Supercar Driver Magazine Issue 39 by Supercar Driver

ISSUE 39

CONTROL. EXHILARATION. PERFORMANCE. MICHELIN PILOT SPORT RANGE

michelin.co.uk

THE TEAM Adam Thorby Copyright ® 2021 Supercar Driver Limited, Unit 1 Meadowhall Riverside, Meadowhall Road, Sheffield, S9 1BW. All photographs, advertisements and editorial content has been used with permission of the owners and may not be copied, duplicated or reused without written permission. Magazine created and edited for and on behalf of Supercar Driver Limited. Content including words and photographs remains copyright of the original author/photographer and used with permission. Prices and information will be correct at time of printing.

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Development Driver

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Spring has sprung and we’re finally looking forward to seeing you all for a packed calendar of events ahead to make up for lost miles. To kick things off in this issue, we’ve introduced a clean new cover design as well as a refreshed contents section to help you navigate your way through the packed pages ahead. If you’ve read the book, you should always watch the film too. With that in mind, we’ve made a conscious effort to differentiate our magazine articles from our video content, so once you’ve finished reading, scan the QR codes and enjoy an extra dimension.

IN THIS EDITION Rob Ward

Member & Writer

rob@supercar-driver.com

Matt Cowley Suspension Secrets

A reason to drive A reason to explore A reason to socialise A reason to visit

info@suspensionsecrets.co.uk

Jamie Reid WillU FX

operations@willufx.co.uk

Darren Selig JBR Capital

enquiry@jbrcapital.com

Edward Lovett Collecting Cars

info@collectingcars.com

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Starting out as a club back in 2010, over the last decade we’ve been refining the concept and has become much more than a club, it is a way of life. Being part of the community opens the door to a new lifestyle providing reasons for owners to drive, explore and enjoy their supercar within our tight knit community.

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I N S I D E FEATURES: 14 17 24 44 52 60 106 108 123 129

Drive with Your Heart, Invest with Your Head - JBR Capital Pinnacle of Protection - Divo at Topaz Detailing

Focus on : Tom Hartley Junior Focus on : WillU FX

We Are Going Racing - Praga Cars Quick Fire Q&A with First Point

Improving on Perfection - Suspension Secrets

The Man Behind the Canvas - Paul Oz Czech Mates - Praga Cars

60 6

MEMBERS’ CARS:

Driven to Enjoy - Collecting Cars

EVENTS:

COVID-19 STOPPED US RUNNING EVENTS, BUT THEY WILL RETURN IN THE NEXT MAGAZINE

09 19 34 63 97 133

Karl’s Ferrari 812 GTS

Neil’s Ferrari 488 GTB

Luke’s McLaren 765LT

Harry’s Porsche 991.2 GT3

Mad Dog’s Man Cave - Brian’s Collection Mark’s Lamborghini Murciélago

133

ON THE COVER: DRIVEN: 28 54 71 111 141

Porsche 911 CSR

BMW Z3M Coupe

Naturally Aspirated Heroes - Group Test

4 Ferraris, 48 Cylinders, 54 Years Aston Martin Vantage GT8

SCD MEMBER LUKE TALKS ABOUT HIS FOURTH MCLAREN IN A ROW, THE SAVAGE 765LT. 71

34 7

MEMBER’S CAR: FERRARI 812 GTS

We chat with member Karl about his Ferrari 812 GTS, and why to him, a naturallyaspirated V12 combined with an open is top the pinnacle of motoring. Photographs by:

@tfjj

How did you get into cars?

I’ve always been into cars, but I grew up in New Zealand where the car scene was mostly boy racers in modified Japanese imports rather than supercars. It wasn’t until I moved to London in 2008 that I was seeing high-end stuff in the flesh on a more regular basis, especially while working in Knightsbridge! My first car was called brown thunder, a boxy 1980s Mitsubishi sedan. When I was a bit older and had some money, I bought a replica of a BMW M5 — I think it was a 520d underneath. It was murdered out, drug dealer spec and I thought it was pretty cool! Since moving to London, I’ve owned two Maseratis and three Ferraris, although only one car at any given time. I’ve always dreamed of owning a Ferrari; the brand has always appealed due to the racing heritage, the sound, the looks and so on, and to be honest, I’ve never seriously considered Lamborghini or any other supercar brand. I think it’s unfortunate that certain brands seem to attract Euromillions winners and YouTube ‘influencers’ rather than people who are passionate about the brand and the product for the right reasons.

What attracted you to the 812 GTS?

I ordered a Ferrari Portofino new and fell in love with the idea of a convertible Ferrari, but something didn’t quite click with that car and I sold it after six months, trading it in for an 812 Superfast after a short test drive. The sound and power delivery as well as the overall presence of a V12 Ferrari is something else. With the 812 GTS, you have a heavenly mix of a naturallyaspirated V12 and no roof. The fact that they haven’t made a front-engine V12 convertible for 50 years (outside of the special editions) makes it special too.

I ordered it new from HR Owen, having bought the Portofino from them also, and I put a deposit

down before even knowing how the GTS looked. I was invited to the launch event in Maranello and I was initially not convinced by the design, especially the rear buttresses, but those have really grown on me and I love the way the car looks now. With a flat rear section, the car would look like a generic convertible; the buttresses add a distinctive profile, and the design is a lot more coherent and dramatic in the flesh. The car was delivered in September 2020, around a year after I put in the deposit — that is pretty quick for Ferrari! It was one of the first few GTS in the UK, so I’m very glad to have it already.

Tell us about the spec.

I already had the Superfast so it was quite easy to decide on the spec since the interior and exterior are pretty similar, and the FerrariChat community is great for ideas and advice. I opted for Grigio Titanio for the GTS which was the same as my Superfast. It’s a bit boring to get the same colour twice, but I love it — it’s relatively subtle and classy but shows off the curves and lines really well, especially if the car is clean, and the dark red interior adds some drama. The GTS has lots of carbon on the inside and outside I think it looks great but you’re almost forced to spec it because the standard black plastic looks cheap. For the seats, I had to order the carbon-backed race seats because I’m too tall to fit in with the more padded standard seats. I think they look great but they aren’t very comfortable unfortunately — you need regular breaks after a few hours! Unsurprisingly, a lot of the options are ridiculously overpriced and some are borderline offensive. Why should you have to pay £5k for a decent stereo in a car at this price point? I ordered that but drew the line at paying £2,400 for Apple CarPlay, which is standard on most Skodas!

What is it like to drive?

Every time you hit the engine start button is an event and driving it is an amazing experience — the sound it makes and the linear power delivery is awesome. I know modern turbocharged cars have a stronger mid-range punch, but the buttery smooth delivery of a V12, culminating in a frenzy of noise and power as you get nearer the 9k rpm redline is epic!

Sound is very important to me. I’ve spent way too much time and money on tweaking the exhaust on my Portofino, Superfast and now the GTS! The GTS sounds decent in stock form, but the Novitec version is epic — it sounds like an old school F1 car! MrJWW did a YouTube review of my car if you want to hear what a car should sound like! The GTS has a cool feature where you can lower the rear window with the roof still up, great for letting in more sound without the wind buffeting. The car is loud above 5k or so revs, so you need to drive sensibly in built-up areas, and the cold start is brutal — thank god it’s in an underground garage now! The car handles very well. The electronic stability control is magic; the fact that you can drive an 800bhp, rear-wheel-drive car in the rain without having to be overly cautious is a real testament to that engineering feat. It almost gives you a false confidence, but it’s important to remember that ESC can only do so much, and at some point, the laws of physics take over! I haven’t ever switched off the traction control completely — I would need some wide open space to try that.

What is it like to live with?

I’ve driven 3,000 miles in the four months of owning it, starting with a week-long road trip around Scotland immediately after collecting the car. The boot space isn’t too bad, fine for two large bags, and the ground clearance is decent so it’s not a hassle over speed bumps.

The main annoyance is just the size of it. Its length, width and long bonnet mean it’s difficult to park and an unnerving experience on narrow lanes and busy London streets. I would love it if it was around 20% smaller and lighter. Ferraris like to be used frequently and they can throw up issues if not. I think it’s mostly an issue with the OEM battery, where if you leave the car for more than a week or so, the charge drops and the car can throw up weird and worrying (but false) error codes like ‘transmission failure’. I keep mine on a trickle charger now, which seems to solve the issue.

Any plans with the car going forward?

I have lots of events planned for 2021, including . Various UK-based drives and a blast with down the German autobahn. I’m not sure derestricted sections will be around much longer, so I need to experience full-throttle acceleration on a motorway! It’s all Covid rule dependent, unfortunately. I also have a track day planned, but last time I got kicked off in the Superfast for being too loud! Plus, the GTS isn’t really suited to a track as it’s too big and heavy, but once would be fun.

Is it a keeper?

To me, this is the pinnacle of motoring and I plan to keep it forever and drive it as much as I can. It will only get harder to use cars like this so I’m going to maximise enjoyment while I can — this is no garage queen! I have zero interest in hybrid or electric; I’m sure they will be faster than mine and they will engineer in some soul (maybe) but it simply doesn’t appeal. I might add an old-school Ferrari (355, 430 etc) to the garage at some point, but for the foreseeable future, my girlfriend has banned me from spending any more money on cars (or exhausts)!

Aston Martin Vanquish S (£120,000)

Drive with Your Heart, Invest with Your Head In these turbulent times, choosing the right car to put your money into can be a challenge. It doesn't have to be, though. Darren Selig, Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of JBR Capital, discusses future classics to buy in 2021. Written by: Darren Selig

Change is the only thing we can be sure of in life. We’ve all seen enough change in the past twelve months to last us several lifetimes, but that won’t stop more coming. There is the small matter of how the world is going to shake out after Covid, and for car enthusiasts, there is another seismic event scheduled for 2030 with the ban on the sale of new petrol cars. So, what should you buy today that will still prove to be a canny addition to your collection a decade from now? DeLorean has been much in the news lately, with the Belfast-built car celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and images of a new EV concept released. Now, don’t worry, I am not suggesting for one minute that you put your money in a 1981, steel-bodied, underpowered DMC-12, but maybe the car that would suit our needs for this task is the time machine DeLorean from the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox, Back to the Future. Even if you could just have one drive, you could either blast backwards three decades and snap up all the good stuff you know is going to appreciate splendidly by 2021, or you could go forward, see how the prices are looking by 2031 and then come back to now and purchase with future-proof certainty. That's a mere daydream, of course, but I believe in one method to help choose future classics back in the real world, and funnily enough, you could say it is rooted in a little bit of fantasy.

Everyone talks about the poster of the car on the bedroom wall. Those Athena prints of icons like the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 959 lovingly Blu Tacked in place soon grew tatty, but the works of automotive art they depicted never lost their lustre and went on to accelerate in value.

For me, it was the Ferrari Enzo, not, I hasten to add, because I had a poster of it in my bedroom at the age of 10 — that was actually the Countach — but because it was the first car I financed when I came into the market in 2003. Since then, I have helped collectors acquire more than 20 of the 399 Enzos built. It’s still a thrill every time I help someone finance a car, whether it is their first significant purchase or the latest addition to an exquisite collection. I founded JBR Capital in 2015, and today, it remains the UK's only independent finance provider dedicated solely to high-end vehicle finance. JBR Capital offers bespoke specialist finance for modern-day cars, supercars, classic cars and historic cars to private individuals and businesses, and I am fortunate to be supported by a dedicated and passionate forty-strong team, all highly adept at finding the correct finance package for each customer to put them in the car they desire. As you can imagine, we all have very different opinions on what the perfect supercar is, but for

me, it is, and always will be, the Enzo. Powered by a 650bhp V12, designed by Pininfarina’s Ken Okuyama and developed by Michael Schumacher, the Enzo holds a very special place in my heart, but crucially, it also makes sense to the head. With a list price of £450,000 when new, today, a Ferrari Enzo commands a premium of up to £2 million. The Enzo is an extraordinary car and very much a modern classic that looks set to continue to hold enormous appeal, and value, even when all supercars are plug-ins. It's also a car we can learn valuable lessons from, too, to determine what will do well in the future.

As with any classic, the checklist to watch for is as follows: impeccable providence and history, low production runs, class-leading credentials and iconic status are future success hallmarks, but in the current market, we need to choose very wisely indeed as there is far more choice than ever. Many buyers have had their fingers burned over the last 12 months in the supercar market, faced with steep depreciation on models that are produced in their thousands and are not as 'special' as their makers would otherwise claim. That’s why we’ve put together our own ‘futureproof famous five’. Ranging from £100,000 to £500,000 (plus one ‘money no object’ choice), these cars are all genuinely special and should continue to be held in high regard come 2030.

With no disrespect to Michael J. Fox, none of the offerings from the Back to the Future trilogy is something I want to settle into on Boxing Day. A good Bond film is another matter, though. Almost all Bond films are cool, and Bond’s cars (apart from when he went all Mondeo man) are cool too, especially so when they carry an Aston Martin badge.

Bond drove an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day in 2002. That car’s design, by Ian Callum, has, in my eyes, never been bettered. The model is also notable as it represents the end of an era as the last of the genuine, hand-built, Newport Pagnell cars.

The pick of the crop is the slightly later S variant, sold between 2004 and 2007, but it needs to be one with an official Aston Martin Works six-speed manual gearbox conversion. The manual gearbox replaced the self-shifting semi-automatic transmission, transforming the driving experience and enhancing the value. They are a scarce commodity, so it may take a special mission to hunt one down.

Porsche 911 (991) GT3 Touring (£190,000)

Sometimes, less is more, and the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring launched at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show illustrates that theory beautifully. From the outside, it is essentially a GT3, but without the large track-focused rear spoiler, although it is still equipped with a speed-variable spoiler like the 911 Carrera. Inside, the cabin is similarly subtly styled, with leather and cloth proving sufficient to deliver purist appeal without the need for swathes of Alcantara.

There is nothing paired back about the driving experience, though, with the GT3 Touring powered by the same ballistic sounding, 494bhp 4.0-litre flat-six as the big-winged GT3, made all the sweeter thanks to the car’s standard six-speed manual gearbox. Seen as the spiritual successor to the 1973 911 Carrera RS, the 911 GT3 Touring is also similar in nature to a much more recent ancestor, the limited-edition 911 R from 2016. That car’s values rocketed the moment it left the dealership, and although the Touring isn’t a limited edition model, it looks set to follow a similarly impressive trajectory.

Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta (£475,000)

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (£350,000)

Once upon a time, you could buy pretty much any Ferrari and expect it to hold its value solidly in years to come, but those days are long gone. Now, around 8,400 models adorned with the iconic prancing horse badge leave the factory in Maranello each year, which means Ferrari can be considered a volume player, so the trick to successful investing is to seek out models built to a limited number. The 458 Speciale A is a prime example. The A stands for Aperta — Italian for open — and just 499 examples of this naturally-aspirated V8 convertible were built between 2014 and 2015.

In a future dystopian world of pure electrification, where a gallon of petrol is more prized than a bar of gold, will any car personify the fearsome, hedonistic nature of the bygone age of non-digital, carbonbased motoring than a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ? For ultra-exclusivity, seek out the extensively carbon fibre-finished SVJ 63, of which only 63 were produced. Carrying one of most revered badges in the Sant’Agata factory’s history, the Aventador SVJ boasts a gloriously old-school, un-electrified V12 engine, a limited production run of 800 and a Nürburgring lap record. This most fearsome version of Lamborghini’s Aventador positively rails against the coming of the new age, and for that, people will love it for many decades to come.

McLaren Speedtail (£2.1 million)

The achingly beautiful McLaren Speedtail is, of course, a descendent of the epoch-making McLaren F1. If only you could pop back in time to 1992, purchase one of those Gordon Murraydesigned wonders for £540,000 and then park it in a garage for the next 28 years, you could easily buy all the cars on this list, a climate-controlled barn to keep them in and a race track to drive them on. Today, with the right collectors bidding, a McLaren F1 could well reach £16 million — a price increase of almost 1000%. Will its 250mph Speedtail descendant with its 1,055bhp hybrid powertrain achieve such dizzying heights three decades from now for those who can afford the £2.1 million price tag? Based on its beguiling looks, utterly devoid of ungainly wings, I really wouldn’t rule it out.

JBR Capital Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number is 682493.

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DRIVEN TO ENJOY

Sharing ’s belief that cars are primarily made to be driven and enjoyed, Founder & CEO of Collecting Cars, Edward Lovett, runs through some of his driver-focused favourites that have recently gone under the hammer of the online auction platform for less than you might expect. Writen by: Edward Lovett

It wasn’t that long ago that many dealers, speculators, and even those in the media were regularly talking about what cars to buy as ‘investments’, and some still are. However, from day one on Collecting Cars, we banned the word ‘investment’ from our platform. Our team believes that cars are first and foremost to be driven and enjoyed, and we know that most of our followers agree with that wholeheartedly.

We’ve now sold more than 2,200 lots on the platform and generated more than £75 million for our sellers, but because every consignment is curated by our team, we develop great relationships with our buyers and sellers, and we know what makes them tick.

Now more than ever — in part because of the current socioeconomic climate, but also because of the proliferation of ludicrously expensive hypercars — we know that buyers are seeking not just great value in the market, but great driving experiences too.

Many supercar owners are returning to cars they might have first driven years or decades ago — purist, analogue machines that now seem like rare breeds. We’ve sold more than 20 examples of the 911 Carrera 3.2 as people recognise a rewarding air-cooled Porsche for VW Golf R money — a stunning Cassis Red with burgundy velour Targa just sold this month for £35,250. Elsewhere, an E46 M3 is about as good as an ‘everyday’ performance car gets, with average cars going for £10,000, great cars won with bids nearer £20,000, and

for those with bigger budgets, the M3 CSL is as popular as ever.

Walking up the price range, seven Ferrari 550 Maranellos have sold through Collecting Cars, including the well-known ex-Harry Metcalfe and Richard Hammond example. In February 2021, a beautiful Grigio Titanio car with 29,000 miles went to a new home for £77,501. We suspect that in 20 years’ time, a naturally-aspirated V12 Ferrari with a manual gearbox is still going to be Manna from heaven, not because of what it’s worth, but

because of how it makes you feel from behind the wheel.

For those looking for a little more finesse and a little less weight, the Porsche 996.2 GT3 is looking like a sweet spot in the 911 back catalogue at the moment. Collecting Cars has sold three in the last few months, including a superb Cobalt Blue example in March this year, which had just been retrofitted with genuine Recaro bucket seats, going for a winning bid of £58,000.

Collecting Cars recently opened a base in Los Angeles, joining Sydney, Munich and our London HQ, though the platform has been selling to international bidders since 2019. Our favourite recent global sales story is the European gentleman who snapped up the period-perfect white-over-tan Ferrari Testarossa from the UK for £70,777, collected it in person when they were allowed to do so, and blasted it home across the continent. If that’s not living the supercar dream, then we don’t know what is. @collectingcars

OFFICIAL FERRARI DEALER

Graypaul Nottingham Official Ferrari Dealer Graypaul Nottingham invites you to make an appointment to visit our prestigious showroom. Discover the Ferrari Roma, the all new mid-front-engined 2+ coupé that combines the unparalleled performance and handling synonymous with the Prancing Horse. Every new Ferrari purchased includes a 4 year manufacturer warranty and a 7 year servicing plan, offering ultimate peace of mind and ownership satisfaction. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

Graypaul Nottingham Lenton Lane Nottingham, NG7 2NR Telephone: 0115 837 7508 nottingham.ferraridealers.com

Ferrari.com

Fuel economy and CO2 results for the Ferrari Roma in mpg (l/100km) combined: 29.1 (9.7) to 15.9 (17.8). CO2 emissions: 220 - 404 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (postregistration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load.

MEMBERS RIDE: FERRARI 488 GTB

We catch up with member Neil about his Ferrari 488 GTB and its unique £80,000 Atelier specification. Written by: Matt Parker

We at are a passionate bunch when it comes to cars. You might say we’re bordering on obsessive when we travel the length and breadth of the country at all hours for a drive with you guys or to feature something special, but that inevitably leads to a level of familiarity. It’s human nature that we get used to things we’re around, and whilst we will always love everything from an M3 to a Divo, it’s easy to get a bit spoilt and suddenly three red Ferrari 488s on a drive is somehow normal.

That’s why we love brave and out there specs on cars, combinations which would even make an otherwise ordinary car something special member to behold, and I think you’ll agree Neil’s 488 GTB is certainly out there. A 488 isn’t exactly a ‘normal’ car in any specification, but you can pretty much guarantee you’ll never see another one like this at an event, so we spent some time with Neil and his unique 488 to find out more. “I’ve always been into Ferrari and Lamborghini since having posters of the Testarossa, F40 and Countach as a child”, Neil tells us, “My first ‘proper’ car was a BMW E46 M3, and a particularly memorable car was a Range Rover I had several years ago after I went fishing with a friend and spilt bait in the boot. The escapee maggots proceeded to hatch into flies at night, tripping the motion sensors and alarm every night for over a week!”, he laughs.

“My first Ferrari was a California and I had a 458 so the 488 was the natural successor to that. I considered an Aventador S or SV as something different and also a Pista but I couldn’t get one of those”, Neil explains, “When I decided on the 488, I asked Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow to find me a car with a unique spec and the buying experience from there was really good.

So what is the spec of the car? “It’s an Atelier car in Verde HyKers with a hand-painted Tricolore stripe on the side vents which is a nice touch along with the Tricolore badge on the rear, the interior button surrounds and stitching on the head rests. It also has the carbon fibre racing seats and over £30,000 in other carbon options”, he tells us. The original owner certainly didn’t hold back, spending £80,000 in options on top of the £195,000 list price, making for one seriously pricey 488.

Safe to say it’s a mega spec and it really does look amazing, but how does it drive to someone who was used to the naturally-aspirated 458? “In terms of handling and comfort, it’s very similar, but the power increase from the new twin-turbo engine is huge. There’s so much more torque at low revs and there’s far more acceleration”, Neil tells us.

“The great thing is that it’s really easy to use both as a supercar and a daily driver. The engineering really is amazing to enable a car to perform so well as a comfortable cruiser at low speeds and a true supercar at high speeds and reliability has been excellent too. Even the running costs are low; it’s just £700 per year to insure with NFU and, whilst it obviously depends on how you drive, it will even do 30mpg on the motorway, but then the performance is incredible”. Even more subtle Ferraris turn plenty of heads, so a bright green one must get some serious attention, but is it all positive or is the colour a bit Marmite? “It does get a lot of attention and most do like the unique colour. Apparently there are only two Verde HyKers 488s in the UK — one GTB and one Spider”.

A very special and rare car then, and personally, I love it. In fact, I remember being wowed by Neil’s in car on Instagram before he even joined March 2020. Whilst he’s a relative newbie to the fold, I’m keen to find out how his experience has been so far. “I’ve only managed one drive so far due to COVID. It was the Lakes drive and it was excellent — well organised and a great drive”, Neil remembers. “I’d love to do the Tom Hartley BBQ, Cotswolds, Wales and Scotland drives in the future as I haven’t managed much with the 488 yet for obvious reasons last year, but in 2016, I did Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Milan, Monaco, Nice, Barcelona and Marbella in my previous 458 — seven different countries in seven days!”.

Maybe it’s a bit early to tell, but we always have to ask if the car is a keeper, especially when it’s such a unique spec. Neil said no, and when asked why, he gave one very quick answer, “The Pista!”.

...a comfortable cruiser at low speeds and a true supercar at high speeds...

Pinnacle of Protection When you own one of the world’s priciest new cars, it’s safe to say you want it to stay that way. Topaz Detailing run us through protecting an member’s $6 million Bugatti Divo. Written by: Topaz Detailing

At Topaz, we pride ourselves on often being the first to work on some of the world’s greatest cars. The Bugatti Divo is, without doubt, one of those cars and we had the pleasure of having the first customer car in the world, ‘DVO 1’, in our workshop. The car in question not only belongs to a good customer of ours, but also a long-standing Supercar Driver member. In fact, the owner has such a good relationship with Bugatti that not only did he have the first Divo on the road, but also the first Chiron!

This Divo came to us directly from the Bugatti factory for our Level 2 Enhancement Detail, followed by full paint protection film coverage. For those of you who are new to paint protection film (PPF), it’s an invisible shield, like a wrap (but more advanced), that protects the paintwork on your car. PPF guards against stone chips, scratches, swirl marks and minor scuffs. PPF needs to be cut to fit perfectly on each panel of the car. At Topaz, we are very careful that this never happens on the car. We use state of the art plotters which can precut every section from our digital database of designs.

Given that this was the first Divo in the world, there weren’t any PPF designs already on our database or anywhere in the world, unsurprisingly. This means that before we could start protecting the car, our technicians patterned every panel, allowing them to be digitised and uploaded to our database in-house.

Due to the unique design of the Divo, we actually had to use two kinds of PPF on the car. Gloss and Stealth films do the same job, however they have different finishes. Gloss PPF, as the name suggests, gives a gloss finish, and is used to protect gloss paintwork and carbon fibre. Stealth PPF on the other hand gives a satin finish, and is used to protect satin paintwork, or even convert gloss paint to a satin finish. This particular car has a mixture of satin blue paint and exposed blue carbon fibre, which we protected with our Stealth and Gloss films respectively.

Since protecting the world’s first Divo, we’ve actually been fortunate to work on two more of these $6 million hypercars, and hopefully we’ll see several more of the 40 that are to be made. Scan the QR code below to watch the full PPF process for this very car! @topazdetailing

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DRIVEN: PORSCHE 911 CSR

Jonty hits the road in RPM Technik’s bespoke CSR Snakebite to find out if a Porsche could really slither its way onto his want list. Written by: Jonty Wydell

It’s widely known I’m far from the number one Porsche fan around here, and usually opt for driving something Italian or British. Once in a blue moon, though, I’m ordered to drive one of Stuttgart’s finest, and this one is a little bit different. Totally reworked from a bare shell in Hertfordshire of all places, this is the RPM Technik CSR, known as ‘Snakebite’.

Starting life as a relatively bland and basic 355bhp Arctic Silver 997 Carrera S with high mileage, the RPM Technik magic then started like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Having eaten up so many miles, it was fully stripped, bodywork to bare shell, engine out and fully rebuilt, the same with the gearbox, and the seats were replaced along with an interior re-trim. To keep the exclusivity, only 50 cars will undergo the CSR transformation, following their ethos of ‘Bespoke, Analogue, Regenerated’. The ethos speaks for itself, but it’s interesting to see just what levels each of these concepts are taken to in the rebuild of a car. Typically, CSR cars are based on basic models reborn into fast road grand tourers which are also good for the occasional track day.

During the engine rebuild, not only was everything checked or replaced, but certain components were upgraded for more robustness and to improve the power delivery. Ok, so a hike from 355bhp to 370bhp doesn’t sound much, but headline power was not a target; mid-range torque is vastly improved making for a much better driving experience. The engine was so well refreshed for a car which had covered 112,000 miles prior to its CSR ‘regenerated’ transformation that it felt more spirited than when it first left the factory, and was worthy of a mileage reset, but the customer for this particular car felt that it should be proud of its previous miles and therefore ‘Snakebite’ now has 124,000 miles on the clock, not that you would know. Now, let’s look at the ‘analogue’ part of this particular CSR. Focusing on the 996 and 997 era of Porsches, unlike other companies such as Singer or Rennsport who opt for older 911 models, I personally think they’re onto a winner by creating an all-round brilliant concept. I believe the 996 and 997 to be the perfect generation stop-gap between the old raw era and new state-of-the-art technical marvels which I can’t help but find a little soulless.

Being the last of the non-DFI engined cars, this gave a very analogue platform to work with, yet with modern luxuries to be stripped back at the customers’ requirements, which brings us onto our final subject of ‘bespoke’. It’s pretty selfexplanatory really; no two CSRs will be the same because the list of options is virtually endless! This particular car now wears Brewster Green bodywork following the bare metal respray, and the interior, which was originally destined to be purple, instead has a very classical feel sporting black leather and Alcantara with houndstooth inserts on folding buckets, while the rear seats were removed completely. The rear of the car sports RPM Technik’s very own CSR carbon fibre ducktail complimenting that classic look, while the front and rear GT3 bumpers along with HRE Weiss Gold 19” wheels hint at this car's sporting credentials and suggest that Snakebite is a little more hardcore than you might think. A full CSR transformation is not exactly cheap, so is there actually any point to it? The 997 isn’t an old car, so why not get a respray done and whack a few performance parts on it, or just buy a GT3? Well, it's often said that if you’re going to do a job then you may as well do it properly, and while anyone can buy a GT3, they’re not necessarily tailored to the road and your requirements. The point is, after the transformation, you have a brand new, bespoke, analogue sports car regardless of its previous mileage. Having spent many miles behind the wheel of 997 GT3, Greig at RPM Technik was our keen for me to feedback on how they compare. As previously mentioned, I’m far from being a Porsche fanatic, but I did have a soft spot for our old GT3 due to its overall rawness, but can they really be compared?

To begin with, as strange as it may seem, the CSR felt every bit as quick as our old GT3 despite figures suggesting a 12% power difference in favour of the GT3. But then they say there is no replacement for displacement and the 3.8-litre engine of the Carrera S, along with its new steel liners, ported and gas flowed heads, balanced con rods and motorsport pistons pushes the torque figure to 315lb ft, 15 more than you get from the 3.6-litre Mezger in the GT3. The CSR’s power band seems far better suited to road use, with power on tap from around 2,500rpm meaning there’s no need to be screaming up to redline in order to get a wriggle on. The sports exhaust amplifies the flat-six howl to just the right amount of decibels when planting your foot, but equally when releasing the pressure, the volume subsides with it.

Onto handling which, as the bespoke ethos suggests, can be tuned to your needs. With fully poly-bushed and adjustable suspension (it even has an axle-lift system), the car will be set up with either a road or track bias in mind. Snakebite has been set up with a vision of it being more of a grand tourer which may occasionally find itself on track. It therefore has a slightly softer ride than a GT3, but as the geometry has been tweaked by touring car legend Tim Harvey, the excellent handling characteristics of the GT3 are still there. To aid with the bespoke handling characteristics, a CSR mechanical limited-slip differential is an option. It's actually the only aftermarket diff available for the 997 and is fully adjustable.

The whole feel of the CSR is very tight and driver-focused. The deep-dish Momo steering wheel with airbag delete compliments the pin-sharp steering, giving maximum feedback to the palm of your hands, unlike most modern cars. After many delightful hours driving on the nearby country roads, something strange took hold of me and I began falling for it like I’ve never fallen for a Porsche before. I started speccing my own CSR in my head, along the lines of this car but in Speed Yellow, with the rear seats replaced in matching houndstooth (for the kids) and the diff just that little bit tighter to ensure a sideways exit from any junction. Apologies for digressing here, but it really did get under my skin!

So how does it compare with our old GT3? Personally and controversially, I’d take the CSR. It’s just more exclusive and that comprehensive rebuild and refresh gives you the confidence to want to spank it more than you generally would a 10-or-more-year-old car. The driver involvement, noise and capabilities are similar, yet unlike the two-seater GT3 with scaffolding in the back, a CSR doesn’t have to make the same sacrifices. The CSR Snakebite is the perfect compromise as the ultimate road-going Porsche for a driving enthusiast, with handling very much like the GT3 but with enhanced usability and all the character and excitement you could want of a car from of its era. @rpmtechnik

Want to see more? Watch our video:

Brand Loyalty MEMBER’S CAR: MCLAREN 765LT

Having owned four McLarens in a row, we catch up with member Luke about his love of the brand and his fourth car in a row from Woking, the outrageous 765LT.

Where does your passion for cars come from?

From a young age really. I had an F40 on my wall when I was younger, and even though I thought I would never have any sort of supercar, I always jokingly said I would have a Ferrari by the time I was 30. I didn’t quite manage that and I’m still a long way off an F40, but I did have a couple of R8s and McLarens in my 20s. My first car was a 1994 Ford Mondeo diesel in burgundy — a 17-year-old’s dream car... not! It was given to me by my dad when I passed my test, I put some alloy wheels on it, took the tape deck out and put a CD player in it, but it didn’t last long as I worked and worked to save up to buy a Golf GT TDI which I had for about two years.

After a couple of fastish diesel and petrol cars, I moved on to a Focus RS, and after that, I got myself a two-year-old red GT-R for my 23rd birthday in 2011. I don’t know if it’s classed as a supercar, but it felt like one to me; I loved it, put a stage 2 tune on and it kept pace with things two, three or four times the price. After I sold the GT-R, I had three Audi R8s, and it was when I had my third, a red 2014 V10 Plus, that I joined in 2015.

I was very happy with the R8, and if I hadn’t , I probably wouldn’t have changed it joined so quickly, but you go to all the events and see a whole array of different cars and it gets you wanting something bigger and better all the time — such a bad influence! In 2016, I bought my first McLaren, a 12C, and haven’t had a different brand since.

How did you get so into McLaren?

I was always a keen F1 fan and McLaren always won when I was young, and apart from the F1, they never made a production road car until the 12C in 2011, although I never thought I’d be in the league to afford one. It was a pure mistake why I eventually got into owning one though. I never liked the 12C when it came out as I thought it was ugly, but in late 2015, I drove one at a dealership in Harrogate and fell in love. It was fast, very fast compared to my R8 at the time, and it had the dihedral doors which made it feel even more special. If I hadn’t driven one, I probably wouldn’t have bought one as I was still unsure about the looks, but after driving one, I was hooked! I thought about it, and in January 2016, the dealership found me a great spec, low-mileage

car and I took the plunge. It set me back £101,000 and I tried my hardest to get the extra £1,000 off, but they wouldn’t budge! I owned it for about eight months before selling it back to the same dealership for £108,000. It was the only McLaren I’ve ever made money on! After the 12C, I moved onto a 2015 650S in Tarocco Orange which was a big step up from the 12C in terms of ride and performance, but it still lacked sound even though it had a sports exhaust. I test drove a 458 while I had a 650S, and in my opinion, the 650S was just an allround better car. They were the same price at the time, and although the McLaren didn’t have the noise of the Ferrari, everything else was better in my opinion. After owning that for around 18 member and I months, I sold it to another bought a 675LT from McLaren Manchester.

The 675 was a big step up for me, not only in monetary value, but in performance as well. It had a better sound to it with the pops and bangs, but on the day it was delivered, it decided to drop all of its oil out onto the floor, so it was here for about two hours before a truck came to take it back to Manchester. It was like giving your child an ice cream and taking it back off them before they could taste it! It turned out someone didn’t tighten the oil filter up which was a bit poor, but it was fixed and I got well looked after so I couldn’t moan too much. Once it came back, I fell in love with it. The sound, looks and performance were brilliant, but in 2019 I sold it on. I was disappointed when I did sell it, but I got a half-decent price for it so I made the decision to let it go. I was without a supercar for a while as I knew the 765 was due sometime

in 2020 but not sure exactly when. This turned out not to be a bad thing as Covid hit in early 2020 and I don’t think I would have got much use out of one when you combine that with an extension to the house and a lockdown baby.

Overall, McLaren ownership up to selling the 675 had been good. I have a good relationship with McLaren Manchester, and even though Leeds has since opened up closer, Manchester have always looked after me. Like all cars, I have had a couple of issues, but they have always been sorted quickly and efficiently.

. . .ve r y t a i l h a p py a n d s p i n s u p i n l o w gears; it’s quite controllable but you cer tainly have to think about it .

Why the 765LT?

I was told about the LT version of the 720S when I purchased the 675 in spring 2018. Nobody knew anything about it or what it would be like, but I put my letter of interest in at the same time and didn’t really think much about it. I was then invited to buy one from Manchester and they offered me the first one into their dealership. I agreed, and after the car was released, I was invited to Manchester in June 2020 to see the car and spec it whilst I was there. I was never a massive fan of the 720S, but like the 12C, I warmed to it over a period of time. When the 765 was released though, I was a fan straight away, not so much of the front, but the rear of the car was what drew me to it. I didn’t really look seriously at anything else apart from a Huracan Performante, but with the chance to get such an early car, I thought I would bite the bullet and go for the 765, so I locked in my spec, it arrived just before New Year and I registered it on 1st January 2021.

Tell us about the spec.

I didn’t go too mad on the spec, but like my last two McLarens, I went for orange even though I was very nearly swayed by a light blue colour. I do like the orange and black colour combination as it shows off the lines and shapes of the car. I specced the P1 bucket seats as I’m not a fan of the Senna seats since I personally find them uncomfortable after a period of time driving, and with me wanting to do a European tour in this car. I thought the slightly more comfortable seats would be the better bet. Apart from a couple of carbon packs and carrying on the orange seatbelt theme from the 675, I stopped with the options there. I do wish I’d specced the carbon front splitter and rear diffuser, but it was £12k and they are made from carbon anyway, so it was purely aesthetic. The roof scoop was something I looked at as well, but that was £30k!

What is it like to drive?

I have only done 650 miles in it up to now as the weather hasn’t been too great, so I am waiting until I can give it a proper go to get a better idea of how it is. Up to now though, it seems like it has so much to give. The pick up is instant and the turbo whistle on full throttle is amazing. The pops and bangs on the downshifts are like a gun going off and I think that will get better the more miles I put on it. The handling feels similar to the 675 but I haven’t driven it too hard so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing what it can do. It is very tail happy and spins up in low gears; it’s quite controllable but you certainly have to think about it. Whilst I haven’t done many miles so far, it hasn’t missed a beat. There are a couple of silly things that should have been picked up on in the predelivery inspection from the factory and the dealer, but hopefully they will be getting sorted soon as they don’t affect the car. I don’t daily the car, but if you had to, it would be capable of it as it’s very comfortable considering what it is.

How does it compare to the 675?

In comparison to the 675, I find the 765 more comfortable on the road but not as easy to drive. In my opinion, like in the 675, you need the traction control in at least dynamic to get the most out of the power delivery as it cuts power too easily, but then I have only driven it on cold roads so far. When in dynamic, the tail end is very happy so I imagine it will be a handful when I have more of an experiment with it fully off on track. The performance is leaps and bounds above the 675 but I wouldn’t say that’s to much of an advantage. The 675 was more usable under full power but the 765 keeps you on your toes a lot more, which can be a good thing at times, but you just have to respect it. It is just as noisy

in the cabin as the 675 with road noise from the stripped back interior, but you can hold a conversation no problem, albeit with slightly raised voices.

I think if you compare the 765 to other cars of similar spec, it is good value for money, but I honestly believe the 675 is amazing value for money at the price point they are at now. If I had the opportunity, I’d love to own both cars as they offer such a different driving experience, but that’s just not possible at this point in time.

Any plans with the car?

I’m hoping to do a European tour next year and events this year. I have a will be attending couple of track days booked and hopefully they will be able to go ahead to give me a proper experience of the 765 on a track.

Is it a keeper?

It’s too early to tell. I’d like to think I will keep it for a few years as it’s the first supercar I have ever bought new. I hope it doesn’t drop in price like other cars do, but let’s be honest, none of us buy new cars as good investments. If we made decisions when buying cars like we do in business, we would never buy new.

I don’t know what I’d replace it with if I did come to sell it as nothing has caught my eye, in my price range anyway. I like to have something different as a car and I don’t buy them on a whim, they really need to appeal to me. With that said, I would like to scratch my Ferrari itch with a nice manual 360 Modena this summer if I can find one.

1975 KREMER PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 3.0 RSR £POA

2009 FERRARI 599 GTB

2003 FERRARI 575 MARANELLO F1

£99,950

£84,950

2015 FERRARI 458 SPECIALE APERTA - UK RHD

2009 FERRARI CALIFORNIA £67,950

£475,000

2006 FERRARI 575 SUPERAMERICA HGTC - UK RHD £195,000

2018 FERRARI 488 SPIDER £184,500

2010 LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP550-2 BALBONI EDITION

2011 FERRARI 599 GTO - UK RHD £525,000

£129,950

RESTORATION // SALES // SERVICE

www.bellsportandclassic.co.uk

We spend some time with Tom Hartley Jnr to talk about setting up on his own, the brand he’s most passionate about and the cars he longs to get his hands on. Written by: Matt Parker

I’d be amazed if you’re reading this and haven’t heard of Tom Hartley Jnr. He’s been in the business of the world’s best cars for as long as he can remember, and since making the bold decision to go it alone a few years ago, he’s continued to deal in the sort of machinery dreams are made of. We caught up with Tom to find out why he took that leap of faith and what makes the man and the business tick.

“I left school at 11 years old to go into the car business”, Tom tells us, “Then, after working for several years, firstly in my dad’s business and then becoming a full partner in that business, working alongside my father and brother, I made the conscious decision in 2014 to launch my own independent enterprise. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but at the same time, I wanted to create a business that totally reflects the way I conduct myself in business

and to concentrate on the cars I’m particularly interested in”.

readers will know, things can be As so many slow in the infancy of a new business, but Tom has fond memories of a surprisingly successful start. “When I first set up on my own, the very first week, I remember selling three very different but important cars. One was a Ferrari F12, one was a Ferrari 250 Tour de France and the other was a Ferrari Daytona — they all sort of happened quite quickly which was a good start for the business!”. Since that roaring start, the team grew and the momentum continued. “At first, it was just myself, my PA Holly and my head detailer Jonathan, both of whom had worked for me in the old business. Now, there are 10 of us in total, and as every year has gone by since 2014, the business has grown year on year which is

something I’m very proud of”, Tom tells us, “In our last financial year, we sold around £150 million worth of cars, which was a lot when you consider our staff is only 10 people. We probably only sell around 150 cars per year, but the average value of a car sold is about £1 million”. As he mentioned, of the biggest draws to going it alone for Tom was the ability to focus on the kind of cars he’s most passionate about, so what are those cars? “A lot of people ask me if we focus on classic cars or modern cars, and I would answer that by saying we focus on collectable cars. Collectable cars are what turn me on. Our bread and butter is modern supercars, the likes of a Carrera GT or LaFerrari, because we know them extremely well, we don’t need to do as much research as we would on a 1953 Aston Martin DB3S and we can sell quite a lot of those cars throughout a year.

“The business will probably do equally as well out of modern supercars as it will classic cars, but the focus is always on collectable cars, and that can even be the lowest mileage Mini Cooper in the world, or it can be a Ferrari 250 GTO. At the weekend, we sold a Mini Cooper that had done 13 miles from new, and tonight I’m waiting to close a deal in the region of $40 million, so it really can go from one end of the spectrum to the other, but they’re both important cars and very collectable cars”, Tom explains. It’s not just his interest in collectable cars that fuels the fire of the business either, Tom explains how they actually make financial sense too. “I grew up in the modern car business, and in the modern car business, every week you watch your stock go down in value, so you’re constantly rushing to sell your cars, then when they’re not sold, you have to reduce them. I find, in the collectable car world, things can go down in price, there can be corrections in the market and there have been cars I’ve lost a considerable amount of money on because I made the wrong decision when I bought them, but the majority of the time, if you’ve bought something that’s special enough, you can hold onto it and you don’t have to be in a rush to sell it, because it will always hold onto its value, or even appreciate”. Dealing in the world of the most rare and special cars must bring its fair share of stories, whether

it be the cars themselves, the people met or the places visited along the way, so we ask Tom for his highlights. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been spoilt, because all of our deals only ever come out of hard work and a lifetime of dedication to the industry, but there have been so many fantastic deals that I do take time to sit at home with a glass of wine, smile to myself and think wow, that was quite incredible. It could be the way the deal happened, it could be on cars that are eight-figure sums, and there are always so many stories about how the sale came around.

“There have been lots of interesting stories along the way, whether it’s going to Tokyo to buy a delivery mileage McLaren F1, or I remember spinning a coin on a deal for like a million dollars, and unfortunately I lost!”, Tom goes on to tell me there are endless stories of incredible deals, but so many of them he sadly can’t divulge, “I’d love to sit down and share with you that we sold this car to this person and you’d hardly believe some of them, you wouldn’t even know some of the people were into their cars, but if I did, it would go against everything the business stands for. “Because of the nature of the beast, a lot of people do business with us because of the assurance of confidentiality, so it would be a little inappropriate for me to start giving too many stories away on those cars because people would know how much cars have been sold for

and who physically owned them, sorry to be so boring with that!”, Tom laughs.

Now we know Tom’s thing is for collectable cars, but I don’t imagine I’m the only one who has noticed a particular preference for Ferrari, given how heavily they feature on his stock list, he’s sold so many of the brand’s rarest models Secret and brought a 288 GTO to the 2020 Meet. Tom confirms my observations are no coincidence, “My favourite manufacturer, for certain, would be Ferrari. I suppose because of their racing pedigree I have more passion for them than any other marque, but Ferrari is also the best manufacturer for the business, in fact, no other even comes close.

“Ferraris are more collectable than any other car. It’s like you have the classic car market, and then you have the Ferrari market, it absolutely stands on its own. If somebody tomorrow wanted to build a Lamborghini collection, they could buy a Miura and a Countach, and they’d be well on their way. If somebody wanted to build a McLaren collection, they could buy an F1 and a P1, and be pretty much done. If somebody wanted to build a Ferrari collection, they would need to have very deep pockets, and where do you start?

“They’ve built so many great cars for over 70 years now, and they’re the only manufacturer who have been there delivering important cars at that level continuously for that amount of time. For example, the pre-war Mercedes were fantastic, but what Mercedes do you really want to buy from the ‘80s or ‘90s? I’d like to think the business is known for selling the most important cars, and there are more very important Ferraris than there are very important Bugattis or Mercedes-Benz, and that’s why you’d gravitate towards the 250 Testa Rossa we sold recently or a 250 GTO or one of the many 250 California Spyders we’ve handled. Ferrari or otherwise though, we sell a lot of very special cars, that’s what the business is modelled around”, Tom explains.

From the outside, you’d be forgiven for thinking there is no car Tom hasn’t sold, but I had to ask if there’s anything out there that has escaped him or that he would love to get ahold of. “There are several cars out there and it can just be a particular model that stimulates me. Ferrari 275s for example; I’ve sold every different variant of a 275 on the planet 10 times over, but there are particular 275s that might have been delivered in a unique colour or unique spec, and I will get just as excited by that as I would by saying I’ve never sold a Bugatti Royale before, and yes, I would love to sell a Bugatti Royale.

“I’ve sold more McLaren F1s than anyone else, but I would love to get my hands on the George Harrison F1 — that’s a car I would run across the road naked for!”, Tom laughs, “At the same time, there are so many other cars, and that’s the most fantastic thing about the world we are involved in. I could be as active as I am now for another 50 years, and I still wouldn’t have gone through all of the cars I will long to deal in throughout my career”. With several years under his belt as his own enterprise, Tom is very well established and respected in the collectable car world, but we’re keen to know if Tom has plans to keep growing. “We have a big announcement that we are hopefully going to make later in 2021 which is going to be very exciting, although I can’t say much more than that at the moment”, Tom eludes, “My goal is continue to scale the business but at the same time not lose any control, not let our customer service slip in any way, not let our expertise slip in any way by trying to grow too fast.

“Our team is only 10 individuals, but they are 10 great individuals. It takes time when someone first joins this business to be moulded and get the best out of them, and whilst I’m a hard taskmaster, I don’t demand anywhere near as much from the employees as I demand from myself. The employees who realise that are the ones you want on board, and you can only scale the business by having great people”, Tom proudly explains.

Before we finish, Tom has been involved with for a number of years now, so we wanted to talk about the partnership. “Adam first reached out a few years ago, I went to one of the events you guys organised and I was very impressed. The Secret Meet I’ve been going to at Donington for the last couple of years is a fantastic event, one of the best events in the UK. I was amazed last year by the cars you managed to get there on that one day in that one location, and it was also very supporting of the UK car industry because it displayed just how many car enthusiasts there are in the UK. In fact I’m not certain that event could have been held anywhere but the UK. appeals to both audiences, it appeals to the classic car collector and also to the modern supercar driver, and that’s testament to how is”. good a club I think

Something Tom has been active with is keeping members engaged even during lockdown, Live event to take hosting a fascinating people behind the scenes of the business, albeit Live virtually. “Adam asked me to do the first event in lockdown, which I hope all the members enjoyed. It was a little daunting to start with, because when you’re talking to nothing but a

camera for an hour without any feedback, you’re wondering whether you’re doing a good job or if people are actually interested, but we received a lot of good feedback from it and we appreciated being asked to host the first one”.

Some of you may have been fortunate enough to attend the real event at Tom’s HQ in 2019, and if not, I’d highly recommend getting yourself down for the next one since invites don’t get thrown around willy nilly, “Of all the times in the past people have asked me about doing something like that, we’ve never actually opened our doors to any other car club or held a private event event and we’re going to until we held the do another one as soon as we get out of this unfortunate lockdown we’re in at the moment. These virtual meets are all good and they help, but it’s not the same as driving somewhere and seeing all these fantastic cars in the flesh”. For more from Tom about his F1 cars, watch our video due out Friday 16th April at 5:30pm

Say hello to new sponsors WillU FX, a company we’ve personally used, whose aim is to save you money on foreign transactions, whether it be business, booking a hotel or buying a car. We caught up with Commercial Partnerships Director, Jamie Reid, to find out more.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?

WillU FX provides currency payment solutions to private individuals, SMEs and large global businesses. We specialize in working with high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, manufacturing industries and are also heavily involved the world of motorsport through our connections and our founders’ backgrounds in professional motorsport internationally.

The FX part of the business came about through demand from the investments side of the business really. A number of our clients were looking at moving funds either for business reasons or for personal investments such as buying or selling properties overseas. So, rather than us passing the business onto a third party, we decided it would make sense to open up the WillU FX business in its own right so we could service our customers directly and maintain that one-to-one relationship we have with them. Keeping it all in-house means we can ensure our very high standards of service are maintained.

In addition to these services, we provide a range of benefits to our private and corporate clients, and aim to drive business to them via our platform and through word of mouth networking. WillU World can provide rewards to the employees of our clients, with benefits and rewards on over 200 brands, mental health support, physical support via our free yoga, breathing workshops, running clubs and nutritionists.

HOW HAS THE BUSINESS EVOLVED SINCE?

WillU FX and the WillU Financial Group have doubled in size since last year. The business has actually grown through the pandemic as more people have become savvier with their money. When you’ve got Brexit and a global pandemic having their impact, especially on our clients still trading internationally, people want to work with companies they trust, so we’ve done well in that respect whilst retaining our customer first objective.

Since I joined the company in September of last year, I’ve been very much focused on dealing with the automotive and motorsport direction of the business. We’re now working with more motorsport-related companies, teams, manufacturers, drivers and so on, as well as with individuals like those within the membership who own higher value vehicles, have sizeable car collections or those looking at building up a collection.

WHY USE YOU OVER BANKS?

WillU FX pride ourselves on the speed and simplicity of our payment service, topped off by the competitiveness of our exchange rates. You’ll never be charged a transaction or payment fee when using WillU FX, which I am sure everybody knows is not the case when using a bank. So, if you own a business that’s doing let’s say a hundred overseas transactions per year at £25 a pop, all of a sudden we’ve saved you £2,500 in unnecessary costs straight away. When you add that to the savings we can provide on the currency exchange, this becomes tens of thousands.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Using the example of an member who might be looking at purchasing a car. Let’s say they’re purchasing a car that’s being sold in Euros in mainland Europe. They would come to us and say they want to buy this car, whether it’s a one-time payment or placing a deposit, whatever it may be, we will work out for them what the rate would be through us, we can provide rapid payment from their account into the beneficiary’s, be it a private individual or a business, and it’s a very simple, quick and easy process.

We just require a few bits of personal information to open an account for them, and the WillU FX account would be in their name. Then, whenever they want to move the money, we would tell them the rate at that time and move the money for them. , if a tour is being As for a business like organised where you need to book out 100 hotel rooms in Monaco, for example, the rate you’d be paying through the bank would be massively high.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH

for a couple of I’ve personally been aware of years. I’m unfortunately not a member myself, although I would very much like to be at some point soon! The community of interesting people, run really do incredible cars and the events tick just about every box. Our core demographics are, generally speaking, high to ultra-high-networth individuals who operate businesses here in the UK and might trade internationally, so that is perfectly aligned with Supercar Driver’s members and their businesses. All of us at WillU FX are car nuts, be it those with an interest in the classics or more contemporary supercars. Motorsport runs through our veins because one of our founders is a former Formula 1 driver and current European Le Mans Series driver, and another was a very successful singleseater driver as well.

We’re very much a passion-led business, so seeing what Supercar Driver has done over the last 10 years meant it was a no-brainer for us to get involved, because we can help you save money with the costs of running events, but also we can provide genuine value to the group of individuals and companies who make up the membership and sponsors. We want to experience the events, get amongst it, see the cars, meet the owners and the other companies involved. Our team is spread out geographically, so there’s a chance we might get to some local events and drives, but as for the major events, we’ll be going to the season opener, Grantley Hall, obviously the secret meet and the season closer. We’ll be trying to get out to as many events as we can this year so we can meet all of you face-to-face.

We could instantly provide you a saving on that, but more importantly, if there was a deposit payment made in one month, and a balance payment due two months later, the markets can move a lot in that time period. So, we can put in place solutions that allow for budgeting to be done more effectively by locking in a rate, so the client knows exactly how much that will cost, irrespective of what the market does. The main thing for us going forward is to continue to grow our network through referrals and through our reputation that we are already gaining in this marketplace, and to maintain that personal, one-to-one service. If all methods of moving money were equal in terms of cost, whether it be a third-party foreign exchange company like ourselves or a bank, which company would you rather work with, the one that understands what’s driving you, your business and your passions or the faceless organisation that frankly doesn’t care if you’re buying plastic chairs from china or a new Bugatti?

We’re really looking forward to working with team, because whenever we’ve spoken the with your members and the other businesses , they’ve all said that working associated with with you guys has been absolutely fantastic since day one. It’s been a mega relationship from the very start as far as opportunities to speak to new people, it’s an exciting group that always puts the members first, and if we can add an extra value to the members, then that’s great. member that has private or To any commercial matters involving foreign currencies, feel free to get on touch for a chat. @willu_fx

willufx.co.uk

DRIVEN: BMW Z3M COUPE

The BMW Z3M Coupe is undoubtedly an interesting modern classic with values rocketing over the last few years. Matt gets behind the wheel to find out if the drive is as interesting as the looks. Written by: Matt Parker

The BMW Z3 was an interesting car. In most guises, it’s a fairly forgotten, distant relative in the BMW family, but from its release in 1995 until production ended in 2002, it was always a cool-looking retro roadster, and it even had a brief moment in the limelight as a Bond car in Goldeneye. The trouble was, being the first BMW to be solely manufactured outside Germany, its US build quality wasn’t quite what you’d expect from Munich, and what it offered in style, it didn’t quite match in performance. Sure, the sixcylinder models that joined the lineup in 1996 weren’t exactly slow for their time, but with a fairly flexy chassis, it was more stylish cruiser than ultimate driving machine. That is, until the M division got involved.

Power and parts were donated from the E36 M3, but in Germany, you can’t just add power to such a chassis, shout “yee-haw!” and hope for the best, and even after a pretty decent chassis overhaul, even the M Roadster suffered in the same way. So to prove how serious they were about chassis rigidity, BMW engineers developed a whole new body style in their spare time to resolve the issue and help the Z3 cope with a proper engine. The resulting Z3M Coupe is what you might call a Marmite car. Some call it the clown shoe because of its unique side profile, some more affectionately call it the bread van. Whatever you call it, it’s rare, it’s cool, values have taken off, and thanks to our friends at Car Iconics, we’re going to find out how it drives.

When I arrived at Car Iconics HQ, the M Coupe was sat outside to greet me. Most examples were finished in Estoril Blue, a colour which was unique to M cars back then, and they do look great in that shade, but Titan Silver lets the car speak for itself and contrasts perfectly with the black and red two-tone leather interior. It’s such a small car by today’s standards and the proportions make it look like a purposeful mini hotrod, with a long bulging bonnet and the bulk of the body squat over the rear wheels. Inside, just like out, it’s compact and simple. It’s showing its age, but the deliberately retro styling means it sort of gets away with it. Most importantly, the driving position is spot on and the seats are fantastic for a car of the late ‘90s.

For sale at car-iconics.com £37,995 | 1999 | 25,000 Miles

The engine is fired into life by a turn of a basic old plastic key I remember from an E39 5 Series my dad had when I was a kid, but the engine it ignites is anything but simple. Early American cars had the S52 engine with a measly 240bhp, but this UK model has the S50 engine from the E36 M3 with a much more healthy 316bhp. Later cars had the S54 from the E46 M3 and they’re particularly rare. They came with drive-by-wire throttle and a wider power band, but headline performance was much unchanged. The power goes to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual and absolutely nothing else — this car comes from a golden era where performance was high but electrical nannies were yet to come and spoil the fun — that’s a combination we like!

First impressions are that the cable throttle is extremely heavy and all the controls take a nice, deliberate input. The engine is smooth and surprisingly hushed at low revs too, then as you push beyond 4,000rpm the metallic rasp of the older M3s kicks in along with the bulk of the power band. It feels linear, but it builds the closer you get to the 7,500rpm redline, so it’s worth winding out and it’s actually pretty quick when you do. It’s still fairly muted as ‘90s cars tend to be, but given how the similar S54 motor sounds in the M3 CSL, this thing certainly has some aural potential should you fancy amplifying things a little. As for handling, my mum had a 1.9 litre Z3 when I was a kid, and back then, that was a cool car to me, but I still remember how flexy it felt, especially with the top down, and whether you want to call it a coupe, breadvan, clown shoe or anything else you can think of, the fixed roof has certainly done the trick. Bends and bumps don’t upset it like the topless models and the boulevard cruiser now feels more like a proper sports car. The steering is light and a little vague at low speed, another trait common in late ‘90s cars, and quite a bit of steering angle is required compared to sports cars of today. Another surprising area where it really does differ from even sporty saloons of today is the suspension. So many cars nowadays are needlessly firm to give the impression of sportiness, whereas the Z3M feels very softly sprung.

The resulting ride is comfortable and, whilst it can be a little floaty, a bit of roll gives you a real sensation of what’s going on underneath you and it doesn’t get thrown off track by uneven surfaces, so it’s a fantastic tool for a British B road, especially given how small it is by today’s standards. It’s light for over 300bhp too at 1,390kg, so its agile and, despite being a ‘90s M car, the brakes feel more than a match for the power as they were robbed from the heavier E36 M3 along with the engine.

I didn’t quite know what to expect coming into this one. Performance cars from 20 years ago can often feel a bit sluggish and out of their depth when you’re used to modern machinery, and whilst I’m sure a Golf R would teach it a thing or two on a twisty road, the Z3M is still a quick car and, most importantly, it’s rewarding with it.

You have to work the engine hard to extract its performance, match the revs on downshifts yourself and remember there’s no safety net if you get a bit too eager. It’s a revelation when you drive something small and light nowadays, and whilst the suspension is very soft by modern standards, it means it can take challenging surfaces in its stride, and there’s something cool about the nose lifting under acceleration isn’t there?

It’s what I’d call a momentum car, where you learn to be smooth and carry your speed. You don’t just jump in, point and shoot. You work every last horse from the engine, revel in changing gear yourself along with the naturallyaspirated responsiveness and get into a real flow — it’s a refreshingly back to basics experience where you’re responsible for everything the car does. This particular car has covered just 25,000 miles in just over 20 years since new and that lovely two-tone red and black leather I mentioned earlier still looks almost new. It’s for sale at Car Iconics for a fiver under £40,000, so congratulations if you managed to pounce on one for less than half that a few years ago, but even at the money they’re fetching now, they seem like a safe bet as an almost guaranteed future classic.

There’s nothing else quite like it, and skunkworks projects born from a group of engineers’ curiosity rather than a boardroom of bean counters’ greed always make for much more interesting cars, so for me, the Z3M Coupe is absolutely deserving of classic status, and the point of view, most important part from an it’s an investment you’ll actually enjoy driving.

DAN @ CARICONICS In a world where 500bhp is the norm for most performance cars, the Z3M Coupe brings back what driving on the public roads is all about: a sense of occasion, the correct balance between chassis capability and power, and more importantly, fun!

Of the S50 engine variety, 2,999 cars were produced in total, and there were only 1,112 S54 examples. No doubt many have been scattered into hedgerows around the world due to their enthusiastic BMW handling characteristics and lack of traction control, so it’s anyone’s guess how many are left.

Good examples are becoming hard to find as, like many modern classics, they went through a period of being relatively cheap, and therefore we often find cars that haven’t been maintained correctly, so finding a car that has been in the right ownership throughout its life is all-important. This car is in very original condition with nearly all original paintwork, wheels that have never been refurbished and an interior which is like new. Upon inspection, it is clear to see that this is one of those examples that has been in continuously good ownership. These cars (like many others) reached an all-time high in 2018 with even higher mileage examples fetching over £30,000. More recently, prices have softened except for the best examples and especially the S54 cars — these can carry a £20k+ premium over an S50. Like with any car, I believe the best reason to buy one is because you love it. Investment should always come second or as an added bonus in the event the value creeps up unsuspectingly. That being said, a rarity such as the Z3M Coupe has every chance of doing well in the medium term with its low production numbers and unique design.

Want to see more? Watch our video:

FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO

2017, 2 Owners. Stunning Bianco Italia with Nero/Blanco leather interior, and sought after sports exhaust system. Suspension lifter, panoramic glass roof, carbon sills, carbon driving zone, adaptive lights, iPad holders, apple car play. 7,300 miles.

£164,995

Ducati Desmosedici D16RR; 2008, Ducati’s iconic MotoGP road bike, Rosso GP edition, only 1 mile from new, the ultimate collectors example. £74,950

Ferrari 328GTS; 1986, 19,815 miles. Rosso Corsa, Crema leather, original tool kit, targa roof panel & owners pack. Stunning example of Ferrari’s classic 328. £89,995

Jaguar XK120; 1949, Classic lightweight aluminium bodied example, 3.4ltr straight six engine, disc brakes all round, metallic silver with grey leather, £174,995

Porsche 928GTS Manual; 1994, 2 Owners, rare manual gearbox, garaged from new, same owner for 26 years, immaculate throughout, 29,900 miles. £89,950

BMW M4 GTS; 2016, RHD, frozen dark grey metallic paint, carbon brakes, clubsport package, 7-speed DCT, unique opportunity, 25 miles. £99,995

Aston Martin DBS6 Vantage; 1968, Aquamarine with black leather, rare 5-speed model, sympathetic 2nd restoration in 2016. Truly beautiful example. POA

FOR MORE ABOUT THESE ICONIC CARS CONTACT DANIEL: +44 (0)7891 010719 STEPHEN: +44(0)7834 620589

WWW.CARICONICS.COM ENQUIRIES@CARICONICS.COM

WE ARE GOING Miles fills us in on the exciting partnership between and Praga Cars UK which will see us going racing. Written by: Miles Lacey

If you’re thumbing through this magazine right now, there’s a good chance you have an unhealthy interest in cars. We all share this same ailment, and what a glorious problem it is! You’ve driven some spectacular cars in some even more spectacular locations, you’ve driven your cars on track days and probably wondered at times why a hot hatch is a little closer in the mirrors than you would have hoped, but where do you go from here? has recently announced Praga Cars as their official racing partner. It will see an exciting

journey ahead that members will be fully involved in to bring them exclusive opportunities and experience what the 114-year-old brand has to offer. Praga has committed to their plans for the UK market in a big way, and their brand new HQ based in Cheshire will be home to the five R1. Guest Driver cars including the members take The grand opening will see an exclusive tour of where the magic happens including the very car we’ll be racing! was invited to drive At the end of last year, and review the championship-winning Praga R1

at Donington Park. Little did we know, this was quietly a test to see about offering a seat to race in the Britcar Endurance Championship in 2021 with full factory support. I was the lucky sod that was strapped in and told to go shout at a camera as I was driving Praga’s prized possession at a reasonable lick around the famous circuit. I brought the car back into the pits, bellowed something about how insanely quick it is and allowed a few moments for my organs to assume their usual position.

As teammates, we’ll be working closely over the course of the season to extract the most out of the R1. We’ll be bringing you along the way to talk about the thrills and spills of racing and how you can get yourself on the grid in the near future too. James is the perfect match for this partnership given he has some racing experience already, so I’ll have a solid foundation to work on and progress his skills behind the wheel. was given an exclusive chance to take a look around the new car we’ll be racing this year. The moment the first customer car arrived in the UK, we whisked it off to take an in-depth look around its new features for this year. We were so eager, it still had the cellophane on it! The development team at Praga haven’t left a single element untouched in the new car; the previous-gen car has been around for a few years now, competing in various forms of circuit racing, and over that time they’ve taken the feedback from the teams, engineers and drivers to improve all aspects of its design.

The test went well, and the next morning a phone call arrived from Mark Harrison, MD of Praga Cars UK, “How was it?”, he asked, “Really quite good”, I replied, trying to play it cool, “You went quite well I see”, he said, “Oh did I?”, I asked, “Yes, how would you feel about a season racing the new R1 next year?”. Need I say what my response was? Adam and I had a chat, the deal was done and we’ll soon be on the grid doing our very best to drag it towards the front of the pack!

The Guest Driver programme is a cornerstone of Praga’s plan to show the world what they can do. Before last year you’d, be forgiven for asking who on earth this boldly named company from the Czech Republic was and what business they had in the world of motorsport, especially in the UK, but they have since made their statement by winning the Britcar Endurance Championship last year in their Praga R1T. That’s not bad to have on the CV on its own, but they’ve followed up with even bigger ambitions by creating a Praga class of its own in Britcar for the 2021 season. A total of five Guest Driver cars and five customers entering the cars will make up the grid with all-new 2021 R1 in a bid for glory.

Endurance racing is a test of man and machine, will be or should we say men and machine. and supercar racing with long-time friend of virtuoso James, or Mr JWW as you most likely know him. Having competed in academy motorsport last year, James is taking on the challenge to progress to elite level endurance racing in spectacular fashion.

straight away, but by the same measure, it’s not the most difficult car to drive once you get your head around how it operates and what it wants from you as the driver. We’re working closely with Praga to deliver their driver development programme which has been designed with the sole purpose of getting you race ready for the R1. members who put their interest forward will have the entire journey mapped out to get them in the driving seat of the R1.

The bespoke driver development programme covers everything from obtaining your race licence, full support in acquiring the necessary experience to qualify to race the R1 by competing in a lower class of car, all whilst having exclusive test days in the R1 and coaching from experienced factory drivers. It’s astonishing the traction they have achieved so far with car orders flying in from across the globe, however has secured limited places for its members to embark on their racing journey for themselves.

Not that it needed it, but the new car has a redesigned aero package consisting of a new floor, front splitter and enormous rear wing which will further increase its ground effect. More ground effect means more downforce which means more cornering speed. In fact my neck is starting to hurt just writing this piece. There are new endurance headlights so we can see where we’re going at night and flash those slow GT3 cars out the way, a new turbo and intake system which is now even more efficient and powerful, new fuel tank up from 60 to 90 litres, new seat, new ergonomic cockpit, a more advanced data logging system and an improved exhaust for significantly increased reliability and performance. There’s a whole list of other new features I’ve forgotten, such is the level of work they’ve put into the new R1! All these incremental improvements come together to offer essentially an entirely new car, ready to go even faster and harder than any R1 before. You can’t help but admire the ambition and Praga are bringing to this campaign; imagine trying to launch a brand new racing car or run a supercar owners community when the entire planet has pressed pause. The sector we operate in is the definition of discretionary spend, yet it holds a value and a purpose close to our hearts — it’s more than a passion.

For the longest time, racing has appeared to be a guarded clique that requires suitcases full of cash and a lineage of racing in your family in order to have a go. The partnership between the two companies is designed solely to break down these walls. The R1 is developed so it doesn’t need to be run by a crew of 20, four trucks and a team of strategists and engineers back at HQ. Not only can you run the car as humbly as you like with a small crew, but the start-up costs are in no way comparable to other cars and racing series which deliver the same level of performance and pace. It’s GT3 quick at a fraction of the price — what more could you want? Having driven the car and gained a measure of its capabilities, it’s not a car you can just jump in and expect to be able to drive up to pace

Praga’s goal for 2022 is to curate their own one-make series that will present racing opportunities across the UK with flagship rounds at famous circuits around the globe. Before then however, we’ve got an entire year ahead of us with some exciting events on and off track including our own Britcar campaign. Who’s up to the challenge of driving an R1 I wonder? If you decide you are, I personally guarantee you won’t regret it, but maybe recommend you start doing a few neck exercises each morning. If the race car is a little much for now, however, they also make go-karts! @praga_cars

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SWEET SPOT MEMBER’S CAR: PORSCHE 991.2 GT3

We catch up with father and son members and wellknown Porsche lovers, Nigel and Harry, to chat about why they think the 991.2 GT3 might be the best of the bunch.

Why did you buy another GT3?

NIGEL: Because pound-for-pound, they’re the best all-round Porsche you can buy.

HARRY: We had one before, pretty much the same spec as the one we have now, however the new 718 GT4 was being launched and we were offered an allocation. After having the 981 GT4, which was incredible, great value for money, a brilliant driver’s car, we said yes, we’d love one, but we actually found we preferred the 981 to the 718, simply because the new one felt more refined, like they’d made it a bit too modern and easy, not as raw. Ultimately though, we wanted the GT3 back!

To sum up the 991.2 GT3, I don’t think cars get much better. The soundtrack, the reliability, the feel of the car, the way you can actually use it properly. It’s an incredible car we’ve now owned twice, and yes, there are faster cars in a straight line, but in terms of a car that rewards you, I don’t think anything can get close to it, especially for the money.

Tell us about the spec.

HARRY: It has pretty much everything you’d want on it for a GT car; Clubsport package, ceramic brakes, front lift, all the bits of carbon trim inside, and it’s in Guards Red which is the same colour we’ve specced on the new 992 GT3.

We’ve changed the wheels to Satin Aurum which is like a gold colour and I absolutely love them. Gold wheels were one of those decisions where you wonder if it’s going to work or not. There aren’t many colours the Satin Aurum wheels work with. They usually go with white or black, but not the bright colours, red just seems to work though. We had a bit of inspiration from Mr Nicholls himself with his Ferraris and it just transformed the car for me and sets it apart from the others.

...it ’s the ultimate a l l - r o u n d e r.

We’ve also added the JCR exhaust which is absolutely incredible! It’s probably the one thing I love about the car more than anything else, the sound of it. These things sound amazing revving to 9,000rpm, but with the JCR system, it just brings it to life. It’s so loud but not over the top and it even looks a lot better with the megaphone tips. For track use, it does tend to trip the noise limit, but it’s a simple fiveminute job to take the megaphone tips off and put the silencers on. It’s a fantastic system I’d recommend to anybody. NIGEL: It has the uncomfortable seats!

How does it compare to the GT4?

HARRY: It’s like the GT4’s bigger brother. It’s in the next league above. You can’t put the GT4 down because it’s such a phenomenal car, great to drive on B roads and on track plus the manual box, it’s absolutely fantastic. But then the GT3 is a 911, it has a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine, revs to 9,000rpm, it feels like more of a supercar than a sports car.

NIGEL: It’s a bit like in the house, I’ve got Sonos 1 speakers, Sonos 3 and Sonos 5. Sonos 1 are actually brilliant and probably good enough unless you really want to turn the volume up, and I’d say it’s the same with the GT4 to the GT3. Both the GT4 and GT3 handle brilliantly, and to be honest, I could sometimes prefer the manual of the GT4 while on track, but there’s something more special about a 911, especially the GT3. We previously said that, pound-for-pound, we’d have a GT4 over a GT3, and that’s still true of the 981 GT4, because at the price point they’re at right now, there’s nothing better — it’s such an amazing car. That said though, the 718 GT4 is a £100,000 car, and for me personally, I’d rather spend £10k to £20k more and get a used GT3.

GT3 vs GT2 RS?

NIGEL: The GT3 is phenomenal, I really do love it. I think it’s the ultimate all-rounder. It’s still a lot of money, but it can keep up with the big boys. The GT2 RS is an animal. I’m not going to deny it, I’ve never driven a car with so much power to the rear wheels. We haven’t taken the GT2 RS on track yet, but personally, I think the GT3 will be better. I’ve booked in for a track day and I’ll use it if the conditions are right, but it’s the first time I’ve had a car I want to mollycoddle and really look after, whereas the GT3 is something you can just drive. HARRY: Now this is hard because the GT3 is naturally-aspirated, revs to 9,000rpm, has 500bhp, and do you really need any more than that? The 2RS is ridiculous, it’s pretty much unusable in anything other than perfect weather and it’s made for the track. The GT3 is able to be used on and off track, you can plant your foot, whereas you’ve got to be more careful in the 2RS, you’ve got to think about things a lot more. The GT2 RS looks so much better in my opinion but it’s not one you can abuse every other day because you’ve got to look after such a special and rare car. We use and abuse the GT3 and it just takes it.

991.2 GT3 or 991.1 GT3 RS?

NIGEL: That’s such a good question and it’s so hard to answer! Bloody hell, phwoar. I would genuinely say either or, flick a coin. Purely on a track, I’m slightly swaying towards the GT3 RS, on the road it’d be the GT3. I would actually say the GT3 overall, but then the GT3 RS has that look and it’s the more special car.

What are your thoughts on the 992 GT3?

HARRY: The 992 GT3 will be an absolute monster. Porsche aren’t trying to put 600 or 700 horsepower into it, they’re keeping it at a usable amount of power but making it so perfect to drive by tweaking the suspension and aerodynamics. Not only does it look leaps and bounds above the current one we have, it will drive even better. It’s 17 seconds faster around the Nurburgring than this one, it’s just bonkers how good a car it will be and I’m so excited about it.

What could replace the GT3?

HARRY: There are a few things that could replace the GT3 for me; AMG GT R, McLaren 600LT, things like that. They’re brilliant cars, however the Porsches, as so many people have told us, they just work. If you go to a track, which is what this car is for, you can do lap after lap and it doesn’t even flinch. I wonder if some of the other cars could take it in the same way. NIGEL: What will be replacing the GT3? Definitely a 992 GT3! @porschecentresheffield_uk

See more about this car in our DRIVEN video

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OF A

LAST DYING BREED We celebrate the response and unadulterated noise of the atmospheric engine by hitting the road in three of the best naturally-aspirated cars of the modern era.

BMW

E92 M3

COMPETITION Written by: Miles Lacey

Wind the clock back 15 or so years, and we were blissfully enjoying an end of an era none of us were truly ready for. In the naughties, BMW had developed a habit of shoehorning beautifully crafted engines into their road cars that wouldn’t have been out of place in a race car. The E60 M5 arrived out of nowhere with a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V10 ready to burst out of its modest four-door body, then only a few years later, they pulled the same trick with the E92 M3, this time sporting a 4.0-litre V8 that revved comfortably out to 8,200rpm. How did they even slap a warranty on that?!

The S65 V8, as it’s formally known, won International Engine of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and the numbers it gives are plentiful. 414bhp, 400Nm of torque, 0-60 in 4.6 and an obligatory limited 155mph top speed. I use the word plentiful for good reason; the M3 was never the final word in outright performance figures, but what it did deliver in abundance was such a distinct character that remains arguably one of the best driving experiences ever to come out of Bavaria. ’s M3 is as true to the factory car as you’d hope for, with only a smattering of carbon extras and the necessary yet tasteful ‘two-pipe’ exhaust mod to reveal the music from within. Imagine listening to your favourite track on the best speakers in the world with cotton wool stuffed in your ears — what a waste! It’s a rare beast too, being one of only 22 Competition cars with a manual gearbox.

outgoing M3 and M4 models went entirely to the other end of the scale — too stiff for UK roads and next to no traction combined with an overly aggressive power delivery from the turbocharged engine.

Anyway, we’re here to talk about that engine. Not only was the E92 the first M3 to sport a V8, it was also the last. Its charm was not delivered solely from its exclusiveness however, its design lent itself more to that of a musical instrument than an engine. Even at low revs, the tones and bellows it delivers are a result of a beautifully designed plenum which produces that distinctive induction noise. The best place to hear this engine is actually from the front of the car. It’s pure, authentic engine combustion. No gimmicks, no pops and farts, just petrol exploding in its rawest form.

It’s the kind of engine you can enjoy at any speed, too. You find yourself looking for walls and buildings to echo its baritone voice and searching for some room to rev it out to its true potential, then you’re rewarded with a sound that sends shivers down your spine. It somehow never seems to run out of revs. Imagine blasting out The Prodigy on your hi-fi and gradually cranking up the volume, more and more, waiting for it to distort, but your ears start to fail before it does. That’s the M3’s true party trick. The E92 M3 isn’t the final word in performance figures, but it will go down in the history books as one of the all-time great engines.

Out on the road, it has more grip than I ever remember them having. The front axle was so strong that it would often call into question the rear’s ability to keep up, but even the wet and blustery roads of the Peak District never really caught it out. In fact, you have to give it a right old send to break traction. By comparison, the

FERRARI

458

SPECIALE Written by: Jonty Wydell Just as production ceased for BMW’s naturallyaspirated V8 engine in the E92 M3, Ferrari began producing their very last naturally-aspirated V8, the 458 Speciale. Ferrari V8 engines don’t sound like your typical V8. A V8 always conjures up thoughts of a low-down burbling monster of an engine, American muscle, but Ferraris couldn’t be further from that. The flat-plane crank means they sing with a bigger range. The 4.5-litre V8 in the Speciale keeps going all the way to 9,000rpm and is super immediate in the way it revs, plus it packs 40bhp over the regular 458 Italia at 597bhp. I know we’re here to talk about the engine, but I can’t drive a Speciale without talking about the chassis for a minute, because it’s about as good as it gets. There are plenty of electronics at play, but even with them all turned off, it is a phenomenal car. The E-diff allows more slip angle and makes it a joy to slide. The steering is much sharper than the 458 Italia and it’s nicely weighted too, the ride is firmer but no more harsh to live with, and it’s still nice to drive on long journeys.

Ferrari really did perfect the recipe with this one before it was pulled in favour of the new downsized turbocharged V8 in the 488. Yes, they still offer a naturally-aspirated V12 in the 812, but you have to wonder if that will be the end of the line. It’s sad to think there will never be another car like this. Objectively, the Pista is even better still in almost every objective area and makes the Speciale feel a little dated, but that’s part of the charm. Sure, the Pista is still an attack on the senses, but there’s just something missing that the Speciale has, and that is the magic of this engine.

L AMBORGHINI

HURACAN E VO RW D Written by: Matt Parker

Now Miles and Jonty have celebrated two of the great naturally aspirated engines of the modern era which have since been replaced by downsized turbocharged motors, I want to draw your attention to a mid-engined supercar which is still sold with a naturally-aspirated engine today.

That engine in question is the most gloriously vocal, 5.2-litre V10, and it comes as no surprise that it’s strapped in the middle of a Lamborghini — who else did you expect to be the last manufacturer to be clinging to the aural benefits of natural aspiration? Ok, I know Porsche are still flying the flag proudly with the upcoming 992 GT3 and its screaming flat-six, and Ferrari are hanging in too with the 812’s wailing V12, both of which top out at 9,000rpm, but when Lamborghini offered us a Huracan Evo for a few days, we thought it was the perfect example to celebrate the loud and proud engines we’re already missing in so many new cars, even supercars. So, about the car. The keen eye will spot this as the latest rear-wheel-drive version of the Huracan Evo from its tweaked bumpers, but otherwise, the 5.2-litre V10 is essentially carried over from the original Huracan we first saw in 2014, and you can trace its roots back to the Gallardo before that, which is no bad thing as it has always been the crowning jewel of Lamborghini’s ‘baby’ supercars. In the Evo RWD, the engine is making 602bhp compared to the four-wheel-drive car’s 631bhp, but you also save 30kg by losing the front drivetrain. 0-62 takes 3.3 seconds compared to

the four-wheel-drive car’s 2.9, but once you’re hooked up, I imagine you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. Max power comes in at 8,000rpm too, so unlike all the turbocharged supercars, you’re not short-shifting everywhere. You wind it out to get the best from it and you’re rewarded with an abundance of noise.

Now, noise and pace are things the original Huracan wasn’t lacking in, but it wasn’t what I’d call a driver’s car. It was really capable, but the steering was a bit lifeless, it was a bit skittish over a bumpy road, and for me, being able to just floor it whenever you want doesn’t take long to get old. The more track-focused Performante was much better and I respected that car massively when I drove it, even back-to-back with a Ferrari 458 Speciale and Porsche 991.2 GT3 RS, but like a typical journo, I always gravitate towards rearwheel drive. With that said, I’m hoping this Evo RWD might be the first Lamborghini I’ve driven that really is a bit of me. Before we really get into the drive, let’s have a little walk around the car. This is a Lamborghini after all, so its first job is to drop the jaws of children and their parents alike, and the typically pricey spec of this press car certainly gets things off to a good start. The Blu Symi paintwork comes in at £11,500 from the Ad Personam spectrum, but I’d challenge you to take this car anywhere and not receive glowing comments on the colour. It’s striking while not being overly in your face and the metallic fleck is quite something in the sunlight. The bronze forged wheels are a perfect match for me too, and despite only mild cosmetic tweaks, the Huracan is still a serious looker seven years into its life.

Inside, the Ad Personam theme continues with two-tone black and red Alcantara, and before you even start the engine we’re here to focus on, the drama is already there thanks to the lowslung seating position and the letterbox view out front you pretty much only get in a Lamborghini. It’s just a special place to be, and even if you see it as a bit of a gimmick, flicking up the fighter jet style cover to reveal the starter button only adds to the childish excitement you’d expect from a Lamborghini.

office As I prepared to head out from the into the Peak District, two of the sales guys from John Holland popped over and said, “Let’s hear it then”. Emissions regulations and OPF filters have dampened the noise of some cars, like turning off a microphone. Even the latest Audi R8 which shares this very engine is guilty, but when the Evo fired into life, my eyes widened at the sheer volume of the thing. So that’s a Lamborghini’s second job very much checked off; when someone asks you to rev it for them, and they will, all the time, they will not be disappointed! Fast forward through Sheffield city centre which the Huracan deals with nicely in Strada mode, and we’re on the edge of the Peak District skipping straight into Corsa for the full Lambo experience — the sharpest throttle, the firmest suspension and the snappiest gearshifts. We’ll focus on the engine later, first though, let’s talk handling, the area where the original Huracan was good, but could have benefitted from a little polishing around its sharp edges. First impressions are that the ride is that little bit more compliant than before. It’s still very firm in Corsa mode and it does mean the more characterful of British B roads make for a more fidgety experience than something like a GT3. You can slacken things off into Sport or even Strada, but I figured that when you find yourself behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, it’s rude not to go full-on.

This car has the optional Lamborghini Dynamic Steering which fell victim to much criticism in the original Huracan, and now the front wheels only have the job of steering in this RWD, I’d like it to be a little less hyper-alert off centre to make driving smoothly easier. It takes some adjusting to the speed of the rack when you’ve just jumped out of a normal car, and it feels a little unnatural to me, but it makes for a super sharp turn-in and there’s no arguing with the sheer grip this thing generates. It’s not just the front that grips either; I had expected the Evo RWD to be a pretty lairy thing with over 600bhp through the rear wheels, but I was wrong. In fact, traction was so strong in the dry that I’d have believed anyone who told me this was the four-wheel-drive model. If you turn everything off and provoke it, things are a little more obvious of course, but even when driving quick, the Evo RWD is very approachable, it just keeps you that bit more alert and smooth, as opposed to the ‘floor it anywhere’ mindset you can adopt in four-wheel-drive cars.

The brakes are the optional carbon ceramics and, whilst they’re a little sharp at the top for my liking, you absolutely cannot fault the way they stop the car and they feel like they’re way more than a match for the power, just a tad difficult to modulate meaning it’s a challenge to be smooth over a road. One thing I’ll say though, is that this Evo feels much more stable under braking than the original Huracan.

I digress, because we’re really here to focus on that engine, aren’t we? Well, it’s not hard to do that because it’s what this car is all about. One of the biggest draws of the turbocharged crop of supercars is that they’re even faster, but I cannot imagine anyone remotely sane driving this Huracan and feeling short-changed for power, plus the more linear power band means that, unlike the brakes, it’s easier to modulate how much of that power you actually want to use, traction is better, and therefore, it might even be quicker in the real world. I know the latest offerings in the supercar world are boasting getting on for 800bhp, but 602 still feels devastatingly fast on the road, and mated to a fantastic double-clutch gearbox, the pull

is relentless. More importantly though, with the way this thing sounds and the way the box changes, you can play that V10 like a musical instrument, no matter how fast you’re going, and that’s something so many modern cars forget. What’s the point in a road car if you have to be going way too fast for the road to get anything back from it? Drama is such a big reason so many people buy these cars, and whilst many have gone off in pursuit of even more outrageous performance, I’m glad Lamborghini are still sticking with their flamboyant roots because no amount of turbocharged torque or engineered sound can quite match what a proper, naturally-aspirated motor gives you.

There’s no replacement for displacement is a saying for a reason, and it’s true here, because I’d perfectly understand anyone who bought one of these because of the engine alone. It’s not just the engine, the Evo is improved in every way over the original Huracan, and this RWD version is an absolute blast, plus surprisingly usable as long as you’re mildly practised in gymnastics to get in and out. There are supercars with more, shall we say, delicate handling, ones which cope with imperfect road surfaces better, and most are now even faster, but if you want a supercar for the drama, it’s hard to compete with the razorsharp response and thunderous soundtrack of the Huracan’s V10.

As I’m sure you can imagine, there are worse ways to spend a day than bringing these three together in the Yorkshire Dales. Just looking at the photographs brings up thoughts of a symphony of noises from the three motors which all have their own unique character, and it’s that noise that makes these cars so immersive.

When I think back, I’ve been very lucky, because as well as the Huracan Evo whose corner I was fighting in this feature, I’ve driven the E92 M3 and 458 Speciale as well as their respective replacements, the F82 M4 and 488 Pista, and in both cases, it’s the older car I sway to despite the newer one being objectively faster, more capable and more liveable.

It’s their engines that sway me in spite of everything else, because when you’re pressing on along your favourite stretch of road, that instant response to your right foot and the way the power builds in harmony with the noise as the revs rise is so much of what driving is about for me, and it’s why cars like these will be forever remembered as the last of a dying breed.

Liked this feature? See all three cars in action in our triple test video, and turn up the volume!

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M A D

D O G ’ S

MAN CAVE MEMBER’S COLLECTION

We take a trip to Wales to catch up with member Brian about his special car collection and equally special garage. Written by: Matt Parker

We’ve got to know member Brian well over the last few years with all the drives and tours he’s been on, and he was even kind enough to let us drive his Ferrari 430 Scuderia for our Class of 2007 feature, but with such an array of cars he houses in a garage bigger than his house, we thought it was about time we checked out Brian’s full collection. Unlike most members we speak to, Brian’s love of cars wasn’t instilled in him from a young age, “A passion for cars wasn’t in my family. My inspiration was a landlord of a local pub when I was 13 or 14 who always had 930 Turbos and used to change them often. I used to walk to work on a farm on weekends and summer holidays, and I remember walking around them thinking, I’m going to buy one of these one day. That was a massive dream at the time as a single-parent council house boy”, he tells us. “My first car was a Mini 1275 GT and my first proper car was a Porsche 996 Carrera 4”, and Brian also mentioned a couple of cars you might not expect from a supercar collector, “I used to have an Austin Maxi family car, and more recently a Rover 75 nicknamed ‘The Rovertaker’! Normally though, I’m particularly into Lamborghini, but really I’m a lover of all lightweight variants”.

Before we get into the cars we’re here to see, we had to touch on the garage they’re kept in because it’s closer to a cosy living room than a cold warehouse. “I had always wanted a decent size garage, and now the garage is bigger than the house. Isn’t that how it should be?! It took two years and it was in planning for a long time. I did all the design myself plus some of the fit-out. I incorporated an under-floor ramp, charging points in the floor for trickle chargers so there are no leads running everywhere and I did most of the lighting using cool reclaimed items — the ceiling lights are made from hot air balloon burners, polished and fitted with energy-saving LED bulbs. Brian tells us the garage can comfortably fit 10 cars, or 13 at a squeeze, so let’s take a look at those cars, shall we?

. . . I tr y to drive them all at some point during the summer months , but I use the Performante the most .

Lamborghini Huracán Performante

Lamborghini Murciélago SV

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Ferrari 430 Scuderia

“I bought the Performante new in 2017 because it was the first car Lamborghini had built to really compete with the GT3. I love the gearbox, the brakes and the noise from the V10, although the driver settings revert to default every time you start it and I’m not keen on the indicator controls on the steering wheel”. “I had the chance to get one of the first cars in the country, so I went ahead and purchased the SVJ new in 2019. The gearbox isn’t great, you can’t see anything out of the rear, fuel consumption and range is as bad as you’d expect and the depreciation hasn’t been kind either, but the scissor doors, the looks, the colour and of course the V12 engine make up for that”.

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“I bought the Murciélago SV in 2019. I had an Aventador SV which was dropping in price, so I traded it for the Murci which I thought would be better in terms of long-term value, plus the Aventador SV was too similar to the SVJ I had on order at that point. I love the Murci; it looks amazing, sounds amazing and is really raw, and I think future values will be solid”. “I bought the Scuderia in 2015 because I had just sold my Gallardo and wanted something different. I love the single-clutch gearbox, the steering, the style and the drama of driving it, although I’m not keen on the brakes. Ferrari I don’t use it much these days, but I’m hoping to do the lightweight tour in it this year”.

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Porsche 996 GT3 RS

“I purchased the RS in 2018, to be honest as more of an investment car. With that in mind, I haven’t used it much, but it gives you the feeling of a pure Porsche GT tour in it this year”. driver’s car and I’m hoping to do the

Porsche 964 Turbo

“Bought in 2015, the 964 has always been my favourite air-cooled shape. I love the looks and the old-school drive but the pedal positioning is a little awkward. I actually had three others before this one, finding a better example each time”.

Porsche 930 Turbo

“Purchased in 2012 as I loved the old-school ‘80s styling, I thought it would be good news in terms of future values, and this car has trebled in value since then. It has the same pedal placement issue as the 964 and it has serious turbo lag, but I love the fact that it has no power steering and the old four-speed gearbox — it’s a proper old-school driver”.

102

Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Makinen RS

“Considered to be the holy grail of Evos by the purists, I bought it as an investment in 2016 with just 9,000 miles from new. I can’t tell you how it drives, but I like the way the values are going”.

Mitsubishi Evo X RS

“With the Tommi Makinen purchased in the same year as more of an investment, I bought this one nearly new in 2016 as a road car originally, but then I turned it into a track car with a bolt-in cage, circuit brakes and suspension, although I don’t do as many track days in it these days”.

Mini 1275 GT

“I purchased the Mini in 2019. It is the same year and colour as my first car so it brings back a lot of memories of the car I unfortunately had to sell when I was 18 to buy a Transit pickup to start my business. I love ripping around the country lanes where I used to go in my first car and I’m hoping to do the Retro Cannonball in Ireland this year”.

Rover 75

“Purchased in 2020 for £300! I bought it to do a charity £500 banger challenge to drive to Gibraltar and I’m hoping to do the same to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria this year — a 1,500-mile trip. I like doing front-wheel burnouts and the looks I get from locals, although it won’t go over 129mph!”.

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With so much to choose from, which car does Brian drive the most? “I try to drive them all at some point during the summer months, but I use the Performante the most. I’ve done 17,000 miles in this car. It’s perfect for road trips and it’s the one I’d keep if I had to choose just one”, and on the other end of the spectrum, it must be easy for a car to get neglected in such company, so we ask which one he should drive more, “The Porsche 930 Turbo because it’s hard work to drive quickly but makes you a better driver when you get into something modern”. And what about maintaining such a collection? “It’s a nightmare! I’ve reduced the numbers recently because I found myself doing MOTs or taking them for services most of the time”, Brian explains, “I like to go through a car myself when I first purchase it, get it on the ramp with the wheels off and do any little fine detail jobs and

As you might have gathered from his plans with his cars for the year ahead, Brian is a fan of road trips, and the last couple of years have been packed with them, “I’ve done three Lamborghini tours in the Alps and factory tours in Italy, Scotland, both in the Performante, Cannonball Ireland, plus loads of Euro trips with friends, not forgetting the early Sunday morning blasts in the Welsh mountains”. Brian is also fortunate enough to share his passion for cars with his sons, one of whom is a member. That must only enhance the fellow enjoyment? “When you have a passion for cars like we do, is there anything better than doing a

104

detail the underside to make them look their best”.

“I had a Lamborghini Gallardo for five years and a Nissan GT-R for a year, but for the most part, I’ve had a lot of old retro Porsches and Ferraris over the last 10 years and kept most of them for two or three years. There have been four Porsche 930 Turbos, three 964 Turbos, two 993 Turbos, one being a Turbo S, Ferrari Testarossa and a 328 GTB”, Brian tells us, “They were great to own, but the old stuff needs using. I didn’t have time to drive them all and I was trying to improve the quality of the cars in the garage as I traded up”. Now we’ve covered the cars, let’s go back to the garage, because as well as the construction itself, you might have noticed the interesting artwork Brian has on the walls, which it turns out he creates himself, “It’s just a hobby really.

Euro trip with your sons? We recently organised a Euro trip where both of my sons Matthew and James drove separate cars, some of their friends also joined us and it was an amazing experience, one I will never forget”, Brian remembers, “We do early Sunday morning drives in Wales together with anything up to 10 cars tagging along, and we’re always done by breakfast when the traffic gets busy. We love getting out too, you always meet new on drives with people with the same interests as yourself. I’ve met so many people through cars and I’m always getting invites to join drives and tours, which is what it’s all about for me”.

I’ve done some for friends as gifts but I don’t like doing commissions as it seems like a job then, and I’m too busy”, Brian tells us.

“I’ve always been into woodwork from my profession as a tree surgeon, and got into making furniture from the wood I generated as a hobby. I've made all the furniture in my house, and whilst in lockdown, I passed time in the workshop. I didn’t need any more furniture so I decided to make some wall art to decorate my garage walls, and since lockdown has been on and off for a year now, I’ve done one for most of the cars in my collection. At the start of lockdown, I made a Lamborghini shield with epoxy resin inlays to give a 3D effect in the same colour as the purple SVJ which took ages to do but kept me occupied. The most recent piece is a silhouette of the history of all the Lamborghini V12 variants”.

Finally, if you’ve done your maths, you’ll have noticed Brian technically has a bit of space spare in the garage at a squeeze, so is there anything else inbound? “I have a Huracán STO due later this year, Yaris GR due this year and a Urus Sport due 2022. I don’t usually crave anything much more than I’ve got, but I’d love a 360 Challenge Stradale, Diablo SV and Carrera GT. I keep thinking I will sell the 964 and 930 Turbo to buy a Challenge Stradale, but every time I get them out, I fall in love with them again. The one car I’ll never sell is the Mini 1275 GT because of the history of it being my first car”.

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*The Continental GT V8 is available to order in all markets except EU28, Switzerland, Norway, Ukraine and Turkey. It will be available to order in these markets in Q4, 2019. The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2019 Bentley Motors Limited. Model shown: Continental GT V8.

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Find out more about members with First Point Insurance’s new quick-fire questions. We are looking forward to seeing James and his wonderful stable of Ferraris at plenty of events over the summer, and as upcoming we plan these, we had catch-up with him for a quick-fire Q&A. What was your First car? Mitsubishi L200. Can you remember the Numberplate? I think it was YN03 ZRS. What was your worst car? That car! What is your best car? That’s too hard to choose. They’re all good for different reasons. How old were you when you owned your first supercar? 18 - Porsche 996 GT3 Comfort.

What will be your next car? Ferrari SF90 Assetto Fiorano.

What watch are you wearing now? Apple Watch!

Was there a childhood dream car and have you ever owned one? Lamborghini Diablo. I’ve never owned one but wouldn’t want to anymore knowing what I do now.

Is there a watch you still aspire to own? Not at the moment.

Who is your favourite racing driver? Andy Priaulx. Where do you most like to holiday? Italy. Do you stay in a hotel or holiday home? Hotel.

Where is your favourite place in the UK? Yorkshire. If you had to choose, jet or yacht? Yacht. Snowy mountains or sunny pool? Snowy mountains. Long lunch or late dinner? Late dinner. If you could go anywhere in the world for your next night out after restrictions, where would you go? L.A. Why do you choose First Point for your insurance? Service and price. Describe First Point in three words. Helpful, honest and efficient.

First Point offer exceptional levels of service to understand your personal or business needs and requirements, to ensure you have bespoke financial solutions and insurance protection for your assets, your family, you and your business. Offering you total protection at home or abroad. @firstpointuk

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Matt from Suspension Secrets explains why it’s possible to improve upon the perfection of a Porsche GT car. Written by: Matt Cowley

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The Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 RS are considered some of the apex supercars when it comes to sheer performance and driver engagement out on track. As one of the best handling machines you can buy out of the box, it is no surprise that Porsche have spent countless hours testing these cars in many different environments, tracks and of course, ‘The Green Hell’ aka the Nürburgring, to fine-tune the setup and decrease lap times as much as possible. Unfortunately, all major manufacturers then need to succumb to the wider market, safety regulations and tyre wear regulations, and Porsche is no exception. As well as adhering to the rules, they also need to ensure that people buying the cars will not immediately head out and have a crash which will reflect badly upon the brand.

Usually, at this point, a lot of the suspension development work is reversed. The accounting department gets involved and downgrades the dampers, roll bars and bushes to make the car appeal to the wider market and work on all terrains and in all weathers. For Porsche, this is only partly true with their GT models. Instead of downgrading the components, they left them all in place, with adjustable anti-roll bars, adjustable ride heights and adjustable camber and toe front and rear, so although the geometry and suspension settings are not the same on a car purchased from a dealer as they were on the Nürburgring test cars, the potential is still there beneath the skin to unleash the incredible handling that was designed into the car by Porsche.

Knowing that so much more capability was hiding beneath the bodywork, we decided to take to different tracks with different drivers in different GT cars to develop these settings using the standard adjustment within the car to find the ultimate setup for the GT3, GT3 RS and GT4. We started by working with different drivers on the RMA track days at circuits such as Donington Park, Silverstone and Snetterton, installing settings and taking driver feedback from the setups before confirming it all by taking tyre data to measure how well the setups were working the tyres and generating grip. Using our tyre pyrometer, we are able to take tyre temperatures from all four tyres across the breadth of the tread to ensure that the camber settings are working at their most optimum to generate heat evenly across the compound through the corners. Once we had developed the setup using different drivers and cars, we arranged a day to have three drivers and three cars all in the same place at the same time at Donington Park. We began the day by having each driver on a slightly different setup, unbeknown to them, so that we could make sure that each driver could provide unique feedback about what they were feeling from the car out on circuit. After the first outing, each driver did indeed provide different feedback as expected, pointing us in the right direction with the setup. We made sure to set some settings the same across two cars but with one factor different so that we could find the common denominator between the setups when good feedback was reported after an outing.

Throughout the day, we dissolved the differences in the setups piece by piece by focusing on tyre data and feedback from the drivers relating to understeer, oversteer, mid-corner grip, turn-in response, agility and high-speed stability. Eventually, at the end of the day, we had arrived at our ultimate setup for the Porsche GT models, bringing the car to life out on track. One of the biggest issues with the Porsche GT setup is that not enough camber is provided at the front wheels. This causes the outside edge of the tyre to be used excessively, leading to increased tyre wear and, more importantly, less grip. The standard camber setting causes the front of the car to understeer at the limit of grip rather than provide a neutral, balanced chassis through the twisties — this is one of the most important changes that we make to the car.

With the camber setting correct, it allows the tyre to be fully engaged as the car begins to lean over onto the contact patch, forcing the whole width of the tyre into the ground. This sharpens up the front end and provides much more grip, allowing more speed to be carried through the corner whilst maintaining stability throughout. As an added benefit, tyre wear is actually improved on cars where they are only used for fast road use or track driving due to this optimisation of the camber angle.

of the most common pieces of feedback about the setup is the huge increase in front-end grip, providing almost go-kart-like handling without compromising on high-speed stability or overall grip.

Once we had developed and recorded our perfect track settings, we began working with the same drivers as well as other customers to see how well the setup transferred across to daily, more regular use of the car. Despite being very different from the standard settings, the setup still works very well on the road. For some customers with much more road use than track use, we have developed a slightly more subtle version of our track settings to manage motorway tyre wear better and make the front end slightly less responsive to provide more comfort when cruising. If you have not had your Porsche GT car set up yet, we would strongly advise you do. There is no other upgrade you can make that provides so much enhancement for the price. To feel the benefits on your own car, please contact us through our social media pages or at www.suspensionsecrets.co.uk. @suspensionsecrets

Our Porsche GT setup alters the ride height, corner weights, anti-roll bar settings as well as camber and toe geometry to optimise the handling and generate much more grip. One

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DRIVEN: FERRARI 330 GT 2+2, 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA, 599 GTO & GTC4 LUSSO

We travel through the history of the Ferrari V12, driving four cars spanning six decades. Written by: Jonty Wydell

A true Ferrari enthusiast would say that a proper Ferrari has its engine in the front and that engine has to be a big, thumping V12. In a world where turbocharged V8 Ferraris have begun to dominate, with even

their latest range-topper being a hybrid V8 in the shape of the SF90, I definitely feel that things are always better with a V12. One such Ferrari enthusiast, Pete, invited to celebrate the wonder of

the Ferrari V12 by driving four V12 Ferraris spanning six decades: the 330 GT 2+2, 365 GTB/4 Daytona, 599 GTO and GTC4 Lusso.

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What a spectacle it was to have these cars in convoy snaking through the Peak District, four Ferraris in discreet colours (no resale red here) with the Blu Chiaro 330 GT 2+2 leading the pack. This car has the true look of a classic Ferrari, wire wheels, lots of polished trim including that beautiful front grill and the boat tail rear. The overall shape resembles the lines of a Ferrari 275 GTS which was a convertible version of the 275, but with different lines to its GT base car. A 275 GTS will set you back a few million, however despite the

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330 GT 2+2 sharing the looks, a right-hand-drive example such as this is worth just £300k. Having never previously driven a 330, I opted to jump in this one first and was surprised by just how well it drives. This particular car had all the options ticked including such luxuries as power steering, electric windows and air conditioning — quite high tech for a car from 1966!

Following close behind was the instantly recognisable shape of the Ferrari Daytona. Although older than me by a good 10 years, it has certainly aged a lot better! The sleek lines of this big grand tourer

give the impression of speed, and the looks are backed up by a 4.4-litre quad-cam V12 which shoves out 353bhp and helps the car to 174mph flat out, making it the fastest car in the world at the time. I drove a Daytona through central London a few years ago and it was not the nicest of experiences as these cars need to be let loose on the open road. Thankfully, driving in the Peaks, it was much more at home, meaning the power of this brute could be unleashed. Although at slow speeds it feels a tad cumbersome with its big steering wheel, once the speed

starts to pick up, the car begins to respond in exactly the way a Ferrari should.

It’s very torquey, meaning it will pick up and go in any gear, covering ground at a deceivingly high rate of knots, but it will hold its speed through a set of bends without any major drama. This would be the perfect supercar for jumping in and eating the miles down to the French Riviera and certainly would not be out of place in Monte Carlo or Saint-Tropez.

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Heading into the modern day, we had the black GTC4 Lusso which just had to be the V12 variant, not only to fit in with our shoot, but also because the car seems lesser without the noise of a 6.3-litre, 690bhp V12 up front. This car has been designed as a practical everyday family car, and that is exactly how owner Pete uses it. The car was filthy inside and out, with a child seat in the back and the obligatory spilt drink splashes

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around said seat. There was even a Deliveroo bag in the boot, showing that this car had been used for a job normally assigned to a '90s Nissan Micra!

This car boasts immense figures. 0-125mph takes just over 10 seconds and the crazy acceleration continues all the way up to a simply outstanding 208mph! You can use the Lusso all year round; with its trick four-wheel-drive system and

shod with a set of winter tyres, it can be driven on snow without any issues at all. I know this as I was fortunate enough to drive a Lusso in snowy conditions in Italy a couple of years ago and I was astounded by how well it handled, both with traction on but also with it turned off!

I can also confirm that this car is equally at home in the Alps in summer, having used one last year

on our Tour des Alps. It made the perfect lead car, surprising many members as it was tossed into hairpin bends at alarming speed without any drama. There’s no doubt about the fact that, if you want the perfect all-round car, this has to be it. Its practical, exciting, makes a wonderful noise, it's bonkers fast, and above all, it’s a V12 Ferrari.

Finally, a car which I think is very underrated, the 599 GTO. This car was criticised when released for not being a true GTO as the car was never a homologation for anything. It was, however, a 599XX for the road. That car was developed in the very expensive programme where clients pay to help develop future Ferraris. You didn’t even get to take the car home with you despite the price tag being in excess of £1 million! The 599 GTO was a limited edition, with only 599 built, however there is evidence that there are certainly more than that out there, but don’t let that take anything away from what is one hell of a car. Not that we were comparing this to the Lusso, but purely for reference, this car has just 30bhp less than the four-seater, yet it is nearly 200kg lighter and rear-wheel drive only. It can also hit 208mph and reaches 60mph in about the same time, and that’s where any similarity ends. The GTO is possibly the finest of the modern-era Ferraris in terms of engagement and noise. With a common complaint about modern cars being that people miss the involvement of a manual, the 599 GTO’s singleclutch gearbox still demands driver input for smooth changes, and the downshifts are pure aural pleasure once you flick it into Race mode, which is where it belongs. The GTO comes alive through feedback from the wheel and the howl of the engine. Although there is still electronic trickery at work in the GTO with its various traction control settings and fancy E-diff, it still has a very mechanical feel to it. Current offerings from the prancing horse feel just that little bit too enhanced in terms of grip, rather than displaying these levels of rawness. It’s been years since I last drove a GTO and I had forgotten just how good a car it is. In terms of investment potential, I'd say it’s a very safe place to put your money too, as the more we move into the new turbo era and away from noisy, naturally-aspirated, big-capacity V12s, the more these cars will be appreciated.

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This has been one of the best days since I started working for Supercar Driver, being the die-hard Ferrari fan that I am. I have always had a great appreciation of cars wearing the prancing horse, from the early years up to the modern day, so to drive these four amazing cars back to back and see how the company has developed their technology over time was a dream come true. There is something about the Ferrari brand that invokes excitement in people of all ages; the way they have always been at the forefront of engineering and speed is part of that, but there has never been a let-up in the focus around the driver. Modern-day technology is taking away some of that, with a focus on safety and emissions, but Ferrari has managed to keep the excitement, and fingers crossed, new legislations won’t ruin the brand's character in years to come.

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From the owner @2manycars_official

MEMBER’S CARS: FERRARI 330 GT 2+2, 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA, 599 GTO & GTC4 LUSSO

After Jonty had a good day at work behind the wheel of four V12 Ferraris, we thought we’d catch up with their owner Pete to find out about actually owning them. Where did your passion for cars begin?

Probably back when growing up when my brothers worked in the car industry selling Mercedes. My mum owned a garage in a rough part of Manchester so I spent a

lot of time around them. No one I knew when I was young had any nice cars and then I remember when my brothers first started driving they both got K reg Novas within about a month of each other which they did up. Then, one upgraded to an MX5 and the other

to a 3 Series BMW which started getting me hooked. I’d spend a lot of time at my nan and grandad’s where I’d end up watching cool films which featured people like Steve McQueen or Paul Newman who of course had nice cars like the 550 Speedster or the 250 Lusso.

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You’re clearly hooked on Ferrari, why?

I actually wasn’t that into Ferrari when I was growing up — they were nice but I didn’t really get them. I had a few Ferraris in my 20s, but even then, I thought they were ok but nothing that special. That was until I had my McLaren 650S and I popped into Ferrari Wilmslow with it to see what they had on offer. They had a 458 Italia in and the salesman said it would drive better than the McLaren, which I argued it wouldn’t, but I still ended up taking it for a test drive. I just fell in love with it and ordered a 458 Spider — it was so exciting to drive. From that point, I began ramping up my Ferrari collection. There’s nothing that can touch Ferrari for me right now. I’m not a Lamborghini fan as I just find them a bit too flash and not as driverfocused as the Ferraris, plus they don’t have much racing heritage.

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Which one of these cars did you buy first?

I bought the 599 GTO first. Funny story actually as I’d gone to JCT600 Ferrari in Leeds to view an F355 Spider with Fiorano handling pack which I’d seen for sale and wanted. Anyway, I ended up buying the F355 but as I was heading out, I saw the bottom of this gunmetal car poking out from under a cover, so I asked for a look. The sales guy pulled the covers back, I saw this 599 GTO and I was like, “Right, I want it!”.

So, the guy went to go and do some figures as the car was up at £625k, but I really wanted to pay £599k for a 599. He came back with a price of £595k instead, which was obviously great, but kind of pissed me off a bit that it wasn’t £599k! After buying it, I’d got it tucked up in the collection and had never driven it. It wasn’t until we went out to do the film shoot with you guys that I properly drove it. Then, after I bought a 250 Lusso, I got into the classics and followed it up with the 330 GT 2+2, and shortly after that, the Daytona. The Daytona I’m not quite as fussed about because of the styling. It’s an iconic car but as they’d changed style houses from Scaglietti, I find the styling a bit ‘meh’. The GTC4 Lusso then came about as a daily driver after my brother owned an FF.

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Which one do you drive the most?

Definitely the GTC4 Lusso as it’s a daily driver, although I don’t need the rear seats anymore as we just use my wife’s Bentayga for family stuff, so the GTC4 Lusso will be replaced by an 812 GTS very soon, which will be the new daily driver. I am going to see the Ferrari Purosangue in May, but until I’ve seen it, I’m not sure if it’ll be for me or not.

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Are they keepers?

Well, since the shoot, the 330 has already gone. It went to DK Engineering and sold within a week. It was just a little bit too similar to the 250 Lusso and so it wasn’t getting used, which pains me, so I felt it best to sell it on so someone could then do some miles in it. The Daytona has also gone up for sale but hasn’t sold yet, although I’m half tempted to get it back as it’s different and I will actually drive it.

What’s next?

I have a 275 coming which I recently bought from Tom Hartley Jnr. It’s a beautiful car finished in green, the same as my Lusso, and it’s the GTB/6. The 250 Lusso is having a major restoration at DK Engineering too so that will be completely fresh by the time I get it back. I’d really like to add a 250 GT SWB to the collection but they’re now mega money so I will have to see about that. I realised I don’t have the time to drive them all, so I’m trying to keep the collection to fewer cars, but more special cars.

Watch our video on the Ferrari 330GT 2+2 and GTC4 Lusso

Watch our video on the Ferrari Daytona and 599 GTO

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The Man Behind the Canvas

Rob follows the whirlwind career of one of the UK’s most exciting portrait artists and sculptors, Paul Oz. Written by: Rob Ward

I would like to think we will all go through at least one life-affirming moment in our time. An experience or outcome that makes us realise we’re on the right track and have made the right decisions. Life has so many junctions, so many decisions, and it’s these affirming moments that guide us and give us the confidence that those decisions were the right ones. Time does fly, and it’s easy to keep your head down and forget to appreciate what progress you’ve made. Although Paul Oz’s career in art wasn’t necessarily formed from a life-affirming moment as such, the decision to transition from a software engineer, only painting at the weekends, to painting full time in 2010 was very much affirmed nine years later. We’ll get onto that later though. First, let’s go back to the beginning.

Paul actually chose to base his future on a more conventional route of education in the form of an aerospace engineering degree. At 18 years old, Paul had dipped a toe in the waters of art, and even as a pre-teen, he had learned the skill of perspective, drawing trains coming out of tunnels, perfecting the appearance of them disappearing to a point in the distance.

“Prior to that, I won a prize for a felt tip collage of parrots in trees aged 5, I guess that’s the earliest evidence. I still have that artwork. I think Lego has a lot to answer for too; I used to spend days inventing and building things, and couldn’t wait

to get out of bed in the mornings and get back to building”, Paul remembers. In 2010, Paul took the plunge into painting full time, concentrating on the most visual impact possible, using thick swages of bright, neon, oil-based paint in huge scale, celebrating stars of stage, screen and pop iconography as well as producing gallery pieces reminiscent of an ‘80s child including Lego figures, the A-Team van, Rocky Balboa and Super Mario, “I’ve created 28 artworks over the last five years, covering everything I grew up with, played with, broke, idolised or was scared by”.

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Inspiration from film comes in the form of C-3PO, the late Heath Ledger as The Joker and Clint Eastwood with many other memorable faces from nostalgic moments on screen, “I think it’s very important to be authentic. Yes, I do this to earn a living, but that needs to be in the right way and for the right reasons. This also means that I know what to paint and when, because I’m a fan of the subject matter anyway”. There’s a wonderful nod to Great Britain in Paul’s unique style as well as some phenomenal wildlife pieces that feel like they’re projecting two feet from the canvas, “On the whole, I just paint what I’m into and how I would want it on the wall. The subjects kind of choose themselves”.

The broad range of subject matter ensures there’s something for everyone, but there is one topic of inspiration that, I guess for all of us, would shine through the most, and that is Motorsport, “F1 drives itself now, if you’ll excuse the pun, and sometimes I have to force other work into the schedule for variety. My publisher is always pushing for non-F1 work to balance out gallery wall spaces, but does leave it up to me entirely as to what that is.

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“Now and again, I’ll come up with an idea for a whole show which will force me to do nothing else for several months, like the wildlife show in collaboration with Bristol Zoo, and the ’80s kid shows celebrating everything that was awesome about that decade of entertainment. There is a different level of satisfaction and drive in creating a whole collection around a theme than with individual paintings, and I enjoy the marketing side of things around shows like this too”.

A skill like Paul’s has got to be a rarity. I believe there’s something that artists have in their internal wiring that people like me, who aren’t artistic, simply don’t have. Paul, who clearly remains wonderfully humble, disagrees, “I don’t see painting especially as a talent. There’s no magic or mystique to it really, it’s more a process, trying to get the vision in my head out into paint”. It seems so simple to just draw what you see, but there is so much more to it in my view. To be able to project what is in the mind or in front of you and express it through your own style filter and chosen medium, and for it to launch off of the canvas like Paul’s work does, that is more than just lessons and practise I am sure. I think it is that part of the process that I would be missing,

getting it out of my head and onto the page so to speak. That, I think, is the missing link here that separates incredible artists like Paul from myself. Paul works from several photos at one time to get as much information and as many angles on a subject as possible, helping to build the character of a subject. A laptop is used to zoom in and out and change any lighting to ensure features are not missed. This just shows how much information about the subject is being processed before it goes onto the canvas. This process of creation is so much more than just draw what you see, there’s a method of achieving the lifelike, 3D aspect of each piece and it needs something and someone very special to piece it all together.

With the inspiration and such a detailed view of the subject sorted, setting the mood is next! “I absolutely never paint in silence, I find it impossible. It’s dance or trance anthems usually or new music channels, something energetic. I’m constantly thinking about colour, it’s the most important and most difficult thing, being able to see the real tone you need and not get confused with what is around it. I don’t have much headspace left to think outside of that really”.

What comes with all art is subjectivity. What us non-artists will often see is something incredible that we just couldn’t begin to create, however Paul is very critical of his work and the result we see doesn’t come easily, “It tends to go through stages. Early on, a painting can feel like you’ve nailed it, then it starts to go wrong and you fight to bring it back, and that’s not easy. I only use a pallet knife, no brushes, and very thick paint. I have to be conscious that sometimes deep texture can accentuate detail, but sometimes detract from it. “Sometimes I do scrap a piece partway through to save wasting more time flogging it when it’s clearly not going to work, usually if I’ve got the composition wrong. There are occasional finished artworks that will never see the light of day because I’m really not happy with them, but that doesn’t happen often now. Years ago, it was common. Every day’s a school day, and I certainly don’t have my own work on the wall at home, I’d be constantly seeing things that could be better!“. Since painting full time, Paul’s career has progressed at a rapid rate with commissions completed for a who’s who of sporting individuals, families and brands — Lewis Hamilton, James Hunt’s family, Jenson Button, Bruno Mars, Pirelli and Red Bull to name but a few — plus he regularly performs live painting for the likes of F1 teams, Team Sky, England Rugby and Chelsea FC.

Furthermore, partnerships with galleries, charities, motorsport teams and British embassies around the world have resulted in Paul’s work being seen in every F1 paddock club worldwide, in Selfridges, Harrods, Goodwood Festival of Speed and even Playboy in London.

If you’d been hiding under a rock and somehow hadn’t noticed Paul’s work by 2019, something magnificent was about to be unveiled that would no doubt have changed that. This was that lifeaffirming point I mentioned earlier for Paul, and the result was something I think every one of you will appreciate. To mark 25 years since the death of Ayrton Senna, Paul revealed a life-size bronze statue of Ayrton himself, portrayed in the dynamic position of steering through Eau Rouge into Raidillon at Spa. The statue took a whole year to create, the process of which pushed the boundaries of casting feasibility, but Paul had a vision and a concept that would later become the preface to any introduction, “It was careerdefining for sure, and the way most people introduce me now is by mentioning the Senna statue.

of thing we all saw in the Matrix films, but if you want to make a life-size, hyper-realistic physical model from it, the detail needs to be thousands of times sharper, and we’re pretty sure we were the first in the world to do this with the end result being an artistic bronze. “With Senna, we had me inside a 16 camera grid whilst I span slowly on a turntable trying to hold a completely static pose, for about 90 seconds — this was excruciating given the position. The strain of holding still made me shake, which would throw all of the cameras out, and we’d have to do it again, I think 15 times until we eventually got it. I couldn’t stand up straight the following day, my hip flexors were screwed! “That night, I sent some still images to a few drivers for input to make sure I’d got the angles right, and although it was a yes, it was Jenson who pointed out that my heels weren’t lined up perfectly like they would have to be in the car on the heel stops, so we had to go through the whole exercise again from the start to correct that. This became the most powerful part of the statue I think, the whole-body dynamic twist

resisting cornering forces, yet the heels are perfectly in line, the only thing that is.

“I think the struggle for me in holding that position also translated into the dynamic. You can’t fake that, and the way the suit distorted with the body shape, I would never have sculpted the same fabric folds from scratch in clay. A few years later, we now have 180 cameras in a ball and can even freeze-frame a jump with near-perfect clarity!”. With the most technologically advanced phase complete and the 3D images of Paul in Ayrton’s race suit and helmet created (a defining moment in itself), the next phase was then over to the foundry, “The 3D images we created were heavily refined digitally, 3D printed in sections and then augmented with clay, going as far as pressing suit fabric into it and forming individual stitches”. It is this clay model that forms the master for the final statue. Every detail that is required must be included here. The process from this point is known as investment casting or lost-wax casting, a method dating back to the third millennium BC.

“I can definitely pin Senna down to one eureka moment late one night. I hardly slept at all, and by 9 am the following morning, I was sat on the foundry’s boardroom table in driving pose saying ‘we’re doing this!’”.

The process of the creation of this piece is fascinating. For example, Senna famously always had the stitching and fabric salvage from his gloves on the outside, which was a challenge to cast in itself. Sponsor logos, stripes on the helmet and the laces of his boots all needed to be refined and refinished by hand. The finishing of these was so important and that’s where a lot of the time was spent — it all had to be right otherwise it just wouldn’t be Senna! “The technique of combining still photos to create a 3D model isn’t new, it’s the same kind

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“The finished clay model is then cut into castable chunks, from which female silicone moulds are created. From the silicon moulds, a wax version of the statue is cast, which enables a ceramic mould to be cast from that. Once the ceramic mould is complete, the wax is melted out and replaced with bronze. The bronze is then welded back together to form the finished, full statue.

“Finally, and actually the longest part of the process, the details are refinished and perfected, as something is always lost in casting. Laces, helmet straps and the like are cast separately. Statues are around 10 to 12 months’ work from concept to finish, and once the first statue is cast, from there, each edition of it takes 14 weeks to wax then bronze cast and refinish”. The result of all this work has generated such excitement within the automotive industry. One of three full-size versions currently resides at the McLaren Technology Centre and another at the McLaren Barcelona museum. This work forms the start of the next chapter in Paul’s career, to celebrate and immortalise the icons and history of F1 in bronze. Bruno and Bianca Senna along with McLaren were the main supporting factors for the project, and without them, this simply wouldn’t have been financially viable. Months of work and years of profit being ploughed into the development of a bronze statue is enough to

give anyone a reality check as Paul admits, and big risks like this need support.

“It's a strange thing, because you’re so immersed in a project for so long and kind of can’t see out from it, you lose perspective a bit. I mean, I knew it was cool from the get-go and that there had never been anything like it, but nine months later, I was a bit numb to it. The reaction when it went public was mind-blowing, though”. With the hard work and initial unveiling complete, standing back into the crowd and taking in everyone’s reactions without them knowing you’re there must have been so humbling. “It sounds corny, but seeing grown men in tears over something you’ve created is a very difficult thing to cogitate, and the little ‘oversteer dance’ that every other viewer does in front of the statue is perfect!”.

“Driving home with Bruce’s open-faced helmet in the footwell, their most prized artefact, was most definitely a catch yourself moment, as was the reveal event that couldn’t have been more perfect!”, Paul tells us, “Being mid-lockdown, there were only five of us at McLaren HQ waiting for the sun to set to the right angle where the candles became visible, but still illuminated the statue. Because of social distancing, I was just sat cross-legged on the floor on my own for a good hour, taking in the eerily silent MTC, all of the championship-winning cars in half-darkness just behind the statue with so much history around them. Trying not to sound sappy, it was an almost religious experience that I will never forget”.

On the topic of emotion, in the midst of the first year of the global pandemic, Paul has managed to follow up the Senna statue with another, arguably of equal prominence. To mark 50 years since the death of Bruce McLaren, Paul casually discussed the idea of creating another statue, an idea which seemed to get through to the right people, namely Zac Brown and Amanda McLaren. This sort of thing would never go ahead without the buy-in from Amanda particularly.

fold Paul has since been welcomed to the with a little help from Amanda (Molly) Taylor, with whom Paul used to work. A history with RS Audis and a recently-departed Lamborghini Urus gives us a glimpse into Paul’s car taste, and there’s also a Huracan Evo on order in a special brighter orange, Arancio Poz, so it’s safe to say he has the bug we all share.

The work Paul has done with McLaren has opened up the doors for him to work with MSO, and there are some exciting ideas being discussed as well as the loan of a 765LT, to the envy of myself I must say! Plans for the future are mostly under NDA, but some incredible ideas are soon to come to fruition. “I haven’t mentioned this anywhere publicly yet, but a 1985 JPS Senna sculpture is coming very soon, celebrating his first win in F1. It’s several years earlier than I originally intended, and easily the most emotive artwork I have ever created. He’s not wearing a helmet in this one, so I had to sculpt his head in clay from scratch”.

I think I can safely say Paul has found just the family, as his right audience within the emotion and passion for motorsport is one we can all relate to. I for one wish I had the ability to express this as beautifully as Paul does, and we look forward to enjoying more of what he has planned. @pauloz

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Praga is ’s official racing partner for 2021. Here, Slovakian car designer, Juraj Mitro, and Praga’s Czech chief engineer, Jan Martinek, talk to about the development of the all-conquering Praga R1. When did you discover your passion for car design and engineering?

Juraj Mitro: I was interested in racing cars as a child, but the pivotal moment for me was when I decided to study automotive design. I worked at Volkswagen after graduating, but soon realised I wanted to find my own way. The Czech Republic and Slovakia don’t have a history of small marques like you find in Great Britain, so

I decided to create one. Initially, I designed the K1 Attack sports car, but my real passion lay in racing cars, something Praga has helped me unlock.

My priority is still the design, but now I also have to consider aero, construction and production technology. I loved analysing the aerodynamics of racing cars and working around homologation requirements. I studied the cars according to FIA regulations and looked for ways to make progress, to find an advantage.

Jan Martinek: I studied Motorsport Engineering at Brunel University in West London between 2006 and 2009, including a summer work placement at Charouz Racing System where I worked as a second mechanic on the 2007 Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class DTM. I worked as a suspension engineer for Skoda Motorsport from 2010 before joining Praga in 2013.

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Tell us about the fruit of your labours, the Praga R1.

Martinek: Our vision was to build a truly modern car and we saw real potential in new carbon production technology. The R1 is constructed entirely of carbon fibre and designed with a focus on exceptional downforce, so yes, it is similar to what you find in top-tier sports car racing, but we combine it with affordable components which decreases production costs and therefore cost to the customer. For instance, we use a 2.0-litre Renault Alpine F4R engine, but it’s fitted with a unique turbo system that we have developed through three generations now. The upshot is a car similar to a Le Mans prototype, with similar output, but accessible to the experienced amateur.

Successfully combining advanced materials and production methods in a package that had to be relatively affordable to the end user must have been a huge challenge?

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Mitro: Yes, it was, but it was one I’ve dreamt of all my life. As far as I know, no one else has tried to achieve it, so we didn’t have anybody to learn from and we had to start from scratch. That meant developing and testing absolutely everything ourselves, but with careful preparation, we passed all the tests and met the various FIA regulations. Now, happily, the results speak for themselves.

Martinek: My biggest strength and curse at the same time is relentlessness. If I know a cause is worth it I will put my head down and go the extra length to get it done. I also feel very comfortable being the interconnection link between engineering and the marketing and sales side of a project. The best thing about working with Praga is the freedom to go our own way. At Praga, we go about things as we feel they should be done and at the best of our abilities with as few restrictions imposed by conformity as possible, and to me, getting the best out of oneself is the definition of satisfaction.

So the R1 provides a new rung on the motorsport ladder, from karts to sports cars?

Martinek: Absolutely. Our customers do actually say that the driving experience is similar to karts and that was one of our main goals. The car is quick but approachable, and the aerodynamics work really well, so it opens up a new world for people who are not professional racers.

Juraj Mitro

Is interest really starting to take off now?

Martinek: The R1 has gained popularity rapidly, noticeably in Great Britain where our main dealer is based. He bought a car from us in 2016 and raced it in the Britcar Endurance Championship. It went so well that the VR Motorsport team entered three cars last season and won. We made some modifications this year and the interest was so high again that we will have at least ten cars in the championship this coming season, but our goal will be to have a further ten cars lining up in order to have a single-make Praga series in Great Britain next year.

It’s an incredible achievement from such a small team, and in such a short timeframe. There must have been some significant hurdles for you in bringing the R1 to market so quickly?

Jan Martinek

Mitro: For me, the struggle between designer and constructor will always be present. It’s a kind of schizophrenia we all have to deal with, but the R1 is not an individual work, it is a collaboration, and I am glad to know that we all suppressed our egos and created something which is both beautiful to look at and successful on track. If you go your own way like this, there are advantages and disadvantages. We were dependent on the FIA’s choice of race and their willingness to allow us to participate. At the beginning, the product was designed as a car which would compete in its own series as an attractive and reliable low-cost car, but then things began to evolve. When you design a single-make car, you don’t have to be so focused on the output, because every car is equal, but as soon as we began to compete against the rest of the world, the output was suddenly crucial, which is why we’ve now evolved the powertrain so much.

What else have you improved on?

Mitro: Well, safety for one. Nobody should be allowed to get into a car without feeling completely confident in it. We also increased the space in the car in order to make the drivers feel more comfortable over longer distances. Martinek: Being able to evolve the car around our clients is one of the great things about being a small but highly dedicated company, and we want to maintain that approach, even as we grow — it is absolutely crucial for us. We’re here to help more drivers improve their skills, and ultimately achieve their dream of competing at the highest levels of motorsport. We do that by listening, and genuinely sharing that dream. @instagram

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MEMBER’S CAR: LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO

We head nearly 20 years back into the Lamborghini history books with member Mark and his manual Murciélago to find out what it’s like to live with and how it stacks up against modern machinery. 133

Have you always been into cars?

To be honest, I’ve been into cars since I could hold a Corgi car and power a Scalextric. My grandparents lived in Sevenoaks and you could hear the racing at Brands Hatch from there, so I’d ask to go there regularly to see the cars race, although in true parent-upsetting manner, the car park was where the better cars were often events, that applies to found, and even at this day!

Tell us about your car history.

My first car was a Mk2 Capri Ghia followed by a Fiat Strada 105TC then the almost obligatory Escort XR3i. After a few family wagons, I had a B7 Audi RS4 Avant then three Porsche Boxsters in a row. Two Lotus Exiges followed, NA then supercharged, and after those came a few more quirky cars: A Magnum Cobra kit car, 1985 Lotus Esprit Turbo, Jensen Interceptor, Audi UR Quattro Group B rally car and 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5. Then there’s of course the Murciélago and something more modern in the shape of a McLaren MP4-12C.

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Why the Murciélago?

I’ve loved them since I first saw one, although before my own, I had only ever seen one other on the road. I had been wanting one since about 2002 when they came out, but since I couldn’t afford one back then, I finally got the car in 2016 from a guy who came recommended as a ‘Lambo-head’. His wife was sadly suffering cancer and they decided to sell up and enjoy not having to look after a big yellow peril. He’d had it for a number of years and pretty much neglected it, so a lot has had to be done since I bought it. It’s the iconic yellow, 100% standard, manual and, well, it was love at first sight and sound. Even now, every time I start the car, the neighbour texts to tell me not to be quiet, in fact the opposite! For me, it absolutely had to be a manual. After having the 12C with an amazingly fast auto, it’s having to think about what you’re doing that makes driving the Murci such a joy. The timed gearshifts, the ‘click clack’ of the change and the frustration that it hates changing until the gearbox is warm.

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What is it like to drive?

Well, my Mrs frankly hates it. She says its too low, she needs a cushion to see out and struggles to get in and out in a dignified manner, too noisy so I cant hear her speak, and too fast — basically all the things I love about it. You can’t go anywhere without people looking and talking about it, and you even get Hells Angels giving a thumbs up. My greatest joy is to take people out or for them to sit in it, just as much as . driving out on a crazy day with

The naturally-aspirated V12 is simply the best and the manual gearbox is amazing when warm. It’s not too hard to drive and not too heavy, very easy in fact. It’s very grunty and can pootle along nicely, however if you really want its best, you need the upper end of the revs and then she howls. Compared to the 12C, it rides very hard and braking has to be considered way in advance of modern cars, but cornering is great. The fourwheel-drive system does give some understeer, but overall it handles very well and keeps up with most of the modern group of cars bar the braking. The traction control is way too invasive so I don’t ever drive with it on; it’s the first button to press when you start it up!

It makes me feel like a big kid to be honest. You get sweaty-palmed with excitement when you plan to go out, you’re exhausted when you get back and there’s a lot of adrenalin in between. A track parade lap at Auto Italia nearly saw me off at one of the corners thanks to a bit of understeer, and I get out to Goodwood Breakfast drives. The best ones for me are Clubs and the early mornings or evenings around the roads of the South Downs. I’d love to take the car on a European tour one day, who knows when these days!

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What is it like to live with?

She’s on my drive and shouts at me to go for a drive about two or three times a week usually. I’ve even loaded it up with my kitesurfing gear and headed to the beach! It’s actually very usable; you get used to the width and I’ll often go to Tesco to get the basics, so the best approach is to not be afraid to use it.

Reliability hasn’t been too bad, but like any old car of this sort, it needs attending to every now and then, plus battery conditioners and lots of driving to keep it going. After spending around £30,000 on underside clean ups, powder coating and so on, I’d have to say running costs can be high for non-sorted cars. I was aware that mine would need some work though, and once sorted, I’d say it costs about £1-2k per year really. Mike at Carrera just serviced the car for under £1k, which I’d say is fair considering. The only mods I’ve made to the car are an sticker, and I had to replace the cats so I put 200 cell Fabspeeds in, that’s it.

Is it a keeper?

I’d like to keep her for sure, but life is kind of fluid at best and I’m not sure what could replace it. I did look at the Aventador and like them, but they’re not quite the same and I’m not really drawn to any new cars. I like McLarens, but after the 12C I’m put off by issues. I’d quite like a Backdraft Cobra with a supercharged LS8 in it, or to go back to another Exige. We have a 1956 Oldsmobile rat rod in the family and that takes up some time, so I may supercharge that to keep me busy!

For more, watch our DRIVEN video due out Friday 23rd April at 5:30pm

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SPECIAL DRIVEN: ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT8

We spend the day with John McGurk and one of the rarest Aston Martins of the modern era. Written by: Matt Parker

For sale at mcgurk.com £149,850 | 2017 | 1,900 Miles

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...there are special edition cars, and then there’s this.

As one of the most renowned Aston Martin specialists around, McGurk Performance Cars tends to be an Aladdin’s cave of Britain’s finest. Amongst the classics and modern classics in the showroom sits a special Aston Martin than any which is probably more suited to other, the stripped back, hardcore Vantage GT8. As a swansong of Aston Martin’s now retired naturally-aspirated V8, in this case sporting a sixspeed manual gearbox, we wanted to sit down with John McGurk himself to discuss why it’s so special and sought after. “The GT8 is based on the Aston Martin Vantage GTE car from 2016 and is a limited car with just 150 made”, John tells us, “It should be pointed out that there are special edition cars, and then there’s this. Of late, lots of manufacturers are continually churning out special edition cars that, in my opinion, aren’t what I would want as a special-edition car. They’re more like a wellspecced car with a lot of thought gone into it. There’s so much more to the GT8 than that.

“Being a tribute to a GTE car means that it’s all about aerodynamics, power and weight. They’re the three key things that make this so different

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from everything else, and make it a proper collector’s car”.

We often celebrate the likes of the Ferrari 458 Speciale as the last of the naturally-aspirated V8 Ferraris, as we have done in this very issue, but it’s easy to forget that the GT8 was exactly that for Aston Martin, “People are talking about the last true Aston Martins before they got into Mercedes-AMG engines, so the following that these late Vantages have is quite notable”, John explains, “We’re starting to see already on the marketplace that, in terms of value, the difference between the Aston Martin V8 and V12 engined cars and the Mercedes era is becoming quite clear. The older cars are very well sought after”.

So, who is the GT8 for? Is it a track car, a cruiser, or just a collectable? “If you want to buy a track car, there are other cars you want to go and buy for a lot less money that you’d get great fun out of. I think this does both. Yes, there are sharper cars than it if you’re a track day fiend, but from a track point of view, a touring point of view and from a general fun point of view, the GT8 ticks all the boxes — it’s a great all-rounder”.

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John is keen to point out the enthusiastic following the GT8 has, so much so that there is a specific club for the 150 examples, “There are always manufacturer car clubs, but for one variant of one model to be so popular to have its own club, and I don’t mean a Vantage club or a DB9 club, there’s a GT8 club, and it’s a really great thing. The owners of the cars all know each other, they go off and do trips, you can only join if you have a GT8 and it’s a real nice and different thing”. A club for a specific model isn’t the only different thing either; you’ll be hard pushed to find any of the 150 GT8s that doesn’t stand out, and you might even struggle to find any two that look the same, “One of the things that’s so attractive about the GT8 is the colour scheme options, and the halo scheme is the most popular of choices.

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Everything is personal, there’s no right or wrong with it, but these two-tone finishes really make the thing stand out. You can choose something no one else has got, being Aston Martin, you can personalise everything and that’s one of the great things about these cars, they’re all different”. Given the rarity in numbers and being the last of its kind, I personally think the GT8 looks like remarkably good value at the moment, but what’s John’s take on the market? “These cars get used for driving quite a lot, they go on tours and of course none of that really happened last year. Combine that with showrooms being closed and other factors, and last year was difficult for a lot of things, but the year prior to that we actually sold six GT8s which were all manuals, and they are still really sought after.

“This one is £149,000, and anyone spending £149,000 on a car wants to know what it might be worth in a year or two years, and all I can say is that over the last two years, prices have been level, so that’s really comforting for me as well as the people who own the cars, and really encouraging for future values”.

Since our chat for this feature, John has told us that there have been two GT8 sales which is great news for the market. See more about this car in our DRIVEN video

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