Mini John Cooper Works updated for 2022
38 MINS AGO - Visual tweaks dominate Mini John Cooper Works facelift as engine remains untouched
The Mini John Expand
38 MINS AGO - Visual tweaks dominate Mini John Cooper Works facelift as engine remains untouched
The Mini John Cooper Works hot hatch has been updated for 2022, with fresh styling and new equipment following the path laid out by the standard car earlier this year.
The front end gains new LED headlights and a hexagonal-patterned grille, and red highlights underline the sporty credentials of the car.
Sports brakes developed by Brembo are standard and bear the John Cooper Works logo. The alloy wheels are 17in as standard, although they can be upgraded to 18in wheels with a two-tone design unique to JCW models.
At the rear, two 85mm stainless steel exhaust pipes sit in the middle of the diffuser, which has been redesigned to improve airflow and boost performance.
Meanwhile, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is unchanged, still producing 228bhp and 236lb ft of torque. The 0-62mph sprint takes 6.3sec when the car's equipped with the six-speed manual gearbox, while the eight-speed automatic shaves Collapse
New entry-level Volkswagen ID 3 launched with 217-mile range
4 HRS AGO - City trim features 45kWh battery and lowest Volkswagen ID 3 price to date
The Volkswagen ID 3 has Expand
4 HRS AGO - City trim features 45kWh battery and lowest Volkswagen ID 3 price to date
The Volkswagen ID 3 has gained a new, entry-level City trim, priced at £28,370 after the government’s £2500 plug-in vehicle discount has been applied.
Equipped with what Volkswagen has dubbed its Pure Performance powertrain, the electric hatchback features a 45kWh battery that returns 217 miles of range.
A full charge takes seven-and-a-half hours from a typical 7.2kW home charging unit, while a 5% to 80% top -up takes 31 minutes via a 100kW CCS device.
Its electric motor enables the car to achieve 0-62mph in 8.9sec thanks to its 148bhp and 229lb ft of torque. The top speed of 99mph is identical to the rest of the line-up's.
Despite being the base model, the City trim comes with a reasonable amount of kit: a 10.0in infotainment screen has voice control and wireless app connectivity, and safety systems include lane keeping assist, forward collision warning and pedestrian protection.
Adaptive cruise control is Collapse
‘World first’ electric Triumph Stag and Morgan 4/4 unveiled
7 HRS AGO - Electrogenic reveals battery-powered conversions of classic British sports cars; both promise Expand
7 HRS AGO - Electrogenic reveals battery-powered conversions of classic British sports cars; both promise 150-mile range
A British company based in Oxford has revealed electric conversions of a 1976 Triumph Stag and a 1957 Morgan 4/4, claiming both cars are the first of their kind to use a zero-emission powertrain.
Electrogenic has removed the 3.0-litre V8 engine from the Stag and replaced it with its own ‘Hyper9’ electric motor. This produces 107bhp and 173lb ft, with power sent to the rear wheels via the car’s original four-speed manual gearbox.
A 37kWh battery fills the space left by the engine, fuel tank and spare wheel, offering around 150 miles of range on a full charge. The car is fitted with a Type 2 charging socket, as is found on almost all new electric cars today.
The Morgan 4/4 has been fitted with the same powertrain and returns similar figures to the Stag as a result.
“Converting older cars like these to electric power is about using modern technology to bring out the best Collapse
Skoda Enqaq iV 2021 UK review
15 HRS AGO - Czech brand’s first bespoke electric model arrives as rival to the Volkswagen ID 4
An electric Expand
15 HRS AGO - Czech brand’s first bespoke electric model arrives as rival to the Volkswagen ID 4
An electric Skoda, then. A couple of decades back, that notion would likely conjure images of a milk float-like contraption with rickety build quality, anaemic performance and minuscule range.And yet, reflecting the incredible progression of both brand and EV technology in recent years, you won’t be at all surprised to learn that the electric Enyaq iV is excellent. See? I just gave away the ending to this review, and you’re not even mad that I didn’t offer a spoiler alert. While the power source of this Skoda is new, the recipe that is the foundation of the Czech firm’s transformation isn’t: practical, well-priced cars underpinned by strong Volkswagen Group platforms and powertrains. The Enyaq is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric architecture, as used by the similarly sized Volkswagen ID 4 (and about a gazillion other imminently forthcoming machines). In fact, the 80 variant tested here Collapse
Volvo partners with Nvidia on autonomous driving tech
1 DAY AGO - Computing company Nvidia to provide chips for autonomous driving systems in next-gen Volvos
The Expand
1 DAY AGO - Computing company Nvidia to provide chips for autonomous driving systems in next-gen Volvos
The computing power needed to allow autonomous driving in future Volvos will be provided by Nvidia following an agreement between the two companies.
Although the financial terms of the deal have yet to be finalised, Volvo says the US computing firm will supply its Drive Orin system for use in cars built around Volvo’s next-generation SPA2 modular architecture.
The system is capable of performing 254 trillion operations per second. The Swedish car maker says this kind of capacity is needed to process the information collected by its Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) system and “enable safe and continuously updated autonomous driving”.
The first car to be fitted with the technology will be the new XC90 SUV, which is due to be launched next year.
“We believe in partnering with the world’s leading technology firms to build the best Volvos possible,” said Henrik Green, Volvo’s chief technology Collapse
Polestar 2 gains front-wheel-drive entry variants from £39,990
1 DAY AGO - Front-driven EV launched with choice of two battery capacities and a range of up to 335 miles
The Expand
1 DAY AGO - Front-driven EV launched with choice of two battery capacities and a range of up to 335 miles
The Polestar 2 electric hatchback is now available in entry-level front-wheel-drive guise, priced from £39,900, with a choice of battery sizes.
Having launched last year in four-wheel-drive, dual-motor form and priced from £49,900, the Sino-Swedish EV can now be equipped with a single motor on the front axle, providing either 221bhp or 227bhp, and 243lb ft.
For an additional £3000, the front-driven 2 can be specified with the Long Range battery option, which raises capacity from 64kWh to 78kWh for an estimated range of 320-335 miles, up from 260-273 miles on the cheaper car.
The Performance Pack, with adjustable suspension, 20in alloy wheels and performance brakes, remains exclusive to the dual-motor 2 for £5000, but the new model can be upgraded with the £4000 Plus Pack, which brings a sunroof and more interior kit, and the £3000 Pilot Pack, which expands the suite of driver aids.
The Collapse
Vauxhall Insignia SRI VX-Line Nav 2021 UK review
1 DAY AGO - Insignia is handsome, smooth and quietly brisk, but can it prove there's life in the Expand
1 DAY AGO - Insignia is handsome, smooth and quietly brisk, but can it prove there's life in the combustion-powered saloon segment?
The transformation of Vauxhall’s line-up at the hands of parent company PSA Group (or, indeed, parent parent company Stellantis) is nearly complete. The Mokka has become a genuinely charismatic and desirable crossover, the optionally electric Corsa is giving the Ford Fiesta a seriously hard time in the sales charts and the Astra is about to make the landmark shift onto the electric-capable EMP2 platform, whereupon it will be radically redesigned inside and out. In fact, come mid-2022, the only ‘homegrown’ Vauxhall model on sale will be the Insignia. It's a historically popular and well-liked proposition, but one which faces a somewhat uncertain future. Designer Mark Adams hinted recently that the Insignia - or an as-yet unnamed indirect replacement - could be reinvented completely for its next generation. And why not? Hatch-backed saloons are no longer the cash Collapse
New 2023 MEB-based Ford EV will be small SUV
2 DAYS AGO - Volkswagen Group underpinnings will be used for a Puma-sized electric car launching in 2023
Ford Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Volkswagen Group underpinnings will be used for a Puma-sized electric car launching in 2023
Ford will use the VW Group's MEB electric car platform for a European-built compact EV, launching in 2023, and our first sighting confirms that it will take the form of a crossover SUV.
The unnamed model will be built at Ford's factory in Cologne, Germany, which is currently undergoing a $1bn (£720m) transformation programme to become the brand's 'Electrification Centre'. The first model to leave the line will be this electric SUV, with production of EVs ramped up as the brand gears up to go all-electric in Europe by 2030.
Seen in what looks like production-ready form, but with only limited stylistic details on show, the SUV looks to make a significant departure, design-wise, from both the brand's combustion models and its debut production EV, the Mustang Mach-E.
The upright, two-box silhouette hints at a similar market positioning to the Volkswagen ID 4 with which it will share its Collapse
Baltasar previews “ready to market” electric supercar ahead of April launch
2 DAYS AGO - Barcelona-based start-up has been working on the supercar “in secret” since 2011; full unveiling Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Barcelona-based start-up has been working on the supercar “in secret” since 2011; full unveiling will take place on 21 April
Spanish start-up Baltasar has teased a new electric supercar, which unusually is claimed to be “completely developed and ready to market” from the point of reveal.
The Barcelona-based firm, founded in 2011 by engineer and tech entrepreneur Batasar López, revealed the car’s silhouette in a video posted on YouTube today ahead of a promised full unveiling on 21 April.
At this stage, little else is known about the car, although Baltasar has given some details. The supercar has been designed to be equally at home on road and on track, with a focus on “the driving experience” marking it out as a potential rival for the Lotus Evija and Rimac C_Two.
Whether it will offer the same circa-2000bhp output remains to be seen, but the as-yet-unnamed supercar can be expected to prioritise outright pace, given its billing.
Baltasar has also revealed that the car’s Collapse
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Mercedes-Benz S400d 4Matic L AMG Line 2021 UK review
1 HR AGO - Chauffeur-spec, long-wheelbase S-Class is still a laid-back, genteel and very effective luxury Expand
1 HR AGO - Chauffeur-spec, long-wheelbase S-Class is still a laid-back, genteel and very effective luxury option, although some of its new digital features work better than others
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has always been something of a repository for the firm’s very latest powertrain, suspension and safety technologies. On the face of it, that would seem to be the case with the box-fresh new W223-generation version, which has just arrived on UK roads. But chauffeurs be warned: this time around, only really well-heeled owners may get the benefit of everything that the car can do.Having had its model platform and suspension widely overhauled, the new ‘S’ will ultimately have camera-based predictive E-Active Body Control suspension, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering: a combination never seen on any of its predecessors. There will be 48V mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains on offer, as well as world-first frontal airbags for those oh-so-important people travelling in the back Collapse
Honda E owners offered new smart home charging service
4 HRS AGO - New 'intelligent' service uses real-time data to charge machines most cost effectively
Honda has Expand
4 HRS AGO - New 'intelligent' service uses real-time data to charge machines most cost effectively
Honda has launched a new ‘intelligent’ domestic charging service for Honda E owners, which used real-time data to fill machines up with electricity at the most cost-effective times.
The Japanese firm has developed the e:Progress charging service with smart charging company Moixa and electricity supplier Octopus Energy. It is offered on the latter’s Agile Octopus combined home and EV tariff, with vehicle charging provided through a connected Honda Power Charger S+.
The system is based on Moixa software that updates electricity pricing every 30 minutes based on variances in demand and wholesale supply. Honda E owners can use an app to specify when they need their vehicles fully charged and the software then supplies charge to the vehicle at the most cost-effective times.
Honda claims the service could save an E owner doing an annual mileage of 8000 around £475 a year compared with a flat energy Collapse
Steve Cropley: We're going on a Landie hunt
9 HRS AGO - Where is the Robinson family’s 1950 Land Rover? Get in touch if you know
This week, Steve goes on Expand
9 HRS AGO - Where is the Robinson family’s 1950 Land Rover? Get in touch if you know
This week, Steve goes on a Land Rover hunt - he's looking for a 1950 Land Rover Series 1 - and makes his longest day trip for a year in a Bentley Bentayga.
Monday
It’s not often we all get the chance to participate in the global hunt for a unique classic car, but here’s one. We’re looking for an Aussie-registered 1950 Land Rover Series 1. Autocar’s firm friend and former European editor, Peter Robinson, has been trying to find the Landie that his family owned when he was a kid in the Australian bush (that’s him in the passenger’s seat). He wants to find it, see it, drive it and write about it.
There’s a twist in the tale. This particular S1 (chassis RO6108381), in which the four pictured Robinson brothers learned to drive, was severely damaged in a bushfire in 1969. In 1987, the remains were sold for about £80 as wreckage. The buyer planned to restore it but never did, selling it instead to an unidentified Collapse
Peugeot 508 PSE SW 2021 UK review
15 HRS AGO - Electrification-focused Peugeot Sport Engineered sub-brand makes its debut with a 350bhp plug-in Expand
15 HRS AGO - Electrification-focused Peugeot Sport Engineered sub-brand makes its debut with a 350bhp plug-in hybrid executive cruiser. Can Sochaux beat Munich and Ingolstadt at their own game?
Electrification: it’s affecting manufacturers very differently.If you’re Mercedes-AMG, the E-word means swapping the humdinger V8 in your most popular product for a four-cylinder hybrid, and you probably don’t like the idea too much. In fact, you probably hate it.But if you’re Peugeot, and electrification allows you to take existing four-cylinder models and punt them up into an unexplored realm of extreme performance and fun, you might just be more game.You might even enlist your motorsport department to help create a new sub-brand called Peugeot Sport Engineered (PSE). Et voilà: Peugeot’s answer to Volkswagen’s R, or even AMG, but with the unique approach of putting electrification front and centre, with a range exclusively made up of performance plug-in hybrids.These cars will be based on regular Collapse
2021 Skoda Kodiaq updated with new looks and technology
1 DAY AGO - Mid-life refresh sees the seven-seat SUV brought into line with the wider Skoda line-up
Skoda has Expand
1 DAY AGO - Mid-life refresh sees the seven-seat SUV brought into line with the wider Skoda line-up
Skoda has overhauled its Kodiaq SUV for 2021, featuring new technology and a style makeover that brings the optional seven-seater into line with the brand's latest designs.
The refresh also includes the return of the vRS performance model to the line-up with petrol power, following the removal of the outgoing 237bhp twin-turbo diesel version late last year due to tightening emissions rules.
The Kodiaq launched in 2016 as the first model in the Czech firm's SUX expansion, and has since been followed by the smaller Kamiq and Karoq. It is built on the Volkswagen Group's MQB platform, as used by the Volkswagen Tiguan and Seat Tarraco.
For this mid-life facelift Skoda has refreshed the Kodiaq with a new, more upright grill, elevated bonnet, revamped front and rear bumpers and a revised headlight design, with LED Matrix items available for the first time.
The S, SE and SE L trim levels also gain new Collapse
James Ruppert: Rally roots bangers that make great used buys
1 DAY AGO - Clio Williams is now very collectible and prices reflect that
Sure, they've never actually raced Expand
1 DAY AGO - Clio Williams is now very collectible and prices reflect that
Sure, they've never actually raced or rallied, but a link to a motorsport star does make a used car stand out
Marketing new cars is some sort of dark art. However, broadening the appeal of a dullish family car by associating it with someone who is handy behind the wheel has to be an easy call. I mean, adding ‘Schumacher’ to the Fiat Stilo moniker at least grabs some attention.
Only 200 of them were made for the UK market in 2006, so I thought it might be a challenge to find one of these beauties as a used proposition. I mean, this side of a Seicento, it is the cheapest way to get into an Italian motor connected to the German Formula 1 world champion. I was tipped off that there’s a 104,000-mile one coming up for auction. It’s a bit well used around the edges, but it has a full service history, a fresh MOT and a new master cylinder. I’ve no idea what it will go for but I chanced across a three-owner example with a modest Collapse
Honda E 2021 long-term review
1 DAY AGO - Honda’s electric supermini has its charms, but what’s it like to live with? Let’s find out
Why we Expand
1 DAY AGO - Honda’s electric supermini has its charms, but what’s it like to live with? Let’s find out
Why we ran it: To see if the E has the everyday usability to match its desirability, despite its relatively short range
Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Prices and specs
Life with a Honda E: month 5
Our time is up with Honda’s eye- catching electric city car. So how has it fared in our hands? Let’s find out - 7 April 2021
The world is quite divisive, you may have noticed. Debates are fierce, and the grey middle ground seems lost in a desire to make everything black or white. Whatever happened to a bit of good old-fashioned fence-sitting?
With that in mind, comments about the Honda E tend to go something like this: “Yeah, I love the way it looks inside and out, even more so the way it drives, but its range is tiny, so it’s basically rubbish.” Sure, the range figure is smaller than similarly priced rivals such as the Peugeot e-208, but by enough to discount the E entirely? Collapse
Dealer boss on the post-pandemic future for car sales
2 DAYS AGO - Car dealerships hope to benefit from a post-lockdown sales boost. The CEO of Vertu tells us Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Car dealerships hope to benefit from a post-lockdown sales boost. The CEO of Vertu tells us how
New car registrations have risen for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 283,964 new vehicles hitting UK roads in March – 29,280 more than for the same period in 2020.
This first sign of growth is positive news for the industry, albeit with the caveat that sales tumbled by 44.4% in March last year as the country entered its first lockdown.
Dealerships reopened on Monday for the first time since early January, when non- essential retailers were forced to close their doors once again in response to an alarming rise in infections. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) warns that the latest figures are still 36.9% down on the 10-year March average, and that the shortfall in the first quarter of this year has already cost the industry around £1.8 billion.
“The past year has been the toughest in modern history and the automotive sector has, like many Collapse
Covid guidance: Car dealers reopen after three-month shutdown
2 DAYS AGO - Customers finally allowed back in England and Wales showrooms from 12 April, with many expecting a Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Customers finally allowed back in England and Wales showrooms from 12 April, with many expecting a surge in demand
Britain has been under national lockdown restrictions 5 January 2021, joining much of Europe, but the government's easing process is continuing as planned - in line with falling coronavirus rates.
Up to now, car dealerships have been closed and there have been strict restrictions on travel, but with official guidance now eased to "minimise travel" as much as possible, and non-essential retail allowed to reopen, motorists should be aware of the latest rules and what they mean.
Here is a rundown of the measures affecting motorists across the UK.
Can I buy a new car?
Car dealers in England and Wales have been allowed to reopen as of today, 12 April, when non-essential retail is permitted to reopen its doors.
Customers will once again be allowed to enter and browse showrooms, for the first time in more than three months, having until now been restricted to using Collapse
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Opinion: why Matchbox cars have everlasting appeal
3 HRS AGO - New 'best of' model range has sent our man down memory lane
Small, shiny and wheeled: Matchbox Expand
3 HRS AGO - New 'best of' model range has sent our man down memory lane
Small, shiny and wheeled: Matchbox toys were once a staple gift to small boys from indulgent relatives.
I still remember my Aunty Edna giving me a small, bottle green Formula 1 car with a yellow stripe capping its slender nose. I didn’t know what make it was, so I turned it over to read the lettering on its base and mispronounced Lotus as 'Lottus'. It was a 1960 Lotus 19 F1 car, and would become one of many of these diminutive toys to litter my bedroom.
The owners of the brand, of which more shortly, have just relaunched it with arrays of models themed by European countries, each containing a mix of modern and classic models as well as utility vehicles. The UK collection includes Jaguar’s E- and F-Types, a Lotus Elise and Europa (the classic variety), an MGB GT, a modern Mini Countryman, an LEVC taxi and a BMW M5 police car.
The French collection includes a Renault Kangoo van, a 1968 Citroën DS and, a little unexpectedly, Collapse
Dacia Sandero given two-star rating in Euro NCAP safety test
6 HRS AGO - Safety body highlights budget hatchback's limited emergency braking system, while Volkswagen ID 4 Expand
6 HRS AGO - Safety body highlights budget hatchback's limited emergency braking system, while Volkswagen ID 4 and Skoda Enyaq earn top scores
The Dacia Sandero Stepway has been given a two-star safety rating by Euro NCAP, with the head of the organisation labelling the car’s limited autonomous emergency braking system “disappointing”.
The two-star score for the high-riding version of budget brand Dacia’s hatchback was matched by the firm's Logan saloon in the latest round of testing conducted by the Euro NCAP safety body. The electric Volkswagen ID 4 and Skoda Enyaq IV, along with the new plug-in hybrid version of the Cupra Formentor, were all awarded the maximum score of five stars.
The Sandero Stepway was rated at two stars out of five for its advanced driver assistance systems, with Euro NCAP highlighting the limitations of its radar-only automatic emergency braking system. The safety body said the system – which will soon be a legal requirement – can only react to other vehicles and lacks Collapse
Dacia Sandero TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 2021 UK review
9 HRS AGO - Still cheap, still remarkably likeable and as usable and habitable as most recent Expand
9 HRS AGO - Still cheap, still remarkably likeable and as usable and habitable as most recent superminis
"Good news!” as James May used to say: the new Dacia Sandero is now on sale in the UK. And, starting at less than £8000, it’s still Britain’s cheapest new car.Not that 99% of Sandero buyers will ever pick the Access base model, because a much nicer one can be had for £1000 extra. And around one in 10 owners choose this top-powered Bi-Fuel version, which can run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as petrol and swap between the two at the push of a button.It has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine making 99bhp, with a 50-litre petrol tank in its usual place and a 40-litre LPG tank where the spare wheel should be. LPG is cheaper to buy than petrol and emits less CO2, and power and torque are up over running on petrol, too.However, you can’t find LPG everywhere in the UK and it’s not as economical as petrol: this car can officially run at 39.8mpg on it versus 52.3mpg on petrol. Collapse
Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible revealed
21 HRS AGO - Convertible version of Bentley Continental GT Speed breaks cover with W12 producing 650bhp
The Expand
21 HRS AGO - Convertible version of Bentley Continental GT Speed breaks cover with W12 producing 650bhp
The new Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible has been revealed less than a month after the coupé edition was introduced to the luxury car’s line-up.
Like the hard-top, the Convertible gets a tuned version of Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12 engine, producing 650bhp and 664lb ft. It’s just two tenths of a second slower than the coupé over the 0-62mph spring, at 3.7sec, while the top speed of 208mph is identical.
The Continental GT Speed Convertible features the same performance-focused features as its sibling, including all-wheel steering, an electronic rear differential, an enhanced chassis, active anti-roll technology and air suspension with active damping.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are optional, and Bentley says the balance of power and grip can be shifted rearwards in Sport mode for a more engaging drive. In this setting, the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is twice as fast as the Collapse
Skoda Kodiaq vRS reintroduced for 2021 with 241bhp
1 DAY AGO - 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine for Skoda's hot seven-seat SUV
The hot Skoda Kodiaq vRS will return Expand
1 DAY AGO - 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine for Skoda's hot seven-seat SUV
The hot Skoda Kodiaq vRS will return with a new lighter and more powerful turbocharged petrol engine as part of as part of a wider mid-life facelift for the large SUV.
The performance version of the Czech firm’s seven-seater previously used a 236bhp twin-turbo diesel engine, but it was taken off sale last year due to tightening emissions regulations.
The Kodiaq vRS will now use the VW Group’s 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which offers a higher output of 241bhp and is more than 60kg lighter than the diesel previously used. It retains all-wheel-drive and a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
Skoda has yet to give full performance details for the new model, but taking the same-engined version of the similarly sized Seat Tarraco as an indicator, we would expect a 0-62mph time of just over 6.0secs and a top speed of 140mph.
As before, the Kodiaq vRS features a number of bespoke styling details to set it apart from standard Collapse
Autocar's favourite racing drivers: Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams
1 DAY AGO - It’s not about numbers or stats, and it doesn’t matter about the era or the series - here's the Expand
1 DAY AGO - It’s not about numbers or stats, and it doesn’t matter about the era or the series - here's the latest entry in our list of motorsport heroes
The brief was simple. An email to all the journalists on Autocar: Pick your favourite racing driver of all time.
What we didn’t expect was quite the repertoire of answers that came back. Covering most eras and a vast spectrum of the sport - from F1 to club racing - it just goes to show how varied motorsport and its followers are. For once, there are no wrong answers: It has led to many discussions and a fair amount of incredulity but, in the end, it’s all about personal choice.
Do you agree with us? Would you go for someone different? Let us know in the comments box below.
Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams
It’s not often that you’d pick your favourite racing driver on the basis of their laugh, but that’s the sort of bloke that Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams was. Here was a man for whom the phrase ‘laughter lines’ was practically invented, with the sort Collapse
Opinion: Why Bentley's Pikes Peak return is worth getting excited about
2 DAYS AGO - The British firm is aiming for a third hill record - and its most ambitious yet
Just about any Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The British firm is aiming for a third hill record - and its most ambitious yet
Just about any mention of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb sparks an unfeasible level of excitement in me. I mean, what’s not to love about an epic hillclimb event on a treacherous 12.42-mile course that winds through 156 turns to finish atop a 4302-metre high Colorado mountain?
Mere mention of the event has me imagining Ari Vatanen wrestling his Peugeot 405 T16, Rod Millen and Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima’s increasingly extravagant creations designed to break the 10-minute mark and Sébastien Loeb’s sublime effort in a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak. And, of course, Romain Dumas’s incredible, ground-breaking and record-shattering run in the electric Volkswagen ID R. Getting to witness that record bid up close is both a career and a personal highlight.
Still, I’ll accept I’m not entirely normal in my love of Pikes Peak, so I’d understand if the law of diminishing returns means you might question the Collapse
New 2022 BMW M4 CSL primed as lightweight track weapon
2 DAYS AGO - Hardcore version of new M4 spotted testing; could represent the third coming of hallowed CSL Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Hardcore version of new M4 spotted testing; could represent the third coming of hallowed CSL nameplate
BMW is thought to be readying a lightweight, range-topping version of the new M4 coupé, and reports suggest it could revive the hallowed CSL nameplate.
The CSL moniker – it stands for Coupé Sport Leichtbau (lightweight) – was first applied to the ultra-exclusive E9-generation 3.0 CSL sports saloon in 1972 and revived in 2004 for a lighter version of the E46-generation M3. Since then, the lightest and fastest versions of BMW's sports cars have been badged Competition, GTS or simply CS, according to their positioning.
An anonymous source on the Bimmer Post forum suggests the M4 CSL will enter production in July 2022. Taking the previous CSL cars as an indication, we would expect a run of around 1500 units.
Irrespective of the production car's official name, a similar treatment to the recently revealed M5 CS is likely, meaning it will prioritise weight loss and enhanced dynamic Collapse
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