. Given the focus on performance and handling, Aston Martin could have been forgiven for compromising on refinement, but that’s not the case.

I went on some long journeys in the car and never once did it feel anything other than a consummate long distance cruiser. The suspension was supple, the cabin was well insulated from wind and road noise, and the V8 that roars its way to the rev limiter in Sport+ became softly spoken in GT mode. And while traveling on motorways, the huge reserve of torque means you have performance to spare at any given time. The very idea of 70mph seemed like an insult to a car that’s been built to do big speed for extended periods of time in an effortless manner. It feels like a grand tourer, and the only things that remind you that you’re in an SUV are the lofty view out and overall practicality of the vehicle.

road test 77

Adding to the GT car vibes is the interior which, despite some carbon trim, errs more towards luxury than sporting. You climb aboard to be greeted by the smell of leather which is the cabin’s dominant material, the steering wheel is trimmed in Alcantara for a more tactile feel, and everything you interactive with has a feeling of quality to it. It’s certainly plusher than an Urus but still trails a Bentley Bentayga which is a step above in terms of quality while offering more visual bling. Interior highlights include the vast panoramic sunroof, the well judged driving position, and the large driving mode selector. It’s without question a wonderful and relaxing place to cover huge distances from.

But it’s not an interior without its foibles and if we’re to pull up Lamborghini on using Audi switch gear in the Urus, then we should be levelling the same criticism at Aston Martin for raiding the Mercedes-Benz parts bin for the DBX. Anyone who has spent time in Mercs will recognise the re-skinned infotainment system, indicator stalk, buttons, and click wheel for the main screen which, surprisingly, forgoes touch sensitivity. Presumably, when the DBX gets a proper update, the interior hardware and tech will be first on

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the list of changes, but for now we have to make do with handme-down Mercedes. On a positive note, everything is beautifully presented and put together properly, and I do question why we need elaborate infotainment systems when Apple CarPlay exists, but that’s a talking point for another article.

I’ll admit to being quite taken by the DBX707. Yes, I’m a sucker for these fast SUVs, but the Aston really got under my skin during my time with it. Objectively, it’s a fantastic car with few downsides, although with an OTR price of £195,000 you do expect it to be rather good irrespective of whether this segment appeals to you or not. It somehow manages to combine the dynamic prowess of a Lamborghini Urus Performante with the refinement of a Bentley Bentayga, while taking on a personality all of its own. This is no mean feat, particularly for a company that prior to the Stroll takeover was struggling to convince people to buy cars.

Aston Martin has come a long way since Lawrence and his conglomerate took charge, and the DBX707, along with the new DB12, are evidence that they’re getting back to their best. If you’re a car enthusiast, then this is as good a reason as any to celebrate.

VERDICT IF YOU WEREN’T SITTING SO HIGH OFF THE GROUND YOU WOULD THINK YOU WERE DRIVING ONE OF ASTON MARTIN’S GT CARS. THE DBX707 IS A MASTERCLASS IN ENGINEERING AND AN ENJOYABLE SUPER-SUV.

REDLINE RATING: 9/10

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COMPETITION SPECIAL CS, SHORT FOR COMPETITION SPORT, IS A MONIKER RESERVED FOR BMW’S BEST M CARS. IS THE M3 CS SPECIAL ENOUGH TO CARRY THE FLAME? WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

BMW M3 CS

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“

There is a purity to the way it does things

I’m fortunate in that I get to drive many excellent cars, but every so often, I get behind the wheel of something and within ten seconds of driving it, I realise I’m at the helm of something particularly special. That’s precisely what happened when I recently tested the BMW M3 CS. The current M3 is a car I know well – I’ve tested the G80 Competition and the Touring, and have declared my love for both of them in the pages of Redline and to anyone who will listen to me talk about them. In a previous issue of the magazine, I also reviewed the M5 CS and called it one of the great M cars. With that in mind, the M3 CS isn’t a car that BMW should be falling short on, and they haven’t.

To understand what makes the CS so special, we must first dive in to what’s been changed because BMW claims that it’s 15 per cent different compared to the standard Competition. Needless to say, weight saving measures have been made including light weight alloys, carbon ceramic brakes – these are a £7,000 plus

I

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option – a new titanium backbox for the exhaust, and a carbon bonnet. All told, the CS weighs 15kg less than a Comp’ which doesn’t sound like much of a saving, but one should consider that the weight has come out of the areas that matter for driving dynamics.

Changes have also been made to the engine, steering, chassis and suspension. Tuning of the ECU and an increase in turbo boost pressure has resulted in a 39bhp uplift, although torque remains unchanged. In pursuit of improved handling, there are stiffer mounts for the engine and changes have been made to the shock absorbers, coils and anti-roll bars. The active differential has also been recalibrated to make the dynamics more rear biased, and the steering has been tweaked.

The result is an M3 that feels more alive and in tune with the road surface than the standard car. Think what the GT3 is to the Porsche 911, and you’ll have a greater sense of what the CS is to the M3. The G80 has always been a complete driver’s car, but the changes have turned it in to a sports saloon that would feel just at

The CS is a complete weapon in all conditions!

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | Engine

| Power

| 2,979cc, 6-cyl twin-turbo | 543bhp @ 6,250rpm

84 redlinemagazine.co.uk

| Torque

| 0-62mph

| VMAX

| Weight

| Price

| 479lb ft @ 2,750rpm

| 3.4 secs

| 188mph

| 1,765kg

| £115,900

“

The result is an M3 that feels more alive and in tune with the road surface than the standard car

CS branding: check!

Carbon fibre: check, check!

home on a race track as it does on the public road.

There is an urgency to the way the CS gets down the road, not just in terms of straight line performance which I’ll come on to shortly, but the way it drives. The steering is well weighted and offers feedback of the road surface through its thick Alcantara wheel, the chassis is beautifully balanced and communicates how much grip you have without giving in to any roll, and the brake pedal is well judged with plenty of stopping power. Throw it in to a corner and give it a little throttle, and like all the best M cars, it pivots around you. It feels light on its feet, with a sharp front end and a rear that follows faithfully. By no means do you feel its 1,765kg kerbweight, instead it changes direction like a car that feels some 200 kilos lighter. And despite being firmer than an M3 Competition, the CS still rounds off the worst of the road surface.

At its firmest, the ride is purposeful, but certainly never crashy.

BMW also lets you configure your ideal set up and then save it to the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. My preference was to dial the engine, steering and brakes in to their most aggressive settings, but leave the chassis in Sport for a slightly more forgiving ride as Sport Plus is too firm for the road. I then set the M xDrive system to 4WD Sport so it sent more power to the rear wheels. This was a balance that worked for me and the way I like to drive, but the options are such that you can easily tailor it to your own liking. If you’re so inclined, you can select 2WD which sends all the power to the rear wheels for full hooligan mode. In the name of consumer motoring journalism *coughs sarcastically* I decided to do just that so I could report my findings to you... and it goes without saying that the CS will cut shapes like all the best M cars.

Are the improvements enough to warrant the £32,000 premium you would pay over an M3 Competition? Absolutely. At no point did it feel like a mildly improved Comp’ but more like the car that the engineers at BMW M would want to make given free reign. There is a purity to the way it does things that so few performance-orientated road cars actually manage to replicate. It’s a proper driving tool.

The engine also feels like a step on from the motor in the Competition, even though it’s the same 3.0 litre, twin-turbo straight

road test 85

six – codename S58 for all you engine designation geeks out there.

The bump in power brings it up to 543bhp which feels like the correct amount for the chassis, and it puts out 479lb ft of torque.

Zero to 62mph takes 3.4 seconds and it will run to 188mph given enough road, but the way it pursues the rev limiter is what sets it apart. Harder edged and with an improved sound track, the engine in the CS is a motor that you want to rev just that little extra to get the best from. The power is distributed via an eight-speed torque converter which is typically the week point in modern M cars. It’s a smooth and reliable transmission, but I still yearn for a twin-clutch for snappy shifts, even if the gearbox in the CS is the crispest version I’ve used so far.

Thankfully, none of the extra performance or focus of the CS has come at the expense of every day usability. It’s still a pleasant road car to get around in with five seats, a large boot, a user friendly interior, Apple CarPlay, a Harman Kardon sound system, and one of the best driving positions of any car. The carbon bucket seats which are standard fit are actually set lower in the CS to

help you find your optimal seating position. There’s also plenty of carbon trim and CS branding around the cabin to remind you that you’re not driving any old M3.

BMW has been making some of my favourite interiors for a while now, because they’re well thought-out and still put the driver front and centre, unlike rival’s cars which are laden with tech. And because you have xDrive, the M3 CS offers unyielding traction even in wet conditions, making it a real all-seasons B-road blaster. You could comfortably drive to your favourite racing circuit, complete a track day, and then drive home again, such is the car’s breadth of talent.

Like I said at the beginning of the review, the M3 CS felt special from the get-go, and after a few days of road testing, my appreciation for what it does and how, only deepened. It’s a very complete package; a faster, sharper, more entertaining M3 with no real downsides. It’s also much, much rarer, with only 100 examples allocated for the UK. More importantly though, it serves as proof that BMW still knows how to make the ultimate driving machine.

VERDICT in the m3, bmw has cooked up another stunning cs model and the best version of the g80 so far. we wish more of them were being made!

REDLINE RATING: 9/10 86 redlinemagazine.co.uk

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AMG

GANG

THE UK’S LEADING AMG TUNING SPECIALIST, GAD TUNING, ARRANGE AN AMG MEET AT MERCEDES-BENZ WORLD FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. WORDS: ANT NEWMAN / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

GAD TUNING’S AMG MEET

FEATURE 89

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we had more than £1.3million worth of AMGs in attendance

AMGs lined up as far as the eye could see!

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The GT R Pro is a very rare beast and did not go unnoticed.

As the technical director at GAD Tuning, I get to tune many cars and specialise in a number of top marques such as Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini. But over the years, GAD has developed a reputation as a Mercedes-Benz specialist, with a particularly keen eye for the AMG market. Our continued support of the Mercedes-Benz Owners forum is a platform that has allowed us to directly showcase our work to owners, which has helped us become the UK’s leading authority on Mercedes Tuning.

We’ve also owned our fair share of Mercs and used them as demo cars which has helped us show potential clients that we believe in our own work. Models include the W204 C63 and W205 C63 S Edition 1, but our latest flagship GAD demo car is an AMG GT S which is running a Stage 2 remap with around 631bhp and 897NM. This has led to us tuning more AMGs than anyone else in the UK, including flagships like the SLS and current generation AMG GT Black Series.

Many of our customers also like to take their cars on track days and to cater for this this, we offer upgrades in addition to our remapping service. These include suspension upgrades, improved exhaust systems to release more of the AMG symphony that later models have lost due to emissions legislation, and track day set up.

Everything we do is based on real world performance, but first and foremost, we like to make sure that customer’s cars continue to be reliable.

Through meeting Mercedes and AMG enthusiasts, and tuning their cars, we’ve become friends with our clients and now run a UK-based AMG GT group which has members stretching from Cornwall to Scotland, with many based close to us in Essex. So, we decided to organise a GAD branded AMG gathering with the idea of giving something back to our clients. The first place that popped to mind where we could host the meeting was Mercedes-Benz World, in Surrey.

To our surprise, the team at MB World had already heard of us and had plans to get in contact regarding an event there. So, after a couple of emails, I was invited to meet the team and see the facility which is free to the public and has a whole host of classic, motorsport, AMG and F1 cars, along with restaurants and simulator facilities. It didn’t take long to arrange the event and once the location, date and time was sorted, we could start inviting clients.

One of the problems with arranging a car event close to Christmas is the foulness of the weather. Despite that, we still had more than £1.3million worth of AMGs in attendance including C63s, AMG GTs, GT Rs and GT R Pros, and a C63 Black Series.

Members enjoyed catching up, or in many cases for people to meet face-to-face for the first time given everyone came from different locations. There was also plenty of admiration, not only for each-others AMGs, but also the MB World facility which put on passenger laps on their handling circuit, and sighting laps with their SLS and C63 Black Series. The facility itself really is something else as it charts the history of the AMG brand and shows its dedication to the performance road and race car market.

But whether you’re a Mercedes owner or not, there’s something for everyone thanks to a wide range of attractions and the team there are very accommodating.

The meeting was a success and even though it was a small gathering with around 25 cars, it was a great opportunity for us as a brand to put on a thank you to our clients for trusting us with their cars. It also sets us up for having larger meets in the future with options at Mercedes-Benz World to scale things up for 2024, and we would even like to expand and create future plans for an AMG factory tour in Germany.

FEATURE 91

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HYPE

TRAIN CHRISTOPHER WARD HAS JOINEd the 70S INSPIRED INTEGRATED SPORTS WATCH PARTY WITH THE TWELVE, BUT IS IT ANY GOOD? WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

CHRISTOPHER WARD THE TWELVE

WATCH REVIEW 93

SPECIFICATIONS SIZE

40mm

HEIGHT

9.5mm

LUG-TO-LUG

44.5mm

STRAP WIDTH

25mm

CASE MATERIAL

STAINLESS STEEL

WATER RESISTANCE

100 METRES

MOVEMENT

SELLITA SW200-1

COMPLICATION

DATE

POWER RESERVE

38 HOURS

PRICE

£1,050

W

When we think of the integrated sports watch we tend to view it from the perspective of the high end and entry level, but rarely the space in between. The Audemars Piquet Royal Oak and its place in the market needs no introduction, and the Tissot PRX has now become the de facto entrylevel offering for those who are on a budget but lust after the look and feel of this style of watch. The PRX is indeed fabulous, but it’s certainly no Royal Oak and inevitably there will be people who have more than £640 to spend on something with an integrated bracelet.

While you’re not going to be able find something with the heritage and quality of the AP for a relatively modest four figure sum, you can still get your hands on a Gérald Genta inspired watch at an approachable price from Christopher Ward. The Twelve, a name given thanks to its twelve sided (dodecagonal) bezel is a 40mm integrated sports watch that sets fire to the rule book when it comes to quality versus affordability. We’ll get on to the specifics

94 redlinemagazine.co.uk

“

the finish would not look out of place on a watch that costs three times the money

of the design shortly, but it’s worth noting early on that even by CW’s standards, the Twelve offers sensational value for money starting from just £950 on rubber and going up to £1,595 for the titanium model – yes, you heard that right, titanium.

Anyway, we’ll get the boring bit out the way first. It’s powered by the ubiquitous Sellita SW200-1 movement which vibrates at 4Hz and commands a power reserve of up 38 hours with a tolerance of +/- 20 seconds per day. However, buy the titanium version and you get a COSC certified SW300-1 movement with 56 hours of power reserve and superior timing tolerances. It’s displayed behind an exhibition case back which is held down by six screws in a nod to the legendary Royal Oak. A good work horse movement is reassuring and all, but the fun really starts when you get in to the nitty gritty and delve in to the attention to detail that the Twelve offers. At first glance you see the proportions along with the integrated bracelet and assume it’s just another rehash of a classic 1970s design, or a budget attempt at the Czapek Antarctique, but to be this dismissive would be to

The bracelet shimmers when you roll your wrist.

The brushed surface and taper give the watch a clean aesthetic.

miss the point entirely. Chris Ward has put considerable time and passion in to ensuring that the finish would not look out of place on a watch that costs three times the money.

The dodecagonal bezel is sandblasted, brushed and polished which creates a multi-dimensional appearance; because twelve sides just isn’t enough dimension to begin with... the face is adorned with a motif consisting of their British-Swiss logo, the hour markers are applied and the colour of the date window matches the dial. Bevelled crown guards complete the case, all of which is finished in brushed stainless steel.

Moving to the bracelet which is arguably the most important aspect of any good integrated sports watch, and the level of finish is such that it blows a PRX out the water. Made up of individual links, this is a bracelet that really manipulates the light with its chamfered edges and polishing between the links. It dazzles and sparkles on the wrist, but is also aesthetically clean thanks to its brushed top surfaces, consistent taper and butterfly clasp.

Whether you have large or small wrists, you’re also covered

from a wearability perspective. The 40mm watch reviewed here commands a lug-to-lug measurement of 44.5mm but importantly, is just 9.5mm thin. It sits elegantly on my 16cm wrist and is a size I personally enjoy, but if you have smaller wrists then Chris Ward will happily sell you a 36mm variant. The smaller watch also comes in two unique colours, although lovers of the date window and the AP-inspired screws on the case back will have to forgo them.

The introduction of The Twelve does however beg the question, how much longer can the hype around the integrated sports watch endure before it disappears again? And, while Chris Ward’s offering is genuinely brilliant, will it eventually fall victim to fashion’s cyclical nature? I don’t want to sound like a pessimist, but yes, probably. However, CW doesn’t need to produce a watch that will stand the test of time, it just needs to make one that continues to display its ability to make fantastic watches without the need to drastically mark up the retail price. What Christopher Ward is doing is building the brand and attracting new customers, and watches like The Twelve are key to its future. All aboard the hype train.

watch review 95

VALUE PLAY Timex is best known for making reliable and affordable watches, but just how much value can they pack in to a chronograph?

WORDS: MARK ROSE / PHOTOS: DOM GINN

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T

Trying to find a truly affordable chronograph made by a well-established watchmaker is no easy to task, but that’s what Timex offers with the Marlin Chronograph Tachymeter at just £170. Yes, you read that correctly, £170. Eager to see if such an affordable chronograph could actually be any good, I got my hands on a review unit which was kindly supplied

by Watchshop.com.

Mechanical watch fans look away now, this chronograph is powered by a quartz movement, and the first of its kind to be found in a Marlin. You honestly didn’t think you were going to get a mechanical chronograph for such a small amount of money, did you? Happily, the watch packs plenty of functionality in to an attractive design in a model line that first appeared in the fifties, meaning no one has any reason to get hung up on what’s powering it. It’s an actual steal.

The Marlin’s standout feature is the dial which is housed inside a 40mm stainless steel case with a domed acrylic crystal lens.

It’s finished with a glossy and green (or blue) sunburst effect with applied hour markers and Arabic numerals, a date window, and three sub-dials which track the 24 hour clock, seconds and chronograph function. It’s a busy watch face but is still perfectly

legible, although in the dark and low light it can be difficult to read given there’s no lume. Overall, the design gives vintage vibes with a contemporary twist, and I may I remind you it only costs £170.

Finishing the look is a perforated leather strap which is supplied by the S.B. Foot Tanning Co. The strap itself is of decent quality with plenty of adjustment and is finished with a stainless steel Timex branded buckle. Again, it offers remarkable value for money and helps the Marlin feel more expensive than it is.

Day to day it’s comfortable to wear and works on a number of wrist sizes upwards of 16cm, but probably no smaller. Because the crystal is heavily domed, it adds some unneccasary height to the watch at 13mm, and it’s certainly not one you want to go swimming with despite have a quoted water resistance of up to 50 metres.

Apart from that, there are few downsides to a watch that I enjoyed having in my rotation for the best part of a month. It’s versatile, handsome, doesn’t require re-setting if you have a collection, and importantly it only costs... you don’t need me to tell you the price again. The Marlin Chronograph is a timepiece that everyone can enjoy, particularly those who want to get in to watch collecting but have a limited budget. This is an easy recommendation.

Timex Marlin Chronograph

WATCH REVIEW 97

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