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h ave s a id it b e fore, but I ’ l l s ay it a g a i n – To p G e a r do e sn’t do aw a rd s l i ke e ver yone els e We don’t d r aw up a l is t of c ate g or ie s ne at ly de fi ned b y e s t a bl ished b o d y sh ap e s a nd si z e s, b ec au s e automot ive is a n i ndu s t r y t h at re f u s e s to b e put i nto a b ox . C a r s a re con s t a nt ly e volv i n g ; t he moment you ident i f y a clu s ter of t hem w it h ident ic a l for m , f u nc t ion a nd propu lsion a nd t r y to s t ick a pi n i n it , it ’s to o late, t he m a rke t ’s s at u r ated a nd t he world’s moved on to t he ne x t t h i n g , t he ne x t out of t he b ox ide a Fa r b e t ter, we s ay, to si mply g at her up t he g re ate s t ne w c a r s lau nched i n t he p a s t 12 mont h s, t he g em s t h at de s er ve e ver y ou nce of ou r reco g n it ion , a nd celebr ate t he g en iu s i n e a ch a nd e ver y one of t hem S u re, t here ’s a bit of overlap b e t ween , s ay, a Por s che C ay m a n GT4 R S a nd a Fer r a r i 29 6 GT B You cou ld a r g ue t h at on ly one m id- en g i ned , si x- c y l i nder s p or t s c a r shou ld w i n a ny t h i n g , but not to a ck nowled g e t h at b ot h a re a mon g t he mos t e xc it i n g t h i n g s we ’ ve e ver d r iven is, f r a n k ly, u nt h i n k a ble B e side s, v a r ie t y isn’t e x a c t ly a n is s ue for t he cla s s of ’ 2 2 . I ’ ve ne ver k now n a ye a r w here t he i n nov at ion a nd b a nd w idt h of t he c a r i ndu s t r y h a s b een on s uch d a z z l i n g d is play A s hy br id s wed g e fi r m ly i nto t he p er for m a nce c a r s p a ce, E Vs i n fi lt r ate e ver y t h i n g a nd m at u re w it h b ot h r a n g e g oi n g up a nd pr ice com i n g dow n , de si g n d a r i n g cont i nue s it s r is e a nd pu re p e t rol c a r s – f rom hy p er to s p or t s to hot a nd not- so -hot h atche s – r a g e a g a i n s t t he d y i n g of t he l i g ht , we ’ ve b een t re ated to a p er fec t of s tor m of ne w a nd i ntere s t i n g s t u ff S t a ndout s for me? T he Hy u nd a i N V ision 74 for prov i n g t h at conce pt s c a n b e b ot h m a d s t y l i n g e xerc is e s a nd f u nc t ion i n g rol l i n g la bs for f ut u re tech , t he G R 8 6 for br i n g i n g si mple re a r - d r ive f u n at a n a fford a ble pr ice p oi nt w hen we need it mos t , t he V W I D B u z z for g iv i n g me a n u n he a lt hy obs e s sion w it h ow n i n g one a nd t he L a mb o Hu r a c á n S ter r ato for p oi nt i n g out a s up erc a r t h at isn’t f a n at ic a l a b out lap t i me s a nd c a n h a nd le a p ot holed B -ro a d w it hout c r u mbl i n g c a n s t i l l b e s up er. Oh , a nd t he Hond a C iv ic T y p e R , for bre at h i n g con sider a ble l i fe b a ck i nto t he g o o d old hot h atch , some t h i n g C h r is Ha r r is a r t ic u late s i n h is ow n s p ec i a l w ay on p a g e 102 E njoy t he is s ue,

M A G A Z I N E O rd e r a co py a t M a g s D i r e c t . c o . u k

Th e re’s

B BC To p G e a r m a g a z n e s ow n e d by B BC St u d os a n d p ro d u ce d o n s b e h a f by m m e d a te M e d a Co m p a ny L m e d B BC S u d o s p ro f s a re ret u r n e d to h e B BC a n d h e p u n d n ew B BC p ro g ra m m es

B BC M a g a z n es/ m m e d a te M e d a s wo r k n g to e n s u re h a t a o f t s p a p e r s s o u rce d fro m we m a n a g e d fo es s

T h s m a g a z n e ca n b e re c yc e d fo u s e n n ew s p a p e rs a n d p a cka g n g P e a s e d s p os e o f t a yo u r o ca co e c t o n p o n T h s m a g a z n e s p r n te d o n Fo res S ewa d s h p Co u n c FSC ce r e d p a p e r

LIKE NOWHERE ELSE

Imagine yourself drifting at 125 MPH in total control… behind the wheel of the latest supercars with up to 670hp, round risk-free F1 circuits reproduced full-scale on a frozen lake, under the northern lights of Swedish Lapland

Yes, you can !

M A S T E R O F M A T E R I A L S

T R U E S Q U A R E O P E N H E A RT

N E W C A R S # E N T E R T A I N M E N T # C A R C U L T U R E

E V E R Y O N E I S T A L K I N G A B O U T

VOLVO v2.0

Al l h a i l the n ew Vo lvo E X90, a e l ec t r i c seve n-sea t SUV tha t ’s n ot j ust a ca r, b u t a “ h i g h ly a dva n ced co m p u te r o n wheels”

Look ca ref u lly a nd what do you see?

Ser iously, lea n i n close a nd ta ke a good look Do you see a ca r? If so, Volvo t h i n ks you’re w ron g Wel l, not w ron g. But on ly ha l f r ight. Because t h is is t he a l l ne w, a l l elec t r ic E X 9 0

A nd wh i le it ’s ver y much a se venseater SU V, Volvo reckons it ’s a l so “a h igh ly adv a nced computer on wheels” t hat ma rks “ t he sta r t of a ne w er a” for t he S wed ish fi r m W h ich is big ta l k i ndeed

So let ’s d ig i n Volvo is prom isi n g one ne w elec t r ic ca r a yea r a s it ta rgets E V-on ly sa les by 2030; t he E X 9 0 is t he fi rst, a nd it ’s t he fla g sh ip. That mea ns bet ter e ver y t h i n g, a nd more of it for good mea su re

Enter state of t he a r t ca mer a s, r ada r a nd lida r, a l l hooked up to a n Nv id ia Dr ive core computer to for m a n i nv isible sh ield of sa fet y a rou nd t he ca r Volvo cla i ms t he E X 9 0 ca n bu i ld a rea l t i me, 36 0° pic t u re of t he world a rou nd it, a s wel l a s pick out sma l l obstacles i n t he road hu nd reds of met res aw ay Day or n ight At motor w ay speeds

It ’ l l a lso scout t he da nger w it h i n Na mely you Sensors a nd ca mer a s t r ack you r g a z e to mea su re a ler t ness beh i nd t he wheel. If you get d row s y, it ’ l l (l iter a l ly) g ive you a nud ge; i f you fa l l a sleep a ltoget her, it ’ l l stop sa fely a nd ca ll for help

For now you’ l l have to ma ke do w it h a n upg r aded P i lot A ssist a nd steer i n g “suppor t ” wh i le cha n g i n g la nes, but Volvo say s t he E X 9 0 is ha rdw a re-ready for autonomous d r iv i n g So a f ut u re over t he a i r update m ight one day ma ke t hat a rea l it y.

A nd what of t he tech t hat isn’t desig ned to save you r sk i n? The 14 5i n touchscreen r u ns G oogle e ver y t h i n g (you st i l l get w i reless A nd roid Auto/Apple Ca rPlay,

don’t wor r y) A 5G con nec t ion is sta nda rd, good for st rea m i n g music. You r t u nes w i l l sou nd pu nchy too, w it h head rest-i nteg r ated Bowers a nd W i l k i ns spea kers a mong t he 25 dot ted a rou nd t he cabi n. You r sma r t phone is you r ke y W h ich mea ns you ca n send it v i r t ua l ly to ot hers at w i l l Approach a nd t he E X 9 0 beg i ns you r persona l welcom i n g sequence wh i le load i n g you r set t i n g s a nd preferences. So no more fidd l i n g w it h t he seat a f ter you’ ve lent t he ca r to t he ot her ha l f Cr u mbs, we’ ve not e ven ment ioned specs yet Now t here’s a mea su re of Volvo’s foc us on t he tech. A ny w ay, f rom lau nch t here w i l l be t wo t w i n-motor versions – a sta nda rd E X 9 0 a nd t he Per for ma nce Bot h get a hu ge 107 kW h usable bat ter y w it h t he for mer est i mat i n g 36 4 m i les of r a n ge a nd t he lat ter 36 0. That h it is because t he Per for ma nce gets 510bhp a nd 671lb f t, a l low i n g a l l 2,818k g of E X 9 0 to spr i nt f rom 0 –62mph i n 4.9 seconds. The sta nda rd version does st i l l send 4 02bhp a nd 568lb f t of torque to a l l fou r wheels t hou gh, so it ’ l l on ly be a second slower Mea nwh i le 250kW DC fa st cha rg i n g mea ns a 10 –80 per cent bat ter y top-up ta kes just 30 m i nutes.

In t he U K , fi rst del iver ies shou ld be at t he sta r t of 202 4, but we’ l l on ly get t he top of t he r a n ge, 22-i nch wheeled Ult r a t r i m to beg i n w it h That mea ns a n ent r y pr ice of

£96, 255 for t he sta nda rd ca r a nd £10 0, 555 for t he Per for ma nce Yep, it ’s a £10 0k Volvo We’re a ssu red t hat a ba rg a i n ba sement £75,0 0 0 ent r y le vel model w i l l be a lon g shor t ly a f ter lau nch

A ny t h i n g else? Oh yes: bi-d i rec t iona l cha rg i n g A l l t he ha rdw a re is t here so you ca n cha rge t he E X 9 0 at n ight (when elec t r icit y is less ex pensive) a nd use it a s a whopper of a power ba n k for you r home du r i n g t he day. No wonder Volvo t h i n ks t he E X 9 0 isn’t ju s t a ca r Joe Holding

Over £100k and no buttons? Yea, but here it’s called Scandi minimalism

he

s uc c e s s T h i s w a s C it r o e n doi n g w h a t it do e s b e s t : c o o k i n g u p o dd b a l l m a c h i ne s w it h a l l t he c om for t of a pipi n g mu g of Horl ic k s , a nd a l l t he s p or t i n g i nte nt of a pipi n g mu g of Horl ic k s . I nt r o duc e d i n 2 0 0 6, t he C 6 w a s pitc he d to b e a s o ot h i n g , p u l s elo we r i n g a lte r n a t i ve to t he s p o r t l i c h G e r m a n pre m iu m m a i n s t r e a m It s uc c e e de d i n s p a de s , del i ve r i n g d a n g e r o u sl y i ndu l g e nt le vel s of w a f t to t he e x e c s a lo on s e c tor.

S o, no, t he proble m w a s n’ t t he C 6. T he proble m , w it ho ut w i s h i n g to p oi nt fi n g e r s , w a s y o u S p e c i fic a l l y y o u r ut te r f a i lu r e to a c t u a l l y b u y a C it r o e n C 6

B e c a u s e , i n it s h a l f do z e n y e a r s on s a le i n t he U K , t he C 6 s h i f t e d fe we r t h a n 9 0 0 u n it s . I n t he s a me p e r io d , B M W s old 13 0,0 0 0 5- S e r ie s B r it a i n , t a ke a lon g , h a r d lo o k a t y o u r s el f A nd s u r e , y o u c a n o ffe r e x c u s e s E x c u s e s l i ke , “ but t he 5- S e r ie s w a s more e c onom ic a l a nd t a x- e ffi c ie nt ” , a nd , “ t he r el i a bi l it y of t he h y d r o p n e u m a t ic s u s p e n s ion w a s a l w a y s a n a r e a of c onc e r n” , or, “ I w a s n’ t e ve n old e no u g h to d r i ve i n t he l a te No u g ht ie s s o w h y a r e y o u bl a m i n g me? ’

F r a n k l y t h a t ’s ju s t p a s s i n g t he buc k We a l l pl a y e d a p a r t i n t he g lor io u s C 6 ’s d i s m a l f a i lu r e , a nd we mu s t a l l o w n o u r m i s t a ke s .

F A I L O F T H E C E N T U R Y # 0 9

My w hole l i fe h a s b e en c a r s, to t he p oi nt of my mu m h av i n g to pr y M atchb ox c a r s out of my h a nd du r i n g her wedd i n g w hen I w a s s upp o s e d to b e c a r r y i n g t he r i n g s dow n t he a isle My f at her w a s a u s ed c a r s a le sm a n a nd he a lw ay s brou g ht co ol c a r s home f rom auc t ion s He w a s a n old scho ol hot ro d g u y a nd h a d 1955 C he v role t B el A i r s, Mu s t a n g s a nd lowered P ro - S t ree t pick up t r uck s

W hen I w a s fou r ye a r s old he g ot me a g o -k a r t for my bi r t hd ay a nd I u s ed to r u n it u nt i l t he g a s w a s empt y. Fa s t for w a rd a nd it w a s remote cont rol c a r s, sk ateb o a rd i n g , d i r t bi ke s, BM X a nd t hen I fi n a l ly g ot my fi r s t c a r at 16. It w a s a 19 6 4 Old smobi le C ut la s s low r ider

A fe w ye a r s later I g ot my fi r s t RW D c a r – a Niss a n 2 4 0 S X – a nd I wou ld g o to i ndu s t r i a l p a rk s a nd p a rk i n g lot s to do donut s, bu r nout s a nd fi g u re s of e i g ht . W hen we fi r s t b ou g ht t h at c a r it w a s ac t u a l ly for my f at her ’s bu si ne s s to s el l on to a f r iend A s we were le av i n g t he auc t ion I d id a l it t le clutch k ick a nd

p ower sl ide T he f r iend t hen t r ied to do t he s a me t h i n g , but he put it s t r a i g ht i nto a t ree S o I b ou g ht t he c a r b a c k a nd it s at on my p a rent s ’ d r ive i n piece s for t wo ye a r s w h i le I fi g u red out how to g e t t he f u nd s to fi x it It w a s t h rou g h re s tor i n g a nd p er s on a l isi n g t h at c a r t h at I le a r ned a b out t he s p or t of d r i f t i n g , w h ich wou ld e ffec t ively c h a n g e my l i fe

I s t a r ted For mu la D r i f t i n a 2 4 0 S X i n it s ver y fi r s t ye a r i n 2 0 0 4 T h at w a s a lso t he ye a r t h at Ford debuted t he fi f t h- g en Mu s t a n g , a nd I ju s t fel l i n love w it h it F rom 2 0 05 to t h is d ay I ’ ve b e en i n Mu s t a n g s a nd h aven’t lo oked b a c k .

I s t i l l h ave t he Niss a n i n my g a r a g e It ’s ju s t sit t i n g , but it ’s some t h i n g I ’m not re a d y to p a r t w it h ye t S o m a ny le a r n i n g s a nd pro g re s sion a s a p er s on a re a s so c i ated w it h t h at c a r. T here ’s a lot of at t a ch ment t here

O nce I t r a n sit ioned i nto t he Mu s t a n g – a nd I w a s i n a Mu s t a n g b e fore I h a d a relat ion sh ip w it h Ford – t h at w a s my fi r s t feel i n g of torque. T he Mu s t a n g is p erceived to b e a la r g er, he av y c a r, but it w a s so n i mble a nd it worked so wel l for

d r i f t i n g I rememb er t h i n k i n g to my sel f, w hy d id n’t I g ive t h is a ch a nce a s a teen a g er? I c a me to t he conclu sion t h at I w a s ju s t b ei n g h a rd-he a ded

O nce I s t a r ted d r iv i n g a Mu s t a n g a nd g e t t i n g i nvolved i n t he c u lt u re I w a s i n s pi red to s t a r t R T R . I g re w a p a s sion for Ford a nd f rom t hen on a l l of my ro a d c a r s, e ver y t h i n g t r a n sit ioned i nto Ford s R i g ht now I ’ ve g ot Mu s t a n g R T R s a nd a n F-150 R aptor My w i fe d r ive s a Ford E x plorer. We ’re ver y proud of t he pro duc t s t h at Ford is put t i n g out a nd pu mp ed to b e work i n g on projec t s l i ke t he M ach-E 14 0 0 w it h t hem . I c a n’t le ave t h i n g s a lone t hou g h T he R aptor h a s a s e t of R T R w heels on it a nd some chu n k ier t y re s It ’s so i mpre s sive a s it sit s, a nd it h a s a f u l l w a r r a nt y w h ich a l low s you to g o a nd h ave a lot of f u n w it h it , so I h aven’t me s s ed w it h t h at to o much My Mu s t a n g s – I h ave mu lt iple, it ’s emba r r a s si n g – r a n g e f rom R T R S p e c 2 s w h ich ju s t h ave ou r s u s p e n sion , a l l t he w ay to S p e c 3 a nd S p e c 5 T he lat ter is ou r s up e rch a r g e d w ideb o d y c a r w it h 750 bhp

o u w a n t t o a c a r a n d r a c e i t ’

L A M B O R G H I N I C O U N TA C H

I d r o v e o n e a n d w a s d i s a p p o i n t e d , b u t I ’d s t i l l h a v e o n e i n t h e r e !

VAU G H N ’ S D R E A M GA R AG E W h a t ’ s n e x t o n

Th is is t he produc t ion spec Cad i l lac Celest iq E V. A nd a lready, t here a re a fe w t h i n g s we feel we need to clea r up First, it ’s ha rd ly a produc t ion ca r: each Celest iq w i l l be ent i rely ha nd bu i lt. A nd second, t hat r at her puts us i n m i nd of a not her ca r ma nu fac t u rer who a lso just got t h rou gh desig n i n g a nd de velopi n g a n elec t r ic lu x u r y ca r, a nd sha l l not be na med

It ’s on ly rea sonable we sta r t w it h t he i m mense, elong ated shape you see i n t hese pic t u res: a hu ge, fa stback, K a m m-ta i led fou r-door r id i ng on t he wheelba se of you r aver a ge school bus Si x pieces of ca st a lu m i n iu m a re a l l it ta kes to bu i ld t he ent i re u nderbody of t he Celest iq Cad i l lac ha sn’t peg ged dow n officia l power a nd torque nu mbers just yet, but t he ba l lpa rk is about 6 0 0bhp, 6 4 0lb f t a nd a 30 0 -m i le r a n ge

Inside, you’ l l be u nsu r pr ised to fi nd more screens t ha n a cinema. But t he cent repiece

B M W M 2

is t he hu ge sma r t-gla ss roof It ’s appa rent ly t he “ big gest piece of automot ive gla ss i n t he world” , ca n re flec t i n f r a red to keep cabi n temper at u res com for table i n d i rec t su n l ight a nd ha s fou r i ndependent elec t roch rom ic sec t ions to a l low each pa ssen ger to ma ke t hei r seat a s light or da rk a s t he y plea se

T he C ele s t iq won’t g o i nto pro duc t ion u nt i l t he end of 2 02 3 A nd e ven t hen , it ’ l l b e a c u s tom- order job w here e a c h w h i m , dec ision a nd fl i g ht of f a nc y t a ke s t he bu yer f u r t her aw ay f rom t he $3 0 0,0 0 0 b a s e pr ice W h ich sou nd s a lot l i ke t he Rol ls-Royce, u m C ra i g J a m i e s o n

Y O U C A N ’ T B U Y T A S T E

W A T C H E S

Have you t r ied e x pla i n i n g t he me t aver s e to a n

d i men sion a l d i g it a l world is a bi g le ap f rom lo ok i n g up

Fa ceb o ok A nd you c a n’t bla me G r a nd m a – e ven t he e g g

Va l le y c a n’t a g ree on w h at t he me t aver s e w i l l ac t u a l ly b e l i ke B ut w it h u ncer t a i nt y t here is opp or t u n it y, a nd w atch comp a n ie s don’t w a nt to m is s out .

S o on we a re g oi n g to b e encou r a g ed to s p e nd i nc re a si n g work a nd leis u re t i me i n a pla ce t h at is g oi n g to feel a lot l i ke a g i a nt v ideo g a me A nd f reed f rom re a l world re s t r ic t ion s, we ’ l l a l l s o on b e a ble to ow n a £10 0 k w atch a nd a m i l l ion-p ou nd c a r, r i g ht?

Not e x a c t ly S p e a k i n g to i n sider s, one t h i n g t he y a g ree on is t he i mp or t a nce of m a i nt a i n i n g br a nd v a lue. S o i f a w atch c o s t s £10 0,0 0 0 i n t he re a l world , you c a n’t ju s t g ive it aw ay i n t he me t aver s e, b e c au s e you de v a lue it A nd i f you a sk f u l l pr ice for a d i g it a l c op y, p eople w i l l t h i n k you’re c r a z y T h is is a qu a nd a r y for t he i ndu s t r y W h at is a f a i r pr ice for a c op y of some t h i n g t h at c o s t s a lot of mone y to de velop? O ne w ay is to g ive aw ay d i g it a l ver sion s, but on ly to p eople w ho h ave b ou g ht t he re a l t h i n g

W h at a b out f a ke s? O nce some t h i n g h a s b e en pro duced d i g it a l ly, m a k i n g a c op y is e a s y B ut blo ckch a i n tech nolo g y u s ed i n N F Ts m a ke s check i n g aut hent ic it y i n t he v i r t u a l world e a sier t h a n t he re a l world S o you cou ld t heore t ic a l ly g e t a f a ke Role x a nd Fer r a r i, but e ver yone w i l l k now t he y a re f a ke. A nd e ver y t h i n g le ave s a d i g it a l fo ot pr i nt , so i f you i n f r i n g e c op y r i g ht , t he y c a n sn i ff you out

For w a rd-t h i n k i n g w atch comp a n ie s a re g e t t i n g me t aver s e -re a d y b y d a bbl i n g w it h N F Ts a nd c r y pto c u r renc y, a s seen f rom Hublot , Breit l i n g a nd ot her s. Ta g He uer, of ten on t he s e p a g e s due to it s motor i n g l i n k s, is emer g i n g a s a me t aver s e contender i n no sm a l l p a r t b e c au s e of t he app oi nt ment of a v ideo g a m i n g e nt hu si a s t a s C E O.

F rédér ic A r n au lt is i n h is 2 0 s a nd t he son of B er n a rd A r n au lt , b o s s of p a rent comp a ny LV M H a nd one of t he r iche s t d a d s i n t he world D oubter s mut tered a b out ne p ot ism , but you n g A r n au lt h a s i mpre s s ed si nce t a k i n g over a couple of ye a r s a g o. A r n au lt sen ior m i g ht b e elderly, but he h a d t he fore si g ht to a sk F reder ic t he r i g ht que s t ion Na mely : “ S o, s on , w h at is t h is me t aver s e a l l a b out? ” R i c h a rd H o l t

elderly relat ive? A mu lt i-

you r g r a ndch i ld ren on

ie s t he a d s i n Si l icon

i n g

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m p e t e i n t h e L e M a n s H y p e rca r o r L M H c l a s s , w h i c h re p l a ce d t h e fa m i l i a r o l d L M P1 c l a s s l a s t ye a r B u t t h a t ’s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e u p co m i n g c h a n g e s t o e n d u ra n ce ra c i n g f ro m 2 0 23 L M H ca r s w i l l b e j o i n e d by L M D h ( L e M a n s D a y t o n a H y b r i d ) ca r s i n t h e n ew t o p t i e r o f W EC ra c i n g .

I T ’S KEEP ING

L Af te r t h e LM H r u l es we re p u b l i s h e d b a ck i n D e ce m b e r 2 01 8 , Fe r ra r i wa s o n e o f t h e te a m s to s u g g es t t h e to p t i e r o f e n d u ra n ce ra ci n g wa s to o ex p e n s i ve (LM P1 a n n u a l b u d g e t s we re o f te n €2 0 0 m i l l i o n), a n d p ro p os e d t h a t cos t s s h o u l d b e l i m i te d I t ’s a l l re l a t i ve, o f co u rs e t h e ta rg e t fo r a n LM H b u d g e t wa s a b a rg a i n €3 0 m i l l i o n

I T ’ S B E E N A L O N G T I ME C O M I N G

W h e n i t t a ke s t o S e b r i n g i n M a rc h 2 023 , t h e 49 9 P w i l l b e t h e f i rs t Fe r ra r i e n d u ra n ce ra ce r i n t h e p re m i e r ro a d ra c i n g s e r i e s s i n ce t h e e a r l y S eve n t i e s . O r t h e l a s t t i m e t h e re wa s a n e n e rg y c r i s i s t a n k i n g t h e B r i t i s h e co n o my a n d c re a t i n g m a s s i ve i n f l a t i o n

I T ’ S G O T A H Y B R I D P O W E R T R A I N

T h e Fe r ra r i 49 9 P ’s e n g i n e i s a s t re s s e d m e m b e r (n o g i g g l i n g , n ow) a n d s e n d s i t s 6 6 0 - o d d h o r s e p owe r t o t h e re a r w h e e l s exc l u s i ve l y T h e f ro n t a x l e g e t s a d e d i ca t e d 26 8 b h p e - m o t o r a n d u s e s a K E R S s y s t e m t o c h a rg e t h e 9 0 0V b a t t e r y u p u n d e r b ra k i n g .

I T ’ L L C O MP E T E I N T HE L MH C L A S S

h e 49 9 P w i l l co

R A C ING RE A

S h a re s b i t o f i t s e n g i n e w i t h a 2 96 G T B , a p p a re n t l y T h e re s t wa n t s t o s wa l l ow ra ce t ra c k s w h o l e

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b a tt e r y, b r u s h l e ss m o t o r a n d i nn ov a t i ve d e s i g n , t h e B l a d e 4 ra n g e i s p rove n t o c l e a n c a r p e t s b e tt e r t h a n t h e U K ’ s t o p 3 b e s t - s e l l i n g co rd l e ss v a c uu m c l e a n e rs * W i t h n o co rd h o l d i n g yo u b a c k , t h i s co rd l e ss v a c uu m c l e a n e r ra n g e a l s o g i ve s yo u t h e c l e a n i n g p e r fo r m a n c e o f t h e U K ’ s b e s t - s e l l i n g co rd e d u p r i g h t s * *

Va x Te c h n o l o g y

T h e b r u s h l e s s m o t o r , co n t ro l l e d by Va x C o reT M t e c h n o l o g y , co n t i n u o u s l y m o n i t o rs a n d e n s u re s o p t i m a l c l e a n i n g p e r fo r m a n c e , w h i l s t 3 - s t a g e f i l t ra t i o n c a p t u re s u p t o 9 9 8 % o f p a r t i c l e s a n d f i n e d u s t d ow n t o 0 3 m i c ro n s i n s i z e Δ T h e d i r t b i n i s a l s o e a s i l y re m ove d fo r s i m p l e a n d h y g i e n i c e m p t y i n g , a n d w i t h a re m ov a b l e b r u s h b a r a n d f i l t e r , m a i n t e n a n c e o f a VA X B l a d e 4 i s m a d e s i m p l e

C o m p a c t & L i g h t w e i g h t

We i g h i n g j u s t 3 1 k g , i t s l i g h t w e i g h t , b a l a n c e d a n d e a s y t o u s e I t f e a t u re s o u r D u s t Tra c ke r h e a d l i g h t s , l e a v i n g n ow h e re fo r d i r t t o h i d e , a n d w i t h t h e re m ov a b l e O N E P W R b a tt e r y , c h a rg i n g c a n b e d o n e s e p a ra t e l y w i t h t h e h a n d y c h a rg i n g d o c k

U p s t a i r s , D o w n s t a i r s & T h e C a r

F i n g e r t i p co n t ro l s a l l ow y o u t o c h o o s e t h e r i g h t m o d e fo r t h e j o b – s e l e c t h a v i n g t h e b r u s h b a r o n o r o ff a n d b o o s t m o d e g i ve s y o u u p t o t h re e t i m e s t h e p ow e r t o t a c k l e t o u g h e r j o b s ± E a s i l y t u r n t h e VA X B l a d e 4 i n t o a h a n d h e l d , p e r f e c t fo r c l e a n i n g s t a i rs , p e t b e d s , c a rs a n d u p h o l s t e r y P l u s , w h e n y o u b u y d i re c t f ro m Va x , g e t a n a d d i t i o n a l f re e t o o l k i t wo r t h ove r £ 5 0

H a n d h e l d m o d e : c l e a n a b o v e t h e f l o o r

R e m o v a b l e VA X O N E P W R B a t t e r y

t i m e i n t h e p a s t t h r e e y e a r s Un d e r l y i n g a l l t h i s i s t h e e x t r e m e – a n d e x t r e m e l y u p s e t t i n g – v a r i a b i l i t y a t a n y g i v e n t i m e o f e l e c t r i c i t y p r i c e s T h e d e a r e s t h i g h p o w e r D C c h a r g e r s , Io n it y, h a v e b e e n 69 p/

kW h s i n c e t h e y b e g a n t r a d i n g t h r e e y e a r s a g o . T h a t ’s w e l l o v e r 2 0 p a m i l e , m e a n i n g i f a d ie s e l i s d o i n g b e t t e r t h a n 4 0 m p g it ’s c h e a p e r

B u t n o o n e r e g u l a r l y c h a r g e s a t t h o s e .

I f y o u u s e p u b l i c (n o t h o m e) 7 kW AC y o u ’ l l p r o b a b l y b e a r o u n d h a l f t h a t Io n it y

r a t e I f y o u p lu g i n a t h o m e a n d h a v e a t a r i ff t h a t r e s p o n d s i n r e a l t i m e t o l o c a l d e m a n d , y o u m i g ht s t i l l p a y p e r h a p s 10 p/ kW h o v e r n i g ht , o r a b o u t 3p a m i le

It ’s n o t e v e n t h a t s i m p l e I f I c h a r g e o n m y l o c a l l a m p p o s t s a n d p a y u s i n g t h e Q R c o d e o n t h e p o s t , i t ’s 49 p/ kW h . I f I d r a w f r o m t h e s a m e s o c k e t a t t h e s a m e t i m e a t t h e s a m e p o w e r b u t u s e t h e V W a p p s u p p l ie d w it h t h e I D.4 I ’ m d r i v i n g , i t ’s 76 p . M o s t m a nu f a c t u r e r a

p p s h a v e t h e s a m e p r o b l e m I m e a n , hu h ? P a u l H o r r e l l

IT ’S A LOOK ER

A fa m i l i a r n a me t h at’s now f u l ly ele c t r ic, t he a l l new Me ga ne E-Te ch 10 0% ele c t r ic m i xe s cl a s sic h atchb ack prac t ic a l it y w it h cut t i n g-e d ge, c ro s s over st yle It s sh ap e i s i n for me d by aero dy n a m ic i n novat ion – t he low, coup e-st yle ro of a nd t ho s e s cu lpte d l i ne s ac t u a l ly help to i nc re a s e t he d r iv i n g ra n ge Th ey a l s o g ive it a f ut u r i st ic lo ok, a lon g w it h t he 20 -i nch a l loy wheel s, st a nd a rd on t he Tech no a nd L au nch Ed it ion, d i st i nc t ive L E D l i g ht s a nd gold ch rome accent s on t he L au nch E d it ion Th ere ’ s a bit of t he at re ab out it to o A s you appro ach, pu d d le l a mp s even i l lu m i n ate t he Ren au lt lo go on t he g rou nd

YOU WON ’ T WA NT TO GE T OUT

Th e c abi n i s completely rei nvente d , t a k i n g t he a l l-ele c t r ic e x p er ience to a not her level Th e d a shb o a rd i s f u l ly d i g it a l, w it h a s we e pi n g w ide s c re en d i spl ay i n g e s s ent i a l i n for m at ion a nd d i g it a l d i a l s Th en t here’s t he cent ra l t abletst yle n i ne-i nch O p en R l i n k s c re en, wh ich i s home to t he n av i gat ion a nd bu i lt-i n app s Th e i n side i s sm a r t a nd u nclut tere d , w it h a choice of fi n i she s a nd i nvent ive m ater i a l s, i nclu d i n g re c ycle d fabr ic s Plu s, b ei n g a Me ga ne, it’s a l s o prac t ic a l – it h a s lot s of stora ge, i nclud i n g a s even-l it re cubby b et we en t he f ront s e at s

IT ’S ROOM Y

Ren au lt’s de d ic ate d a l l-ele c t r ic a rch ite c t u re f re e s up plent y of ro om W it h no en g i ne, e x h au st or t ra n sm i s sion t u n nel, t here’s more sp ace for p e ople a nd stora ge, a nd t h a n k s to t he u lt ra-sl i m b at ter y p ack a nd comp ac t 160kW motor, t he de si g ner s h ave m a x i m i s e d t he i nter ior sp ace, wh i le ret a i n i n g comp ac t d i men sion s I n ot her word s, it’s bi g ger on t he i n side t h a n it lo ok s on t he out side Th e fl at fl o or me a n s t here’s more ro om to st retch out a nd t here’s 4 4 0 l it re s of b o ot sp ace, w it h t he ch a rg i n g c able s h id den away i n a n u nder-flo or comp a r t ment.

GOOGLE I S BU ILT IN

Th e a l l new Me ga ne E-Te ch 10 0% ele c t r ic i s one of t he fi r st c a r s w it h G o o g le f u l ly i nte g rate d , wh ich come s a s st a nd a rd on t he Te ch no a nd L au nch E d it ion 1 Th at me a n s you c a n u s e a l l t he b e st app s – i nclu d i n g

G o o g le M ap s – w it hout h av i n g to con ne c t or m i r ror you r phone You c a n add up to five accou nt s, s o d i f ferent d r iver s a nd p a s s en ger s c a n lo g i nto t hei r ow n profi le s A nd t here’s h a nd s-f re e help w it h G o o g le A s si st a nt – ju st s ay

IT ’S PACK ED W ITH APP S

t h at, t here’s t he My Ren au lt app, wh ich a l low s you to remotely s et t he c abi n temp erat u re, s che du le ch a rg i n g, pl a n you r j ou r ney to go v i a ava i l able ch a rger s, a nd show t he b at ter y level

RE A L-TIME N

RU LE S

IT ’S Q U IC K

C H A RGING I S E A S Y

W it h it s 60kW h b at ter y, t he a l l new

Me ga ne E-Te ch 10 0% ele c t r ic c a n t ravel up to 28 0 m i le s on a si n g le ch a rge 2 W hen it’s t i me to top up, you c a n plu g i n at home, or m a ke t he mo st of publ ic ch a rg i n g st at ion s out a nd ab out – w it h a ch a rg i n g sp e e d of up to 13 0kW, you c a n ad d 186 m i le s of d r iv i n g ra n ge i n ju st 3 0 m i nute s at a rapid ch a rger 3 Th e c a r a l s o autom at ic a l ly re g u l ate s b at ter y temp erat u re, g iv i n g you t he b e st ra n ge even on a cold d ay

TOP GE A R LOV E S IT

W i n ner of ‘b e st h atch’ pr i z e i n t he Top G e a r E le c t r ic Awa rd s 202 2, t he a l l new

Me ga ne E-Te ch 10 0% ele c t r ic wa s a ju d ge ’ s favou r ite. I n t hei r word s: “Here’s a n ele c t r ic h atch w it h a re a l spr i n g i n it s ste p, prov i n g t h at c ro s s over s don’t ne e d to b e t he defau lt We enj oy it s c abi n, g re at r ide/h a nd l i n g b a l a nce, ter r i fi c re fi nement a nd fi ne lo ok s It do e s t he ele c t r ic st u f f wel l ”

IT ’S SA FE A ND SOU ND

Wit h a compact yet power f u l motor pro duc i n g 2 20hp, p er for m a nce i s smo ot h, si lent a nd s w i f t, w it h 0 - 62 mph t a k i n g 7 5 s e cond s Th at ne at b at ter y – t he sl i m me st on t he m a rket – g ive s it ide a l wei g ht d i st r ibut ion a nd a low cent re of g rav it y, wh ich i s g re at for cor ner s F u r t her wei g ht-s av i n g fe at u re s, l i ke a lu m i n iu m do or s, me a n s it wei g h s ju st 1,636k g, m a k i n g it one of t he l i g hte st E Vs i n it s c ate gor y The all new Renault Megane

Depend i ng on the ed ition, you’l l have up to 22 sa fety a nd assista nce systems at you r d isposa l, a l l work i ng away to give you a helpi ng ha nd a nd a n extra pa i r of eyes – from road sign recogn ition to emergency bra k i ng assist

I haven’t had t he cha nce to f u lly eu log ise about t he Fer r a r i 296 GT B because my cr icket i n g f r iend d rove it when we were i n G er ma ny fi lm i n g. It is ma ny of t he t h i ng s we now bl it hely ex pec t a ne w Fer r a r i to be: beaut i f u l ly de veloped a nd offer i n g so much per for ma nce you rea l ly do wonder how much more a ny hu ma n bei n g cou ld need. But what st r uck me when I had t he ca r i n t he U K w a s how it comprehensively ex ploded t he ex ist i n g g ap bet ween superca r a nd hy perca r O f cou rse t here is no de fi n it ive l i ne of dema rcat ion bet ween such r a ndom categor isat ion, but my backside ha s a lw ay considered it to be t he d i fference bet ween “Cr i ke y, t hat ’s r apid” a nd “ Woa h, what just happened t here? ”

W hat happens when ca rs l i ke t he 296 appea r is t he y cause geeks l i ke me to stop a nd ret h i n k what we had a ssu med were accepted ‘cla sses’ of ca rs. Th is happened to me when I w a s d r iv i n g t he 296 a nd fol low i ng Paddy i n t he Pa g a n i Huay r a BC B ecause he w a s d r iv i n g somet h i n g t hat looked l i ke a l iv id i nsec t, I a ssu med it wou ld si mply d isappea r i n a st r a ight l i ne It d id n’t

W hat we now have is a n ‘ent r y le vel’ Fer r a r i t hat is a s fa st a s one of t he cr a ziest hy perca rs e ver sold. It ’s a rema rkable reset i n t he h istor y of fa st ca rs, yet it seems to have pa ssed most people by Perhaps t hat ’s because t hese mach i nes a re so competent t hat

people ex pec t such t h i ng s to happen But I ca n’t qu ite get my head a rou nd t he le vel of per for ma nce a 296 offers A nd t hat leads me to t he nex t t hou ght – how does Fer r a r i see t he world of fa st ca rs look i ng for t he nex t decade i f it ha s set t he i n it ia l ba r for itsel f at a tick over 80 0bhp? The last time I felt li ke t h is was when Merc lau nched t he SL55 in 20 01. You’ll t h in k t hat’s a ra ndom ca r to pick, but I remember d r iv ing one a nd t h in k ing, “ Th is ca r has nea rly 20 0bhp more t ha n a ny t h ing it is supposed to compete w it h ” The SL55 tota lly a ltered what we t hought a qu ick open top GT shou ld be

These moments a lw ay s st ick w it h me The fi rst t i me I d rove a M itsubish i E vo I just cou ld n’t fat hom how a ny ca r cou ld cover g rou nd so qu ick ly A n S20 0 0 spi n n i n g be yond 8, 50 0 r pm seemed cr a z y – how w a s it e ven possible to offer t hat ca r w it h a w a r r a nt y? The 9 96 T u rbo S felt l i ke it w a s r ippi n g t he a spha lt f rom u nder a l l fou r wheels – but now wou ld feel ut terly pedest r ia n

The 296 is e ven more m i nd bend i ng t ha n t hose because, a s I’ ve sa id, it isn’t a statement of u lt i mate per for ma nce, it ’s t he ne w i nt roduc tor y le vel f rom wh ich t he compa ny w i l l now bu i ld It ’s a ca r t hat feels a s fa st a s a La Fer r a r i. I no longer k now what a superca r or a hy perca r is – perhaps what t he 296 ha s done is push t he categor isat ion i nto more subjec t ive a rea s l i ke noise a nd t he abi l it y to be seen a nd hea rd?

It a lso leaves me concer ned for br a nds who t h i n k t he y r iv a l Fer r a r i – because r ight now t he g ap bet ween Ma r a nel lo a nd t he rest is at its g reatest i n t he qua r ter of a cent u r y I’ ve been test i n g ca rs The A r t u r a is a hone y, but pla g ued w it h problems a nd doesn’t have t he ex plosive acceler at ion, a nd A ston Ma r t i n just isn’t i n t he sa me lea g ue now It cou ld ta ke t hem a lon g t i me to catch up P resent ly, it doesn’t feel l i ke it w i l l e ver happen

The Ferrari 296 GTB is rewriting the fast car rulebook and leaving so-called rivals in its wake, says Chris

2

Beyond t hat, t h ings get ba ffl ing. For sta r ters, t he A110 R Fer na ndo A lonso was revea led shor tly af te r Fer na ndo A lonso’s shock a n nou ncement he was defec ting f rom A lpine to A ston Ma r tin, wh ich lent t he specia l ed ition’s u nveil some strong ‘sa rcastic d ivorce set tlement’ v ibes In fac t, so f rost y were relations A lonso d id n’t at tend t he lau nch of h is ow n ca r, leav ing duties to fellow d r iver Esteba n Ocon (“ W hat’s t hat, Esteba n? The A110 Ocon Ed ition? W in a few more races a nd t hen we’ll see, big lad ”)

But more ba ffl i n g t ha n t hat is... who’s it for? I k now t he y on ly need to sh i f t 32 of t hem, but e ven so to who? A re t here rea l ly 32 hu ma ns on t h is pla net ha rbou r i n g bot h a) a desper ate yea r n i n g for a sma l l, ex pensive, l ight weight F rench spor ts ca r a nd b) a borderl i ne sta l ker-g r ade obsession w it h Fer na ndo A lonso?

P ut it t h is w ay. I ver y much l i ke t he sou nd of t he A 110 R . If I w a s i n t he ma rket for a t wo-seat spor ts ca r, it ’d be r ight at t he top of my l ist A nd I l i ke Fer na ndo A lonso A s t h ick-necked 4 0 -somet h i ng Spa n ia rds go, he’s i n my top t h ree, no quest ion.

But a s a n adu lt hu ma n w it h a rea sonably wel l-de veloped sense of sha me, I don’t t h i n k I cou ld be seen d r iv i ng a ca r scr awled w it h se ver a l ex a mples of t he sig nat u re of sa id t h icknecked 4 0 -somet h i n g Spa n ia rd, A lonso’s ‘sig nat u re colou rs’, a nd a su n v isor la ser-etched w it h t he slog a n: “ There is more t ha n one pat h to t he top of t he mou nta i n ” (Fer na ndo’s mot to, just not one he seems to have ment ioned to a nyone beforeha nd )

That ’s a le vel of celebr it y de vot ion not hea lt hy i n a nyone old enou gh to d r ive, r ight? E ven at t he sa me £ 80k a s t he reg u la r A 110 R , it ’d be a tou gh sel l. A lpi ne’s a sk i n g £130k+ g r a nd. A f u l l body A lonso tat too conve y s t he sa me messa ge for a lot less ca sh

A lpi ne isn’t t he on ly o ffender here A couple of ye a r s b a ck , Hy u nd a i rele a s ed a n I ron M a n ed it ion of it s Kon a . G i a nt M a r vel lo g o on t he ro of, d ay t i me r u n n i n g l i g ht s t h at “ m i m ic t he g low i n g e ye s of I ron M a n’s me t a l m a sk ” , S t a rk I ndu s t r y g r aph ic s, Tony S t a rk si g n at u re on t he d a sh , £ 2 8,0 0 0 a sk i n g pr ice S er iou sly, w ho’s g oi n g to bu y it? D o 12-ye a r - old s now h ave t he d is p os a ble i ncome to bu y S out h Kore a n SU Vs?

A pp a rent ly t he y do B ec au s e I ’ ve ju s t checked t he e s t i m a ble how m a ny le f t co u k , a nd it t u r n s out Hy u nd a i’s sh i f ted pre t t y much a l l of it s U K a l lo c at ion of 3 0 0 Ir o n M a n Kon a s (a l l, I ’d g ue s s, to p eople w ho ow n mu g s decla r i n g , “ You don’t h ave to b e m a d to work here, but it helps! ”). W h ich no doubt me a n s t he A 110 R Fer n a ndo A lon so E d it ion s w i l l s el l l i ke la s er - e tched hot c a ke s, to o Ju s t not , pre s u m a bly, to Fer n a ndo h i m s el f, w ho’s a l re a d y l i n i n g up h is V 12 Va nt a g e comp a ny c a r...

The Alpine A110 R Fernando Alonso has left TGTV’s Sam Philip scratching his head

I ’m s t a nd i n g at t he Pa r is Motor Show look i n g at a br ave ne w g reen c a r. A l l I c a n t h i n k is, I m i g ht b e w ron g here but to o of ten t he cle vere s t ide a s t u r n out to b e t he du mb e s t

T he c a r i n que s t ion is br a nded Na m X It ’s a bi g g ish elec t r ic c ros sover t h at ’s b een de si g ned b y P i n i n f a r i n a . Not a g re at s t a r t , m i nd O f t he fe w ne w c a r s at P a r is, mos t were a lso bi g g ish elec t r ic c ros sover s f rom s t a r t ups w ho’ ve u s ed t he ot her w is e u nderemployed It a l i a n c a r r o z z e r i a S o f a r t hen , so u ne xe pt ion a l, e ven i f t he Na m X lo ok s more d is t i nc t ive t h a n t hos e ot her s f rom We y, V i n f a s t , B Y D, e t ce ter a .

T he re a l Na m X d i fference is t h at it ’s p owered b y elec t r ic it y f rom a f uel cel l r at her t h a n a b at ter y A nd w h at ’s e ven more d i fferent is t h at b e yond t he m a i n f uel t a n k t here ’s a lso a s p a ce for sm a l ler remov a ble c aps u le s S o you don’t need a convent ion a l hyd ro g en fi l l i n g s t at ion (t he y ’re f a r ap a r t a nd e x p en sive to bu i ld) b ec au s e you c a n h ave t he c aps u le s, re fi l led w it h g reen hyd ro g en , del ivered to home T hen ju s t s w ap t hem out l i ke t he but a ne c a r t r id g e on you r c a mpi n g s tove. O r you c a n bu y t hem at ro a d side

It ’s so cle ver E nv i ron ment a l cos t of b at ter y m a nu f a c t u re? S olved! Rech a r g i n g t i me s? S olved! Hyd ro g en av a i labi l it y? S olved! CO 2 em is sion s f rom p e t rol? S olved!

Yet so du mb F i rst, is now t he t i me to t r y a not her for m of i n f r a st r uc t u re? Elec t r icit y is on e ver y st reet, i n e ver y la mppost a nd bu i ld i n g Yet st i l l t here isn’t enou gh i nvest ment to ma ke cha rge spots by spu r r i n g off t hose w i res W i l l we rea l ly get over t he ch icken a nd eg g t h reshold of prov id i n g hyd rogen capsu le s w ap poi nts, e ven i f t he capsu les a re open-sou rce sta nda rd ised?

Worse t ha n t hat, Na m X ig nores t he efficienc y d isadv a nta ge of hyd rogen B a sica l ly, when you put a u n it of elec t r icit y i nto produci n g g reen hyd rogen, you ca n d r ive a f uel cel l ca r a m i le P ut t hat sa me u n it d i rec t ly i nto a n E V ’s bat ter y a nd you ca n d r ive t h ree m i les Unt i l we have u n l i m ited elec t r icit y – don’t see t hat a ny t i me soon – we need to use it a s spa r i n gly a s we ca n

T h at doesn’t mea n hyd rogen h a s no place It ’s ex pensive to t r a nsm it elec t r ic it y over lon g d ist a nces S o when t he world st a r ts gener at i n g lots of low cost rene w able ener g y i n remote places –w i nd i n t he t u nd r a , sola r i n t he deser ts – t hen it ’s a good idea to u se t h is to produce g reen hyd rogen, a nd t r a nspor t it to where t he f uel cel l veh icles a re B ut f r a n k ly, bat ter y c a r s work wel l enou g h ; hyd rogen wou ld be be t ter u sed i n t r uck s, a i rc r a f t or home heat i n g. (O r we cou ld u se t h at remotely gener ated elec t r ic it y to s y nt hesise rene w able ‘ pe t rol’ for ou r ex ist i n g c a r s )

S o Na m X is lau nch i n g a ne w c a r t h at ’s e x p en sive, h a s no br a nd aw a rene s s, u nproven tech nolo g y, no e x is t i n g i n f r a s t r uc t u re, a nd a b at t le a g a i n s t t he relent le s s i ne ffic ienc y lo g ic of it s chos en f uel I w ish it s ucce s s I pred ic t f a i lu re

s

T G ’

eco-conscious megabrain, Paul Horrell, is one of the world’s most respected and experienced car writers Has attended every significant car launch since the Model T

Startup car company? Try looking at the existing infrastructure first, reckons Paul Horrell

The MG4 E V makes all-electric driving an af fordable, ever yday realit y Discover how this impressive newcomer does it

re at E Vs ne e d n’t co st t he e a r t h Th e

A l l-New MG 4 E V prove s you c a n h ave p er for m a nce, prac t ic a l it y a nd u s abi l it y w it hout sp end i n g a for t u ne

Here’s a n ele c t r ic c a r t h at m a ke s s en s e for re a l p e ople i n t he re a l world It h a s a generou s ra n ge, rapid-ch a rg i n g c ap abi l it y, l i fe-i mprov i n g te ch a nd fe at u re s u su a l ly on ly fou nd i n de a rer E Vs A l l supp or te d by a s evenye a r wa r ra nt y, for complete p e ace of m i nd

RANGE AND CHARGING

The MG 4 E V m i g ht b e a comp act h atchb ack, but it t ick s a ver y bi g b ox w it h a d r iv i n g ra n ge of up to 281 m i le s , so it’s here for t he lon g h au l You ca n cha rge at home u si ng a sta nd a rd 7kW wa l lbox (idea l for over n ight or of f-pea k u se), but when you ’ re on t he road a nd need to top-up qu ick ly, it ca n cha rge at speed s of up to 135kW, so you ca n ta ke adva ntage of t he best rapid cha rgers. I n fact, cha rgi ng t he 64kW h batter y i n t he SE L ong Ra nge a nd Trophy models f rom 10% to 80% ca n ta ke ju st 35 m i nutes A nd w it h t he U K’s publ ic ch a rg i n g net work g row i n g qu ick ly, w it h a l mo st 60,0 0 0 con ne c tor s i n more t h a n 20,0 0 0 lo c at ion s ** a nd m a ny more b ei n g ad de d ever y mont h, it’s e a sier t h a n ever to fi nd a pl ace to plu g i n

SPACE AND STYLE

D e si g ned a s a n E V f rom t he g rou nd-up, t he MG 4 E V u s e s clever t r ick s to g ive you a fa m i lyf r iend ly sp ace i n a h atchb ack p ack a ge It s lon g wheelb a s e, comp act motor a nd u lt ra-t h i n b at ter y f ree up sp ace, so t here’s plent y of he ad ro om a nd leg ro om, a s wel l a s a n i n gen iou s a r ray of sm a r t stora ge for toys, keys, b a gs a nd phone s The b o ot i s ro omy a nd ver s at i le to o A d isti nctive exterior is complemented by a choice of si x bold colou rs, i nclud i ng the new exclusive Volca no Ora nge w ith two-tone black roof a nd tw i n-aero spoi ler ava i lable w ith Trophy models Other featu res i nclude the Active Gri l le System, wh ich reg u lates a i r flow for opti mu m batter y ra nge on the SE L ong Ra nge a nd Trophy

PERFORMANCE

Th i s i sn’t ju st a g re at ele c t r ic c a r, it’s a l s o a g re at c a r to d r ive Th e MG 4 E V SE w i l l z ap f rom 0 - 60mph i n 7. 5 s e cond s, wh i le t he SE L on g R a n ge a nd Trophy mo del s, w it h t hei r sl i g ht ly bi g ger b at ter y, t a ke ju st 7 7 A l l ver sion s a re re a r-whe el-d r ive, w it h i nde p endent

su sp en sion for a smo ot h r ide a nd re generat ive bra k i n g for en h a nce d cont rol a nd e ffi c ienc y Th ere a re five d r iv i n g mo de s, i nclu d i n g Snow for sl ipp er y su r face s, Sp or t for p ower f u l accelerat ion, a nd E co for energ y s av i n g

TECHNOLOGY

Th e MG 4 E V i s MG’s mo st te ch nolo g ic a l ly adva nce d c a r yet S t a nd a rd fe at u re s i nclu de re generat ive bra k i n g, a 10 2 5-i nch colou r touch s c re en, Apple C a rPl ay a nd A nd roid Auto™ MG P i lot d r iver a s si st a nce a l s o come s a s st a nd a rd , w it h Ac t ive E mergenc y Bra k i n g, I ntel l i gent H i g h B e a m A s si st a nd Ad apt ive C r u i s e C ont rol I n ad d it ion, t he Trophy mo del come s w it h a 360 p a rk i n g c a mera , s atel l ite n av i gat ion, he ate d f ront s e at s a nd ste er i n g whe el, a nd a sm a r t phone Blueto ot h key A l l mo del s c a n s y nc w it h t he i SM A RT app, wh ich a l low s you to cont rol m a ny f u nc t ion s of you r MG 4 E V f rom you r phone, such a s ch a rg i n g, fi nd i n g you r ne a re st ch a rg i n g p oi nt a nd pre-st a r t i n g t he cl i m ate cont rol s y stem

A POWER PACK ON WHEELS

Veh icle to L oad (V2 L) tech nolog y me a n s t he MG 4 E V’s b at ter y c a n p ower ex ter n a l dev ice s a nd gad get s The s e cou ld b e a ny t h i n g f rom a n elect r ic s co oter to a T V or ket t le, a s lon g a s t hey c a n b e con nected to t he ch a rg i n g p or t w it h a n ad apter Th i n k of V2 L a s a n elect r icit y hot sp ot t h at’l l g ive you p ower wherever you a re, f rom c a r p a rk s to c a mp site s or fe st iva l field s

MORE FOR YOUR MONEY

Th e A l l-New MG 4 E V i s ava i l able f rom £2 5,995 w it h plent y of h i g h-te ch fe at u re s a s st a nd a rd , i nclu d i n g s ome u su a l ly on ly fou nd on more e x p en sive E Vs O n top of t h at, MG E V ow ner s c a n a l s o spre ad r u n n i n g co st s w it h a f u l l E V s er v ice pl a n f rom ju st £6 p er mont h, wh i le a r i gorou s s even-ye a r, 8 0,0 0 0 -m i le wa r ra nt y i s t here for e x t ra re a s su ra nce

* R a n g e a p p e s t o M G 4 E V S E L o n g R a n g e w i t h t h e 6 4 k W h b a t t e r y f r o m a s n g e c h a r g e o n t h e W L T P c o m b n e d c y c l e ; C o m b n e d R a n g e 2 8 1 m l e s 4 5 0 k m ; C y R a n g e : 3 6 0 m l e s 5 7 9 k m ; C o m b n e d D r i v i n g E f fi c e n c y : 3 8 m l e s / k W h ( 1 6 0 k W h / 0 0 k m ) ; * * S o u r c e : z a pm a p c o m

W ith a long list of high-tech features as standard, the All-New MG4 E V gives it s competitors a serious r un for their money

Ma ser at i The de fi n it ive g r a nd tou r i n g ma rque. No ot her br a nd lends itsel f bet ter to t he idea of d r iv i n g a lon g w ay, fa st, a nd look i n g cool wh i le doi n g so A nd now it ’s gone elec t r ic Fa mously not good for goi n g a lon g w ay at h igh speed. But who uses a GT to do t hat a ny more? (If you do, don’t pa n ic, Ma ser at i is here to help Keep read i n g )

T h is is t he ne w G r a nT u r ismo Fol g ore. W hen it a r r ive s ne x t ye a r, fi n a l ly re pla c i n g t he l a s t g e n coup e t h at d ied t h ree ye a r s a g o, it ’ l l b e t he m a rque ’s fi r s t pu re E V Fol g ore (it rou g h ly t r a n slate s a s l i g ht n i n g or t hu nderb olt) ver sion s of t he MC 2 0 s up e rc a r a nd G rec a le SU V w i l l fol low s o on a f ter A l l M a s er at is w i l l h ave a n elec t r ic ver sion b y 2 02 5 B y 2 03 0 t here w i l l b e no more p e t rols

But t here is one now Ma ser at i’s st r ateg y forgoes hy br ids for t he bookends. A s wel l a s t h is t r i-motor elec t r ic, t he ne w Gr a nT u r ismo w i l l be offered w it h t he MC20 superca r ’s t w i n-t u rbo V6 Net t u no motor – 4 83bhp i n t he ent r y le vel Modena version, 542bhp for t he T rofeo C h icken feed The elec t r ic one de velops 750bhp

You m i g ht h ave he a rd d i fferent , t h at it de velops 1, 2 0 0 bhp Wel l, t he motor s c a n do it (e a c h 33k g p er m a nent m a g ne t motor, one for t he f ront a x le, t wo for t he re a r, is r ated at 4 0 0 bhp) but t he b at te r y c a n’t It c a n on ly send out enou g h elec t r ic it y to del iver 750 bhp. T h i n k of it l i ke a n a i r re s t r ic tor on a p e t rol en g i ne

B ut w h at t h at do e s me a n is t h at a l l 750 bhp c a n g o to a ny of t he motor s. T he re a r p a i r for m a x acceler at ion , or d iv v ied up for comple x torque vec tor i n g s t u ff t h rou g h cor ner s

T he G r a nT u r ismo is bu i lt a rou nd a n a l l-ne w plat for m C u r iou s dec ision to de velop it for pu re p e t rol a s wel l a s elec t r ic i n t h is d ay a nd a g e you m i g ht t h i n k C on side r t he comprom ises B ut you’re not re a l ly aw a re of t hem O nce you’ ve g ot over t he f a c t it lo ok s a lot l i ke t he old c a r (I c a n’t m a ke up my m i nd w he t her it ’s a la z y rei nvent ion , or a s t roke of g e n iu s to h ave s uc h a cla s sic a l ly s t y le d elec t r ic c a r), t he p a c k a g i n g is t he fi r s t t h i n g t h at s t r i ke s you W here’s t he bat ter y? That ’s t he quest ion you a sk you rsel f It ’s not u nder t he floor, because t he seat i n g posit ion a nd roofl i ne a re low It isn’t sa ndw iched bet ween rea r seats a nd boot, because bot h a re genu i nely spacious – it accom modates fou r adu lts a s ea si ly a s B ent le y ’s Cont i nenta l GT, ha s a 270 -l it re boot (t here’s no f r u n k) Instead, Ma ser at i ha s used t he space bet ween f ront wheels a nd w i ndscreen, t he so-ca l led prest ige g ap t hat desig ners l i ke to ba n g on about The 93kW h bat ter y is T-shaped, across t he ca r i n t hat g ap t hen ex tend i n g up t he t r a nsm ission t u n nel where t he gea rbox sits i n t he pet rol ca r

T h at ’s cle ver u s e of space, but I k now w h at you’re t h i n k i n g : su rely t h at mu s t m a ke it nos e he av y? Wel l, M a s er at i cla i m s a 50 :50 wei g ht d is t r ibut ion , a nd my bu m teleme t r y tel ls me u nder s teer isn’t a n issue

New materials abound, including

ycl ed f i s h i n g n et u p h o l s te r y

Fo l g o re w h e e l s a re m o re a e ro t h a n t hose of pet ro l ve rs io ns

FLUENT,

B efore we get on to d r iv i n g, a word on c abi n desig n You won’t fi nd a pic t u re of t he d a shb o a rd a ny where here. T h is is a late sta ge protot y pe c a r, so it ’s st i l l sec re t , won’t be re vea led u nt i l ea rly 2 023 I c a n tel l you t h at it st i l l h a s padd les, on ly t he y ’re to a lter t he br a ke regen, t he cla ssic clock h a s been rei ma g i ned a s a d ig it a l d isplay si m i la r to Por sche ’s Spor t C h rono, a nd t h at t here a re se ver a l sc reens, one for t he d r iver d isplay, t hen a t wo pa r t upper i n fot a i n ment/ lower a i rcon sc reen t h at ’s l i ke a fl ip phone opened not qu ite a l l t he w ay It ’s a l l pre t t y responsive to touch i nputs,

but more i mpor t a nt ly t he G r a nT u r ismo look s a nd feels ex pensive i nside Nice mater ia ls, espec ia l ly t he blue t r i m i n here t h at ’s made f rom rec ycled pla st ic fi sh i n g ne ts

Plus it gets t he i mpor ta nt st u ff r ight The seats a re beaut i f u l ly shaped, t he d r iv i ng posit ion is ex ac t ly how you w a nt it to be i n a g r a nd tou rer: low yet com ma nd i n g, w it h a v ie w out over t hat hu ge a lu m i n iu m cla mshel l bon net – t he big gest i n t he i ndust r y, it cla i ms A s a n objec t, t h is ne w Folgore Ma ser at i is conv i nci n g a nd desi r able.

A nd it ’s absolutely f a s t enou g h : 2 7s e c s to 62mph , 8 8 to 12 4 T h is isn’t acceler at ion t h at le t s up, it c a r r ie s on pu sh i n g h a rd , top s p e e d is quoted a s “over 19 9 mph” T he f a s te s t p e t rol (a l l a re 4W D) t a ke s 3 5s e c s for 0 – 62 mph de s pite b ei n g 450 k g l i g hter L ap t i me s, app a rent ly, a re much more e ven I m a g i ne t he h a r m to you r r a n g e t hou g h . It ’s quoted , i nc ident a l ly, at 2 8 0 m i le s on t he W LT P c ycle, w h ich is g o o d for a f a s t c a r t h at wei g h s 2 , 2 6 0 k g , we a r s 2 6 5 f ront a nd 295-w idt h re a r t y re s a nd h a s a le s s t h a n e xce pt ion a l 0 2 6 d r a g co e ffic ient

A s you’d hope, it ’s ver y qu iet on t he move. A r u ffle f rom t he w i n g m i r rors is about it, no t r ace of crea k or flex f rom t he cha ssis, no noise or v ibr at ion f rom t he suspension It feels ver y toget her a nd ea s y to d r ive A ca r you’d be happy d r iv i n g a lon g w ay. I w a s l i m ited to t r ack d r iv i ng on ly, but t he r ide seems good – body cont rol cer ta i n ly is There’s a h i nt of rol l, but it ’s n icely ma na ged. In fac t, at most speeds t he Gr a nT u r ismo ex h ibits t he sa me fluent, toget her, composed behav iou r a s t he MC20 superca r.

T h at ch a n ges a l it t le when you s w itch up t he modes GT l i m its you to 8 0 per cent power a nd is idea l for most d r iv i n g. Spor t g ives you a l l t he power a nd hold s itsel f toge t her, m a n a g i n g t r ac t ion wel l at t he l i m it , so you a ren’t too aw a re of torque bei n g shu ffled a rou nd Corsa mode relea ses t he sh ack les on t he power t r a i n O o of It rea l ly sta r ts to move a rou nd – t he t y res a re t he l i m it i n g f ac tor T hese G oodyea r s a re t he e ver yd ay r ubber, low noise, low rol l i n g resist a nce. A lso low g r ip. Now you need to be c a ref u l, but you rea l ise t he ch a ssis h a s g reat

n at u r a l ba la nce a nd clea r com mu n ic at ion . Li f t off a s you t u r n i n a nd t he rea r w i l l come a rou nd, it ’s a g i le a nd play f u l Poke t he t h rot t le now (espec ia l ly i f you’ ve jabbed t he ex t r a D r i f t f u nc t ion) a nd t he t a i l w i l l scoot side w ay s a s i f it ’s on ca ster s. B e qu ick w it h t he steer i n g. Now you a nd t he torque vec tor i n g a re second g ue s si n g e a c h ot her You b a c k o ff, it s end s p ower for w a rd to s t r a i g hten t h i n g s up, but you e x p ec ted t h is, so you s t r a i g htened t he s te e r i n g to prolon g t he sl ide. E nd re s u lt : you’re bu s y w it h t he w heel a nd p e d a ls, it ’s a bit sn atchy, but you’re h av i n g a g re at t i me Ha rd ly a core f u nc t ion for a g r a nd tou rer a ny w ay. More g o o d ne w s It ’s ver y h a rd to s p ot t he joi n b e t we en re g en a nd c a l ip er br a k i n g , t he c a r a c t s n at u r a l ly, s te e r s prec is ely a nd con sistent ly, a nd t he a r t i fic i a l nois e, w h i le now here ne a r t he s t r ident r a s p of t he old 4.7-l it re n at- a s p V 8, is dee p, r u mbl i n g a nd re a s s u r i n g It ’s a n en g a g i n g , wel l en g i neered a nd e xec uted c a r w it h enou g h of a n e d g e a nd a h i nt of d r a m a to conv i nce a s a g e nu i ne M a s er at i I n t u ne w it h a l l t hos e t h at

h ave g one b e fore, but le s s h is t r ion ic , more p ol ishe d a nd c ap a ble

A nd I reckon it cou ld g ive potent ia l r iv a ls a proper headache Porsche’s Tayca n is t he on ly nea r opponent t h is ha s now, but i n due cou rse B ent le y, A ston Ma r t i n a nd (we must a ssu me) Fer r a r i w i l l pi le i n That ’s t he ma rket Ma ser at i is pitch i n g itsel f i nto Th is w i l l not be a cheap ca r The £19 0k MC20 took t he br a nd i nto a ne w pr ice br acket The Gr a nT u r ismo is goi n g to rei n force t hat. Pet rols a re l i kely to be a rou nd t he £150k ma rk, t h is Folgore closer to £ 20 0,0 0 0

B ut I c a n see a role for it L o ok , i f g r a nd tou r i n g w a s st i l l a t h i n g, I ’d be ner vou s, but t he d ay s of bla st i n g ac ross E u rop e h ave gone T he y ’ ve espec ia l ly gone for E Vs I n ste ad t he g r a nd tou rer h a s been rei nvented a s t he e ver yd ay superc a r L ess ostent at iou s a nd more h abit able t h a n a m id- en g i ned mach i ne, but st i l l e xclu sive a nd desi r able A nd t h is one is g u i lt f ree, em ission f ree, a nd h a s stolen a n elec t r ic ma rch on its r iv a ls. T he y ’re a l l play i n g c atch up A nd t h is is goi n g to t a ke some c atch i n g

French

not fancy

en au lt or i g i n a l ly pla n ned t he A u s t r a l to b e lau nched i n 2 021, but t hen s w itched t he s equence a nd pu l led t he Me g a ne a he a d C ro s s o ver s m at ter hu g ely for s a le s, ye t for R e n au lt ’s s el f-ident it y a nd rei nvent ion it w a s more u r g ent to g e t t he elec t r ic h atch out t here I n t h at len g t hened i nter v a l b e t we en de si g n f ree z e a nd l au nc h , R e n au lt g ot a ne w de si g n d i rec tor, G i l le s V id a l He d id n’t c h a n g e much I ne v it a bly t he A u s t r a l s t r u g g le s to s t a nd out a mon g a s e a of

ot her c ros sover s, e s p e c i a l ly i n pro fi le, but t h at s a id it ’s h a nd some for it s k i nd .

It come s on ly a s a f u l l hy br id It ’s R e n au lt ’s g e a re d hy br id s y s tem , E-Tech A p e t rol en g i ne w it h a si mple fou r - s p e e d g e a rb ox work s w it h a n elec t r ic motor w it h t wo g e a r s of it s ow n T hos e t wo h ave 15 d i fferent a l low a ble p er mut at ion s of d r ive, eit her combi ned or si n g ly It a lw ay s s t a r t s o ff i n elec t r ic d r ive b e c au s e t here ’s no clutch . A second sm a l ler motor s t a r t s t he en g i ne a nd s y nch ron is e s t he g e a r sh i f t s Ne w for t he A u s t r a l is a 3c y l t u rb o en g i ne, a nd h i g her b at te r y volt a g e. T h at ’s g o o d for 2 0 0 bhp

It ’s BI K-h app y, a s a l l ver sion s score u nder 110 g / k m C O 2 Hy br id r iv a ls a re mos t ly a rou nd 12 5–13 0 g / k m R e a l world , p e t rol hy br id s a re more econom ic a l t h a n d ie s els on g ive - a ndt a ke ro a d s, le s s so on t he motor w ay w here t here ’s not much ch a nce to recover ener g y

We d rove t he fou r -w heel- s teer opt ion , a nd t hu s fit ted t he A u s t r a l is rem a rk a bly e a s y to t h re a d t h rou g h c r a mp ed s t ree t s a nd

mu lt is tore y r a mps, a nd h a s s t ron g m a i n ro a d s t a bi l it y T he s u s p e n sion is f a i rly t aut , cont a i n i n g rol l a nd b o d y he ave wel l, but it ’s not a b out feedback or en g a gement B ec au s e it ’s a f a m i ly c ros sover. W it hout 4W S you’re r u n n i n g on a si mpler tor sion b e a m re a r s u s p e n sion , w h ich w i l l l i kely me a n le s s s te e r i n g prec ision a nd more ro a d nois e

I n t he sm a r t c a bi n , t he t r a n sm is sion is cont rol led b y a s t a l k , so t he cent re con sole is f reed up for bi g t r ay s a nd c upholder s, v a r iou sly covered a nd u ncovered b y a novel sl id i n g t h i n g y t h at cont a i n s t he w i rele s s c h a r g e p a d a nd a p a dded w r is t re s t for w hen you’re ja bbi n g at t he touch s c reen . R e a l s w itche s cover m at ter s t h at need qu ick a c c e s s

It a r r ive s here e a rly ne x t ye a r w it h t he s t u ff f a m i l ie s u s e: comprehen sive con nec t iv it y, sl id i n g re a r s e at s , re a s s u r i n g s a fe t y k it T here isn’t a b a s e t r i m or low- s p ec en g i ne, so you need to pay a f a i r bit , but it mos t ly feels wor t h it a nd you c a n s ave BI K to o. Pa u l H o r re l

X marks the watt

bat ter y, wh i le power is prov ided to t he f ront wheels by a 150kW elec t r ic motor del iver i n g a pea k out put of 201bhp

We ’ ve a l ready seen t h is e-Power s y stem i n t he Qa shqa i, but t he X-T r a i l v a r ia nt we ’re d r iv i n g here feat u res a fi rst i n t he for m of fou r-wheel d r ive, ca lled e-4 orce. It adds a 10 0kW elec t r ic motor to t he rea r a x le for a tota l s y stem out put of 211bhp a nd t he prom ise of 0 –62mph i n 7.2 seconds w it h en ha nced t r ac t ion, ha nd ling a nd r ide com for t

W hy not a convent iona l E V or r u n-of-t hem i l l hy br id? It ’s a l l about d r iv i n g feel, Nissa n tel ls us e-Power combi nes t he most e fficient use of t he pet rol en g i ne w it h a sma l l bat ter y a nd a qu iet, smoot h E V d r iv i n g ex per ience

Nissa n a lso poi nts out t hat, a s br id ge tech nolog y e-Power is a bet ter proposit ion globa l ly a s a steppi n g stone to f u l l elec t r i ficat ion t ha n a plu g-i n hy br id or f u l l E V; sou nd t h i n k i n g g iven t he spa rsit y of cha rg i n g posts i n some a rea s

La rgely, t he s y stem works wel l. Power del iver y is i ndeed smoot h a nd qu iet, t hou gh prot r ac ted per iods of h i l l cl i mbi n g w i l l st i l l el icit mooi n g a s t he en g i ne perks up some what voca l ly to keep t he bat ter y topped up

If you d r ive it w it h a n ea r on keepi n g t h i n g s muted i n t he en g i ne room it re w a rds w it h t idy ha nd ling, light, precise steer i n g, wel l cont rol led cor ner i n g post u re a nd a supple r ide, t he u nderly i n g fi r m ness of wh ich on ly su r faces on t he ver y worst, u m, su r faces.

B y equ ippi n g t he ne w X-T r a i l w it h bot h e-4 orce elec t r ic a l l-wheel d r ive a nd se ven seats, a nd st yl i n g it more l i ke a n SU V t ha n a crossover, Nissa n clea rly hopes to pr ise open t he g ap bet ween t h is ca r a nd t he Qa shqa i to g ive it a tad more of a fi g ht i n g cha nce on t he show room floor.

It isn’t goi n g to set t he world on fi re, but it ha s been pret t y ca ref u lly cr a f ted to offer a s close to a l l t h i n g s to a l l fa m i ly members a s possible Su re, a ny t h i n g w it h elec t r ic motor d r ive wh ich st i l l ba n g s out CO 2 at t he r ate of 147g / k m is bou nd to el icit some head scr atch i n g, but you’ l l forget a l l about t hat once you’ ve t r ied it. A n t h o ny f fre n c h - Co n s t a n t

Nose ahead

8,305

FO R D r i ve s b e a u t i f u l l y, i n c re d i b l e re f i n e m e n t , w o r l d b e a t i n g i n t e r i o r

AGAINST S o m e o f t h e t e c h i s ove r w h e l m i n g , i t ’ s h e a v y, d e b a t a b l e d e s i g n

BM W ’s s i x t h p u r e ele c t r ic c a r i s c u n n i n g l y d i s g u i s e d a s t h e a l l-n e w 7- S e r ie s T h i s i s t h e s e v e nt h g e n e r a t io n o f t h e c o mp a n y ’s r a n g e t o p p e r b u t t h e r u le s h a v e c h a n g e d T h e r e w i l l b e p e t r ol s a n d a d ie s el , b u t t h e ele c t r ic i7 m o v e s c e nt r e s t a g e a s B M W r e f r a m e s t h e lu x u r y c a r e x p e r ie n c e a r o u n d o n b o a r d w el l- b e i n g , a c l a s s le a d i n g d i g it a l e x p e r ie n c e v i a it s n e w O S 8 , a n d s t a n d a r d s e t t i n g s u s t a i n a b i l it y A n d a l s o a hu g e r e a r e nt e r t a i n m e nt s c r e e n t h a t fold s o u t o f t h e r o o f W h o d o e s n ’ t lo v e t h e id e a o f t h a t?

T h e 7- S e r ie s ’ n e w lo o k i s n o t a s c r o w dple a s i n g T h e i nt e r n e t s e e m s t o t h i n k t h i s i s m o r e p r o o f t h a t B M W h a s lo s t it s m a r ble s B u t a l l i s n o t lo s t G o for t h e r i g ht c olo u r, r e n d e r a l l t h e s h i n y b it s i n g lo s s bl a c k , a n d t h e i7 lo o k s de fi a nt l y, c o mp el l i n g l y d i ff e r e nt . T h a t hu g e g r i l le i l lu m i n a t e s a t n i g ht a n d t h e u p p e r l i g ht s a r e t h e fo c a l p o i nt , w it h t h e o p t io n o f S w a r o v s k i “ ic on ic g lo w ” c r y s t a l g l a s s I mp or t a nt l y, t h e n e w 7- S e r ie s i s a l s o v e r y a e r o d y n a m ic a l l y e ffi c ie nt I n E V l a n d , s l ip p e r i n e s s e q u a t e s t o e ffi c ie n c y, a n d t h e i7 ’s d r a g c o e ffi c ie nt i s j u s t 0 2 4

B i g g e r i n e v e r y d i m e n s io n a n d m o r e r i g id , t h e 7- S e r ie s u s e s a n e w s t e el a n d a lu m i n iu m fl e x i ble v e h ic le a r c h it e c t u r e e n g i n e e r e d f r o m t h e s t a r t t o a c c o m m o d a t e t h r e e d i ff e r e nt d r i v e t y p e s T h e i7 x D r i v e 6 0 h a s a c o m b i n e d 5 3 6 b hp f r o m t w o ele c t r ic

m o t o r s , it s h a r d w a r e v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h e s e t- u p i n t h e e x c el le nt i X T h e f r o nt m o t o r d e l i v e r s 2 55 b h p, t h e r e a r o n e 3 0 8 b hp, w it h 5 49l b f t o f t o r q u e o v e r a l l T h e c l a i m e d 0 – 6 2 mp h t i m e i s 4 7 s e c o n d s a n d t h e i7 ’s t o p s p e e d i s l i m it e d t o 149 mp h .

T h e l it h iu m-io n b a t t e r y p a c k p r o v id e s 101 7 kW h o f u s e a ble e n e r g y, a n d w it h a c el l h e i g h t o f j u s t 110 m m it s it s c o m for t a bl y u n d e r t h e fl o or B M W c l a i m s b e t w e e n 3 1 a n d 3 3m p kW h , a n d a r a n g e o f u p t o 3 8 8 m i le s o n a f u l l c h a r g e F i n d a 195 kW f a s t c h a r g e r a n d y o u ’ l l a d d 10 6 m i le s i n a b o u t 10 m i nu t e s . T h a t ’s t h e s or t o f m id-jo u r n e y e n e r g y b u m p t h a t m a t t e r s i n t h e r e a l w o r ld

B M W ’s m a s t e r y o f t h e IC E i s a g i v e n , b u t d r i v e t h e 76 0 i fol lo w i n g a s t i nt i n t h e i7 a n d e v e n a d ie h a r d p e t r ol h e a d w o u ld h a v e t h e i r f a it h t e s t e d . B o t h a r e hu s h e d , e ff or t le s s , a n d fe el s p e c t a c u l a rl y w e l l e n g i n e e r e d a n d d y n a m ic , b u t ele c t r i fi c a t ion s u it s t h i s s or t o f c a r. D e s p it e it s s u b o p t i m a l 2 .6 - t o n n e m a s s , t h e i7 i s a n a m a z i n g l y fl u e nt m a c h i n e T h e r id e i s s u bl i m e c o u r t e s y o f n e w d o u ble w i s h b o n e s a t t h e f r o nt , a fi v e -l i n k s e t- u p o n t h e r e a r, w it h s el f-le v el l i n g a i r s u s p e n s io n a n d ele c t r on ic a l l y c o nt r ol le d d a mp e r s . E le c t r ic p o w e r s t e e r i n g i s s t a n d a r d , a n d a c t i v e s t e e r i n g a n o p t io n t h a t b r i n g s w it h it r e a r s t e e r i n g u p t o 3. 5° a n d a lo w s p e e d n i m ble n e s s a n d i mp r o v e d c or n e r i n g a c u it y E x e c u t i v e D r i v e P r o a d d s a 4 8 V a nt

s t a b i l i s a t io n s y s t e m t h a t a l s o s u p p r e s s e s b o d y v i b r a t io n s A n d it c a n r e a l l y m o v e A n d s t o p: t h e f r ic t io n b r a ke s a n d r e g e n e r a t i v e ele m e nt a r e s e a m le s s l y c o m b i n e d

T h e r e ’s a l s o t h e f u l l s u it e o f a s s i s t a n c e s y s t e m s , a s w e i n c h e v e r c lo s e r t o a u t o n o m o u s d r i v i n g To o m a n y t o l i s t h e r e , b u t o n c e a g a i n w e w o n d e r i f m o d e r n c a r s a r e b a s ic a l l y i n f a nt i l i s i n g t h e d r i v e r

W h a t a n i nt e r ior t h i s c a r h a s T h e C u r v e d D i s pl a y i s c or e t o B M W ’s p u s h t o d i g it a l i s a t io n , a n d c o m b i n e s a 1 2 3i n i n s t r u m e nt d i s pl a y b e h i n d t h e w h e el w it h a lo n g e r 14.9 i n m a i n i n fo t a i n m e nt g l a s s t o u c h s c r e e n It ’s s o w el l d o n e y o u b a r el y n o t ic e t h e a b s e n c e o f p h y s ic a l s w it c h g e a r.

A u d io, n a v i g a t io n , A p ple C a rPl a y a n d s o o n l i v e i n i n d i v id u a l , c u s t o m i s a ble t i le s . B e n e a t h t h e c e nt r a l s c r e e n i s t h e n e w f u l l w id t h , b a c k l it a n d c r y s t a l l i n e ‘ I nt e r a c t io n B a r ’ It t a ke s it s c olo u r c u e s f r o m w h ic h e v e r o f t h e ‘ M y M o d e s ’ y o u ’ v e g o n e for T h i s a l s o a lt e r s t h e s o u n d s i g n a t u r e , a s c o d e v elo p e d w it h Hol l y w o o d m o v ie s o u n d t r a c k s u p e r s t a r, H a n s Z i m m e r, o ff e r i n g a v a r ie t y o f e s c a l a t i n g s c i- fi w h o o s h e s . A u t o m a t ic d o o r s a r e a l s o n e w ; p u s h t h e b r a ke p e d a l t o c lo s e t h e d r i v e r ’s d o o r or p u s h a l it t le b u t t o n o n t h e d a s h T h e mu lt i f u n c t ion a l s e a t s a r e a b s olu t el y m a g n i fi c e nt , t h e (o p t io n a l) w o ol c a s h m e r e t r i m s u s t a i n a ble a n d t a c t i le . Va r io u s i nt e r ior

t r e a t m e nt s a r e a v a i l a ble for t h e w o o d a n d m e t a l s T h e o v e r a l l e ff e c t i s a b s olu t el y d a z z l i n g. A s i s t h e mu c h a nt ic ip a t e d 31 3i n 8 K T h e a t r e S c r e e n , w h ic h fold s o u t o f a r e c e s s i n t h e h e a d l i n i n g , a n d h a s b u i lt-i n A m a z o n F i r e T V c o n n e c t i v it y. O r d e r t h e E x e c u t i v e L o u n g e o p t io n a n d y o u ’ l l g e t p e r h a p s t h e fi n e s t s e a t e v e r fi t t e d i n a c a r : t h e f r o nt p a s s e n g e r o n e sl ide s a n d t i lt s for w a r d , le a v i n g t h e r e a r o c c u p a nt f r e e t o r e c l i n e t o a r e c o r d 42 . 5°.

B M W h a s t h r o w n e v e r y t h i n g it k n o w s a t t h e 7- S e r ie s T h e i7, i n p a r t ic u l a r, i s a fe a r s o m e t e c h n o o n s l a u g ht , b u t t h e r e ’s c h a r i s m a h e r e , to o It ’s a s t el l a r a c h ie v e m e nt . J a s o n B a r l ow

“

THE INTERNET SEEMS TO THINK THIS IS MORE PROOF THAT BMW HAS LOST ITS MARBLES”

Black sheep

The Ion iq 6 h a s a d r a g f a c tor of ju s t 0 21C d T h at si n g le f a c t enc apsu lates a l l you need to k now a b out t h is c a r a nd it s e t hos It ’s a lon g r a n g e, f a s t ch a r g i n g , smo ot h r id i n g c r u is er L i f t o ff at motor w ay s p e e d s a nd it b a rel y los e s a ny moment u m at a l l, ju s t cont i nue s c a r v i n g ne a r si lent pro g re s s t h rou g h t he a i r It ’s a g o o d t r ick

B ut more t h a n t h at , it ’s a n i ntere s t i n g s t r ate g y Under ne at h it sh a res u nder pi n n i n g s, i nclud i n g plat for m , motor s a nd b at te r y, w it h

t he Ion iq 5 It ’s l i kely to b e si m i la rly pr iced to o (so f a r t h is £ 5 4, 9 95 fl a g sh ip is t he on ly ver sion a n nou nced) A nd it ’s a si m i la r si z e S o su rely t he y overlap? C omp e te for bu yer s? Not so, s ay s Hy u nd a i, w h ich , i n s te a d of c op y i n g e ver y ot her m a rque a nd c re at i n g a r a n g e of R u s si a n dol ls, is g iv i n g u s a chess s e t , w it h e a c h piece p er for m i n g a d i fferent role S o t he Ion iq 5 is you r f ut u r is t ic a l l-rou nd f a m i ly c a r, w h i le t he 6 is t he lon g r a n g e e xec mo del You c a n tel l a s much f rom t he s t y l i n g – a lt hou g h to ou r e ye s t he S e vent ie s-i n s pi red 5 is t he more s uc c e s s f u l . T here ’s a n o dd con fluence of l i ne s at t he b a c k of t he 6, t he he a d l i g ht s a re a l it t le pi nched It ’s more s uc c e s s f u l i n side, e s p e c i a l l y t he b old do or c a rd s, w h ich a re cle verly c a r ved out to en h a nce space. R e a r le g ro om is dow n r i g ht g enerou s, a nd Hy u nd a i h a s re sis ted t he tempt at ion to bu r y e ver y t h i n g i n t he touch s c reen Phy sic a l but ton s F T W

T he 4 01-l it re b o ot isn’t bi g enou g h to cop e w it h a f a m i ly hol id ay, w h i le t he 14 -l it re f r u n k

is a w a s te of t i me, not e ven bi g enou g h to cop e w it h t he c h a r g e c a ble s.

B ut it is a fi ne elec t r ic c a r, a nd c a n c h a r g e it s 7 7 kW h b at te r y at up to 350 kW, me a n i n g a 10 –8 0 p er cent c h a r g e i n 18 m i nute s. A nd you c a n u s e it to p ower you r hou s e We e a si ly ach ie ved over 4 5mpkW h

T h is ver sion s p or t s t w i n motor s for 32 0 bhp a nd 0 – 62 mph i n 5 1s ec s A lt hou g h it ’s ne at a nd t i g ht rou nd cor ner s w it h g o o d b o d y cont rol, it s deme a nou r is f a r f rom s p or t y, a nd you pay a r a n g e p en a lt y O pt for t he si n g le motor 2 2 5bhp c a r on 18-i nch w heels i n s te a d of 2 0 s, a nd t he r a n g e s wel ls f rom 32 0 m i le s to 38 2 . A nd t here ’s not much t h at c a n touch t h at , i nclud i n g t he Te sla Mo del 3 a nd Pole s t a r 2 t h at t h is l i ne s up mos t d i rec t ly a g a i n s t

T h is is a c ap a ble, ver y wel l en g i neered a nd fi n ished c a r w it h p er for m a nce ent i rely i n l i ne w it h how Hy u nd a i is pitch i n g it – it s o a k s up m i le s, u s e s c h a r g e su r pr isi n g ly s p a r i n g l y a nd do e s a s much a s p ossible to m it i g ate r a n g e a n x ie t y. O l l i e M a r r i a g e

FOR E f f i c i e n c y a n d ra n g e , d r i v i n g c h a ra c t e r i s t i c s

AGAI N ST E x t e r i o r d e s i g n n o t a s s u c c e s s f u l a s I o n i q 5’ s

Rally Raid

a l lelu n g a , about 20 m i les nor t h of Rome, is a t ight a nd tech n ica l t r ack, a nd t he fac t t hat we’re here at a l l i n t he ne w La mborgh i n i Ur us Per for ma nte – a l l 2,150k g of it – is a testa ment to t he compa ny ’s bel ief i n its fa st sel l i n g super-SU V W hat ’s ne w? Wel l, t he Ur us Per for ma nte’s d r ivet r a i n now feat u res a fou r t h set t i n g on its Ta mbu ro d r ive cont rol ler, i n add it ion to t he fa m i l ia r St r ada , Spor t a nd Corsa modes, ca lled

R a l ly Th is reduces t he E SP t h reshold a nd uses t he torque-bia si n g rea r d i ff to fi re more d r ive to t he f u n bit of t he ca r The resu lts a re ver y sl ide y

It r u n s a l it t le bit w ide i n t he t i g hter t u r n s, but t h at ’s more d r iver er ror t h a n veh icle i ne pt it ude It e ven m a n a g e s to la nd sec u rely a f ter a ‘ yomp ’ . O ne of t he Per for m a nte ’s m ajor c h a n g e s is t he fit ment of s te el s pr i n g s i n s te a d of t he s t a nd a rd a i r s u s p e n sion , for more l i ne a r re s p on s e s . A lon g w it h t he 4 8 V a nt i-rol l b a r, it conju res a le vel of b o d y cont rol t h at ’s f a i nt ly s p o ok y i n a c a r of t h is t y p e

T he s te e r i n g a nd t h rot t le h ave b een re pro g r a m med for f a s ter re s p on s e s , a nd t he a c t ive re a r a x le is a lso s w i f ter a c t i n g t h a n on t he s t a nd a rd c a r T he ei g ht- sp eed g e a rb ox sh i f t s more a g g re s sively T here ’s a ne w Tor s en cent r a l d i ff a nd a c t ive torque vec tor i n g at t he re a r, plu s v a r iou s aero re v ision s A ne w a i r c u r t a i n on t he f ront bu mp er t id ie s up t he t u rbu lent ker f u ffle a rou nd t he w heel a rche s, a nd a re a r s p oi ler g ener ate s 38 p er cent more dow n force i n t h at a re a .

The Ur us Per for ma nte sits 20 m m lower t ha n before, a nd ha s a w ider f ront a nd rea r t r ack A ca rbon-fibre bon net is sta nda rd, but you’ l l have to pay more i f you w a nt a composite roof to go w it h it. A n A k r apov ič spor ts ex haust is fit ted, whose ba ss f requencies a nd over a l l resona nce depend on wh ich d r ive mode you selec t. In t he spi r it of ma rg i na l g a i ns, t ita n iu m bolts feat u re on t he wheels, w it h t h ree ne w desig ns av a i lable, i nclud i n g opt iona l 23 i nchers.

The over a l l weight reduc t ion is a modest but not insig n i fica nt 47 k g.

The 4 0 -l it re, t w i n-t u rbo V8 ha sn’t been d r a mat ica l ly re worked; its power out put ha s increa sed to 657 bhp, t here’s 627lb f t of torque, a nd t he t u rbos now work ha rder Acceler at i n g to 62mph i n 3.3secs (versus 3.6 for t he reg u la r Ur us) a nd 12 4mph i n 11 5 i n a ca r w it h t h is sor t of ma ss is i n it ia l ly odd But it on ly ta kes a fe w laps to d ia l i n to Va l lelu ng a’s cha l len ges.

The Per for ma nte spea ks of t he eng i neer i ng a nd desig n ta lent La mbo c u r rent ly com ma nds. Reg a rd less of how you feel about t h is pa r t ic u la r ma rket sec tor, t hat much is u nden iable It ’s qu ite t he de v ice, t h is. J a s o n B a r l ow

i

s h o r te n e d n a m e, n ow g o i n g a b o u t i t s b u s i n ess m i n u s t h e Cross b a ck b a d g e A l l p re t t y s ta n d a rd s t u f f A n d t h e n t h e re’s t h e i n t ro d u c t i o n of a 355 b h p PH E V Th i s n ew ra n g e -to p p i n g va r i a n t g et s a 15 m m l owe red ch a ss i s , a w i d e r t ra ck (24 m m a t t h e fro n t , 1 0 m m a t t h e rea r), b i g g e r b ra kes (380 m m i n d i a m ete r) w i t h fo u r- p i s to n ca l i pe rs , a n d n ew 21 -i n ch a l l oy w h ee l s . I n t h e pa st , DS h a s s t u ck to i t s g u n s a n d i g n o red t h e t ra d i t i o n a l s po r t y a p p roa ch to SUVs , i n s tea d fi r m ly focu s i n g o n co m fo r t N o l o n g e r Ye s , t h e b o d y co n t ro l i s i m p rove d ove r t h e s t a n d a rd D S 7 a n d i t fe e l s m o re s t a b l e w h e n t h row n a ro u n d a co r n e r, b u t w h o’s g o i n g t o b u y o n e o f t h e s e t o d o t h a t ? T h e p a yo f f i s t h e a d d i t i o n a l we i g h t a n d f i r m e r r i d e , d e s p i t e t h e m a n u fa c t u re r ’s m u c h t a l ke d a b o u t Ac t i ve S ca n S u s p e n s i o n s y s t e m I t a l l j u s t fe e l s s l i g h t l y m u d d l e d A n d t h e n t h e re’s t h e p r i ce Yo u r c h e a p e s t e n t r y p o i n t i n t o D S 7 l i fe i s n ow £3 6 ,76 0 fo r t h e d i e s e l e n g i n e , o r, a s m o s t b u ye r s w i l l l i ke l y p l u m p fo r, £ 4 4 ,1 9 0 fo r t h e b a s e 2 2 2 b h p p l u g - i n p e t ro l A n a d d i t i o n a l £11 k o n t o p fo r t h i s , a ca r t h a t ’s m a rg i n a l l y b e t t e r t o d r i ve , b u t s u f fe r s i n i t s p r i m a r y p u r p o s e? To u g h s e l l P e t e r R a w l i n s

In a s up erc a r, r e a l r o a d s o f t e n fe e l l i k e a c o n s t r a i n e d d a w d le A d r o p p e d r o o f i s a r e m e d y, i nt e n s i f y i n g t h e p a s s i n g o f t h e s c e n e r y a n d t h e v o ic e o f t h e e n g i n e a t w h a t e v e r s p e e d T h e C ie lo ’s i s a h a r d t o p t h a t r e t r a c t s u n d e r a c o v e r t o l ie h o r i z o n t a l l y a b o v e t h e e n g i n e It d o e s n ’ t le a v e a n u g l y hu m p o r t a k e u p b o o t s p a c e . M i n d y o u t h a t ’s j u s t a s w e l l , b e c a u s e t h e b o o t i s t i n y t o b e g i n w it h – a hu g e s h a m e g i v e n t h i s i s a c a r t h a t i n v it e s lo n g j o u r n e y s .

R e t r a c t io n o r e r e c t io n o f t h e f u l l y e le c t r ic m e c h a n i s m t a k e s a s n a p p y 1 2 s e c o n d s It c a n g e t a b it b r e e z y m i n d T h e r e ’s n o c o m p u l s io n t o r a i s e t h e r o o f e v e n o n a m o t o r w a y, b u t t o q u el l t h e t u r b u le n c e I fi n d m y s el f l i f t i n g t h e s id e w i n d o w s a t lo w e r s p e e d s T h e r o o f p a n e l it s el f i s m a d e o f e le c t r o c h r o m ic g l a s s , i n s t a nt l y s w it c h a ble b e t w e e n c le a r a n d n e a r - o p a q u e . Fa n c y. A s w it h t h e c o u p e ,

t h e d o o r s o p e n m o r e u p w a r d s t h a n o u t w a r d s T h a t ’s g o o d for d r a m a a n d m a k e s it a s u r p r i s i n g l y e a s y c a r t o g e t i nt o a n d o u t o f Yo u d o n ’ t w a n t t o b e fl o p p i n g g a w k i l y o n t o t h e p a v e m e n t f r o m a c a r t h a t g a t h e r s a c r o w d a r o u n d it . A c a r b o n t u b, s t r a t e g ic a l l y r e i n for c e d for t h e C ie lo, a n d c o m p a c t n o n-h y b r id V6 k e e p t h e w e i g h t d o w n , s o t h e 6 3 0 b hp r e a l l y d o e s h it h o m e A s d o e s t h e e d g y g r o w l o f t h e 9 0 ° V6. T h e MC 2 0 c or n e r s l i k e y o u w a n t a m id- e n g i n e d c a r t o : p i v o t i n g e ff o r t le s s l y a r o u n d t i g ht b e n d s , fi n d i n g lo t s o f t r a c t io n o n t h e w a y o u t . It ’s a b it p l a y f u l a n d e n g a g i n g , e v e n w h e n y o u ’ r e w e l l o n t h e p r u d e nt s id e o f t h e l i m it W h ic h o n t h e r o a d i s p r e t t y w e l l a l w a y s A n d y e t t h e r id e i s r e m a r k a bl y s u p p le , a l m o s t M c L a r e n-l i ke .

T h e MC 2 0, c o u p e o r C ie lo, h a s a r a t h e r a p t p l a c e i n t h e s p o r t s/s u p e r c a r l a n d s c a p e . It c a n b e r e l a x e d , c o m fo r t a b le a n d g e n i a l w h e n y o u ’ r e n o t d r i v i n g l i k e y o u r p a n t s a r e o n fi r e Ye t it ’s a l s o r e a d y a n d a ble w h e n y o u d o g i v e it t h e c h a n c e t o o p e n it s lu n g s a n d t e n s e it s mu s c le s T h i s d o u ble - h e a d e d v e r s io n w id e n s t h a t s c o p e e v e n m o r e P a u l H o r r e l l

The overrun

Small but per f ec tly f ormed reviews T he best of the rest f rom this month’s drives

To cre a te t h e B 4, A l p i n a u ses a m o d i f i e d exa m p l e of t h e M4’s t w i n -t u r b o s t ra i g h t-s i x , w i t h s m a l l e r t u r b os t h a t s p o o l u p a t l owe r revs T h e res u l t i s m o re p owe r t h a n a s ta n d a rd M4 a n d wa y m o re to rq u e t h a n t h e fu l l fa t M4 Co m p et i t i o n T h e re’s cl a ss i c 20 -s p o ke A l p i n a w h e e l s a n d a fres h b o d y k i t to o T h a t h ef t y to rq u e f i g u re h e l ps i t fe e l wa r p s p e e d q u i ck a n d t h e re ca l i b ra te d g e a r b ox f i t s t h e B 4’s re l a xe d - b u tra p i d ch a ra c te r G P

£64 ,405

FOR Pe r fo r m a n ce, i nte r i o r, ow n e rs h i p p ros p ec t AGAI N ST N ot a b es p o ke e l ec t r i c p l a t fo r m , a l i t t l e b l a n d , p r i cey

I nte rest i n g o n e t h is; b a s i ca l ly G e n es i s’ Hy u n d a i/K i a - d e r ived p u re e l ec t r i c h a rd wa re j i m m i ed i nto a co nse r va t ive s m a l l SUV I t ’s a n o ny m o u s l y h a n d so m e, w i t h a l ove ly i nte r i o r, g oo d tech a n d l ive ly p e r fo r m a n ce Th o u g h i t d o es fee l d eci d ed ly F WD I t a lso ch a rg es w i t h t h e b est of t h e m , h a s a g e n e ro u s ow n e rs h i p p a cka g e a n d d e l ive rs o n ra n g e ta rg et s B u t fo r j u st u n d e r £65 k , t h e re’s a l ot to ch oose fro m – a n d fro m b et te r reco g n ised m a ke rs TF

n w i l l b e p u t o n sa l e i n t h e U K D o n’ t b ot h e r we sa y O K

FOR Coo l ca bi n , fu n k y d oo rs , st yl ish ex terio r AGAINST Ra ng e sti l l piti fu l , u n i nspi ri ng to d rive

* T h s o f f e r i s o p e n t o UK d e l v e r y a d dr e s s e s o nl y an d s s ubje c t t o a v ailab i t y O f f e r e n d s 1 1 J anu ar y 2 0 2 3 T h e L E G O J e e p W r an g e r s o nl y a v a lable t o t h e fi r s t 6 0 0 s ub s c r ib e r s p a y n g b y D r e c t D e b t n o t s in gle p a y m e n t We r e s e r v e t h e r gh t t o f ul fil all s ub s e qu e n t o r d e r s w i t h a p r o du c t o f e qu al v alu e P e a s e allo w up t o s x w e e k s f o r d e li v e r y Yo u w il p a y £ 3 9 4 9 e v e r y 12 s s u e s s a v in g 4 0 % o n t h e s h o p p r c e A l s a v in g s ar e c alc ula t e d a s a r o un d e d p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e f ul s h o p p r ic e S h o ul d t h e m a g a z n e o r d e r c h a n g e n f r e qu e n c y w e w i l h o n o ur t h e numb e r o f i s s u e s a n d n o t t h e t e r m o f t h e s ub s c r p t io n 12 i s s u e s : £ 6 6 / E ur o p e an d R e p ubl c o f I r e lan d : € 10 4 / R e s t o f t h e Wo r ld : $ 1 4 9 / U S A an d C an a d a U S $ 1 3 8 / A u s t r al a an d Ne w Z e a an d A $ 16 3 * * UK c al s w i l c o s t t h e s am e a s o t h e r s t an d ar d fi x e d l n e numb e r s (s t ar t in g 0 1 o r 0 2) and ar e in

d a s p ar t o f an y n c lu s v e o r f r e e m nu t e s allo w an c e s ( i f o f f e r e d b y y o ur p h o n e t ar i f f ) O u t s d e o f f r e e c a l p a c k a g e s c a l c h ar g e s f r o m m o b le p h o n e s w i l c o s t b e

clude

Tur n t he ligh t in g t o f e e lgoo d n e on , s e t t he s m ok e m a c hine t o e x t r a v a g an t and s e t t le in . . . i t ’s t im e t o s ling s om e t r ophie s a t t he gr e a t e s t n e w c ar s in t he w or ld

H Y P E R C A R O F T H E Y E A R

D el iver i n g a si mple l i ne to c a mer a i n a ny t h i n g w it h a he a lt hy a mou nt of hor s e p ower, u nder f u l l acceler at ion , is a n a cqu i red sk i l l i n t he Je sko it ’s pre t t y much i mp os sible. It ’s not t he fero c it y of t he g -force s quee z i n g me a g a i n s t my s e at l i ke a g i a nt p ot ato m a sher t h at ’s t he problem , I c a n cop e w it h t h at , it ’s t he n i nja re fle xe s requ i red to cl ick t he upsh i f t p a dd le b e fore col l id i n g w it h t he re v l i m iter t h at ’s prov i n g t r ick y S o we kee p g oi n g , r u n a f ter r u n , u nt i l my br a i n , e ye s, e a r s a nd r i g ht h a nd a re s u ffic ient ly rec a l ibr ated , a p er fe c t lau nch is i n t he b a g a nd my a d ren a l g l a nd s d a n g le l i ke sh r ivel led w a l nut s o ff my br u is ed k id ne y s

In my defence, t here a re some t y pica l ly re volut iona r y pieces of tech nolog y here t hat a re conspi r i n g a g a i nst me The fi rst is a gea rbox , a ne w n i ne-speed “Light Speed T r a nsm ission” t hat blow s r a spber r ies i n t he gener a l d i rec t ion of a t w i n-clutcher Essent ia l ly you have t wo sets of t h ree gea rs t hat compou nd to create n i ne possible r at ios – l i ke a bi ke der a i l leu r s y stem – w it h t he fi rst t h ree ex t remely closely stacked

Only 125 Jeskos will be built , each wearing a multimillion-pound pricetag though deep pockets won’ t help here – they’re all completely sold out

(hence me repeated ly headbut t i n g t he re v l i m iter), t he nex t t h ree a bit more spaced out, a nd t he fi na l t h ree f u r t her apa r t st i l l It feat u res si x i nd iv idua l clutches for t he for w a rd gea rs a nd a se vent h for re verse, so a l l gea rs a re consta nt ly en g a ged a nd ready A nd t he bene fits a re ma ny Not on ly a re sh i f ts, qu ite l iter a l ly, ba n g on, you ca n a lso ju mp f rom one gea r to a ny of t he ot hers a nd it ’s a lso sma l ler a nd t wo-t h i rds t he weight of a compa r able n i ne-speed box Plus, a nd here’s t he rea l k icker, it mea ns t he en g i ne doesn’t need a fly wheel, so it ha s a demented appet ite for re vs, l i ke a 1,6 0 0bhp superbi ke

T he en g i ne is a fl at pla ne c r a n k 5 1-l it re t w i n-t u rb o V 8 t h at for t he mos t p a r t feels n at u r a l ly a s pi r ated a nd a lw ay s feels e x t remely a n g r y It pro duce s a m a x i mu m of 1, 578bhp a nd 1,10 6 lb f t of torque, c a n re v f rom id le to 8, 50 0 r pm i n 0 2 second s, 0 – 62 mph t a ke s a rou nd 2 5 s econd s a nd top s p e e d i n t h is sl i g ht ly sof ter a nd more sl ipp er y A bsolut ver sion is t heore t ic a l ly t he s c a r y side of 310 mph I s ay t heore t ic a l ly, b ec au s e no one ’s fou nd t he space, or t he br a s s b a l ls , to fi nd out ye t but t he y w i l l

No w go and w a t ch the v ideo on topgear com

O n ly 12 5 w i l l e ver b e bu i lt c o s t i n g a rou nd £ 2 3m e a c h , but t hen t he s p e c is t he s t u ff of bre at h le s s teen a g e d re a m s c a rb on b o d y work , c a rb on t ub, hol low c a rb on w heels (wei g h i n g le s s t h a n 7 k g p er cor ner), c a rb on cer a m ic br a ke d is c s cla mp ed b y i n-hou s e de si g ned c a l ip er s (C h r is t i a n isn’t i ntere s ted i n bu y i n g i n a ny t h i n g he c a n m a ke b e t ter h i m s el f ), a nd a tot a l wei g ht of 1, 39 0 k g d r y – 3 0 k g le s s t h a n t he s t i ffe r, b e w i n g e d Je sko A t t a ck T here ’s 1,0 0 0 k g of dow n force at 171mph i n t he A t t a ck ver sion , but t h at d rops to 150 k g on t he i n fi n itely co oler lo ok i n g A bsolute we ’ ve g ot to play w it h – ident i fied b y it s re a r fi n s i n s te a d of w i n g s, le s s a g g re s sive f ront spl it ter a nd c a rb on i n s er t s on t he re a r w heels to more e ffec t ively cle ave t he a i r E xce pt one of t hem c a me lo os e on ou r fi r s t f u l l-b ore r u n a nd w a s mu nched b y t he w he el so for ou r sho ot ... e x p o s ed s p oke s it is. B eer a nd f a s t c a r s T h at ’s w hy we ’re here Unequ ivo c a l ly t wo of my f avou r ite t h i n g s, a nd ye t to my e ter n a l f r u s t r at ion , t wo ple a s u re s r a rely enjoyed to g e t her. B ut w here t here ’s a w i l l t here ’s a w ay T he pla n , i n t r ue To p G e a r s t y le, cou ld h ave b e en s p at out b y a computer ised fe at u re g e ner ator We a re i n Ä n g el hol m , S weden , on a m is sion to del iver Je sko b eer to Je sko von Ko en i g s e g g i n a Ko en i g s e g g Je sko T r y s ay i n g t h at f a s t fi ve t i me s a f ter a plate of pick led her r i n g s a nd s e ver a l d i g e s t i f s . Wordplay to one side for a moment , t here w a s me t ho d to t he b a d ne s s

Je sko b e er, bre wed lo c a l ly, m a de it s world debut at t he 2 019 G ene v a Motor S how, w hen t he Je sko c a r a lso g ot it s fi r s t a i r i n g. A nd b a c k i n 19 92 w hen C h r is t i a n w a s a you n g m a n w it h d is t a nt d re a m s, m a k i n g h is mone y flo g g i n g f roz en ch icken s to t he h i g he s t bidder, Je sko von Ko en i g s e g g w a s i n s t r u ment a l i n g e t t i n g Ko en i g s e g g A utomot ive o ff t he g rou nd He help ed to sec u re a s t a r t up lo a n a nd pled g ed t h ree to fou r week s of h is t i me to a s sis t C h r is t i a n s e t up i n a sm a l l tow n i n t he sout he a s t of S weden , c a l led Olof s t röm He w a s s t i l l t here fi ve ye a r s later work i n g 18 hou r s a d ay Fa i r to s ay Je sko’s u nw aver i n g g e nerosit y h a sn’t g one u n not iced a nd c u l m i n ated i n C h r is t i a n n a m i n g h is late st a nd g re ate s t hy p erc a r a f ter h is de a r old d a d – a f a c t he ke pt sec re t f rom h i m u nt i l t he pre s s con ference at t he show No, you’re c r y i n g A s t r ibute s g o, it fi g u re s b ec au s e t he Je sko re present s e ver y t h i n g Ko en i g s e g g s t a nd s for : b e aut y, e xce s s, u s a bi l it y, c r a f t sm a n sh ip, en g i neer i n g br aver y a nd r aw, blo o d y m i nded p er for m a nce

We ’re s t a nd i n g on Ko en i g s e g g ’s r u nw ay t u r ned te s t i n g s t r ip, ju s t a fe w m i nute s d r ive f rom t he f a c tor y, t r y i n g to absorb t he opu lence a nd de t a i l i n t h is c a rb on- fibre bu l le t . E ven photo g r apher M a rk a nd v ideo g r apher D ave, w ho ’d nor m a l ly b e wee pi n g gent ly on fi r s t si g ht of d a rk g re y a nd n a ked c a rb on b o d y work on accou nt of it s l i g ht s appi n g s up e r p o we r s , a re m a k i n g o o oh s a nd a h h h s a s t he y c i rcle it It pu l ls o ff a t r ick of b ei n g , prop or t ion a l ly, hy p erc a r 101, but w it h it s sof t ly c u r ved snout , pi npr ick he a d l i g ht s a nd v isorl i ke g l a s s it cou ld n’t b e m is t a ken for t he pro duc t of a ny ot her comp a ny Bl ip a but ton on t he ke y fob a nd t he doors fl ip for w a rd automat ica l ly – a piece of t heat re t hat ref uses to wea r t h i n – d rop i nto t he ca rbonshel led bucket seats a nd you’re su r rou nded by a n i nter ior t hat ’s fa i rly spa rse – ma i n ly a por t r a it screen i n t he da sh, a couple of c upholders a nd lots a nd lots of ca rbon fibre There’s a n i nst r u ment screen at tached to t he steer i n g wheel t hat stay s le vel e ven a s you w i nd t he lock on –reeks of a g i m m ick, ac t ua l ly works br i l l ia nt ly – a nd t here’s more space for t wo people i n here t ha n a ny Koen ig seg g t hat ’s gone before Then, just a s I fi re t he en g i ne a nd sit t here l isten i n g to t he saw-ed ged id le, it sta r ts to r a i n T u r ns out cold M ichel i n P i lot Spor t C up 2s, out r a geous a mou nts of power a nd a wet t r ack ma ke Jack a du l l boy – we ret reat to a t r a i ler for hot tea a nd aw a it d r y ness.

G ood decision because once we’re back out t here, it ’s u n h i n ged We’re ta l k ing five sta r, u n fi ltered, m i nd scr a mbl i n g shove a l l del ivered w it hout la g to a n ex plosive, ser r ated sou ndt r ack a nd w it h t he subt let y of a don ke y k ick to t he side of t he head A nd t hen I d iscover we’re r u n n i n g on sta nda rd super u n leaded so I have on ly 1, 2 62bhp (for t he f u l l 1, 578bhp you need to fi l l it w it h E 85) a nd spend t he nex t hou r t r y i n g a nd fa i l i n g to t h i n k of a sit uat ion where you cou ld rea l ist ica l ly use 30 0bhp more. I a sk one of t he en g i neers what it ’s l i ke ju iced up on E 85 “Li ke hav i ng n it rous boost, consta nt ly ”

But acceler at ion a lone isn’t a pa r t y piece t hese day s, not when E Vs have t u r ned st r a ight-l i ne speed i nto a cheap com mod it y The Jesko’s t r ue gen ius re vea ls itsel f slowly, i n t he light steer i n g t hat cr ack les w it h i n for mat ion a nd t he pred ic tabi l it y of t he br a kes. In t he accessibi l it y of its per for ma nce a nd its sense of hu mou r Wa nt to toa st some t y res? The Jesko ha s no i nterest i n put t i n g you off – t he merest h i nt of squat u nder t h rot t le, d ive u nder br a k i n g a nd rol l i nto t he cor ners helps you feel out t he l i m its of g r ip, t hen a s you step over t hem it ’s a l l ba la nce a nd l ig ht ness. Th is isn’t a g a r a ge or na ment, it ’s a ca r you cou ld a nd shou ld use reg u la rly a nd t horou gh ly

A nd so we do, s w appi n g closed r u nw ay for publ ic h ighw ay Head i n g nor t h f rom t he fac tor y t h rou gh s weepi n g r u r a l B-roads – ma r vel l i ng at t he fac t t hat t h is 30 0 mph m issi le ca n do doci le, too – to t he tow n of B å stad, or ba sta rd a s we, t he Br it ish cont i n gent, i nsist on ca lling it Th is sta r ts somet h i ng t hat ’s ha rd to stop because a la rge nu mber of S wed ish words appea r to be t w i n ned w it h Br it ish toi let hu mou r We buy some lu nch at W i l ly ’s, d r ive pa st B ad Cok a nd see se ver a l sig ns read i n g In fa r t I’m on ly just reg a i n i n g my composu re when we pu l l over for f uel – a process t hat i nvolves l i f t i n g (hyd r au l ica l ly, no ac t ua l e ffor t is requ i red) t he ent i re rea r cla mshel l l i ke a peacock, wh ich does tend to at t r ac t e ver y ca mer a phone w it h i n a t wo-m i le r ad iu s If you’re a n i nt rover ted bi l l iona i re who doesn’t l ive i n t he w i lder ness, you have been w a r ned

Then we get t he ca ll – Jesko, who l ives i n Stock holm a nd is 83 yea rs old, ha s t r avel led sout h for five hou rs a nd is happy to meet us at a Koen ig seg g fa m i ly f r iend’s house nea rby We a r r ive just a s t he l ig ht ’s

“THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN AND THERE HE IS, ALL SMILES AND WAVES AND INFECTIOUS ENERGY”

fad i ng a nd cr u nch up t he d r ive w ay tow a rds a si z eable cou nt r y pi le The door s w i n g s open a nd t here he is, a l l sm i les a nd w aves, per fec t En gl ish a nd i n fec t iou s energ y. B efore we sit dow n he w a nts me to hold h is jacket so he ca n sit i n t he ca r – I offer to a ssist, but he gent ly bats me aw ay We photog r aph h i m i n t he d r iver ’s seat, g r ab a couple of cold ies, t hen head i nside to cr ack ou r... oh... z ero a lcohol Jesko beers. The booz y ones were out of date appa rent ly Oh wel l, it ’s “qu ite d r i n kable” say s Jesko, a nd he ha s to d r ive a ny w ay We sit sof t i n t he l ibr a r y, cl i n k gla ss a nd lea r n t he cor rec t pronu nciat ion of skå l, t hen I l isten to Jesko’s stor y How C h r ist ia n had “a lot of i nterests a nd a g reat nu mber of f r iends g row i n g up” . How C h r ist ia n presented h i m w it h a busi ness pla n w it h “e ver y t h i n g f rom A to Z , I w a s r at her i mpressed” How i n t he ea rly day s he wou ld phone C h r ist ia n who w a s i n t he workshop 50 0 met res aw ay a nd he’d say “Fat her, plea se don’t d ist u rb me, I’m bu i ld i n g t he ca r ” How for C h r ist ia n “ not h i n g is rea l ly good enou gh” a nd how he’s “ been to t he G ene v a show, e ver y yea r for 20 yea rs, a nd people a lw ay s a sk me, how

come it costs t hat much? It ’s just a ca r w it h fou r wheels? My a ns wer is sor r y, but t h is is not a ca r It ’s a piece of a r t ”

In t hese u nset t led fi na ncia l t i mes, t here’s a n a i r of g reed a nd glut tony t hat fol lows superca rs a nd hy perca rs a rou nd Nobody needs somet h i n g l i ke t h is, but Koen ig seg g a lw ay s fi nds a w ay to stay t he r ight side of u ncout h. It ’s t he pu r it y of C h r ist ia n’s v ision, I t h i n k – to bu i ld t he best hy perca r t he world ha s e ver seen – t hat ha sn’t w avered or w a r ped w it h fa sh ion, a nd h is ref usa l to comprom ise, e ver, t hat creates somet h i n g be yond just a ca r It ’s a piece of per fec t ion So let ’s a l l r a ise a bot t le to t he ma n who helped get t h is fa i r y ta le up a nd r u n n i n g a nd h is fou r-wheeled na mesa ke – Jesko – TG’s Hy perca r of t he Yea r.

“Is this a bad moment to admit I’m more of a G&T man myself?”

W ho wou ld b e a c a r m a ker i n 2 02 2 a nd b e yond? You c a n’t g e t t he p a r t s , you prob a bly c a n’t g e t t he s t a ff, you r c o s t s a re on t he up a nd up, a nd c u s tomer s a re g rouchy a b out t hei r w a it i n g t i me s S ce pt ic s a re i n sis t i n g you’ ve g one to o s o on on E Vs, pu r is t s wonder loud ly w hy you’re not e xclu sively bu i ld i n g l i g ht wei g ht re a r -w heeld r ive ho on mobi le s w it h op en- g ated m a nu a l g e a rb oxe s t h at a re i mp er v iou s to de prec i at ion , a nd env i ron ment a l ists wou ld r at her you d id n’t bu i ld a ny t h i n g at a l l OK , it ’s h a rd to ac t u a l ly feel sor r y for a f a cele s s g lob a l mu lt i-bi l l ion dol la r cor p or at ion , but wou ld you w a nt to b e i n c h a r g e of a m a i n s t re a m m a ker r i g ht now?

T h at ’s w h at m a ke s K i a’s recent for m so rem a rk a ble – a nd de s er v i n g of ou r M a nu f a c t u rer of t he Ye a r aw a rd D e s pite g a le force he a d w i nd s, t he up w a rd t r ajec tor y of t he once der ided w a r r a nt y e nt hu si a s t s f rom Kore a si mply show s no si g n of a b at i n g. I n f a c t , it ’s g e t t i n g br aver.

T he late st S p or t a g e is a s up e r ior f a m i ly c ros sover to t he g en re - de fi n i n g Niss a n Q a shqa i, offer i n g a ro om ier i nter ior a nd s t ron g e r f a m i ly of p ower t r a i n s – but lo ok how p ol a r isi n g it ’s g one w it h t he de si g n It ’s a Ford Ku g a r iv a l w it h t he f a ce of t he a l ien s f rom A Q u i e t Pl a c e, a nd a n L E D si g n at u re t h at br a nd s it s el f onto you r re t i n a s K i a s u s ed to b e de s p er ate not to o ffe nd , but now t he f u nd a ment s a re so s ou nd , t he de si g ner s c a n t a ke a r isk Sno ot a rou nd t he r a n g e a nd you’ l l sn a ffle plent y of nor mcore g e m s T he ne w Ni ro a lso lo ok s a bit b on ker s, a nd o ffe r s hy br id or elec t r ic ver sion s A nd ye t , u n l i ke V W or Ford , K i a h a sn’t dec ided

t h at ne w a g e mobi l it y need s ne w a g e problem s l i ke but ton-f ree touch sensit ive i nter ior s It h a s ke pt t he com mon sense, but upp ed t he v is u a l a mbit ion . A nd t he c a bi n qu a l it y, ju s t a s once renow ned E u rop e a n s seem to b e cheapi n g out

Ye s, ye olde yobb o i n u s wou ld l i ke to see a hot h atch ver sion of t he R io s up e r m i n i , a nd we h a d hop ed t he S t i n g er ’s f a cel i f t wou ld kee p t he V6 - en g i ned h a lo GT a rou nd a bit lon g er B ut K i a s e e m s to b e s t ick i n g t he la nd i n g w hen it come s to t he e -t r a n sit ion . T he E V6 o ffe r s a 57 7 bhp ver sion w it h t y re - dela m i n at i n g d r i f t mo de to t ick le ou r c avem a n br a i n’s pick le T here ’s more hop e for p e t rol he a d s i n K i a’s elec t r ic offer i n g s t h a n i n a ny t h i n g w it h a V W I D bad g e.

S o w h at ’s ne x t? Wel l, t wo br a nd ne w E Vs a ye a r u nt i l 2 027 show s w here t he R & D bud g e t is b ei n g f u n nel led , but don’t e x p ec t a he ap of s a me - a g a i n de si g n s O u r fi r s t clue is t he E V 9 conce pt , w h ich t a ke s t he sh a red comp a ny plat for m to l iter a l ne w hei g ht s w it h a s e ven- s e at SU V t h at lo ok s l i ke a c ros s b e t we en a K i a S ou l a nd R ob o c op T he s u ic ide do or s a re u n l i kely to m a ke pro duc t ion , but app a rent ly g e nu i ne o ff -ro a d sm a r t s w i l l, a s K i a e ye s t he delu xe r u f t y t u f t y e - SU V m a rke t b ei n g g obbled up b y R iv i a n a nd Hu m mer.

T he que s t ion w i l l b e how t h i n ly K i a need s to s pre a d it s el f to m a i nt a i n it s b old-lo ok i n g E V moment u m w h i le s t ay i n g t r ue to t he m idd le - of-L id l he a r t la nd it c a me f rom I f Ford c a n u nceremon iou sly bi n t he F ie s t a i n s e a rc h of f at ter pro fit m a r g i n s, no P ic a nto or P ro ceed is s a fe. B ut on c u r rent for m , i f you h a d to b e ch a i r i n g t he b o a rd at a ny m a i n s t re a m c a r m a ker r i g ht now, you’ ve g ot to reckon you’d b e sit t i n g pre t t ie s t at K i a

W hile t he c ar indus t r y lo s e s i t s head, K ia ’s been quie t l y r ein v en t ing i t s el f

W O R D S O L L I E K E W I L L U S T R A T I O N O L G U N K O R D A L

TOYOTA GR86

Let ’s be completely honest here: t he Toyota G R 8 6 bein g a glint in g r uby stone of hope in t he qua g m ire of fi lt h t hat is 2 02 2 w a s not ex ac t ly a hold-t he-f ront-pa ge inter net-brea k in g shock I ’ ll be e ven more honest a nd say I d id n’t e ven set off to d r ive it back in May w it h a completely open m ind I yea r ned for it to be fabu lous I ex pec ted it to be g reat . I dema nded it fi xed t he obv ious flaw s w it h t he GT8 6 – TG ’s 2 012 Ca r of t he Yea r A nd 10 yea rs later, t he G R 8 6 d id indeed h it t he spot . On its w ider t y res, it sits w it h a less g awk y sta nce t ha n Toyota’s pre v ious ent r y-le vel RW D coupe. T he body is t he

sa me siz e, but t he deta ils a re pret t ier – pa r t ic u la rly t he ta il a nd t hat bold side sk ir t s woosh Inside, t he nat ive Toyota touchsc reen no lon ger ma kes you w a nt to pu nch t he d a shboa rd in t he face – bec ause t here ’s now Apple Ca rPlay a nd A nd roid Auto for avoid in g Toyota’s homebre w inter face a ltoget her.

B ut bec ause Toyota kept sh iny, low-rent pla st ics, t he pr ice ha sn’t ba llooned to le vels t hat ’d ma ke Ma r t in Le w is sh iver B ec ause it ’s not been su llied w it h modes a nd set t in g s, it ’s a £ 30k, £ 30 0 a mont h ba r g a in . Or it w a s, in t he 45 m inutes you cou ld ac t ua lly buy one, before Toyota’s a ll-tooshor t U K a lloc at ion sold out For get

poor -ma n’s-Porsche jibes – t h is t h in g fle w out of show rooms qu icker t ha n a GT 3 R S .

It deser ved to At la st , t he Toyoba r u’s boxer en g ine ha s enou gh torque to en g a ge t he cha ssis w it hout a n ir responsible Sc a nd i fl ick It ma kes a less d rony noise too, a nd bec ause it no lon ger uses P r ius r ubber, t u r n-in a nd br a k in g a re improved .

It could’ ve been a Car of the Year ag ain – if that year had been 2016 or 2017. T he GR86 is delight f ul, but it’s a blend of mildly improved ing redients that meld together for a genius whole. We’re enrapt ured that it ex ists, but it really ought not to have ta ken them this long to per fect the recipe. It’s not a rocketship, and it ain’t rocket science.

W O R D S O L L I E K E W P H O T O G R A P H Y M A R K R I C C I O N I

S P O R T S C A R O F T H E Y E A R

M P V M V P O F T H E Y E A R

VOLKSWAGEN ID

BUZZ

.

T h e M P V n e e d e d a r e s e t A l i n e i n t h e s a n d A n o f f e n s i v e s t r a t e g y t o c o m b a t t h e d o m i n a n c e o f t h e S U V O f f e n c e : a c o m m o d i t y S U V s t r a d e h e a v i l y i n B u t l e t ’ s n o t p i c k o n a n e a s y t a r g e t L e t ’ s c o n s i d e r t h e d e m i s e o f t h e M P V T h e R e n a u l t E s p a c e , t h e O G M P V, w a s r a d i c a l , b u t l i t t l e t h a t c a m e a f t e r h a d a n y a m b i t i o n , i m a g i n a t i o n o r i n n o v a t i o n A n d s p a c e a l o n e w a s n e v e r e n o u g h f o r a c l a s s o f c a r w i t h s u c h a s i n g u l a r p u r p o s e (o h , t h e i r o n y o f t h e M u l t i P u r p o s e V e h i c l e t i t l e) S o t h e c l a s s w i t h e r e d o n t h e v i n e

F a s h i o n a n d t r e n d – t h a t ’s w h a t d i d f o r t h e M P V A n d t h a t ’s w h a t n o w p r o m i s e s t o k i c k- s t a r t i t s r e - e m e r g e n c e B u t t h a t c o u l d o n l y c o m e a b o u t g i v e n t h e r i g h t s p a r k , w h i c h ( h o , h o) h a s b e e n t h e e l e c t r i c r e v o l u t i o n B u t p e o p l e b u y b r a n d s a n d i m a g e , n o t i d e a s a n d p l a n s F o r t u n a t e l y V o l k s w a g e n ’s b a c k c a t a l o g u e h a d j u s t t h e t i c k e t : t h e T 2 v a n . C o o l , c u t e , c o l l e c t i b l e a n d r i p e f o r a r e t r o r e b o o t .

A l l t h i s i s a v e r y c o n v o l u t e d w a y o f p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t t h e I D B u z z h a s a l l t h e i n g r e d i e n t s n e c e s s a r y t o b e a s m a s h hi t Ye s , y o u ’ ll h a v e t o d e a l w i t h V W ’s f u z z y, ill o gic al i n f o t a i n m e n t , a n d n o , i t ’s n o t y e t a s c l e v e r a n d u s e f u l i n s i d e a s i t s h o u l d b e , b u t e v e n s o t h e I D B u z z i s a g a m ec h a n g e r N o t h i n g f e e l s a s b r i g h t , m o d e r n a n d e x c i t i n g t o b e i n N o S U V i s a n y t h i n g l i k e a s s p a c i o u s o r f a m i l y f r i e n d l y N o e l e c t r i c c a r i s m o r e d e s i r a b l e N o M P V h a s e v e r h a d t h e w o r l d a t i t s f e e t U n t i l n o w O l l i e M a r r i a g e

Hyundai’s been on a design roll of late, and the N Vision 74 is arguably its best looker yet . We meet the man behind it

I N S T A N T I C O N A W A R D

T he motor show is de a d It w a s a l re a d y d r u n ken ly s w ay i n g on it s fee t a nd cou g h i n g up blo o d b e fore t he p a ndem ic , but lo ckdow n h a nded c a r m a ker s a u s e f u l c o s t- c ut t i n g c a s e s t ud y D o e s n ot s p e nd i n g m i l l ion s on a p onc y d is play s t a nd , p e pp er i n g it w it h g r i n n i n g d roid s i n m atch i n g out fit s a nd t w i rl i n g t u r nt a ble s b e a r i n g t he late st show ro om mo dels m a ke a bl i nd bit of d i fference to how m a ny ne w c a r s you sh i f t? O r how m a ny h it s you r website g e t s?

‘No’ appea rs to be t he a ns wer, a nd motor show s a re hav i ng t hei r l i fe suppor t s w itched off at t he w a l l Apa r t f rom G ene v a That ’s now bei ng hosted i n Qata r. Because t he on ly w ay to ma ke a n e vent less d ig n i fied t ha n not bot her i n g at a l l is to lace it w it h a hu ma n r ights f u rore

You’d e x p ec t t he conce pt of t he conce pt c a r it s el f to h ave it s e yel id s gent ly clos ed to o B ut ju s t b e c au s e a one - o ff de si g n s t ud y no lon g er h a s a rot at i n g s t a g e to c a l l home, do e sn’t me a n one c a n’t s t i l l c apt u re t he i m a g i n at ion . T h is ye a r, no ot her c a r h a s done t h at more e ffec t ively t h a n t he s e n s at ion a l Hy u nd a i N V ision 74

W h i le BM W cont i nue s it s s el f- s a b ot a g i n g ‘ s top me b e fore I de si g n a g a i n’ r a mp a g e, Hy u nd a i’s c r ayon de p a r t ment re a l ly h a s t he bit b e t we en it s tee t h , a nd t he le a der of t h at s qu a d is S a n gYup L ee, t he S eou l-b or n e x-B ent le y a nd G M de si g ner w ho ’s over seen t he l i ke s of t he Ion iq 5 h atch , Ion iq 6 s t re a m l i ner, T uc son SU V b a sic a l ly e ver y g re at lo ok i n g Hy u nd a i si nce 2 016 He ’s t a l k i n g me rou nd a s t at ic mo del of t he 74. We ’re i n t he verd a nt h i l ls of nor t hwe s t G er m a ny at t he Bi lster B er g r a ce re sor t , a fe a r some pr iv ate t r a ck bu i lt on t he site of a n e x- C old Wa r Br it ish mu n it ion s b a s e . T he N V ision 74 is not l i ke ot her motor show s t a rle t s , i n t h at it ’s b y no me a n s a s t at ue It d r ive s – f a s t B e fore I ’m a l lowed to t a ck le t h is m i n i at u re Nü rbu r g r i n g i n a pr icele s s one - o ff, S a n gYup is e x pla i n i n g w here t h is bro o d i n g ly g or g e ou s c re at ion s pr a n g f rom

“ It ’s a n a m a z i n g j o u r n e y t h a t H y u n d a i h a s b e e n o n for t h e l a s t 5 0 y e a r s , ” h e b e g i n s , s p e a k i n g s o f t l y w it h c a r e f u l l y c h o s e n w o r d s .

“ M o s t b i g OE M s h a v e a r o u n d 10 0 y e a r s o f h i s t or y b u t H y u n d a i h a s o n l y b e e n a r o u n d for h a l f o f t h a t B u t t h e r e ’s s t i l l b e a u t i f u l h i s t or y i n t h e c o mp a n y ”

T he h is tor y re ferenced b y t he N V ision 74 is a conce pt c a r c a l led t he Pony C oup e, a p oi nt y t wo - do or d re a mt up for t he 19 74 T u r i n Motor S how Hy u nd a i e n l is te d t he help of G ior g e t to G iu g i a ro to

Rear light inspired by Tetris and Michael Knight’s faithful car KIT T We approve

d re s s a s t a nd a rd Pony s a lo on flo or p a n i n b o d y work t h at wou ld pla nt Hy u nd a i’s fl a g on t he de si g n m ap.

“ G iu g i a ro conv i nced t he Hy u nd a i m a n a g ement t h at w hen you g o to a n auto show, you need to h ave a sleek coup e,” s ay s S a n gYup “ B a ck i n t hos e d ay s Kore a h a d ver y p o or s t ree t a nd h i g hw ay i n f r a s t r uc t u re, but t he comp a ny fou nder a lw ay s w a nted to bu i ld a p er for m a nce c a r S o t here ’s a g re at s tor y t here T he y t r ied to put t he Pony i nto pro duc t ion but t he d re a m d id n’t come t r ue Now we h ave t he de si g n a nd t he tech nolo g y to m a ke t h is c a r ” W h at t he N V ision 74 do e s so cle verly is re ference a w h at-m i g hth ave -b een moment i n Hy u nd a i’s p a s t i n it s lo ok s, w h i le espou si n g ide a s for f ut u re h i g h-p er for m a nce propu lsion It ’s w h at t he en g i neer s c a l l a “ rol l i n g l a b” S a n gYup re p e at s t he word p a s sion a s he c i rcle s t he c a r, p oi nt i n g out de t a i ls l i ke t he subt le b a d g i n g (“ We h ave no need to shout ”) a nd t he pi xel L E D l i g ht si g n at u re (“A Hy u nd a i si g n at u re – we ’re not doi n g R u s si a n dol l de si g n , l i ke mos t bi g c a r comp a n ie s We w a nt to bu i ld a chess s e t , w here e a c h c a r h a s it s ow n role, but t he y a re ob v iou sly a l l f rom one te a m”).

I ad m it to not hav i ng hea rd of t he Pony u nt i l t he N V ision 74 la nded, d r ippi n g i n references not just to its spi r it ua l fat her, but ot her late 20 t h cent u r y cla ssics Sa ngYup sm i les, a nd pu l ls up sketches dated 2016 on h is phone g a l ler y, show i n g how lon g t h is idea’s been gestat i n g “ Not a lot of p eople h ave he a rd of t he Pony coup e, but G iu g a ro’s de si g n s a re k now n a l l over t he world : t he D eL ore a n , t he BM W M1, L ot u s E s pr it – he ’s a de si g n m a s ter G en Z do e sn’t k now a b out t h at h is tor y, but t he y see t h is a s u lt i m ate c y b er pu n k de si g n . I l i ke t h at element – it ’s contemp or a r y w it h a c y b er pu n k s t r ate g y ”

T he D eL ore a n re ference is a c r uc i a l one, b ec au s e i n a n a lter n at ive u n iver s e, it ’s Hy u nd a i’s fi r s t s p or t s c a r – not t he do omed A mer ic a nI r ish g u l lw i n g – t h at wou ld b e come t he s t a r of one of t he a l l-t i me g re at E i g ht ie s fi l m f r a nch ises. “ G iu g i a ro a d m it s t he Pony i n fluenced t he D eL ore a n qu ite a bit – he ke pt t hos e re ference s w hen Hy u nd a i d id n’t bu i ld t he Pony I f t here w a s no Pony, t here ’d b e no D eL ore a n , m ay b e no B a c k to th e Fu t u r e ” G re at S cot t

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n e v e r s t o o d a c h a n c e , i s w h a t w e ’ r e s a y i n g T h a t ’ s n o t t o s a y GT7’ s r o u t e t o t h e t o p w a s e n t i r e l y s m o o t h D e v e l o p e r P o l y p h o n y D i g i t a l s t o l e a m a r c h o n t h e c o s t o f l i v i n g c r i s i s b y s l a p p i n g e n o r m o u s i n - g a m e p r i c e t a g s o n t h e m o s t d e s i r a b l e n e w c a r s , r e d u c i n g t h e p a y o u t s f r o m r a c e s a n d c h a r g i n g r e a l m o n e y i f y o u w a n t e d t o t o p u p y o u r i m a g i n a r y b a n k a c c o u n t A f t e r j u s t i fi e d o u t c r y, t h e e c o n o m y w a s fi x e d i n a n u p d a t e , s o a t l e a s t i f y o u c a n ’ t a f f o r d y o u r g a s b i l l t h i s w i n t e r i t w o n ’ t b e b e c a u s e y o u s i m p l y h a d t o b l o w a l l y o u r m o n e y o n a v i r t u a l P o r s c h e 9 1 7 K

O n t r a c k , t h e g a m e i s b e t t e r t h a n e v e r E a c h f r a m e f e e l s l i k e a w o r k o f a r t a n d t h e r e a r e 6 0 o f t h e m b e i n g d e l i v e r e d t o y o u r p a m p e r e d r e t i n a s e v e r y s i n g l e s e c o n d T h e r e t u r n o f a f u l l d a y a n d n i g h t c y c l e a n d d y n a m i c w e a t h e r, m e a n w h i l e , e n s u r e s t h a t o p t i m a l p e r f o r m a n c e i s a l w a y s a m o v i n g t a r g e t t o c h a s e Yo u r m o v e , Forza Motorsport. . . M i ke C h a n n e l l

B R A N D R E F R E S H O F T H E Y E A R

Paw Patrol: Grand Prix

G A M E O F T H E Y E A R

FORD F IESTA

L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T

’ t fl y a b o u t in p l a n e s a s f a s t a s h e c a n I t ’s a r o ll e r c o a s t e r o f e m o t io n , t o o – p e o p l e o f t e n f o r g e t t h a t To m u s e d t o d o p r o p e r fi lm s b a c k w h e n h e w a s p o o r T h e B o e in g F/A 18 F w ill b r in g a t e a r t o y o ur e y e a s w e ll , n o t l e a s t b e c a u s e t hi s i s t h e m o s t im m e r s i v e fl igh t a c t io n t h a t ’s e v e r b e e n c o m mi t t e d t o w h a t e v e r i t i s t h e y p u t fi lm s o n t h e s e d a y s Wa t c h t h e di z z y in g a e r i al s c e n e s o n t h e b i g g e s t s c r e e n y o u c a n a n d b r in g a p a p e r b a g f o r y o ur lun c h

W e l a s t s a w To m C r ui s e in a c t io n a s t h e r e n e g a d e n a v al c a p t ain P e t e “ M a v e r ic k ” Mi t c h e ll in t h e o r i gin a l Top Gun m o v ie b a c k in 19 8 6 , w hic h i s a s m a n y a s 3 6 y e a r s a g o H e h a s a g e d s o m e w h e r e o n t h e s p e c t r um b e t w e e n a fi n e w in e a n d o n e o f t h o s e h a m b ur g e r s t h e y k e e p in a P e r s p e x b o x B u t t h e m a n s t ill k n o w s h o w t o c h u c k t o g e t h e r a b l o c k b u s t e r, a n d g o o dn e s s k n o w s w e ’ v e n e e d e d o n e a f t e r t h e p a s t f e w y e a r s N o t t h e f a n t a s i e s o f c o r p o r a t e e x e c u t i v e s r e n d e r e d in un w a t c h a b l e c o m p u t e r g e n e r a t e d m a y h e m , b u t a l o v in g h o m a g e t o w h e n t hin g s w e r e d o n e t h e h a r d w a y

Top Gun: Maverick’s s t o r y t h e m e s d w e ll o n o b s o l e s c e n c e a n d t h e r a v a g e s o f t im e , b u t o n t hi s f o r m t h e r e ’s c e r t ainl y p l e n t y o f li f e in t h e o l d d o g y e t W e w o ul d o r din a r il y a s k f o r m o r e c a r s n e x t t im e , b u t C r ui s e w ill a p p a r e n t l y b e r e c o r din g hi s n e x t a c t io n m o v ie in s p a c e B e c a u s e w h y n o t

F I L M O F T H E Y E A R P E O P L E O F T H E Y E A R

I S A B E L L E G A L M I C H E

S é b a s t i e n L o e b i s t h e m o s t s u c c e s s f u l r a l l y d r i v e r e v e r, s o h i s e i g h t h M o n t e C a r l o w i n i s n ’ t n o t e w o r t h y e n o u g h t o g e t h i m o n t h i s p a g e L e t ’ s t a l k a b o u t h i s c od r i v e r o n t h e e v e n t , I s a b e l l e G a l m i c h e .

S h e ’ d b e e n t e s t i n g w i t h h i m f o r y e a r s , a n d d o n e a f e w o t h e r W R C e v e n t s i n l o w e r c l a s s e s N o w h e r e t h e y w e r e f a c e d w i t h t h e e x t r a c o m p l i c a t i o n o f w o r k i n g o u t t h e n e we r a F o r d P u m a h y b r i d I t w a s a n e p i c p e r f o r m a n c e , l o c k e d i n a d i n gd o n g s k i r m i s h w i t h O g i e r / V e i l l a s G a l m i c h e , 5 0 , h a s b e e n i n r a l l y s i n c e h e r t e e n a g e y e a r s . B u t s h e ’ s n o t j u s t a j o u r n e y w o m a n w h o g o t o n e b i g w i n S h e ’ s a m a t h s t e a c h e r F o r a n y t e e n a g e r, s e e i n g t h e p e r s o n s t o o d b e f o r e y o u i n c l a s s u s i n g t h e s e s k i l l s t o d o t h a t t h i n g i s g o i n g t o b

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T a v a r e s t u r n e d a r o u n d t h e P e u g e o t G r o u p t h e n g o t t h e t o p j o b i n t h e m e r g e r w i t h F i a tC h r y s l e r t o m a k e a 1 4b r a n d b e h e m o t h . Y o u ’ d e x p e c t i m p r o v e m e n t t o c o m e s l o w l y , b u t h e b r o u g h t m a s s i v e c o s t s a v i n g s a n d p r o fi t s i n n e x t t o n o t i m e , e v e n f r o m p e r p e t u a l m o n e y l o s e r s l i k e V a u x h a l l / O p e l a n d A l f a H e ’ s a c r o s s t h e d e t a i l : k n o w s h o w t o r u n a p l a n t , h o w t o d e v e l o p a c a r, t h e i n s a n d o u t s o f b o r i n g s t u f f l i k e d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d fi n a n c e . T h e n a t t h e w e e k e n d h e r a c e s s o m e s e r i o u s l y f a s t c l a s s i c s , a n d h a s a j u i c y c o l l e c t i o n o f m a n y o t h e r s T h i s y e a r w e ’ v e s e e n h o w f a s t h e ’ s fi n d i n g a £ 2 5 b i l l i o n w a y t o s w i t c h t h e g r o u p t o E V s F i v e y e a r s a g o , h e w a s s c e p t i c a l , s a y i n g t h e y w e r e t o o e x p e n s i v e . H e n o w a c c e p t s h i s c o m p a n y w i l l h a v e t o b e a t r i v a l s u n d e r t h e n e w l a w s H e r e m a i n s o u t s p o k e n : “ F r e e d o m o f m o b i l i t y i s g o i n g b a c k w a r d s b e c a u s e p e o p l e c a n ’ t a f f o r d E V s T h e r e i s t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r s o c i a l u n r e s t ”

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L e e i s d e s i g n d i r e c t o r a t H y u n d a i A c o m p a n y w i t h a h u g e n u m b e r o f c a r s , a n d h u g e a m b i t i o n H e c a m e f r o m B e n t l e y , a n d c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e l o v e l y d e t a i l a n d i n t e r i o r d e s i g n t h e m e s i n H y u n d a i g r o u p ’ s u p m a r k e t G e n e s i s b r a n d . B u t l o o k i n g a h e a d , i t ’ s h i s s t r a t e g y w i t h t h e H y u n d a i e l e c t r i c c a r s t h a t i n t r i g u e s t h e m o s t T h e I o n i q 5 i s b l o c k y a n d f o l d e d , t a k i n g i n s p i r a t i o n f r o m t h e S e v e n t i e s a n d E i g h t i e s T h e I o n i q 6 l o o k s b a c k t o e a r l y S a a b s , t h e p r ew a r P h a n t o m C o r s a i r, a n d o t h e r a v i a t i o ni n fl u e n c e d s t r e a m l i n e r s . T h e I o n i q 7 w i l l b e a r c h i t e c t u r a l a n d u l t r am o d e r n T h e y ’ r e n o t r e l a t e d Y e t , s p o o k i l y t h e y a r e H e ’ s f o u n d d e t a i l s a n d t h e m e s t h a t r i f f o n t h e i r K o r e a n o r i g i n s , b o t h t h e c u l t u r e ’ s r a p i d i n d u s t r i a l i s a t i o n a n d e l e c t r o n i c s p r ee m i n e n c e –s e e t h e p i x e l l a t e d l i g h t i n g m o t i f –a n d i t s c a l m e r h o s p i t a l i t y t r a d i t i o n H e ’ s g o o d c o m p a n y , a n d i n h i s w o r k u n a f r a i d t o c u t l o o s e a n d h a v e f u n . S e e t h e N V i s i o n 7 4 o n p a g e 6 6

G r a n d P r i x r a c e s t r a t e g y i s a b o u t p l a n n i n g , n o t a b o u t r e a c t i n g

W e a t h e r c h a n g e s o r s a f e t y c a r p e r i o d s , o r a n y o n e o f m u l t i p l e o t h e r e v e n t s , d o n ’ t c a u s e a g o o d t e a m t o r e a c t

T h e y p u t i n p l a c e a p l a n t h e y ’ v e a l r e a d y s i m u l a t e d R e d B u l l ’ s H a n n a h S c h m i t z t e l l s T o p G e a r t h a t t h e y r u n “ b i l l i o n s o f s i m u l a t i o n s , t h a t ’ s n o t a n e x a g g e r a t i o n ” f o r e a c h r a c e , a n d t h e n m o d i f y t h e m a f t e r p r a c t i c e d a t a c o m e s i n , a n d a g a i n a f t e r q u a l i f y i n g I f a t e a m m a k e s a b a d c a l l i t ’ s p u b l i c h u m i l i a t i o n R e d B u l l ’ s s t r a t e g y i s c l o s e s t t o fl a w l e s s T h e p r e s s u r e o n s t r a t e g i s t s i s h u g e , b u t m o s t l y t h e y ’ r e u n r e m a r k e d N o t a l w a y s , m i n d . I n H u n g a r y t h i s y e a r, S c h m i d t t o o k t h e l a s tm i n u t e d e c i s i o n t o s w a p V e r s t a p p e n o n t o s o f t t y r e s f r o m t h e s t a r t H e w o n , f r o m 1 0 t h o n t h e g r i d , a n d c a l l e d h e r “ i n s a n e l y c a l m ” A f t e r M o n a c o t h i s y e a r t e a m a d v i s o r H e l m u t M a r k o s a i d t h e w i n w a s “ m a i n l y d u e t o H a n n a h ” .

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T o y o t a G a z o o R a c i n g h a s j u s t w o n t h e W R C , a n d t h e W o r l d R a l l y R a i d c h a m p i o n s h i p , a n d i s l e a d i n g t h e W E C w i t h o n e r o u n d t o g o . I t s i d e n t i t y c a r r i e s o n t o t h e G R 8 6 , G R S u p r a a n d G R Y a r i s , w i t h a G R C o r o l l a t o c o m e i n t h e U S K o j i S a t o i s t h e b o s s o f a l l t h a t . B u t G R i s j u s t a s i d e h u s t l e H e ’ s a l s o t h e b o s s o f L e x u s A n d “ c h i e f b r a n d i n g o f fi c e r ” ( h e a d o f p r o d u c t ) f o r t h e w h o l e T o y o t a a n d L e x u s s h o o t i n g m a t c h H e ’ s a n e n g i n e e r a n d a m a dk e e n d r i v e r a n d h e u n d e r s t a n d s w h a t c a r l o v e r s , a n d e v e r y o n e e l s e , w a n t o u t o f a c a r S t e a l t h i l y , a l l h i s r e c e n t c a r s h a v e m a d e s t r i d e s a g a i n s t r i v a l s . H e ’ s i n v e s t e d b i g i n a n e w g l o b a l L e x u s H Q a n d t e s t t r a c k , s o L e x u s s h o u l d h a v e a b e t t e r s e n s e o f w h a t i t i s . H e ’ s d e v e l o p i n g a w h o l e n e w r a n g e o f e l e c t r i c

T o y o t a s a n d L e x u s e s , c u l m i n a t i n g i n a n e l e c t r i c s p o r t s c a r h e ’ s h a p p y t o c a l l a n L F A s u c c e s s o r .

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shr ill t ha t peak s a t 1 4 0dB T ha t ’s louder t han fir e w or k displa y s or a high c alibr e r ound going o f f be side y our he ad B u t w her e y ou r un a w a y f r om t ho s e nois e s , y ou ’r e endle s sl y dr a w n her e Or ganic c ar s ounds ha v e been mu t ed and mu z z led b y legisla t ion , snu f f ed ou t in f a v our o f s y n t he sis a t ion , or jus t de a f ened b y elec t r i fic a t ion B u t t he Hua y r a R pr o v e s nois e is good It s V 12 s er v e s up an old s chool e ar ga s m , and should be c elebr a t e d T ha t ’s w h y i t ’s TopGear ’s Nois e o f t he Ye ar Rowa n H o r n ca s t l e

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FORD F-150 LIGHTNING

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T he Mc Mu r t r y S p éi rl i n g a nd M a x C h i lton e ffor t le s sly d ism a nt l i n g t he V W I D. R ’s t i me of 39.9s ec s, s e t i n 2 019, to b e come t he f a s te s t t h i n g e ver up t he h i l l on it s fi r s t publ ic app e a r a nce is some t h i n g t h at w i l l g o dow n i n h is tor y A l l it to ok w a s 39 0 8 s econd s to g e t a t icke t s t r a i g ht i nto t he automot ive Ha l l of Fa me

W it h 1,0 0 0 bhp of elec t r ic shove, fed to t he ro a d v i a t wo w heels, i n a c a r t h at s uc k s it s el f to t he flo or to g e ner ate 2 ,0 0 0 k g of dow n force at a s t a nd s t i l l, wei g h s 1,0 0 0 k g , h a s a 1:1 p ower -towei g ht r at io a nd lo ok s l i ke a B at mobi le t h at w a s le f t to o lon g on a hot w a sh , t he r ate t he Mc Mu r t r y shot up t he D u ke of R ich mond’s 1 16 -m i le d r ive w ay w a s b a rel y comprehen sible E ver yone w ho s aw it t hou g ht t he fo ot a g e w a s on f a s t for w a rd . W ho c a n bla me t hem g iven it h it 6 0 mph i n le s s t h a n 1 5 second s, 12 5mph ju s t a fe w s econd s later a nd sm acked t he l i m iter at 150 mph b e fore b ei n g lobb ed i nto cor ner s at m i nd- s c r a mbl i n g s p e e d s?

For t he p eople luck y enou g h to b e t here, it w a s l i ke w atch i n g a je t fi g hter s t uck i n a S c a le x t r ic t r a ck Ju s t t h at t he sou ndt r a ck w a s a u n ique blend of a h i g h pitched w h i ne f rom t he elec t r ic motor s g oi n g up a g a i n s t a i r A i r eit her b ei n g he a dbut ted out t he w ay or force f u l ly ejec ted re a r w a rd s cou r te s y of t wo elec t r ic t u rbi ne s bu r ied b eh i nd t he co ck pit t h at sucked du s t , f a g end s a nd a ny s t r ay sm a l l ch i ld ren f rom b ene at h t he ch a s sis a nd bla s ted t hem out of t he cent r a l re a r ‘e x h au s t ’ at a n e a r -pierc i n g 12 0 d B .

It w a s on ly a f ter t he r u n w hen it s m a g n it ude w a s re a l is ed , t r a n s cend i n g t he nor m a nd bu r s t i n g out of t he p e t rol he a d a l g or it h m a nd i nto t he m a i n s t re a m M i l l ion s of p eople w atched it , me a n i n g e ver yone f rom i n-law s to c a b d r iver s were t a l k i n g a b out it . A t t h at p oi nt it w a s t hen no lon g er a r u n , it w a s automot ive h is tor y B ut t here ’s on ly one p er s on t h at c a n tel l u s w h at it w a s re a l ly l i ke T he m a n w ho w a s s at recl i ned i n a c a rb on s e at g r ippi n g t he w heel w it h h is fee t a b o ve h is a r s e O ver to M a x C h i lton

0 1 “I ’ve never done anything as intense as the hillclimb You ’ve got stone cold tyres and millions watching, so I did a couple of burnouts to warm the tyres stopped on the start line and turned the fans on They take seven to eight seconds to fully spool up to 23, 000rpm ”

0 2 “As soon as the fans start to idle we ’ve got full fan speed – so the equivalent of two tonnes of downforce Then it ’s foot off the brake and hold on I ’ve been lucky enough to race in F1 and the 0–60 time we did on the Sunday run was half the time of what I ’ve ever done in F1 ”

0 3 “Things come at you very, very quickly at Goodwood I was doing 100mph by Turn One, so tapped the brakes as the thing stops so quickly before chucking it into the corner And I c h u c k e d it into the corner as it ’s got so much grip You just have to trust it ”

0 4 “Keeping a ground effect seal to give maximum grip is important – so I left a bit of room either side to not run wide at Turn Two. No cutting corners. There ’s a dab of brake midcorner then straight back on the power down the straight ”

0 5 “The car was limited to 150mph and I saw it for over four seconds as I passed the house and went under the bridge There ’s a crowd 10 deep and it ’s not really a straight, so not a great place to bin it ”

0 6 “Molecomb is a horrible corner – it ’s blind, there ’s no straight braking zone and you can ’t see the apex But the McMurtry corners so shockingly and accelerates so rapidly before you know it you ’re thinking, ‘Oh God! Flint Wall is coming up ’ ”

0 7 “Flint Wall was my strength I was very committed, so just dabbed the brakes and threw it in. There ’s a video that ’s gone viral where you can see the car having a bit of a wobble because I threw it in at such speed ”

0 8 “I hit the brakes before the right hander The hay bales get narrower the faster you go ”

0 9 “The last corner isn ’t flat There ’s a little lift I actually turned in too early and clipped the front left, losing two or three tenths You then dash to the finish, crossing the line at 150mph ”

T h e p a s t f e w y e a r s h a v e m a d e u s a p p r e c i a t e t h e s m a l l t h i n g s i n l i f e m o r e t h a n e v e r –a n d s o m e t i m e s i t ’s n o t t h e c a r w e c r a v e , b u t t h e s e n s e o f f r e e d o m i t o f f e r s

W

O R D S P A U L H O R R E L L P H O T O G R A P H Y J O N N Y F L E E T W O O D

F i n a l ly T h is is t he fi r s t of To p G e a r ’s a n nu a l aw a rd s i s s ue s si nce we ’ ve b e en , bro a d ly s p e a k i n g , u n sh a ck led f rom C OV I D -19 A f ter ne a rly t h ree ye a r s of re s t r ic t ion s, you w i l l i m a g i ne I ’ ve b e en bu s t i n g to re t u r n to d r iv i n g top - end hy p erc a r s i n e xot ic lo c a le s F r a n k ly not , ac t u a l ly. I ’ ve m is s ed mos t sorely t he ord i n a r y s t u ff : b ei n g a mon g p eople I l i ke, i n pla ce s we k now, doi n g t he com for t i n g ly f a m i l i a r but b ei n g s u re to do it wel l A s t he world emer ges f rom u nder t he ter r i f y i n g pre s s u re of one c r isis, ot her s a re l i n i n g up l i ke a h a i l of me teor s to t a ke it s pla ce T he s e a re u n ner v i n g t i me s W h ich su rely u r g e s you r pr ior it ie s aw ay f rom t he f a nt a s t ic a l. Ye t t here were a doz en s qu i l l ion-p ou nd l i m ited ed it ion hy p erc a r s lau nched on t he law n s of Montere y C a r Week t h is su m mer a nd t he y le f t me que a s y, a s i f g a z i n g on t he fi n a l t w itche s of a dec a dent empi re ‘E xclu sive ’ eh? E x a c t ly w hy is some t h i n g b e t ter si mply b e c au s e ot her s c a n’t h ave it?

In t hese t i mes we need ‘ i nclusive’ So here’s To p G e a r ’s ord i na r y ca r of t he yea r The sor t of ca r we’ ve a l l ow ned or d r iven at some poi nt. Hatch. Sma l l en g i ne. No hy br id or plu g. Unspor t y. But t he ne w A st r a is a fi ne ex a mple

We ’ ve a l l le a r ned si nce e a rly 2 02 0 t h at ou r t i me is to o prec iou s to w a s te on a ny t h i n g t h at ’s mu nd a ne or sho dd y S o I ’m o ff to do some ord i n a r y t h i n g s, but g o o d one s T he y ’ l l b e i n b e aut i f u l pla ce s l i n ked b y g re at ro a d s i n a s wee p of cent r a l a nd nor t her n E n g l a nd A ro a dt r ip de si g ned to b e i nclu sive. Happi ly it a lso ne at ly s wer ve s t he s pi r a l l i n g a r g y b a r g y of C h a n nel c ros si n g s or a i r p or t s

So you fi nd me a nd photog r apher Jon ny Fleet wood on a wet

nor ma l ly g iven a bad na me by its t reacly plu g ged up flow pa st Bi r m i n gha m. But we’re up nea r t he Shap su m m it i n C u mbr ia . Di fferent a ltoget her T r a ffic is a s spa rse a s a Si x t ies pla n ner ’s sketch; t he scener y is awesome The v ie w a nd at mosphere cha nges w i ld ly w it h t he weat her up here, a nd t he weat her is seldom t he sa me for lon g. Today we have d r a ma : clouds of lead a nd merc u r y cloa k i n g t he h i l ls, spr ay beat i n g dow n on t he ca r It ’s ou r com for t i n g l it t le weat her proof cocoon

Leave the kids at home, and there’s plenty of room for the bike Win-win

Inside lane is the Astra’s sweet point – and means more time to enjoy the views

plon ked u nder g rea se -yel lowed st r ipl ig hts, you get proper h a ndcooked loc a l produce, a nd a f a r m shop T he sa me people a lso oper ate t he G loucester ser v ices a nd t hose a re ju st a s good, so why a ren’t ot her motor w ay t r avel ler s d ig n i fied w it h t he sa me s t a nd a rd s?

R i g ht We ’re nou r ished for some e xerc is e T he A s t r a , l i ke a ny h atch , c a n s w a l low a bi ke or t wo T r y t h at i n you r V 12 hy p erc a r R at her t h a n u si n g a n e x ter n a l r a ck , I l i ke to d rop t he re a r s e at , t a ke o ff t he f ront bi ke w he els a nd put t hem upr i g ht i n t he b a c k . It s ave s w i nd nois e a nd d r a g a nd wor r y, prov ided of cou r se you t ie t hem dow n wel l to avoid g e t t i n g a h a nd leb a r to t he b a c k of t he he a d w hen you br a ke T he A s t r a h a s g o o d la sh i n g e ye s for t he rop e s C ycl i n g m i g ht b e a w hol ly ord i n a r y a c t iv it y, but up i n t he Pen n i ne s is a ne t work of b e aut i f u l a nd lonely t r a ck s, ro a d a nd g r avel, t h at prop erly cle a r t he he a d a nd lu n g s I do a l it t le s e g me nt of t he route a c ros s t he s pi ne of E n g l a nd , s toppi n g at Br it a i n’s

T wo w heels g o o d Fou r to o T he ro a d a lw ay s m at ter s more t h a n t he c a r I ’d r at her d r ive a slow c a r f a s t t h a n a f a s t c a r slowly, e ven w hen it ’s a m at ter of p erce pt ion a nd t hos e t wo s p e e d s i n m i le s a n

d i fferent re a son s, i n S u r re y T he A s t r a s t re tche s it s le g s It s t r ick is i n it s l i g ht ne s s of touch . It isn’t ac t u a l ly a l l t h at l i g ht i n k i lo g r a m s (t hou g h t he l it t le t h ree - c y l i nder en g i ne helps), but it ’s fluent a nd a g i le on t he s e ro a d s t h at buck a nd t w is t , c re s t a nd d ip. A re a l ly wel l jud g ed s u s p e n sion for r u r a l B r it a i n , e ven i f p a r a dox ic a l ly t h at ’s a n i n her it a nce of Vau x h a l l’s m at i n g w it h Pe u g eot You don’t h ave to work t he s te e r i n g to hold it a g a i n s t t h at ro a d w ay d is t u rb a nce, so you c a n ju s t u s e it to p ou r i nto a b end , w hen you fi nd n icely prop or t ion a l re a c t ion s H it a d a mp p atch a nd t he w heel moment a r i ly g o e s l i g ht i n you r h a nd s – a nd I t hou g ht s te e r i n g feel h a d b e en decla red a b a n ne d subst a nce O f cou r se

t here ’s a bit of s to d g e a nd sla ck here b e c au s e it ’s a n ord i n a r y h atch not a s p or t s c a r, but it ’s a wel l s t r uc k b a l a nce; t h at sl i g ht r ubb er i ne s s is w h at ke pt t h i n g s re fi ned on t he M1 a nd M6 yes terd ay.

We head dow n S w a leda le a nd across t he A 1(M) to t he Nor t h York Moors v ia respec table tow ns – R ich mond, Hel msle y, K i rby moorside – once made prosperous by t he wool t r ades Ca n’t i ma g i ne t hat now, a s l ivestock fa r mers ba rely scr atch a l iv i n g If you d rove i nto tow ns l i ke t h is on hol iday i n Ita ly or F r a nce you’d g r ab a g u idebook a nd fi l l you r ca mer a’s memor y ca rd, yet t here ’s a tendenc y to ta ke t hem for g r a nted when t he y ’re i n ou r ow n cou nt r y The low a f ter noon su n emerges, ca st ing its gla nci n g light across t h is cou nt r y side ’s plu mp contou rs l i ke celest ia l i l lu m i nat ion on t he stomachs of B ot t icel l i cher ubs

It ’s a qu ick , empt y ro a d , a nd t he A s t r a need s a l l it s pu ff F i ne T he ch at ter y t h ree - c y l i nder is a bit nois y a nd not t h at br isk , but h app y enou g h to sit i n it s wel l uphols tered b o o s t c u r ve, a nd t he autom at ic t r a n sm is sion do e s w h at I tel l it to v i a t he sh i f t p a dd le s B ut t he r at io

The Pennines are just as enjoyable whether it’s on two wheels or four and the Tan Hill inn makes for a convenient reason to visit the pub

“ORDINARY CARS FASCINATE ME. THEY’RE THE HARDEST OF ALL TO DESIGN AND ENGINEER”

g ap b e t we en second a nd t h i rd is a c h a sm , a nd i n tow n it sn atches hor r ibly a s you come to re s t – b ot h c h a r a c ter is t ic s t h is b ox h a s a lw ay s show n i n Pe u g eot G roup c a r s. I f it were me s p e c c i n g a n A s t r a , I ’d s w itch to a m a nu a l a nd d rop one t r i m s t r at u m , m a k i n g it £ 4, 50 0 more i nclu sive

ta kes it ex t remely ser iously In fac t se ver a l of t he fish a nd ch ip shops here cla i m to be t he best i n Br ita i n. We choose t he Ma g pie, hav i ng been d i rec ted t here by my favou r ite Yorksh i re woma n Su re enou gh it ’s about t he ver y best f r y t hat ha s e ver pa ssed my l ips A ca r apace of light sa lt y bat ter br i n g s on t he a lchem ic stea m i ng of f resh fla k y cod The ch ips a re golden-cr ispy outside, flu ff y a nd ea r t hy w it h i n F r iends, e ven t he pick led on ion is ma g ica l. Lately a ba r ha s opened on t he roof top of a London hotel To see its pa nor a m ic v ie ws you have to book a t wo-hou r slot a nd u nder ta ke to spend £75 a head, l iter a l ly boxed i n a nd const r a i ned to enjoy you rsel f on schedu le. Instead here we a re, a ten ner each on ou r ta keaw ay fea st, sat at t he ha rbou r, t hen cl i mbi n g Dr ac u la’s 19 9 steps to t he r u i ned abbe y a nd chu rchy a rd for a v ie w of t he tow n a nd its t w i n piers jut t i ng i nto Nor t h Sea l i ke a lobster ’s pi ncer, ta l k ing ou r cheer y nonsense a s t he e ven i n g slowly sets

of ou r s elve s i n w r i g g l i n g t he c a r t h rou g h t he s te e p, n a r row v i l la g e D ow n at t he sl ip w ay a nd b e a ch it ’s z i n g i n g i n sh a r p aut u m n s u n l i g ht A bree z y s t rol l on t he s a nd at low w ater lo ok s tempt i n g

A s up e r b s wee pi n g ro a d p a s s e s t he si n is ter r a d a r i n s t a l lat ion s at F y l i n g d a le s to P icker i n g at bre a k f a s t t i me. A not her fi ne tow n , a nd it prove s t h at pr a c t ic a l ly a ny w here t he s e d ay s you c a n fi nd a n i nde p endent h ips ter coffee shop w it h d is t re s s ed i ndu s t r i a l f u r n it u re T he e s pre s s o at K la r nei n s is f a bu lou s None of you r over - e x t r a c ted coffee ch a i n bit ter ne s s, ju s t p er fe c t b o d y a nd a lovely or a n g e p e el t a n g. T he e g g s florent i ne a re pre t t y d a r ned fi ne to o.

T he York b y p a s s a nd M1 g e t u s sout hw a rd A f ter a couple of d ay s t he A s t r a’s i nter ior is m a k i n g sense It ’s ob v iou s t he s c ree n s a nd cont rols a re Pe u g eot u nder ne at h , but Vau x h a l l i nter f a ce de si g ner s t h re w out some of t he flou r ishe s, ke pt it del ib er ately ord i n a r y, a nd ended up w it h some t h i n g u s e f u l a nd e a s y to f at hom T h is U lt i m ate s p e c h a s a he a d-up d is play but t here ’s no need b e c au s e you c a n e a si ly s u b d i v ide a nd a r r a n g e dem a rc at ion a mon g t he ot her s c ree n s for n av i g at ion , enter t a i n ment a nd t r ip computer – w h ich b y t he w ay c a n re p or t 45mp g on t he motor w ay a nd 3 0 -plu s i n t he h i l ls T he A s t r a feels merc i f u l ly le s s bu l k y t h a n a c rossover but it s b a c k s e at is more c r a mp ed t h a n some r iv a l h atche s, so i f you were sit t i n g t here for lon g you m i g ht feel a g g r ie ved I h aven’t he a rd my bi ke mo a n i n g.

mos t acces sible route s i n t he D erby sh i re Pe a k s You c a n p a rk r i g ht ne a r t he b a s e a nd i n fi ve m i nute s b e at t he t r i g -p oi nt ap e x , w here a sh a r p r id g e op en s b e fore you T h at ’s a n e a s y s t rol l – t he Nat ion a l T r u s t h a s put s tone sla bs dow n over mos t of it s len g t h – but t he v ie w ’s e xce pt ion a l It ’s l i ke b ei n g hois ted

T hei r m i l k g o e s i nto homem a de ice c re a m t h at ’s sold r i g ht t here i n t he f a r my a rd a nd t a s te s w hol ly s up e r b We pro ceed to overdo it b y

remove t he upp er i nver ted cone for a ver t ic a l s t r a i g ht- si x Hu z z a h I n a l l hone s t y t hou g h , t h is over a bu nd a nce g o e s a g a i n s t t he s pi r it of ou r t r ip E x t r av a g a nt I n s t a g r a m m a ble lo c at ion s a nd a c t iv it ie s a re a l l ver y wel l. B ut t he d i g n it y of w h at is mo de s t , wel l c r a f ted a nd ord i n a r y, more now t h a n for ye a r s, h a s a lot more to b e s a id for it

O rd i n a r y c a r s f a s c i n ate me T he y ’re t he h a rde s t of a l l to de si g n a nd en g i neer, b e c au s e e ver y p en ny is cou nted, e ver y l a s t g r a m of C O 2 m at ter s, e ver y m i l l i me t re of s p a c e is me a s u red , a nd f au lt s a re u n for g iv i n g ly e x p os ed b y t he br ut a l it ie s of d a i ly u s e. T he b e s t of t hem mee t t hos e b or i n g g o a ls w h i le b ei n g more de si r a ble t h a n t he ne x t comp a ny ’s pro duc t t h at w a s bu i lt to e x a c t ly t he s a me p a r a me ter s A mon g t h is ye a r ’s, t h at h a s b e en b e s t ach ie ved b y t he A s t r a

Most of a l l, ord i na r y ca rs a re t he ones t hat a re woven i nto ou r memor ies. T he y ma ke accessible ou r best jou r ne y s, people, places a nd roads T he y ’re t he ca rs of ou r l ives a nd for t hat we cher ish t hem

PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 RS

The or ig ins of a m id-eng ined Cay ma n powered by t he GT3’s m ight y 4 0 -litre, 9,0 0 0 r pm flat si x may not be what you t h in k “I was ver y close to Wolfg a ng Hatz

[Porsche’s R & D ch ief], ” A nd reas P reu n inger, boss of Porsche’s GT ca r depa r tment told TopGear “One day he sa id ‘Hey, come on, let’s ta ke a GT3 eng ine, a nd put it in a GT4’ ” R equ i r i n g re to ol i n g a nd a lot of su r g er y to g e t a ne w he a r t i n , t he GT de p a r t ment k ne w it w a s a p a i n to do, so t he y le f t it B ut , some t i me later, Wol f g a n g Hat z ’s bi r t hd ay

c a me up a nd A nd re a s P re u n i n g er d id n’t h ave a pre s ent for h i m . T h at ’s w hen he h a d a l i g htbu lb moment k now i n g a n iT u ne s g i f t voucher wou ld n’t qu ite c ut it

“ We s a id , ‘OK , we ’ l l m a ke a s u r pr is e for h i m We ’ l l m a ke a protot y p e w it h t he GT 3 en g i ne i n a 981 C ay m a n b e c au s e we w a nted to do it a ny w ay ’ ”

T h is b ec a me t he fi r s t mu le for t he GT4 R S . A nd w hen t he y p a rke d it i n Wol f g a n g ’s g a r a g e for h is bi r t hd ay, t he y k ne w t he y h a d some t h i n g s p e c i a l Luck i ly Por s che ’s b o a rd a g reed

A nd you c a n see w hy, a s t he c a r it b e c a me – t he 718 GT4 R S – is a s p or t s c a r t h at t ick s a l l t he b oxe s for p eople l i ke u s w ho see d r iv i n g a s a n e vent or p a s sion , r at her t h a n a w ay to g e t f rom A to B .

It s z i n g y, z app y a nd re v some en g i ne is a t r iu mph of combu s t ion , a mpl i fied b y g e n iu s c a rb on- fibre a i r i nt a ke s w here t he re a r w i ndow s u s ed to b e – m a k i n g e ver yone i n t he c a bi n p a r t of t he i nt a ke pro ce s s.

It h a s ut terly del ic iou s s te e r i n g , p ower f u l br a ke s a nd v is u a ls t h at a re a g g re s sive but not out la nd ish . It ’s u s a ble a nd fo c u s ed but

O R D S R O W A N H O R N C A S T L E

P E R F O R M A N C E C A R O F T H E Y E A R

PEUGEOT 205 GTI TOLMAN

I k n o w p e o p l e a r e g o i n g t o s a y i t ’s n o t a n e w c a r, b u t i t ’s a r e s t o m o d , s o i t s o r t o f i s B o t t o m l i n e , o f a l l t h e c a r s I ’ v e d r i v e n t h i s s e r i e s i t ’s t h e o n e I h a d m o s t f u n i n I w a n t e d o n e w h e n I w a s 1 9 o r 2 0 a n d I c o u l d n ’ t g e t i n s u r e d , s o t h i s w a s t h e fi r s t t i m e I ’ v e d r i v e n o n e a n d i t w a s a n a b s o l u t e t r e a t W h e n I g o t i n i t a r o u n d D u n s f o l d i t d i d n ’ t l e t m e d o w n , i t w a s a r e v e l a t i o n N o g i z m o s , n o h i g h - t e c h s t u f f, j u s t a p r o p e r d r i v e r ’s c a r I t w a s n ’ t a s q u i c k a s a m o d e r n h o t h a t c h , o f c o u r s e , b u t i t w a s s o m u c h m o r e n i m b l e a n d j u s t s o s t i c k y i n t h e c o r n e r s n o m a t t e r h o w h a r d I p u s h e d i t I t h i n k a b e t t e r d r i v e r c o u l d h a v e g o t e v e n m o r e o u t o f t h e t y r e s , t o o

D o w n s i d e s ? W e l l , £ 4 5 k i s p u n c h y f o r a n o l d P e u g e o t , b u t w i t h t h e p r i c e o f n e w c a r s , a n d t h e f a c t t h a t P e u g e o t w i l l s e l l y o u a h y b r i d 5 0 8 e s t a t e f o r £ 6 0 k , I d o n ’ t a c t u a l l y t h i n k i t ’s t h a t b a d Fre d d i e F l i n to f f

not on t he s a me s p e c t r u m a s t he GT 3 R S or GT 3, me a n i n g it ’s enjoy a ble on t he ro a d i n more t h a n fi r s t g e a r

The Cay ma n GT4 R S may be Porsche’s GT depa r tment at its best; offer ing con fidenceinspir ing a nd aspirationa l per for ma nce you wa nt to eng a ge w it h wholehea r ted ly It’s a lso what happens when t he Porsche boa rd loosens its tie a nd a llows t he Cay ma n to edge towa rds t he 911’s per for ma nce, a nd when Porsche’s GT depa r tment loosens its stra it jacket It m ight be t he best bir t hday present a nyone cou ld w ish for

M A G E L E E B R M B L E

F R E D D I E ’ S C A R O F T H E Y E A R

R A N G E R O V E R

E ver yone i n t he c a r bu si ne s s love s t he R a n g e Rover T he or i g i n a l w a s a ju mp ed-up f a r m veh icle t h at somehow i nvented t he SU V –t hou g h we shou ld ack nowled g e 19 62’s Jee p Wa g oneer here, de si g ned b y a m a n c a l led Ji m A n g er – but a c ros s 50 -plu s ye a r s it h a s b e come t he lo de s t a r for lu x u r y. T h at ’s cer t a i n ly how J L R ’s ch ie f c re at ive o fficer G er r y Mc G over n s e e s it G er r y a nd h is te a m h ave re a ched a p oi nt w here t he y ’re i n comple te com m a nd of w h at t he y do a nd how t he y w a nt t he R a n g e Rover to lo ok a nd feel T he re s u lt is s p e c t a c u l a r, not ju s t i n de si g n ter m s – it ’s a n automot ive s up e r y a c ht – but a lso a s a demon s t r at ion of t he comp a ny ’s en g i neer i n g chops

It ’s not a bly a e ro d y n a m ic for a bi g SU V, w it h a d r a g co e ffic ient of 0 3 0 a nd a smo ot her f ront a l a re a T he p a nel g aps a nd shut l i ne s a re f a bu lou sly t i g ht , t he flu sh g l a z i n g a but t i n g t he b o d y side s b e aut i f u l ly T he r a i n g ut ter i n g is h idden D e si g n pu shed en g i neer i n g – a nd v ice ver s a –a nd t he re s u lt is a s much a n o de to me t a l b e at i n g a nd

W O R D S J A S O N B A R L O W P H O T O G R A P H Y J O N N Y F L E E T W O O D

m a nu f a c t u r i n g tech n ique a s it is a e s t he t ic s T here a re t h i n g s on t h is c a r t h at cou ld n’t h ave b een done fi ve ye a r s a g o T hen t here ’s t he i nter ior, i nc re a si n g ly t he fo c a l p oi nt for lu x u r y U lt r a f a br ic a nd Kv a d r at a re s u s t a i n a ble a lter n at ive s to le at her t h at a re t a c t i le a nd com for t a ble, i f a l it t le oppre s sive ton a l ly. T he R a n g ie ’s i nter ior a nd i n fot a i n ment a re le s s techy t h a n Mercede s ’ Hy p er s c reen or t he s e t-up i n t he ne w BM W 7- S er ie s A mon g t he t r i m le vels you’ l l fi nd A utobio g r aphy a nd S V, w h ich is w here t he R R c e a s e s b ei n g a c a r a nd b ecome s a ‘c u r ated’ lu x u r y e x p er ience. R ide i n a n S V w it h t he Si g n at u re S u ite opt ion a nd h i g h l i g ht s i nclude a s elec t ion of plated me t a ls, cer a m ics, mos a ic m a rque t r y, a nd cont r a s t i n g colou r s for t he f ront a nd re a r s e at s A n opt ion a l ‘club t a ble ’ r is e s on a 3D pr i nted s upp or t out of a fi xed , f u l l-len g t h cent re con sole You won’t fi nd a sh abb y piece of s w itch g e a r or a du ff but ton a ny w here. It h a s t he b e s t i nter ior do orh a nd le s of a ny c a r on s a le It a lso rem a i n s m i g ht y o ff -ro a d T he ne w R a n g e Rover h a sn’t ju s t conquered t he mou nt a i n , it ’s d r iven up it .

P A D D Y ’ S C A R O F T H E Y E A R

M y C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 2 h a s g o t t o b e t h e n e w R a n g e R o v e r I t ’s a b s o l u t e l y b e a u t i f u l , i t t i c k s a l l t h e b o x e s , e s p e c i a l l y i f y o u w a n t t o g o o f f- r o a d i n g i n a c a r t h a t ’s g o i n g t o c o s t y o u w e l l o v e r £ 1 0 0 k w h i c h y o u w o n ’ t , b u t i t ’s n i c e t o k n o w i t ’s g o t t h e c a p a b i l i t i e s I ’ v e a l w a y s h a d R a n g e R o v e r s , w h e n t h e S p o r t fi r s t c a m e o u t i n 2 0 0 5 I h a d o n e o f t h e m – a c t u a l l y w h e n t h e k i d s c a m e a l o n g w e h a d a D i s c o v e r y, b u t y o u g e t t h e p o i n t – w e ’ v e a l w a y s h a d o t h e r s t u f f, b u t R a n g i e s h a v e b e e n t h e c o n s t a n t t h r o u g h o u t H o w c a n s o m e t h i n g t h a t b i g b e s o e a s y t o d r i v e ? I t ’s a l w a y s b a f fl e d m e T h i s n e w o n e , t h e y ’ v e m a n a g e d t o m a k e i t a l o t q u i e t e r, t h e b o d y s u r f a c e h a s b e e n s m o o t h e d t o b e m o r e a e r o d y n a m i c , t h e r e a r e n o i s e c a n c e l l i n g s p e a k e r s i n t h e h e a d r e s t s t o b e f a i r, t h e l a s t o n e w a s n ’ t e x a c t l y c r u d e , b u t t h i s o n e ’s a m i r a c l e C h r i s a n d I t o o k i t o f f- r o a d i n g a n d t h e p l a c e s i t c a n g o a r e c r a z y, b u t t h e s a d t h i n g i s t h a t 9 9 p e r c e n t o f b u y e r s a r e n e v e r g o i n g t o u s e i t t o t h e f u l l e x t e n t o f i t s a b i l i t i e s – i t ’ l l s h u t t l e b a c k a n d f o r t h o n t h e s c h o o l r u n , n e v e r l e a v i n g t h e t a r m a c . I f y o u ’ r e a l o t t e r y w i n n e r a n d y o u l i v e o n a m a s s i v e f a r m , y o u ’ l l b e a m a z e d a t w h a t t h i s t h i n g c a n d o Pa d d y M cG u i n n es s

C A R W E ’ R E M O S T L O O K I N G F O R W A R D T O D R I V I N G I N 2 0 2 3

Lamborghini’s been threatening to unleash a jacked-up of f-road

Huracán f or year s . Now, it ’s gone and done it

Automot ive produc t c ycles of ten m im ic rea l li fe – t he y beg in nois y a nd f u l l of hope, spend some t i me mat u r in g, set t le into t he solid med ioc r it y of m idd le a ge a nd t hen qu iet ly slip aw ay into obsc u r it y, gent ly shu ffled f rom pr ice lists. B ut superc a rs tend to be a bit d i fferent . T he y ’re t he play boy u ncles a nd au nt ies of t he c a r world, t he ones t hat g row old d isg r acef u l ly, get d r u n k at wedd in g s a nd wea r inappropr iate clot hes Ca rs t hat g a in don’t- g ive - a- da m n luc id it y in t he pa lliat ive c a re w a rd of t he automobile T he t r ut h is, im m inent replacement f rees up c reat iv it y bot h in ter ms of rem it a nd accou nt a nc y, a nd a l low s for spec ia ls t hat a re t r u ly wor t hy of t he na me Ta ke t he La mbor gh in i Hu r ac á n, for ex a mple, a med iu m-si z ed superc a r t hat ’s been ter ror isin g Fer r a r is since 2 014. We ’ ve a l ready had t he Tec n ic a a nd STO in t he pa st 18 mont hs, a r g u ably t wo of t he most complete iter at ions of t he Hu r ac á n blood line t hus f a r, a nd now we have somet h in g t hat comes a s a bit of a c u r veba l l – a produc t ion version of t he La mbor gh in i Hu r ac á n Ster r ato concept f rom 2 019. O f cou rse, t he na me itsel f g ives t he g a me aw ay i f you spea k a ny It a l ia n, bec ause s te r rato liter a lly mea ns ‘d ir t road’ in It a l ia nese. A na me

“WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT IS A GRAVELSPEC HURACÁN RALLY CAR, OR WHAT AMOUNTS TO A HURACÁN SAFARI”

t hat does aw ay w it h roma nt ic wh ims y in favou r of bein g absolutely desc r ipt ive – t h is is a Hu r ac á n w it h ex t r a d ir t road abilit y. Not a n Ur us SU V w it h chu n k y t y res, t hen? La mbor gh in i, we sa lute you So what ’s t he Ster r ato for, ex ac t ly? La mbor gh in i’s been light on t he det a il so fa r, but t he compa ny reckons t he Ster r ato is bot h “ br ave a nd u nex pec ted” a nd ex pa nds t he concept of a Hu r ac á n bein g f u n to d r ive by add in g some off -road c apabilit y. W h ich seems rea sonable w it h most of t he Hu r ac á n r a n ge spor t in g a l l-wheel d r ive B ut what c au ght ou r e ye were t he a l most lost lines t hat decla re t hat t he Ster r ato w ill have “ top t r ac t ion on loose su r faces w it h foc us on g r avel” a nd “ ba la nced oversteer for f u n-to - d r ive cha r ac ter ist ics” It ’s ha rd not to reach t he conclusion t hat what we ’re look in g at is a g r avel-spec Hu r ac á n r a l ly c a r, or a lter nat ively what a mou nts to a Hu r ac á n S a fa r i

A nd it doesn’t stop t here Appa rent ly t h is not on ly opens up a “ ne w f ront ier ” but it ’ l l a lso be t he qu ickest Hu r ac á n on a “ seconda r y, bu mpy road” Now g iven t he U K is liber a l ly veined w it h what c a n acc u r ately be desc r ibed a s bu mpy seconda r y roads, it sou nds li ke a Hu r ac á n t hat usef u l ly ex pa nds t he rem it of what it mea ns to be a superc a r.

So to ma ke a Hu r ac á n properly g r avel a nd B-road c apable, La mbor gh in i’s made some proper adjustments. T he f ront bu mper, rea r bu mper a nd side sk ir ts a re a l l rein forced a nd reprofi led to a) stop t hem bein g w iped off li ke wet t issue paper i f t he y sc r ape a geog r aph ic a l feat u re a nd b) inc rea se approach a nd depa r t u re a n gles to help neg ate t hat issue in t he fi rst place T here ’s a f ront sk idplate, elements of u nderbody a r mou r a nd a gener a l bu l k up. T here a re f u nc t iona l roof r a ils (t he y ’ l l no doubt lead to t he ine v it able add it ion of opt ionable ‘ li fest yle ’ , probably involv in g a ne ver used roof tent a nd lightba r), bon net-mou nted lights a nd a n in let scoop a head of t he rea r sc reen . T hat ’s to feed t he en g ine clea n a ir a lon g i nt a kes t wea ked to avoid potent ia l in g ress of d ir t a nd w ater. T here a re a lso chu n k y bolt- on a rches t hat cover a t r ack w idt h inc rea sed by 30 m m at t he f ront a nd 3 4m m at t he rea r, but more on t hat in a moment T he en g ine itsel f is – a s ex pec ted – a 5. 2-l it re nat- a sp V 10 a s per t he st a nda rd Hu r ac á n RW D, mea n in g a n ea s y a nd reliable 6 0 0bhp a nd 413lb f t of torque, w it h a red line at 8,70 0 r pm . T here ’s a ded ic ated en g ine t u ne for Ster r ato, but seein g a s t hat ma x imu m torque fi g u re

isn’t ach ie ved u nt i l 6 5k, you’ l l st i l l have to re v it Not u su a l ly a problem, seei n g a s t hat V 10 at above 8, 50 0 r pm shou ld be reg istered a s a n au r a l nat iona l t rea su re W hy no ex t reme horsepower? Wel l, w it h t hat state of t u ne represent i n g a fa i rly rela xed opt ion, it ’s probably more to do w it h d r iv abi l it y a nd rel iabi l it y t ha n a ny t h i n g else – plu s on loose su r faces, hu ge horsepower is less usef u l t ha n t he abi l it y to put what you’ ve got to t he ac t ua l g rou nd . B olted to t he en g i ne is t he fa m i l ia r 7spd padd lesh i f t t hat d r ives t h rou gh La mborgh i n i’s usua l per ma nent, adaptable AW D, t h is t i me w it h more speci fic LDV I (‘La mborgh i n i i nteg r ated veh icle dy na m ics’) wh ich now ha s a n ex t r a set t i n g for t he A n i ma mode selec tor T hose opt ions now read; St r ada (road), Spor t (er spor t) a nd R a l ly W it h R a l ly su g gest i n g a heav y rea r bia s a nd much excitement. T here a re a lso i nter ior t wea ks, but a s yet, fi na l produc t ion spec is st i l l to be decided A l l we k now is t hat t here a ren’t a ny hu ge cha n ges a nd t here ’s a ne w t y pe of speci fica l ly de veloped A lca nta r a for t he Ster r ato ca lled ‘ Verde Ster r ato’, t here ’s a logo on t he seats, a nd t here ’s a pitch a nd rol l readout T hou g h one a ssu mes t hat i f you’re i n a posit ion where t he side slope is enou gh to u nset t le a ca r a s low a s t h is, you’re ba sica l ly c r a sh i n g i n slow mot ion a ny w ay But probably t he most i mpor ta nt – a nd obv iou s – a spec t of t he Ster r ato is t he su spension. Because it ’s got a lot more of it t ha n a sta nda rd ca r. So let ’s work f rom t he g rou nd up T he wheels a nd t y res a re sma l ler a nd t a l ler respec t ively, w it h 19 i n r i ms on a l l fou r cor ners combi ned w it h a l l-ter r a i n t y res w it h fat ter side w a l ls a nd a more a g g ressive t read t ha n you u su a l ly fi nd on a m id-en g i ned superca r Br a kes a re t he usua l ca rbon cer a m ic items – seems odd a s steel wou ld offer more i n it ia l bite a nd you’re probably not goi n g to be stoppi n g t he Ster r ato f rom 150 +mph l i ke you m ight a more ded icated t r ack specia l – but t he y work on t he Hu r acá n on t he road, so no rea l rea son why t he y shou ld be a problem here. T hose wheels a nd t y res a lso get more f reedom of movement, w it h wheel t r avel i nc rea sed 25 per cent on t he f ront a x le a nd 35 per cent on t he rea r, a nd a r ide height i nc rea se of 4 4m m over somet h i n g l i ke a Hu r acá n E vo T he ex t r a t r avel w i l l a l low t he ca r to h it big ger feat u res w it hout bot tom i n g t he su spension a nd clat ter i n g t he bu mp stops. More su spension mea ns less bou nce, wh ich equa ls more cont rol A nd u lt i mately more f u n Don’t forget, t h is isn’t supposed to be a n off-roader or mud-plu g g i n g La nd Rover Defender w a n nabe You ca n’t help but t h i n k it w i l l appea l to ma rkets for whom road i n f r a st r uc t u re l i m its enjoy ment of super-low superca rs – C h i na ha s bad roads a nd plent y of m i l l iona i res. F i rst i mpressions? In t he meta l, t he Ster r ato ju st looks absolutely r ight T he Hu r acá n ha sn’t e ver rea l ly been a ‘ pret t y ’ ca r a s such It ’s bold a nd aest het ic, but t here ’s a lot of testosterone a nd geomet r y i n t he m i x . W h ich mea ns t he Ster r ato’s protei n-fi l led add it ions don’t look out of place In fac t, t he y su it it, especia l ly t he roof r a i ls a nd ex posed bolt wheela rches OK , so t he f ront d r iv i n g l ig hts don’t feel pa r t ic u la rly wel l i nteg r ated dow n on t he for w a rd ed ge of t he bon net, but e ver y t h i n g else gels Per for ma nce fi g u res haven’t been relea sed a s yet, but g iven t he weight a nd en g i ne, you’re st i l l look i n g at u nder 3 5secs to 62mph for t he spr i nt a nd a 185+mph top speed, so not ex ac t ly slack i n g A nd t here ’s t he poi nt t hat t he Ster r ato isn’t necessa r i ly about paper-ba sed poi nts scor i n g – t he en g i neer i n g cha n ges w rou ght by La mborgh i n i a re more about ex pa nd i n g t he ba se Hu r acá n’s com for t z one B y doi n g so, it ma kes for a Hu r acá n t hat ca n be enjoyed more f u l ly, more of t he t i me A f ter a l l, we ’re a l l probably nea rer a g r avel road or bu mpy B-road t ha n a ha ndy r acet r ack

But say i n g t hat, t he i nterest i n g t h i n g here is t hat t h is m ight be t he most f u n to d r ive Hu r acá n of a l l, at lea st for mere mor ta ls W it h more prog ressive brea kaw ay f rom t he t y res, lon ger su spension t r avel a nd more tendenc y to teleg r aph what t he g r ip is doi n g, t he Ster r ato m ight a lso be appreciably more of a lau gh on a n ac t ua l c i rc u it t ha n some of its t r ack foc u sed sibl i n g s. Slower, su re, but not necessa r i ly worse, a nd ju st a s loud . A nd when you add t hat abi l it y to at tack a g r avel or seconda r y road w it h t he cor rec t a mou nt of v i m w it hout t he t h reat of da ma g i ng ver y ex pensive su spension, t he Ster r ato m ight wel l be t he best Hu r acá n... wel l, e ver.

Stuttgart’s hero has also grown up... quite literally

Yo u w a i t a g e s f o r a s t o r i e d m a r q u e t o b u i l d y o u a p u m p e d - u p s p o r t s c a r w i t h a r m o u r e d w h e e l a r c h e s s t u f f e d w i t h g n a r l i e r t y r e s , t h e n t w o c o m e a t o n c e P o r s c h e h a s b e e n t h r e a t e n i n g t o g i v e t h e 9 1 1 s o m e ‘A l l r o a d ’ t r e a t m e n t f o r a w h i l e n o w, h a v i n g b u i l t a f u n c t i o n a l ‘ S a f a r i ’ c o n c e p t u s i n g t h e o l d 9 9 1 - g e n c a r, b u t i t ’s fi n a l l y g o i n g m a i n s t r e a m w i t h t h e 9 9 2 , u s i n g t h e 4 7 6 b h p AW D p o w e r t r a i n f r o m t h e s w e e t s p o t C a r r e r a G T S A p p a r e n t l y t h e 6 5 0 b h p Tu r b o S d r i v e t r a i n i s t r i c k y t o k e e p c o o l i n t h e d e s e r t

T h e D a k a r i s a l i m i t e d r u n o f 2 , 5 0 0 c a r s a t € 2 2 2 , 0 0 0 a p o p – b e f o r e y o u o p t i o n t h e o f fi c i a l (w i n d t u n n e l t e s t e d ) s p o t l i g h t i n f e s t e d r o o f- r a c k , t h e j e r r y c a n s ( i s P o r s c h e a l l o w e d t o c a l l t h e m t h a t ? ) a n d t h e R o t h m a n s t r i b u t e l i v e r y, n o d d i n g t o t h e D a k a r R a l l y w i n n i n g 9 1 1 s a n d 9 5 9 o f t h e E i g h t i e s A c t i v e a n t i - r o l l b a r s a r e s t a n d a r d , a s i s t h e 9 1 1 G T 3 ’s r e a r- w h e e l s t e e r i n g , c a r b o n - fi b r e b o n n e t , b u c k e t s e a t s a n d r o l l c a g e T h e r e a r e n o b a c k s e a t s e i t h e r a n d t h e g l a s s i s t h i n n e r – a l l t o s a v e w e i g h t P o r s c h e c l a i m s t h e 1 , 6 0 5 k g D a k a r w e i g h s j u s t 1 0 k g m o r e t h a n a 4 x 4 9 1 1 G T S , d e s p i t e h e f t y t y r e s B e a w a r e t h i s i s t h e s l o w e s t 9 1 1 s i n c e t h e S i x t i e s t h o u g h : l i m i t e d t o 1 4 9 m p h , b e c a u s e o f t h o s e t r e a d b l o c k s O l l i e Kew

P O R S C H E 9 1 1 D A K A R

S U P E R C A R O F T H E Y E A R

FERRARI 296 GTB

Th is has been a v inta ge yea r for t he superca r. Some continue to ra ge a g a inst t he dy ing of inter na l combustion, w it h La mborgh in i somehow ma na g ing to fi nd more life in t he a geing Hu r acá n chassis, a nd A ston plon k ing t he big gest motor it ca n fi nd in t he Va nta ge. Porsche has sou ght to bend nat u re w it h t he latest GT 3 R S, creating perhaps t he fi rst ca r to live in t he shadow of its ow n w ing, wh ile Maserati has stepped out of t he shadows a nd g iven us its fi rst superca r for 50 yea rs. McLa ren, mea nwh ile, has delivered t he A r t u ra

T he hybr id superca r era has a r r ived. However, its fi rst icon doesn’t belong to

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A l c a n t a r a , t h e l i t t l e m e t a l g e a r l e v e r, i t ’ s a c a r t h a t m a k e s m e s m i l e I t ’ s t h e r i g h t s i z e ; i n a w o r l d w h e r e e v e r y t h i n g i s e x c e s s i v e a n d o v e r p o w e r e d i t j u s t h i t s t h e s p o t , a n d w h e n I d r o v e i t a t D u n s f o l d , I f o u n d m y s e l f b e h a v i n g b a d l y a n d t h a t ’ s w h a t r e a l l y m a t t e r s T h e P o r s c h e C a y m a n G T4 R S r a n i t v e r y c l o s e , i t ’ s a l o t o f m o n e y, a b i t t o o r a r e fi e d , b u t i t ’ s s p e c i a l b e c a u s e i t ’ s n o t j u s t a b o u t l a p t i m e s a n d s p e e d , i t ’ s a b o u t f e e l a n d e m o t i o n H a v i n g t h o s e i n t a k e s b y y o u r e a r s g o o d L o r d I t h i n k t h e R i m a c N e v e r a a t a r o u n d £ 2 m i s n ’ t r e a l l y c o m p a r a b l e , b u t i t ’ s i m p o r t a n t , b e c a u s e t h e t e c h t h a t ’ s £ 2 m t o d a y w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e i n fi v e y e a r s a t a f r a c t i o n o f t h e p r i c e , a n d i f t h a t ’ s t h e c a s e w e ’ r e g o i n g t o h a v e t o r e l e a r n h o w t o d r i v e b e c a u s e i t ’ s j u s t s o f a s t S o , t h o s e a r e m y t h r e e , b u t m y C a r o f t h e Y e a r ? I t ’ s t h i s H o n d a

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* T h i s o f f e r i s o p e n t o U K d e i v e r y a d d r e s s e s o n l y a n d i s s u b j e c t t o a v a i a b i t y O f f e r e n d s 1 1 J a n u a r y 2 0 2 3 T h e L E G O J e e p W r a n g e r i s o n y a v a l a b e t o t h e fi r s t 6 0 0 s u b s c r i b e r s p a y i n g b y D i r e c t D e b i t n o t s i n g e p a y m e n t W e r e s e r v e t h e r g h t t o f u fi a l s u b s e q u e n t o r d e r s w i t h a p r o d u c t o f e q u a l v a u e P l e a s e a l l o w u p t o s i x w e e k s f o r d e i v e r y Yo u w i l p a y £ 3 9 4 9 e v e r y 1 2 s s u e s s a v i n g 4 0 % o n t h e s h o p p r i c e A l s a v n g s a r e c a l c u l a t e d a s a r o u n d e d p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e f u s h o p p r i c e S h o u d t h e m a g a z i n e o r d e r c h a n g e i n f r e q u e n c y w e w i l h o n o u r t h e n u m b e r o f s s u e s a n d n o t t h e t e r m o f t h e s u b s c r p t i o n 1 2 i s s u e s £ 6 6 / E u r o p e a n d R e p u b i c o f I r e a n d : € 1 0 4 / R e s t o f t h e W o r l d $ 1 4 9 / U S A a n d C a n a d a U S $ 1 3 8 / A u s t r a l i a a n d N e w Z e a l a n d : A $ 1 6 3 * * U K c a l l s w l c o s t t h e s a m e a s o t h e r s t a n d a r d fi x e d l i n e n u m b e r s (s t a r t i n g 0 1 o r 0 2 ) a n d a r e i n c l u d e d a s p a r t o f a n y n c l u s i v e o r f r e e m i n u t e s a l l

Joh n B enton is a coi led spr i n g of a ma n H is Ca l i for n ia n workshop may be t ucked aw ay i n A na hei m, sout hea st of dow ntow n L A , but t hat doesn’t mea n B enton Per for ma nce is a qu iet l it t le cor ner i n wh ich to show hushed re verence to sh i ny old Porsches

There’s enou gh of t hat goi n g on else where i n Ca l i for n ia Joh n’s e yes a re w ide a nd h is energ y fi zzi n g a s he leads me a nd photog r apher Jon ny on a tou r much lon ger t ha n h is modest ly si z ed shop had led us to ex pec t, Motow n pu mpi n g loud ly t h rou ghout t he bu i ld i n g a s we t r y ou r best to keep up w it h bot h h is leg s a nd h is a necdotes

It ’d be a bit st ron g to ca ll B enton t he a nt i-Si n ger, not lea st because t he y a ren’t d i rec t ly compa r at ive You’re look i n g at a resto busi ness here r at her t ha n a restomod

busi ness But t here ’s a n e ver y ma n spi r it to B enton’s work, not lea st because Joh n specia l ises i n fou r-c yl i nder Porsches – ch ie fly t he 912 a nd 356 – t hou gh t here ’s t he odd flat-si x 911 ly i n g a rou nd “I’ ve bu i lt a l l sor ts of en g i nes over t he yea rs,” he tel ls me “Fer r a r i, Lot us, w ater- a nd a i r-cooled, sma l l block C he v y En g i nes a re la rgely t he sa me – it ’s l i ke a doc tor lea r n i n g t he hu ma n body when t he y st udy to be a su rgeon. But t here a re l it t le d i fferences i n t hem a l l ”

Joh n ha s beaten 911s i n h is 912 r aceca r a nd clea rly l i kes play i n g t he u nderdog on a nd off t he t r ack “I’m a bit of a t roublema ker I have f u n doi n g a lot w it h less Eu ropea n usabilit y a nd si z e w a s ne ver a sensibi l it y t hat g re w here when t hese ca rs were ne w I’ ve been a cha mpion for t h is cause for a lon g t i me ”

What Benton doesn’t know about Porsche restoration, isn’t worth knowing

H is love for Porsches beg a n w it h h is cousi n’s 912, wh ich he bor rowed at 16 for h is h igh school prom “I had a Vol ks w a gen at t he t i me. I went out to prom but I cou ld n’t w a it to d rop my g i rl home a nd d r ive t he Porsche a l l n ight I d rove t hat ca r i nto su n r ise, it w a s incred ible Nex t day I clea ned her a l l up a nd brou ght her back. I w a s hooked.” That V W w a s t he rea l seed t hat sprouted i nto t he k i n gdom Joh n now su r ve y s, t hou gh “A lot of what I k now w a s sel f-t r a i ned, but I a lw ay s sou ght out ex per ts W hen I w a s 14 I got my ha nds on a ’59 r a g top B ee t le I pa i nted a house to get it. It w a s a tota l pig but it w a s my fi rst love. I d id n’t k now much, but I w a s d r iven So I rode my BM X w it h a broken ca rbu ret tor on t he back to a shop nea r home ca lled Tony ’s Auto Repa i r That ’s t he beg i n n i n g of it a l l, r ight t here I cou ld ta ke you to t he ex ac t spot now ”

Plent y happened bet ween Tony ’s a nd where we sta nd now, t hou gh, i nclud i n g a teena ge Joh n t u r n i n g dow n a $ 4 8m t r u st f u nd when h is dad pa ssed aw ay i n a pla ne cr ash. “ My fat her w a s a r a mbler,” he say s. “I sa id ‘ t he ma n’s a n a sshole, I don’t w a nt it ’ I g ave aw ay t hat t r u st to my you n ger brot her I chose my ow n dea l W hen you g row up

Ah, the joys of classic car restoration – one ‘quick’ job leads into 10 more

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Drop of ju ice and watch the mag ic happen / Porsche-branded fire ex tingu isher / There’s no bad angle on Green Meanie / Sig ned , sea led a nd delivered by Benton

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w it hout a pops, you fi nd you rsel f g row i n g up u nder ot her people. I’ ve had ma ny mentors i n my l i fe but t he y ’ ve a l l been good dudes ” Joh n w a s head hu nted t h rou gh v a r ious wel l-pa id vocat ions – a ma ssi n g elec t r ica l, weld i n g a nd meta l lu rg y sk i l ls a lon g t he w ay – before decid i n g to set up a workshop on h is ow n ter ms “I a lw ay s had my l it t le g a r a ge bu i ld i n g st u ff a nd I used to r ace Then I got out of my professiona l ca reer a s a faci l it ies en g i neer i n 20 05 a nd t hat ’s how t h is occ u r red. It went incrementa lly, it kept get t i n g big ger a nd big ger There w a s t he big fi na ncia l c r a sh i n 2 0 0 9 but my w i fe a nd I have t he sa me house we ’ ve a lw ay s had, we l ive a fa i rly si mple l i fe We weren’t da ma ged too bad ly I st i l l had a 4 01k a nd I l iqu idated it, t hen h i red a l l t he dudes nea rby t hat had shops l i ke m i ne. We used to d r i n k beers toget her on a F r iday a nd com m iser ate I t hou ght we cou ld a l l work toget her a nd have f u n ” ‘F u n’ is cer ta i n ly what ema nates t h rou gh t he bu i ld i n g. But wh i le h is son a lso works at t he shop, t here ’s no nepot ism here; Ia n B enton had to de velop h is ta lent else where before he cou ld work w it h h is ow n pops “I used to help out when my dad d id work i n t he back y a rd,” say s Ia n. “B y t he t i me I w a s at t he a ge I w a s helpf u l – 13, 14 –he sent me out to work i n ot her shops I w a s work i n g on upholster y, brea k i n g ca rs dow n, t hen a mach i ne shop B y t he t i me I w a s 18 I’d a ma ssed enou gh ex per ience for h i m to say ‘come a nd work for me ’ ” Ia n isn’t t he on ly apple i n Joh n’s e ye. Sat i n t he m idd le of t he workshop, glea m i n g br ighter t ha n e ver y t h i n g a rou nd it, is t he Green Mea n ie “B ack i n t he day t h is w a s ac t ively r aced on t he SoCa l scene,” say s Joh n. “It belon ged to a g uy ca lled Ste ve Sch m idt It ’s a lw ay s been t hat colou r – Smy r na Green. It ’s i n old school r ace t r i m before a l l t he meg a r u les; it took t he fi na l chequered fla g at R iverside i n 1989 Then it got lost a nd d isappea red “ S e ver a l yea rs a go, one of my cl ients fou nd it on a n on l i ne auc t ion He got it for a rou nd $55,0 0 0 but t he en g i ne w a s wor n out Fa st for w a rd a fe w yea rs a nd someone tel ls Ste ve v ia socia l med ia t hat t he Green Mea n ie is i n my shop, a nd he say s he ha s t he or ig i na l match i n g nu mbers en g i ne for it. I ca ll up a nd we get it for si x g r a nd. A ta stef u l l it t le 125hp motor My cl ient ha sn’t decided to pa r t w it h it just yet, but I ta ke it out l i ke it ’s my ca r I d r ive it a nd have f u n w it h it. I’d love to r ace it i n h istor ics but he doesn’t w a nt it w recked W hen he decides to sel l it, it ’s m i ne ” But it ’s clea r t hat 912s hold just a s much of Joh n’s a ffec t ion Perhaps more “People fi na l ly get it At its i ncept ion it ’s a ca r t hat saved its compa ny Th is w a s ne ver a poor ma n’s Porsche. It w a s ow ned by doc tors, law yers, pi lots T he y cost a lot of mone y i n 196 6 For a wh i le t he y were a ba rg a i n but t he y ’re com i n g of a ge now It ’d cost t he sa me to restore a Ford P i nto or a Fer r a r i at my shop, t hou gh It ta kes x nu mber of hou rs to ta ke a ca r apa r t, whate ver it is. But now t hat 912 v a lues have gone up, it ma kes more sense to put mone y i nto restor i n g one

“Conversat ions w it h cl ients don’t a lw ay s sta r t w it h ‘ how much? ’ Some people t u r n up a nd a re i n love w it h t hei r ca r I send t he bi l l at t he end a nd I get pa id Per fec t Most ca rs a re w it h us about a yea r but some I’ ve had for t h ree or

fou r I have a recipe a nd i f one pa r t ic u la r i n g red ient isn’t av a i lable, I’m not i nterested i n you r t i metable to get t he ca r back But I get t he i mpat ience, too I’ ve got a Cos wor t hpowered for mu la ca r at home a nd I’d love to get it r u n n i n g but I’m w a it i n g for t he pa r ts f rom En gla nd ” There’s no t y pica l job at B enton – a nd no t y pica l bi l l once it ’s done – but Joh n poi nts me tow a rds a 912 goi n g t h rou gh rou gh ly $10,0 0 0 of restor at ion work wh i le a n en g i ne rebu i ld ha s a med ia n cost of $20,0 0 0, he tel ls me “It ca n be $ 4 0,0 0 0 i f you w a nt i nter na ls t hat a re rea l ly made to ta ke pu n ish ment The good t h i n g about 912 people is t he y d r ive t he hel l out of t hei r ca rs. T he y ’re r a rely g a r a ge queens One c u stomer I bu i lt a n en g i ne for goes autocrossi n g a nd e ver y yea r he ’ l l br i n g t he ca r here for a week for us to look over it.”

But for a l l h is obv ious ex per t ise a nd e ffer vescence, Joh n ha s no i nterest i n r iv a l l i n g t he m i l l ion dol la r approach to Porsche renov at ion you m ight fi nd else where i n Ca l i “I’m qu ite capable of bu i ld i n g a l most a ny t h i n g But when I see somebody de fi le t hese ca rs to ma ke a rei ma g i ned version? It ’s a f ree world, but I’m not i nto it ”

Like father like son , though there’s been no special treatment here

The a r t of dow nplay i n g a sit u at ion is c r it ic a l for deny i n g it s a c t u a l s e ver it y T h is cou ld b e a s si mple a s t he ‘ l it t le ’ bit of kerbi n g w h ich h a s t r a n s for med you r w heel i nto some t h i n g f rom T h e F l i n t s to n e s, or it cou ld b e t he c r ippl i n g h a n g over a f ter tel l i n g you r loved one you’d on ly h a d a fe w d r i n k s

T here ’s a n ent i re ch apter ded ic ated to t h is i n t he S k y l i ne GT-R h a ndb o ok , s t a r t i n g w it h f uel con s u mpt ion b e fore r apid ly i nc re a si n g to f u l l en g i ne i s s ue s C h apter 3 2 re a d s “ I n t he e vent of oi l s t a r v at ion , i n s t r uc t ot her e nt hu si a s t s t h at it is l i kely ju s t a s t ick y v a lve a nd shou ld n’t c o s t much to fi x ” . C h apter 3. 3 cont i nue s “ For en g i ne rebu i ld nu mb er t wo, s u g g e s t si mply t h at t he nois e is b e c au s e t he t i m i n g need s sor t i n g ” A n noy i n g ly t h is h a ndb o ok do e sn’t i nclude w h at to s ay du r i n g en g i ne rebu i ld s nu mb er t h ree a nd fou r B ut , a f ter fi ve ye a r s of GT-R ow ner sh ip, it ’s a sk i l l I ’ ve m a n a g ed to p er fe c t i n order to kee p relat ively s a ne T here is one a re a t h at no a mou nt of dow nplay i n g c a n cover up t hou g h it s ‘qu ick ’ w i nter re f re sh

Nor shou ld it b e dow nplayed eit her, b e c au s e t he work t h at S te ve R ich a rd son a nd h is te a m at SR A utob o d ie s is doi n g g o e s f a r b e yond si mply i nc red ible, a nd much clos er to f u l l- on i n s a n it y He ’s not ju s t t a k i n g bit s o ff a nd g iv i n g t hem a qu ick cle a n ; he ’s u ndoi n g 2 5 ye a r s of a bu s e a nd que s t ion a ble mo d i fic at ion s b e fore e n s u r i n g it ’ l l l a s t for a not her 2 5 more

L o ok at t he u nder side so f a r L o ok s ja z z y, do e sn’t it? B ut lo ok a l it t le clos er a nd now

cou nt how m a ny d i fferent te x t u re s, colou r s a nd m ater i a ls a re u s ed E a ch one m a sked or prede ter m i ned b e fore fit t i n g T he e a s y opt ion here is to g lo s s bla ck e ver y t h i n g – it ’s for g iv i n g a nd to t he u nt r a i ned e ye lo ok s ‘ ne w ’

B ut it a lso d is g u is e s hor ror s a nd c a n b e done w it h mos t p a r t s i n sit u T h at ’s not how S te ve work s E ver y colou r a nd m ater i a l u s ed here h a s b e en obs e s sively chosen to t ie i n w it h ot her comp onents on t he c a r, i nclud i n g t he bron z e T E 37 w heels a nd g re y B re mb o br a ke s It ’s not t r y i n g to b e OE M , it ’s f a r b e t ter t h a n t h at .

E ver y nut a nd b olt – hu nd red s a nd hu nd red s of t hem – h a s b e en eit her cle a ned a nd z i nc plated or re pla ced w it h a ne w item a nd t hen z i nc plated so it do e sn’t s t a nd out E ver y si n g le s u s p e n sion a r m , t he subf r a me s, rol l b a r s a nd e ven t he d r ive sh a f t s a nd hubs h ave b e en removed , cle a ned , v ap ou r bla s ted a nd eit her h a nd p a i nted , or p owder coated It t a ke s S te ve s e ver a l hou r s to cle a n , bla s t a nd coat e ver y

A nd t h is isn’t e ven i nclud i n g a l l of t he a dd it ion a l work t h at ’s b e en u nder t a ken i nclud i n g s t r ippi n g (a nd re w i r i n g) t he ent i re lo om to i ron out ye a r s of do d g y aud io, e a r t h i n g i s s ue s a nd g ener a l de g r a d at ion Ke e p i n m i nd N i s s a n’s m a nu f a c t u r i n g pro ce s s i n 19 9 9 w a sn’t e x a c t ly re volut ion a r y. S t r ip dow n a s to c k GT-R a nd t he i s s ue s you’ l l fi nd w i l l le ave you ter r i fied lon g b e fore you t h row ro a d u s e at it for dec a de s E ver y up d ate t h at S te ve s end s t h rou g h b o g g le s my m i nd A t t h is p oi nt , I h ave absolutely no ide a on t he hou r s t h at h ave g one i nto it , ot her t h a n a lot A nd w hen it ’s fi n ished it ’ l l e s s e nt i a l ly b e a z ero -m i le c a r, w it h a n ent i rely ne w en g i ne, ne w p a i nt work , a nd f u l ly rebu i lt shel l Ter r i f y i n g w hen it s v a lue is clos er to a Fer r a r i 4 8 8 t h a n a n old N i s s a n now

T he sensible t h i n g wou ld b e to g a r a g e it a nd w ave it u nder t he nos e of some i nve s tor T h at ’s w h at I ’ ve told my sel f a nd ot her s w ho ’ ve a sked S o w hy a m I now lo ok i n g for a much bi g g er t u rb o to b olt onto t he ne w en g i ne?

T h a n k f u l ly, t he N i s s a n h a ndb o ok h a s t h at covered C h apter 3 4 s ay s “ I n for m p eople you w i l l d r ive it l i g ht ly b e c au s e of it s v a lue T hen r u n it at 1,0 0 0 bhp a nd de v a lue it g re at ly b y blow i n g up a not her en g i ne ” M a r k R i cci o n i

Internationally renowned photographer Mark has been working with T G for many, many years When not taking photos he ’s buying inappropriate cars Here he shares his addiction with the world

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“AT T H I S P O I N T I H AV E A B S O L U T E LY N O I D E A T H E H O U R S T H AT H AV E G O N E I N T O I T ”

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i t s se l f- l eve l l i n g , e l e c t ro n i ca l l y co n t ro l l e d hyd ro p n e u m a t i c s u s p e n s i o n t h a t p ro m i se d a s i l k y s m o o t h r i d e. D es p i te w i n n i n g p l e n t y of p l a u d i t s fro m t h e a u to m o t i ve m e d i a , sa l es s u f fe re d d u e to p e rce i ve d u n re l i a b i l i t y i ss u es , a n d i t wa s q u i e t l y p h a se d o u t 11 ye a rs l a te r.

H AT ’ S T H E C A R O N T H E L E F T ?

T h e f i rs t exe cu t i ve sa l o o n fro m Ci t ro e n’s l u x u r y s u b - b ra n d , t h e DS 9 l a u n ch e d i n 2 02 0 a n d i s h e re to ta ke t h e f i g h t to i t s p re m i u m G e r m a n r i va l s D es i g n -w i se t h e re’s m u ch ch ro m e t r i m p l u s seve ra l n o d s to DSes of o l d , i n cl u d i n g t h ose co r n e t-s t y l e l i g h t s o n t h e C- p i l l a rs L i ke t h e XM , h oweve r, i t s b i g g es t p a r t y t r i ck i s i t s Ac t i ve Sca n S u s p e n s i o n , w h i ch wo r k s by wa y of a ca m e ra w h i ch sca n s t h e ro a d a h e a d i n co nj u n c t i o n w i t h m u l t i p l e se n so rs , w i t h ea ch w h e e l i n d i v i d u a l l y d a m p e d to i m p rove r i d e q u a l i t y Cl eve r s t u f f

W H AT ’ S T H E D I F F E R E N C E I N P O W E R ?

T h e XM wa s a va i l a b l e w i t h a ra n g e of d i ese l a n d p e t ro l e n g i n es – i n cl u d i n g a 3 0 - l i t re V6 – t h ro u g h o u t i t s l i fe t i m e, w i t h t h i s e a r l y exa m p l e fe a t u r i n g a 2 0 - l i t re p e t ro l p ro d u ci n g 130 b h p m a te d to a fo u r-s p e e d a u to m a t i c g e a r b ox . DS 9 b u ye rs g e t a ch o i ce of a

1 6 - l i t re p e t ro l 4 c y l g o o d fo r 222 b h p, a p l u g - i n hy b r i d (a s we h a ve h e re) t h a t p a i rs a l esse r 1 6 - l i t re p e t ro l e n g i n e w i t h a 1 0 8 b h p e l e c t r i c m o to r fo r a n i d e n t i ca l 222 b h p a n d u p to 3 4 m i l es of a l l - e l e c t r i c ra n g e Pl u s t h e re’s a ra n g e -to p p i n g 355 b h p va r i a n t

G O T C H A S O W H AT ’ S T H E X M L I K E ? Set t l i n g i n , t h e f i rs t t h i n g yo u n o t i ce i s t h e g l o r i o u s s i n g l e -s p o ke s te e r i n g w h e e l – re p l a ce d o n l a te r fa ce l i f te d m o d e l s – s h o r t l y fo l l owe d by j u s t h ow b e a u t i fu l l y sof t t h e s e a t s a re At l owe r s p e e d s i t ’s a co m fo r ta b l e cr u i se r, b u t u p t h e a n te a n d t h e 2 0 - l i t re e n g i n e fe e l s so m ew h a t u n d e r p owe re d . St i l l , i t ’s o h -so co m fo r ta b l e, w i t h t h e fa n c y s u s p e n s i o n s m o t h e r i n g o u t a ny b u m ps i n t h e ro a d Ow n e r Ro b re g u l a r l y u ses t h i s o n h i s 1 0 0 - m i l e ro u n d co m m u te, a n d i t ’s n o t h a rd to s e e w hy. W h a t re l i a b i l i t y i ss u es?

A

N D T H E D S 9 ?

W h e re t h e X M fe e l s d e l i g h t fu l l y o l d s c h o o l , t h e DS 9 fe e l s s u i t a b l y p re m i u m , w i t h i t s d i g i t a l d i a l s , fa n c y i n fo t a i n m e n t s ys t e m , p l u s h m a t e r i a l s a n d co co o n e d i n t e r i o r. I n t r u t h , t h e re a re few s i m i l a r i t i e s b e t we e n t h e s e t wo , t h e DS 9 fe e l s p o s i t i ve l y s p a ce a g e by co m p a r i s o n . O n t h e m ove t h e DS 9 g l i d e s w h e re t h e X M f l o a t s co u r t e s y o f i t s s m a r t s u s p e n s i o n – s l i g h t l y f i r m e r, l e s s fo rg i v i n g , b u t s t i l l p l e a s i n g l y p i l l ow y – w i t h t h e hy b r i d p owe r t ra i n a d d i n g t o t h e s e n s e o f h a r m o ny.

W

Two fancy French saloons, each claiming pillowlike comfort . How do they compare?

As a kid who was a p p roxi m a te ly a d eca d e away fro m h o l d i n g a d rivi ng l ice n ce, there was n o g rea te r th ri l l i n the l a te Eig hties a n d ea rly N i n eties tha n s l i p p i n g i nto the b u cket sea t a n d g ri p p i n g the stee ri n g wheel of a n a rca d e ra ci n g m a ch i n e B u t i n s p i te of the oste nsi b ly a u thentic set-u p, it ’s fa i r to say tha t m ost a rca d e ra ci n g g a m es we re a bo u t as rea l istic as o u r ch a n ces of wi n n i n g Strictly Come Da nci ng

Wa y b a ck i n 1988 , Wi n n i n g R u n by N a m co wa s a ra re exce pt i o n to t h e r u l e T h e re wa s n o m o l l yco d d l i n g w i t h ch a se ca m e ra s w h e re yo u h a ve a co m m a n d i n g v i ew of t h e t ra ck a h e a d , t h i s g a m e cra m m e d yo u i n to t h e co ck p i t of a n F 1 ca r a n d fo rce d yo u to g et o n w i t h i t

Te c h n o l o g i ca l l y, t h e g a m e wa s a s to n i s h i n g fo r t h e t i m e Fo u r ye a r s b e fo re t h e s i m i l a r l y a n g u l a r Vi r tu a Ra c i n g , Wi n n i ng Ru n co n s t r u c te d t h e e n t i re wo r l d fro m b l o c k-s h a d e d 3 D p o l yg o n s , l e n d i n g t h e g a m e a n a i r o f s i m u l a t i o n l e g i t i m a c y Eve n i f i t d o es l o o k a b i t l i ke a c h i l d ’s p a p e rc ra f t p roj e c t t h es e d a ys

T h i s wa s s e r i o u s ra c i n g , s o yo u ’d h a ve to q u a l i f y b e fo re yo u l i n e d u p o n t h e g r i d , b u t o n ce t h a t wa s s q u a re d a wa y yo u ’d b e i n t h e t h i c k o f a 1 5 - ca r p a c k , a t te m p t i n g to j os t l e yo u r wa y to t h e fro n t T h e re wa s o n l y a s i n g l e f i c t i o n a l c i rc u i t b u t t h a t o n e t ra c k wa s ce r ta i n l y c h a l l e n g i n g e n o u g h to s wa l l ow p l e n t y o f p o c ket m o n ey

I f yo u we re l u c k y e n o u g h , yo u ’d g et to p l a y t h e g a m e i n o n e o f t h e ‘d e l u xe’ ca b i n et s , w h i c h fe a t u re d hyd ra u l i c m o t i o n s i m u l a t i o n a n d s i x s e p a ra te s p e a ke r s fo r s u r ro u n d s o u n d Fo r g a m e r s o f t h e E i g h t i es , ra i s e d o n t h e t h e Co m m o d o re 6 4 a n d Ata r i S T, t h i s wa s to ta l s e n s o r y ove r l o a d . T h e o n l y wa y to fe e l m o re l i ke N i g e l M a n s e l l wa s to p o p o n a p a i r o f U n i o n J a c k u n d i es b e fo re yo u h i t t h e s ta r t b u t to n M i k e C h a n n e l l

T O P G E A R ’ S L O N G - T E R M C A R S . T E S T E D & V E R I F I E D

i mpressions a

n

it ion – on ly a r r ived t wo day s a go To t he c y n ics, t h is M8 Competition is a n M5 Competition in a n 8-Ser ies body To t he pra g matists, it’s a solid a nd reliable competitor to a n A ston DB11 To t he t h ree sepa rate deliver y d r ivers who catca lled t he ca r on my way home, it’s “ ver y, ver y n ice” , “ meat y ” a nd “sick” . I tend to a g ree w it h t hem.

£150k, t wo-ton ne

If you’re a bit con f used by t he e ver- g row i n g BM W M r a n ge, you may be con f used by what we have here Wel l, it ’s t he top of t he M t ree A nd not just t hat, but t he most power f u l produc t ion ca r BM W ha s e ver bu i lt.

T he M8 C omp ’s 4 4 -l it re t w i n-t u rb o V 8 is g o o d for a ser iou sly he f t y 616 bhp a nd 553lb f t of torque Plu s, i f you t ick t he b ox on t he opt ion s l is t t h at s ay s “ D r iver ’s P a ck a g e ” (w h ich we h ave) you’ l l g e t t he dere s t r ic ted top s p e e d of 18 9 mph to m atch t he 0 – 62 mph t i me of 3 2 s econd s –w h ich is a f a nt a s t ic c a r t r id g e of pub a m mo.

T h is M8 come s a s p a r t of a subt le f a cel i f t t h at g i f t s ne w colou r s, w heel a nd t r i m opt ion s a s wel l a s a bi g g er i n fot a i n ment sc reen i n side a nd l i g ht ly t we a ked f ront- end s t y l i n g. Plu s t he a bi l it y to pay £ 2 50 to h ave t he or i g i n a l M S p or t rou ndel b a d g i n g (w h ich fe at u red on t he p er for m a nce br a nd’s fi r s t e ver r a c i n g c a r b a c k i n 19 7 3) i n s te a d of

you r s t a nd a rd BM W bad g e O u r s do e s A nd p eople re a l ly not ice it c ont r a s te d a g a i n s t t he S k y s c r ap er G re y me t a l l ic p a i nt . Inside we ’ ve got Si lverstone mer i no leat her a g a i nst black wh ich feels r at her lu x u r ious But ca n it hold a ca nd le to lu x u r y br a nds l i ke B ent le y? We ’ l l have to fi nd out W hat I w a nt to k now is what t he M8 is On fi rst i mpressions it doesn’t k now i f it w a nts to be a lu x u r y ca r or a superca r It ’s got elements of bot h but is it a ny good at eit her of t hem? L e t ’s see...

– plent y of t i me for it to leave us st r a nded on t he ha rd shou lder, to have a major elec t r ica l meltdow n or for v a r ious bits to be pu l led off a nd che wed by t wo snot t y u rch i ns But no, its bat ter y ha sn’t once r u n d r y, a l l s y stems have f u nc t ioned fau lt lessly, a nd it ’s st i l l glued a nd scre wed toget her For ou r fa m i ly ’s requ i rements, it ’s been idea l mu lt igener at iona l t r a nspor t In ma ny w ay s, t he Q 4 e-t ron is a bluepr i nt for how fa r t he moder n elec t r ic ca r ha s come Because it ’s ba sed on t he V W Group’s ded icated M EB plat for m a nd not a repu r posed pet rol ca r, you get decent r a n ge, decent pr ac t ica l it y, decent per for ma nce a nd decent ha nd ling. Hor r ible word, decent, isn’t it? But here it ’s appl icable, because t he Aud i doesn’t do a ny t h i ng to a br i l l ia nt sta nda rd, but nor does it have a ny obv ious wea k nesses It wea rs its elec t r icness l ig ht ly a nd is ha ssle f ree to d r ive a nd r u n –so lon g a s t he nor ma l E V ba r r iers don’t apply (you reg u la rly pou nd 30 0 + motor w ay m i les a day, a nd don’t have access to home cha rg i n g) t hen it ’s a sa fe bet Yes it ’s more ex pensive t ha n a n ID 4 or Eny aq made f rom t he sa me bits, but t hen it looks a nd feels more ex pensive too, so t he choice is you rs Let’s look at it f rom a d i fferent a ngle – i f t h is is t he bench ma rk for a n elec t r ic fa m ily SU V in 2022, what a re t he improvements I’d li ke to see? First, ra nge: persona lly, I don’t need more, but I’m la z y so cha rg ing less

of ten a nd not hav ing to rely on a n u n reliable public cha rg ing net work for roadt r ips wou ld be n ice. Second, weight: improve bat ter y tech a nd weight shou ld come dow n a s ra nge goes up – a couple of u ndersteer moments on wet roads rem inded me t he Q 4 cou ld do w it h being fleeter of foot Fina lly, packa g ing : snout y f ront end, long wheelba se, t he Q 4 ha s ne w-w ave E V-led propor t ions but w it hout a f ront t r u n k, a nd feels too t r ad it iona l in its inter ior. For now, a B+... h igh ly competent a ll-rou nder, u n f u l fi lled potent ia l.

I T ’ S S I X M O N T H S S I N C E W E R E C E I V E D T H E K E Y S T O A N A U D I Q 4 E-T R O N

20 yea rs a f ter t he ‘ ne w ’ show sta r ted w it h Cla rkson, Ha m mond a nd Dawes In fac t, it ’s ex ac t ly 20 yea rs a s I w r ite t h is repor t a nd ca n you g uess what t he fi rst ca r to be re v ie wed by Cla rkson w a s? Yep – t he B erl i n go So, I t hou ght what bet ter w ay to say goodbye to t he e-Berl ingo t ha n to look back on t hat fi l m a nd see how fa r it ha s come “It ’s a c u r ious look i n g t h i n g,” he sta r ts off, a nd t h is one is a rg uably e ven more c u r ious, a bit Ma r m ite e ven A nd i n t hose day s it w a s cheap, rea l ly cheap T he y fou nd a ne w B erl i n go for less t ha n £9k, i n fac t at t he end of t he show t he y stated Cit roen w a s doi n g a dea l w it h t he VAT off so t hat mea nt you cou ld pick up a pet rol one for £7,70 0 Q u ite a cont r a st to today ’s offer i n g wh ich costs £31k a nd on ly comes w it h a n elec t r ic power t r a i n St i l l, a s JC notes, “It is possible to buy a nu mber of ot her ca rs for B erl i n go mone y, but none of t hem w i l l be t h is si z e, none of t hem w i l l be t h is wel l equ ipped a nd none of t hem w i l l have t he X fac tor.” Now, I’m pret t y su re for £30k you ca n get some pret t y wel l equ ipped ca rs complete w it h a l l-i mpor ta nt ‘ X fac tor ’ , but for t he si z e? I reckon – ba r a big ger v a n –t here isn’t much t hat w i l l beat it A nd t ha n k f u l ly t he stor a ge is just a s good a s it w a s, i nclud i n g caver nous boot complete w it h overhead locker t hat, a s Cla rkson states, ca n fit a n ex t r a 10k g of booz e i n it.

“It ’s got t he most i mpor ta nt t h i n g a ca r ca n have cha r ac ter,” Cla rkson concludes, a nd wh i le t he e-Berl ingo is st i l l e ver y t h i n g t hat it once w a s, to my m i nd it ’s sad ly m issi n g t he i mpor ta nt elec t r ic x fac tor: decent r a n ge So u n l i ke Jeremy I cou ld n’t ta ke it over to F r a nce on a booz e cr u ise (OK , I cou ld have i f I w a nted to spend day s t r avel l i n g, a nd let ’s face it t he pou nd isn’t what it once w a s), so I took it to t he nex t best t h i n g I k ne w I cou ld get to a nd back on one cha rge – Majest ic W i ne.

a rded t he Jog ger a d isma l si n gle sta r sa fet y r at i n g, a score t hat seems to screa m, “Keep you r precious ch i ld ren a m i l l ion m i les aw ay f rom t h is deat h-box!”

But it ’s not so si mple The Jog ger ret u r ned a fou r-sta r r at i n g for adu lt occ upa nt cr ash protec t ion, a nd t h ree sta rs for ch i ld occ upa nts It lost ma rks, howe ver, for a lack of ac t ive sa fet y equ ipment: it doesn’t offer la ne keep a ssist, pedest r ia n detec t ion, or seatbelt w a r n i n g s for t he rea r most seat row

Dacia say s it ’s about pr ior it ies “ We a re ser ious about pa ssive sa fet y [c r a sh protec t ion], ” Dacia boss Den is Le Vot told TG recent ly. “But t here is a whole t h i ng about ac t ive sa fet y We k now t hat people deac t iv ate la ne keep a ssist, so why wou ld we sel l it? ”

Fa i r poi nt I have no qua lms about t r a nspor t i n g my k ids a rou nd t he cou nt r y i n a Jog ger Eu ro NC A P ’s cr iter ia get tou gher e ver y yea r, remember, a nd I’d su g gest t he Jog ger ’s at lea st a s sa fe a s its pr ice r iv a ls: five-yea r-old M P Vs w it h a bu nch of m i les on t he clock

W H Y I T ’ S H E R E

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT B M W ’ S ‘ i ’ S U B - D I V I S I O N WA

E T E LY o ff -t he -b o ok s at t he s t a r t? It w a s over seen b y a n en g i neer c a l led U l r ich K r a n z – w ho subsequent ly went to E V s t a r t up C a no o a nd is now he a d i n g up A pple ’s e ter n a l ly g e s t at i n g c a r projec t – a nd it re a l ly w a s sec re t s qu i r rel for a w h i le I recent ly c au g ht up w it h K a i L a n g er, now he a d of BM W i D e si g n (a nd p a r t-t i me mu sic i a n), w ho w a s one of t he fe w w ho k ne w b a c k i n 2 0 0 8. “ We a l l s aw it w a s t he opp or t u n it y of a l i fe t i me,” he s ay s “ It w a s l i ke b ei n g i n a s p e e d b o at r u n n i n g a lon g side a hu g e sh ip ”

“ W h at w a s a sho ck b a c k t hen is not so sho ck i n g to d ay,” L a n g er s ay s “ You wou ld he a r more t r a d it ion a l m a n a g er s subsequent ly s ay i n g , ‘ we h ave to do it t h at w ay !’ It w a s l i ke w hen t he S e x P is tols fi r s t showed up, t he y were t he enemy. Now pu n k is p a r t of so c ie t y. T h at me a n s t he m i nd s e t is g row i n g E ven t he mos t con s er v at ive m i nd s b a c k t hen , w ho t hou g ht elec t romobi l it y w a s r ubbish , wel l cle a rly t h at ju s t do e sn’t e x is t a ny more.”

W h ich br i n g s u s onto t he i X , a r g u a bly t he mos t p ol a r isi n g c a r BM W h a s e ver done, a veh icle t h at h a s h a d scor n he ap ed up on it f rom a l l cor ner s of t he i nter ne t a nd so c i a l med i a T h at ’s g ot t a hu r t , su rely?

“ P rovok i n g emot ion is p a r t of ou r job, pre fer ably p o sit ive one s I f some t h i n g we ’ ve done is received ne ut r a l ly, t hen we h aven’t done ou r jobs r i g ht We k now t he convent ion s of g o o d c a r de si g n , but w ho s e t s t he r u le s? A nd w ho s e t s t he r u le s for t he ne x t 10 0 ye a r s? ”

T he i4 is more convent ion a l, a c a r L a n g er s ay s is p a r t of a “ sof t t r a n s for m at ion” T he i X m i g ht d iv ide opi n ion but it ’s m a k i n g a st atement ver y force f u l ly. More force f u l ly t h a n , s ay, Mercede s ’ ne w E Q S SU V...

S C O M P L

S P E C I F I C AT I O N

b a c k at t he s t a r t of t h is ye a r, you’ l l b e aw a re of t he i s s ue s we ’ ve h a d T here h ave b een a lot , f rom w ater slosh i n g i n t he si l ls, to a i rcon p a c k i n g up, to los s of p ower, to co ola nt le a k s A t t i me s it ’s b e en a p a i n i n t he a r s e B ut none of u s w a nted t h is d ay to come. B ec au s e we ’ ve loved r u n n i n g t h is c a r.

B ut t he qu a l it y a nd rel i a bi l it y i s s ue s need to b e er ad ic ated T he y ’re not accept able We d id over 14,0 0 0 m i le s i n t h is D2 50, a nd sh a dow i n g e ver y si n g le one of t hem w a s a fe a r t h at some t h i n g wou ld g o w ron g. We ’re c a r e nt hu si a s t s , we love t he pro duc t , we u nder s t a nd it a nd fou nd w ay s to cop e B ut mos t ow ner s a ren’t l i ke u s T he y won’t for g ive a nd for g e t

It ’s s uc h a pit y, b e c au s e t he c a r p er for m s so wel l It d id e ver y t h i n g we w a nted a nd d id it w it h a chu n k y s pr i n g i n it s s te p It o ff -ro a ded , wore a ro of tent , p a dd leb o a rd s, b a g s a nd bi ke s, towed a m i g ht y c a r av a n . It is em i nent ly fit for pu r p os e i n t he mo der n world a nd f u l fi ls t he role L a nd Rover env is a ged for it Howe ver, it ’s not a to ol a ny more a nd t h at me a n s i n ye a r s to come it w i l l ne ver re son ate i n t he s a me w ay a s t he or i g i n a l.

I wou ld n’t c h a n g e a ny t h i n g a b out t he w ay we s p e c c e d it , but I wou ld u r g e you to t h i n k c a re f u l ly a b out t he outer we a r, b e c au s e it h a sn’t b e en wel l de velop ed : t he ro of-r a ck w h is t le s, t he p oi nt le s s side b ox blo ck s v isibi l it y T he £ 3,7 75 p a i nt protec t ion fi l m w a s a for t u ne, but h a s br i l l i a nt ly sh r u g g ed o ff sc r atche s, t he s te el w heels were t he r i g ht c a l l, t he cent re ju mp s e at w a s a ho ot , a nd it w a s e ven f u n to hu s t le We ’d s t i l l h ave 9 0 over 110 a ny d ay of t he week A nd d ie s el, ne ver hy br id p e t rol T here were f r u s t r at ion s, a nd I ’d l ive i n fe a r of t he w a r r a nt y r u n n i n g out , but t here ’s not a not her o ff -ro a der to touch it , it ’s a g e

t a nd s a b o ve e ver y SU V.

I F Y O U ’ V E R E A D T H E S E R E P O R T S S I N C E T H E D E F E N D E R F I R S T A R R I V E D

Th rou ghout t he cou rse of you r l i fe, t here w i l l a lmost cer ta i n ly have been t hose f r iends you t u r ned to when l i fe got a bit chaot ic; t he dependable a nd t r u st wor t hy a ides who’d a lw ay s have a k i nd word a nd a c up of tea ready

Su r pr ise: t he Skoda Fabia is th at f r iend A nd t h rou ghout t he cou rse of ou r t i me w it h t he Cz ech compa ny ’s hu mble l it t le super m i n i, we’ ve w a r med to it. Took a bit of t i me, m i nd. Because at fi rst, despite bei n g a ‘Colou r Ed it ion’, it w a sn’t ex ac t ly shoot i n g out r a i nbow s O u rs ca me w it h t he ch i r py l it t le 1 0 -l it re t h ree-c yl i nder t u rbo matched to a si x-speed ma nua l gea rbox W h i le at fi rst it felt a l it t le cha r ac terless, over t i me we got used to its bu zz y note a nd i nt r ig u i n g power del iver y (not h i n g, not h i n g, lots, t hen not h i n g)

W hen not del iber ately t r y i n g to set it on fi re, its pa rsi mony w a s a proper boon Here’s where its nat u re beg a n to lea k t h rou gh: we had it du r i n g r isi n g f uel pr ices, so to be able to squeez e nea rly 50 0 m i les out of a ta n k felt l i ke a v ic tor y. Hav i n g adjusted t he lens t h rou gh wh ich we jud ged t he Fabia , it cont i nu a l ly del ivered Hol iday roadt r ip? No problem – it offered a g reat dea l of space a nd ne ver once compla i ned

S en sible isn’t s e x y, t r ue, but 55mp g -ish s p e a k s for it s el f. A nd w h i le it ’s not t he mos t s t r i k i n g of e x ter ior s, t here ’s a cer t a i n sh a r pness a b out it s fl a n k s t h at e x ude s a qu ie t sor t of con fidence; it ’s not ostent at iou s,

nor is it a w a l l flower O u r c a r w a s a l it t le d r a b i n side, t hou g h – g re y f a br ic w it h a d a rk g re y d a sh isn’t t he mos t i n s pi r i n g of i nter ior s, a nd t here were de fi n ite w h i ff s of ‘ rent a l c a r ’ a b out it O u r a d v ic e? T r y a nd cho ose some t h i n g w it h a l it t le more colou r

We ’d recom mend one of t he s e t h i n g s i n a he a r tb e at W hene ver l i fe g ot c h a ot ic , t he de p end a ble Fa bi a w a s a lw ay s t here w it h a bu z z y en g i ne note a nd d a shb o a rd s que a k to s o ot he ou r a i l ment s. G o o d c a r, t h is.

O U R T I M E W I T H T H E H U M B L E FA B I A I S U P, A N D H E R E ’ S W H AT W E F O U N D

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T h is is w here t he compl ic at ion s e t s i n Br i m m i n g t he E-P a ce ’s 58-l it re t a n k w i l l s e t you b a c k a rou nd £9 6 T h at g ave a n i nd ic ated 32 2 m i le s of r a n g e My on- s t ree t ch a r ger c o s t s a w hoppi n g 49 p p er kW h , me a n i n g to c h a r g e t he 15kW h b at te r y c o s t £7 70 (i nclud i n g t he 35p plu g -i n fee) How f a r d id t h at g e t me? Wel l, Ja g u a r cla i m s up to 3 4 m i le s . I n re a l it y, I g ot a rou nd 27 S o, 29 p p er m i le to r u n t he P 3 0 0 e a s a n E V T here ’s t he r ub, i f I g e t 32 2 m i le s out of a f u l l t a n k c o s t i n g £95, t h at work s out at a n a l mos t ident ic a l 3 0 p p er m i le.

T h i s i s b y n o m e a n s a d i g a t Ja g u a r I f I c o u ld plu g t h i s i n a t h o m e e v e r y n i g ht , it ’d c o s t m e £ 5 4 0 for a f u l l c h a r g e o n m y c u r r e nt t a r i ff a n d w o u ld b e p e r fe c t for c o m mu t i n g I n t h i s s c e n a r io, it m a ke s c o mple t e s e n s e t o g o for a plu g -i n h y b r id It j u s t c o n c e r n s m e t h a t t h o s e w it h o u t a pl a c e t o c h a r g e a t h o m e w i l l e n d u p g e t t i n g fl e e c e d b y e v e r i n c r e a s i n g p u b l ic c h a r g i n g fe e s a s m o r e a n d m o r e s h i f t t o E Vs H a v i n g s a id t h a t , w h i le it w o r k s o u t a l m o s t t h e s a m e t o r u n it o n ele c t r ic it y or p e t r ol , I ’ l l c o nt i nu e t o c h a r g e it w h e n I c a n I f n o t h i n g el s e t h a n t o e a s e m y c o n s c ie n c e t h a t I ’m n o t d i r e c t l y c o nt r i b u t i n g t o L o n d o n’s d i r t y a i r.

O l l i e M a r r i a g e R e n a u l t s h a ve l o n g h a d c l a s s - l e a d i n g key l e s s s y s t e m s Wa l k a w a y a n d t h ey l o c k a u t o m a t i c a l l y, t h e key n eve r n e e d s t o l e a ve yo u r p o c ke t a n d s o o n I t ’ s u s e f u l a n d ve r y f e w d o i t b e t t e r B u t t h e A l p i n e A1 1 0 d o e s n ’ t h a ve q u i t e t h e s a m e s y s t e m a n d i t s t a ke n m e m o n t h s t o g e t m y h e a d a r o u n d i t . I eve n h a d t o r e s o r t t o t h e o w n e r ’ s m a n u a l I k n o w I n s h o r t , h e r e’ s t h e i s s u e : i f I l o c k t h e c a r w i t h t h e key, I t h e n c a n ’ t o p e n i t by t o u c h i n g t h e d o o r h a n d l e I s h o u l d b e a b l e t o b e m a s t e r o f m y o w n d e s t i n y a n d c h o o s e t h e l o c k / u n l o c k p r o c e s s w i t h t o t a l f r e e d o m – l i ke yo u c a n i n o t h e r R e n a u l t s – b u t f o r s o m e r e a s o n t h e s y s t e m o n l y r e s e t s w h e n t h e i g n i t i o n i s s w i t c h e d o n I t s i n f u r i a t i n g N o t l e a s t b e c a u s e i n t h e d a r k I c a n n eve r r e m e m b e r w h i c h b i t o f t h e c r e d i t c a r d

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g oi n g to re pla ce t he Fo c u s. V W h a s w recked t he G ol f a nd bu i ld s it s de a d l ie s t r iv a l: t he I D 3 You c a n’t bu y a K i a C e e d at t he moment , b e c au s e K i a is f u n nel l i n g a l l it s prec iou s s em iconduc tor ch ips i nto more pro fit a ble S p or t a g e s a nd Ni ros W it h p a r t s shor t a g e s, pr ice r is e s a nd t he g ener a l t rend tow a rd s c ros sover s, t he hu mble f a m i ly h atchb a ck is b ei n g c r uel ly le f t to w it her on t he v i ne. Ye t , w h i r r i n g si lent ly onto t he b at t le field come s hop e i n t he h a nd some sh ap e of t he ne w Hond a C i v ic A h atch t h at Hond a proud ly s ay s s t a nd s a sm id g e l o we r t h a n t he i nten s ely u g ly old mo del Don’t m ista ke t h is for a spor t y ca r. Honda ha s t h row n aw ay its old fleet of t u rbo pet rol a nd d iesel en g i nes a nd now ha s a one si z e fits a l l m i ld hy br id set-up You ca n’t get t he Civ ic w it h a plu g The on ly ot her power t r a i n t he 11t h Civ ic w i l l offer i n t he U K is t he T y pe R’s 320bhp fi re work It ’s a lso now a m a nu a l g e a rb ox-f re e z one Ye s, Hond a h a s b e t t he C i v ic ’s re put at ion ent i rely on a n ‘e C V T ’ g e a rb ox .

W hen we fi r s t d rove t he ne w C iv ic we were hu g ely i mpre s s ed b y it s d r iv a bi l it y It do e sn’t ju s t lo ok more g row nup: it feels it B e t ter m ater i a ls A coherent c a bi n S up er ior re fi nement I n t he d y i n g d ay s of t he h atchb a ck a s we k now it , Hond a m ay wel l h ave bu i lt t he p er fe c t c a r for t r a ffic choked, c a mer a i n fe s ted , p ot hole a ffl ic ted mo der n Br it a i n .

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t hei r c a r, t he y sh r u g ap olo g e t ic a l ly. Ye t a ny veh icle ’s fi r s t a nd f u nd a ment a l c a l l i n g is to br i n g it s hu m a n a nd m ater i a l c a r g o to t he de s t i n at ion rel i a bly a nd s a fely O ver t he cou r s e of it s 6,0 0 0 m i le s w it h u s, t he I D 4 cle a red t h is b a r, a nd t h at ’s not some t h i n g we c a n a lw ay s s ay of t he c a r s we r u n It ’s a c t u a l ly qu ite a de si r a ble objec t w hen s t a nd i n g s t i l l I don’t fi nd it pre t t y but you m i g ht . I n side, t he uphols ter y is delu xe, a nd t he m i n i m a l de si g n of t he s c reen s y s tem s lo ok s pro g re s sively m i n i m a l is t Fa m i l i a r it y d id n’t ch a n g e t hos e opi n ion s B ut a s I g re w to k now t hem b e t ter, I g ot more, not le s s, i n f u r i ated w it h t he s c reen s a nd cont rol s y s tem . I ’ ve b a n g ed on a b out t h at b e fore, so I ’ l l z ip it for t h is re p or t

B ut , “ It g e t s me f rom A to B ” isn’t w h at To p G e a r is a b out We w a nt c a r s to en g a g e a nd ent r a nce u s Here t he I D 4 h a s f a l len shor t It ’s d re a r y a nd nu mb to s teer It ’s a cc u r ate enou g h , but you c a n g o at a cor ner w it h t he t y re s s que a l i n g a nd t he w heel r i m tel ls you not h i n g. S e at- of-p a nt s s en s at ion s of t y re s v a r y i n g t hei r lo a d , or p otent i a l play f u l ne s s of it s RW D, a re a lso den ied you It ’s t wo ton ne s, a nd feels it T here is g o o d s t u ff. D r ive it t he r i g ht w ay a nd t he r a n g e is fi ne. I w a s con sis tent ly g e t t i n g a decent 3 4mpkW h a nd 2 50 m i le s f rom a b at ter y W h ich is enou g h for a l mos t a ny pu r p os e.

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I T G E T S U S F R O M A T O B ” W H E N T H I S I S A L L S O M E O N E C A N S AY O F

Who’s Rolls-Royce and when did it start making cars?

It a l l s t a r t e d q u ie t l y i n 19 0 4, a s e n g i ne e r He n r y R o y c e m e t a p o t e nt i a l ne w b u s i ne s s p a r t ne r. He ’d r u n a c r a ne c omp a n y t h e n b r a n c h e d o u t i nt o ne w - f a n g le d c a r s T h e o t h e r fel lo w w a s C h a rle s R ol l s , a m i nor a r i s t o c r a t a nd m o t o r i n g e nt hu s i a s t w h o s t a r t e d one o f t h e U K ’s fi r s t c a r d e a le r s i n 19 0 3 T h e fi r s t R ol l s -R o y c e w a s u n ve i le d a t t h e P a r i s S a lon i n D e c e m b e r 19 0 4, a nd R ol l s -R o y c e

L i m it e d w a s e s t a bl i s h e d i n 19 0 6 C h a rle s R ol l s b e c a m e t h e fi r s t p e r s on t o d ie i n a pl a ne c r a s h i n t h e U K i n 1910 – h e w a s on l y 32 . R o y c e c a r r ie d on t h e c omp a n y, e x p a nd i n g i nt o pl a ne e n g i ne s i n World Wa r O ne a nd s n a p p i n g up r i v a l o u t fi t B e nt le y i n 19 31 a f t e r it fo u n d e r e d i n t h e G r e a t D e p r e s s ion R-R it s el f w e nt i nt o l iq u id a t ion i n 19 7 1 – t h e g o ve r n m e nt b o u g ht it a l l a nd s pl it t h e v a r io u s d i v i s ion s t h a t b y no w m a d e j e t e n g i ne s

for a e r o pl a ne s , d ie s el m o t o r s for t r a i n s a nd o f c o u r s e t h o s e f a n c y c a r s .

R ol l s -R o y c e Mo t o r s w a s b or n i n 19 7 3, s old i n 19 8 0 t o e n g i ne e r i n g fi r m V ic ke r s , t h e n t o V W i n 19 9 8 . R-R b e c a m e B e nt le y Mo t o r s – t h e pl a ne e n g i ne fol k s h eld t h e b a d g e a nd n a m i n g r i g ht s a nd g a v e t h e m t o B M W a s t h e y h a d b u s i ne s s t o g e t h e r. R ol l s -R o y c e Mo t o r C a r s a s w e k no w it no w h a s a c t u a l l y on l y e x i s t e d s i n c e 2 0 0 3

I M A G E S M A N U F A C T U R E R

G O T O T O P G E A R . C O M FO R M O R E M I N D - B LOW I N G M A N U FAC T U R E R G U I D E S

What’s the cheapest car that Rolls-Royce builds... and what’s the most expensive?

A R ol l s -R o y c e pu rc h a s e f a l l s fi r m l y i nto t he c a te g or y t h a t ’s m a r ke d , “ I f y o u h a ve to a s k , y o u c a n’ t a fford it ” S t i l l , e nt r y to t he R ol l s -R o y c e o w ne r s c lu b i s a b a r g a i n a t £ 2 49,6 0 0 for t he fo u r - do or G ho s t s a lo on It ’s b a s ic a l l y a Monde o for t he s up e r r ic h , c omple te w it h s t a r -l it i nte r ior he a d l i n i n g , op e n p or e wo o d ve ne e r t r i m on t he d a s h a nd s e a t t r i m s m a de f r om c o w s s o a ke d i n b a b y lot ion f r om bi r t h

T he mo s t e x p e n s i ve c a r on t he R ol l s for e c o u r t i s t he Ph a ntom l i mo, w h ic h s t a r t s ju s t u nde r £ 4 0 0 k a nd r i s e s to wel l , w h a te ve r y o u c a n a fford i f y o u g o c r a z y w it h t he b e s p oke opt ion s S t i l l , i f y o u ’r e fi lt h y we a lt h y a nd mone y i s n’ t s o muc h of a n i s s ue y o u ’ l l g o for s ome t h i n g l i ke t he B o a t Ta i l , a s p e c i a l e d it ion R ol l s l i m ite d to ju s t t h r e e e x a mple s a nd s el l i n g for a f r a n k l y ob s c e ne £ 2 0 m i l l ion S t i l l , it do e s c ome w it h a pic n ic s e t

Ev er w onder ed abou t t he t in y w oman on t he f r on t o f e v er y Rolls ? She s t ar t ed as a per s onal mas c o t on t he 2nd B ar on Mon t agu ’s 1909 Sil v er Gho s t . Sculp t or Char le s S y k e s us ed t he bar on ’s mis t r e s s , Eleanor T hor n t on , as his model. Rolls CE O Claude Johns on la t er commis sioned S y k e s t o c ome up w i t h a figur ine f or all t he fir m ’s c ar s amid conc er ns t ha t people w er e using ‘ inappr opr ia t e ’ mas c o t s . T he fir s t Spir i t o f E c s t ac y w a s ar ound 18 0mm t all, no w she ’s 95mm .

What is Rolls’ fastest car?

A R ol l s i s a b o ut e ffor t le s s p a c e , s u r e , but y o u s t i l l w a nt to b e c om for t a ble w h i le it ’s h a p p e n i n g – s p or t i ne s s h a s ne ve r b e e n a pr ior it y S t i l l , t he fi r m ne e d s to a p p e a l to t he k id s (r ic h C h i ne s e one s , t h a t i s , w ho

bu y McL a r e n s a nd R ol l sR o y c e s a s t he i r fi r s t c a r s), w h ic h i s ho w t he r a c ie r B l a c k B a d g e e d it ion s of it s c a r s c a me to b e T he s p e e d ie s t one i s t he 6 2 4 b hp B l a c k B a d g e Wr a it h It do e s n’ t lo ok q u ite s o prom i s i n g on p a p e r, w it h

a 155mph top s p e e d a nd a 0 – 6 2 mph r u n of 4 5s e c s T he n y o u r e m e m b e r it ’s a 2 5-ton ne c o u p e de si g ne d for c r u i s i n g to t he Me d We d id h a ve o u r fi n g e r s c r o s s e d t h a t t he r e c e nt l y l a u nc he d B l a c k B a d g e G ho s t

m i g ht h a ve b e e n a ble to one -up t he Wr a it h , but g i ve n t h a t it ’s on l y pl a y i n g w it h 591bhp a nd h a s 45 k g of p a i nt to lu g a r o u nd it ’s m i g ht y i mpr e s s i ve t h a t t he fo u r - do or l i mo c a n m a ke it to 6 2 mph f r om r e s t i n 4 7 s e c ond s , no?

NOTABLE PEOPLE

Ch a r l e s Ro l l s Ro l l s s a w t h e p o te n t i a l i n Royce’s e n g i n e e r i n g ta l e n t s , wa s a b i t o f a n a d ve n t u re r Te d H e a t h Pr i m e m i n i s te r n a t i o n a l i s e d Ro l l s-

Where are Rolls-Royces built and how many are sold a year?

a m e r e 10 m i le s f r o m t h e c h a r m i n g s e a s ide v i l l a g e o f We s t W it t e r i n g , w h e r e He n r y Royc e m ove d i n 1917 u n t i l h i s de a t h i n 19 33. T h e fi r m’s 2 0 21 s a le s o f 5, 6 0 0 c a r s m i g h t no t lo ok ve r y i m p r e s s i ve , b u t it w a s a 49 p e r c e n t i n c r e a s e o n t h e p a n de m ic - s t r a n g le d 2 0 2 0 n u m b e r s a n d t h e c o m p a n y ’s b e s t e ve r ye a r. L a r g e l y t h a n k s t o s a le s o f t h e C u l l i n a n S U V. Rol l s -Royc e s a r e a l l s t i l l m e t ic u lou s l y h a n d b u i l t , s o g e t t i n g 2 0 c a r s a d ay ou t o f t h e do or i s ve r y i m p r e s s i ve .

What’s the best concept that Rolls-Royce has made?

M a d e t o r e a s s u r e ol i g a r c h s t h a t u lt r a lu x u r y c a n s t i l l e x i s t i n t h e f ut u r e , t h e R ol l s -R o y c e V i s ion Ne x t 10 0, or 10 3E X a s it i s k no w n i nt e r n a l l y, i s 5. 9 m lon g , 1.6 m h i g h , a nd p o w e r e d b y fo u r i n- w h e el ele c t r ic m o t o r s . T h e 2 8 i n w h e el s don’ t i m m e d i a t el y p r o m i s e a s u mp t u o u s r id e , b ut s u s p e n s ion i s p r o b a bl y a lo t b e t t e r i n t h e f ut u r e .

It s p a r t ic u l a r t r e a t on y o u r a r r i v a l i s t h e l i g ht d i s pl a y d e s i g ne d t o s e t y o u r e g o a g lo w. A s y o u slo w, t h e g r i l le a n d b on ne t m a s c o t b e g i n t o l i g ht up, s p r e a d i n g a r o u nd t h e w h e el a r c h e s a nd d o w n t h e s id e s o f t h e do or s . T h e g l a s s c a no p y, do or a nd s t e p de plo y, a nd a r e d c a r p e t i s p r o j e c t e d on t h e p a ve m e nt . B it mu c h for p o p p i n g t o Te s c o.

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What was Rolls’ best moment? What was Rolls’ worst moment?

T he fi r m h a s h a d a lon g h is tor y, b ut you c ou ld a r g ue t h at it s p opu l a r it y a mon g Si x t ie s c elebr it y ro y a lt y w a s a h i g h p oi nt for t he fi r m – a n yone w ho w a s a n yone h a d a Rol l s , e s p e c i a l l y w hen t he Si l ver S h a do w emer g e d i n 19 6 5. T he B e at le s , Tom Jone s , D e a n M a r t i n , Pe ter S el ler s , E lton Joh n . A l l photo g r aphe d w it h t hei r Rol ler s .

A nd ye t t he c omp a n y ’s t r ue h i g h p oi nt w a s it s L a z a r u s -l i ke remer g enc e a s a lu x u r y forc e i n 2 0 02 u nder B M W o w ner sh ip. T he s e vent h- g ener at ion Ph a ntom w a s a n i n s t a nt t i mele s s cl a s s ic , b a rel y a g i n g i n it s 14 ye a r s on s a le S ome s a id t he G er m a n s c ou ld n’ t b u i ld a B r it ish lu x u r y c a r, b ut t he y m a de it b e t ter. It w a s a c a r t h at c onc ent r ated on si lenc e , smo ot h ne s s a nd – no one g ue s s e d t h is – app a rent si mpl ic it y It a l s o e s c he we d f a sh ion f a d s a nd fou nd ne w w ay s to m a ke a n i nter ior. A nd it ’s prob a bl y on l y on t he qu ie t ne s s t h at some ne wer c a r s h ave c au g ht up It ’s a t r ue le g end

T he S e vent ie s were a tou g h de c a de for e ver yone – e s p e c i a l l y t ho s e i n t he s up e r e x p en si ve lu x u r y c a r b u si ne s s . It ju s t w a sn’ t t he r i g ht t i me to b e h aw k i n g s u mp t uou s l i mo s w h at w it h a l l of t he oi l c r i sisi n g a nd fi n a nc i a l t u r moi l i n g t h at w a s g oi n g on . T h a n k g o o d ne s s t h at ’s a l l b eh i nd u s no w.

S t i l l, not g re at t i m i n g for t he C a m a r g ue c oup e t h at went on s a le i n 19 75, a h a nd f u l of ye a r s a f ter t he w hole c omp a n y (pl a ne en g i ne s , d ie s el d i v i sion a nd a l l) h a d to b e n at ion a l is e d b y t he B r it ish g over n ment a nd t hen broken up i nto s e p a r at e fi r m s to ke e p it a l l r i g ht side up

T he C a m a r g ue w a s a mon g t he mo s t e x p en si ve c a r s i n t he world w hen it went on s a le i n 19 75 – it s £ 2 9, 2 5 0 l is t pr ic e at lau nc h i s a sm id g e over £ 2 0 0,0 0 0 i n to d ay ’s mone y T h at a lone c ou ld e x pl a i n w h y on l y 5 31 were e ver m a de , b e fore you c on sider ho w it lo oke d . S t i l l, you c a n g e t you r s el f one for a rou nd £ 5 0 k i f you’re pre p a re d for t he h i g h r u n n i n g c o s t s

What was Rolls’ biggest surprise?

A not her Rol l s -Ro yc e t h at ’s r at her ch a l len g i n g i n t he lo ok s de p a r t ment (t hou g h none of t he fi r m’s c a r s h ave e ver b e e n p a r t ic u l a rl y sh y a nd re t i r i n g ) is t he C u l l i n a n , a b el ate d a nd c ont rover sia l re sp on s e to t he b o om i n SU Vs . It ’s eit her t he pi n n a cle of automot i ve a c h ie vement or a £ 3 0 0 k w h ite ele ph a nt . P re c i s el y t he le vel of s ub t le t y is i nd ic ate d b y t he f a c t it ’s n a me d a f ter t he world ’s l a r g e s t d i a mond , plu s not h i n g s y mb ol is e s hu m a n c ont r a r i ne s s more t h a n t he i ne xor a ble r is e i n p opu l a r it y of veh icle s de si g ne d to do t h i n g s 95 p er c ent of t hei r d r i ver s w i l l ne ver en g a g e i n E ven i f you s t r u g g le w it h t he c onc e p t of t he bi g , f a s t , he av y SU V, you c a n’ t a r g ue w it h R-R ’s e xe c ut ion . It is g i v i n g t he s up e r r ic h w h at t he y w a nt , s e r v i n g t he dem a nd a nd l i n i n g t he c or p or ate p o c ke t s n ic el y w h i le it do e s it Rememb er, t he C u l l i n a n is no w Rol l s -Ro yc e ’s b e s t s el l i n g c a r. E ven i f some p e ople do t h i n k t h at it lo ok s l i ke a L ondon t a x i

LOGO EVOLUTION

1 9 0 6

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A n e m b l e m n o t a l o g o, b u t S p i r i t o f Ec s ta c y i s s y n o ny m o u s w i t h R- R

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N a t i o n a l i s a t i o n d i d R- R a wo r l d o f g o o d w i t h a w h o l e n ew i m a g e

1 9 9 8

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2 0 2 0

M o d e r n , m i n i m a l i s t cu r re n t l o g o i s t h e o p p os i te o f t h e ca rs

What’s the most Rolls-Royce car in the back catalogue?

W it h t h e s e ve nt h g e ne r a t ion o f Ph a nt om , B M W m a n a g e d t h e i mp o s s i ble t a s k o f s u c c e s s f u l l y s u m m i n g up a l l t h a t w a s g r e a t a b o u t R ol l sR o y c e s w h i le a l s o d r a g g i n g a f u s t y r el ic i nt o a ne w e r a – t h e p r e v io u s ve r s ion o f t h e Ph a nt om w a s on s a le f r om 19 6 8 t o 19 9 0

T h e n a m e pl a t e r e p r e s e nt s t h e ve r y b e s t o f t h e lu x u r y t h a t R ol l s -R o y c e h a s t o o ff e r, a n id e a e s p e c i a l l y s e e d e d w it h t h e fo u r t h g e ne r a t ion o f t h e c a r t h a t w a s l a u n c h e d i n 19 5 0 It w a s on l y o ff e r e d t o t h e l i ke s o f b u y e r w h o r e a l l y d e s e r ve d it , l i ke r o y a lt y a nd o t h e r h e a d s o f s t a t e I n d e e d , t h e c a r g i ve n t o P r i n c e s s E l i z a b e t h a nd P r i n c e Ph i l ip i n Ju l y 19 5 0 i s s t i l l i n u s e b y t h e B r it i s h r o y a l f a m i l y, a nd C h a rle s I I I h a s b e e n s e e n o u t i n it i n r e c e nt mont h s

It w a s n’ t a g u a r a nt e e t h a t B M W ’s Ph a nt om r e b o o t w o u ld b e s u c c e s s f u l , t h o u g h , w it h t h e s m o u ld e r i n g w r e c k a g e o f it s R o v e r o w ne r s h ip s t i l l ve r y mu c h i n t h e p r e s e nt m e m o r y T h e Ph a nt om V I I w a s de velop e d a lon g s id e t h e l i ke s o f t h e ne w M i n i a nd R a n g e R o v e r M k I I I T h e l a t t e r c a r w a s l a u n c h e d a f t e r Ja g u a r L a nd R o v e r w e r e s pl it o ff a nd s old t o For d

T h e V I I w a s r e v e a le d on 1 Ja nu a r y 2 0 0 3, t h e ve r y fi r s t d a y t h a t B M W g o t it s h a nd s on t h e w hole R ol l s -R o y c e p a c k a g e a f t e r a p r o t r a c t e d p e r io d o f p u n c h y ne g o t i a t io n s w it h Vol k s w a g e n It w a s a n i m m e d i a t e h it , a nd i n f a c t t h e on l y c a r t h a t R ol l s b u i lt for s i x y e a r s u nt i l t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e G h o s t i n 2 0 0 9 It w a s mo s t l y m a d e f r om a lu m i n iu m , a nd c on s t r u c t e d p a i n s t a k i n g l y b y

A i r t o s p a re Eve r y Ph a n to m s i t s o n a i r s u s p e n s i o n s o p u t t h e ca r i n wa te r a n d l o o k fo r b u b b l es N o wa i t , s e e i f i t ’s s i t t i n g n i ce a n d l eve l

h a nd a t t h e c omp a n y ’s b e s p oke ne w f a c i l it y i n G o o d w o o d , We s t S u s s e x OK , t h e r e a r e t w o r o b o t s i n t h e f a c t o r y t h a t h elp w it h p a i nt i n g , b ut t h e c o a c h l i ne s a lon g t h e s id e s o f t h e c a r s a r e s t i l l done b y s om e one w it h a ve r y s t e a d y h a nd

I f t h e s h e e r p r e s e n c e o f t h e c a r d id n’ t w o w on lo o ke r s , t h e n t h e y w o u ld h a ve h a d t h e i r s o c k s k no c ke d o ff b y f a n c y t r i n ke t s s u c h a s t h e s el f-le vel l i n g R ol l s -R o y c e lo g o s on t h e w h e el hu b s , t h e d o u ble g l a z e d w i nd o w s or t h e u m b r el l a s i n t h e s u ic id e r e a r do or s (a lt h o u g h S ko d a h a s s i n c e s t ole n t h a t t r ic k) T r y t o s t e a l t h e S p i r it o f E c s t a s y a nd s h e ’ l l d a r t d o w n i nt o t h e s a fe t y o f t h e i mp r e s s i vel y a r mo u r e d g r i l le T h e i nt e r ior o f t h e c a r d i s pl a y e d u np a r a l lele d lu x u r y, a nd t h a t w a s e ve n b e fo r e y o u g o t s t u c k

i nt o mone y -no - o b j e c t b e s p oke w h i m s t h a t t h e fi r m w a s m o r e t h a n h a p p y t o c a t e r for

T h e 6 75 -l it r e V 1 2 p e t r ol e n g i ne m i g ht n o t h a ve m a d e for h a p p y f uel b i l l s , b ut t h e 45 3b hp a nd 5 31lb f t o f t o r q u e e n s u r e d e ff or t le s s p e r for m a n c e i n t h e s mo o t h e s t p o s s i ble w a y

T h e Ph a nt om w a s i nt e nd e d a l l a lon g a s a c h a u ff e u r c a r, d e s i g ne d w it h t h e e x p r e s s i nt e nt ion o f c o s s e t t i n g w h o e ve r w a s r e cl i ne d i n t h e b a c k S a d l y t h i s Ph a nt om w a s no lon g e r t h e p r e s e r v e o f r o y a lt y, b ut w a s e m b r a c e d b y c ele b r it ie s a nd r ic h b u s i ne s s m e n a l i ke a s one o f t h e u lt i m a t e t r a p p i n g s o f s u c c e s s No w a d a y s a r o u nd £ 8 0, 0 0 0 w i l l g e t y o u i nt o a n e a rl y M kV I I Ph a nt om – o b j e c t i vel y p r ic e y, b ut ne ve r h a s a d i s pl a y o f w e a lt h b e e n s u c h a b a r g a i n

I n s i d e j o b I n te r i o r l a s t s we l l i n t h e M k VI I – c l e a r l y c ra f t e d to l a s t T h a t s a i d , l o o k o u t fo r s i g n s o f we a r i n h i g h m i l e a g e ca rs

Next month: Tesla

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p o i n t . D o n’ t yo u ? We l l , g e t o n e . T h e re’ s a g ra n t , s o i t ’ l l co s t yo u l e s s t h a n £5 0 0 . I f yo u d o n’ t h a ve a d r i ve w a y, t o g e t a n ove r n i g h t o r a l ld a y re c h a rg e c h e c k z a pm a p .co m fo r p o s t s n e a r h o m e o r w o r k t h a t g i ve b e t w e e n 5 k W a n d 7 k W

A l w a y s m a ke s u re t h a t yo u k n o w i n a d va n ce t h e s u p p l i e r fo r t h e p o s t yo u w a n t t o u s e , a n d re g i s t e r o n i t s a p p o r g e t i t s d e d i ca t e d R F I D ca rd . R a p i d ( D C) c h a rg e r s , a t a s l i g h t l y h i g h e r p r i ce , a re b e s t u s e d fo r l o n g t r i p s , l i ke yo u ’d s t o p fo r f u e l .

T h ey t a ke ro u g h l y a s l o n g a s f i l l i n g w i t h p e t ro l a n d h a v i n g a f u l l E n g l i s h . I n w i n t e r, ke e p p l u g g e d i n u n t i l yo u d r i ve a w a y, a s p re -w a r m i n g t h e b a t t e r y a n d ca b i n i n c re a s e s ra n g e . W h e n p o s s i b l e , c h o o s e h e a t e d/co o l e d s e a t s ove r ca b i n h e a t i n g a n d a i rco n

Tr y t o d ro p yo u r m o t o r w a y s p e e d by 1 0 m p h : i t ’ l l h u g e l y i n c re a s e ra n g e , g e t t i n g yo u t h e re fa r m o re q u i c k l y i f i t a vo i d s a re c h a rg i n g s t o p

B

B E S T F O R C O L L E C T I N G R U B B

T h e E Vs t h a t h a ve ca u g h t o u r eye fo r a l l t h e r i g h t re a s o n s W h o s a i d t h ey a re n’ t co o l?

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B E V

e d to s a y a n FCE V (fu e l ce l l e l e c t r i c ve h i cl e) t h a t ’s p owe re d by hyd ro g e n We j u s t ca l l t h e m E Vs

I C E

T h e i n te r n a l co m b u s t i o n e n g i n e Co n fu s n g l y, I CE ca n a l s o s ta n d fo r i n - ca r e n te r ta i n m e n t ( i e t h e s te re o to u ch s cre e n a n d s o o n)

P H E V

Pl u g - i n hy b r i d e e c t r i c ve h i cl e, o r a hy b r i d w i t h a b i g g e r b a t te r y t h a t yo u ca n p l u g i n to ch a rg e g i v n g yo u a s h o r t s a y 20 - m i l e e l e c t r i co n l y ra n g e A m a z i n g ta xd o d g i n g m p g f i g u res i n t h e o f f i ci a l tes t s , n ot s o a m a z i n g i n re a l l i fe u n l ess yo u p l u g i n eve r y n i g h t a n d u s e t h e ca r excl u s i ve l y fo r s h o r t t r i ps

M H E V

T h e m i l d hy b r i d E V, o r M H E V, t h e ve r y b ot to m r u n g o f t h e e l e c t r i f i e d ve h i cl e l a d d e r A s m a l e l e c t r i c m oto r a ss i s t s t h e e n g i n e, b u t d o es n t h a ve e n o u g h g u m p t i o n to p u s h t h e ca r o n t s ow n M H E Vs u s u a l y m a n a g e a fu e l s a v n g o f a b o u t 1 0 p e r ce n t co m p a re d w t h a p u re p et ro l ca r

R E X

Refe rs to ra n g e ex te n d e rs o r s m a l i n te r n a co m b u s t o n e n g i n es u s e d a s g e n e ra to rs to re ch a rg e E V b a t te r es o n t h e m ove T h e e n g i n e ca n b e r u n a t i t s m os t ef f i ci e n t r p m , co nve r t i n g fu e to e l e c t r i ci t y, w h i ch i s fe d to t h e m oto rs t h a t s u p p l y t h e m ot i ve fo rce

V o l t s , a m p s a n d w a t t s

We’re g o i n g to g o fu l l s ci e n ce te a ch e r o n yo u a n d u s e a n a n a l o g y I m a g i n e a r ve r : t h e vo l t s a re h ow fa s t t h e r i ve r f l ow s , t h e a m ps a re h ow m u ch wa te r i s f l ow i n g a n d t h e wa t t s a re h ow e a s i l y i t l l ca r r y yo u d ow n s t re a m

k W

Lo g i ca l , m et r i c co u n t r i es u s e k i l owa t t to m e a s u re p owe r fro m p et ro l a n d d i es e l e n g i n es Fo r t h e res t o f u s a k i l owa t t i s 1 ,0 0 0 wa t t s , a n d i s t h e m os t co m m o n m e a s u re o f p owe r i n a n E V A k i l owa t t i s e q u a l to a b o u t 1 3 4 b h p

k W h

Sta n d s fo r k i l owa t t h o u rs a n d ca n cu t t wo wa ys – h ow m u ch p owe r yo u ve u s e d (w h i ch a u t i l i t i es b l l d o es), o r h ow m u ch ca p a ci t y t h e re s i n a b a t te r y Fo r n s ta n ce a Tes l a M o d e l S h a s 1 0 0 k W h o f ca p a ci t y, o f w h ch yo u ’ l l b e a b l e to u s e a b o u t 90 , b e ca u s e fu l l y d e p et i n g a b a t te r y i s a g re a t wa y to r u n i t fo reve r

A C a n d D C

AC s ta n d s fo r a te r n a t i n g cu r re n t , a n d D C s ta n d s fo r B a t m a n co m i c s e r, wa i t d i re c t cu r re n t AC’s b et te r fo r l o n g - d i s ta n ce t ra n s m i ss i o n b e ca u s e i t ca n e a s i l y b e t ra n s fo r m e d (to h i g h e r vo l ta g e, l owe r cu r re n t , s o fewe r h e a t l oss es) Tra n s fo r m i n g D C p owe r i s a fa f f b u t , b e ca u s e D C ch a rg i n g s ta t i o n s ca n b e a s b g a s t h ey n e e d to b e t h ey ca n e m p l oy h i g h -vo ta g e p owe r, g i a n t t ra n s fo r m e rs a n d re c t i f i e rs a n d g et h u g e p owe r – u p to 3 50 k W

S l o w , f a s t a n d r a p i d c h a r g i n g S l ow o r l eve l 1 ch a rg n g i s w h e n yo u u s e a re g u l a r wa l l

p l u g Fa s t o r l eve l 2 refe rs to t h e wa l m o u n te d AC ch a rg i n g b oxes yo u ca n i n s ta l l i n yo u r h o u s e o r o f f i ce, w h i ch g o u p to 7 4 k W o n n o r m a l 240V s i n g e p h a s e AC o r 22 k W o n i n d u s t r i a l t h re e p h a s e Ra p i d o r l eve l 3 i s t h e h g h - p owe r, D C s u p p l y, t h i s i s t h e s o r t yo u ’ l l f i n d a t m oto r wa y s e r v i ces a n d d e d i ca te d ch a rg i n g a re a s

C H A d e M O

CH Ad e M O i s n ot t h e res u l t o f a ca t wa l k i n g a cross a key b o a rd I t ’s b a s ca l l y t h e fa s t ch a rg i n g s ta n d a rd J a p a n ca m e u p w i t h Co m p et i n g s ta n d a rd s i n cl u d e CCS a n d Tes l a S u p e rch a rg e rs , w h i ch a l l l o o k re a a a a a l y s i m i l a r

C C S

T h e D C ch a rg e r yo u ’ l l m os t l i ke l y u s e a cross t h e U K a n d Eu ro p e Wo r k s i n eve r y t h i n g fro m a Tes l a to a V W

S u p e r c h a r g i n g I f t l o o k s l i ke a CCS ch a rg e r a n d wo r k s l ke a CCS ch a rg e r, i t co u l d ve r y we l l b e a Tes l a S u p e rch a rg e r B u t yo u ca n’ t u s e i t u n l ess yo u re i n a Tes l a

m p k W h

N ot co n te n t w i t h t h e u n h o l y u n i o n o f i t res o f p et ro l a n d p i n t s o f m i l k , t h e U K ’s u n e a s y b l e n d o f m et r i c a n d Re esM o g g l e a ves u s m e a s u r i n g E V e co n o my i n m i l es p e r k i owa t t h o u r S o, f yo u h a ve 50 u s a b l e k W h , a n d r u n a t 4 0 m p k W h , yo u ’ l l d o 20 0 m i es b efo re yo u re s t ra n d e d

W L T P Sta n d s fo r Wo r l d w i d e H a r m o n i s e d L i g h t Ve h i cl e Tes t Pro ce d u re A wa y to tes t n ew ca rs to s e e h ow m u ch fu e l , o r e n e rg y, t h ey u s e, h ow m u ch g re e n h o u s e g a s t h ey ex p e l , a n d h ow fa r t h ey g et o n o n e ta n k /ch a rg e M o re

a ccu ra te t h a n t h e o l d N ED C s ta n d a rd b u t s t i l l o p t i m i s t i c

R e g e n S h o r t h a n d fo r ‘re g e n e ra t i ve b ra k i n g ’ E e c t r c m oto rs wo r k by u s i n g e l e c t r c t y a n d m a g n et s to s p i n a s h a f t S o, i f yo u we re to s p n i t m a n u a l y, s a y by co a s t i n g yo u w i l l t h e n g e n e ra te e l e c t r i ci t y b e ca u s e g e n e ra to rs a re b a s i ca l y m oto rs o p e ra t i n g t h e o p p os i te wa y

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WAVE®+

With its 10 0% stainless steel body, quick one-hand opening blades, comfortable handles and 18 essential tools, it’s easy to see why the Wave Plus is Leatherman’s bestselling multi-tool ever. Back ed by Leatherman’s 25-year warranty. Available online from: www.leatherman.co.uk