The Mini Cooper Sport is a life-affirming blast from the past August 1, 2020 Driving a classic Mini Cooper proves the perfect antodote to post-lockdown blues. Tim Pitt explains how you could do the same.
Bespoke Aston Martin Vanquish 25 is a retro supercar dream July 25, 2020 Die Another Day certainly isn’t the best Bond film – and frankly, Pierce Brosnan isn’t the best Bond. But the Aston Martin Vanquish might be the coolest car modified by Q Branch. Having shaped the Vanquish two decades ago, Ian Callum has now modified one, too. The famous car designer’s new company – simply called [...]
Steve Coogan’s ‘perfect’ Jaguar E-Type up for sale July 19, 2020 As Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan refused to drive a Rover 100 (“They’ve rebadged it, you fool!”) and lusted after a Lexus (“the Japanese Mercedes”). Later, as Tommy Saxondale, he cherished his Ford Mustang Mach 1, but drove a Renault Kangoo (“Grab a pew in the Kangoo”) for work. In real life, Coogan has rather more [...]
Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 review: The joy of six July 18, 2020 I was blissfully ignorant at the time, but this would be my final fling. A few days later, the UK entered lockdown, and the freedom to simply go for a drive was abruptly revoked. In the weeks and months that followed, I often thought about that afternoon. Confined to Croydon, sealed off from friends and [...]
Fast Ford icon: Rare Sierra RS Cosworth heads to auction July 18, 2020 “A working class hero is something to be,” declared John Lennon. Anyone who grew up idolising the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth would surely agree. With its wide wheelarches and whale tail wing, the ‘Cossie’ looked brilliant on a bedroom wall. And its 204hp turbocharged engine offered Porsche-baiting pace: 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and a top [...]
Batteries included: The Bentley Bentayga Hybrid offers zero-emissions city driving March 25, 2020 A few months ago, this page featured the Bentley Bentayga Speed, a 635 horsepower SUV with the thrust of a supercar and thirst of a supertanker. The Bentayga Hybrid is the yin to that yang, trading a 6.0-litre W12 for a 3.0 V6: the smallest engine ever fitted to a Bentley. It forgoes the title [...]
Jensen Interceptor review: A real brawn star motor that drives like nothing else March 2, 2020 Sharp-suited Italian styling. A brawny all-American V8. A sumptuous wood-and-leather British interior. Oh, and probably the coolest car name ever conceived. The Jensen Interceptor had it all. Sadly, this glamorous GT was also burdened with ‘traditional’ British build quality, but that’s nothing Cropredy Bridge can’t fix. Based in a quaint village near Banbury, the company [...]
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is a supercar turned up to 11 February 24, 2020 What is your lottery-win dream car? In my line of work, it’s a common question at social gatherings, usually somewhere between “Should I buy a Volkswagen Golf?” (yes, probably) and before “Have you met Jeremy Clarkson?” (yes, briefly). Anyway, I’ll spare you the suspense, it’s the McLaren F1. Sadly, I need a Euromillions rollover to [...]
The Electrogenic Volkswagen Beetle converts the classic car to electric Tesla power February 17, 2020 On Thursday, the London Classic Car Show opens at Olympia in Kensington. Visitors can see more than 500 rare and exotic classics, plus special displays to mark 40 years of the Audi quattro and 50 years of the Range Rover. But while nostalgic car fans celebrate the past, the future is less certain. We recently [...]
The Honda e concept dream is now an electric reality February 3, 2020 The Honda e electric car is a dream come true for enthusiasts. “Just build it!” they said, after seeing the original 2017 concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Three years later, here it is, a ray of sunshine despite the best efforts of Storm Gloria in Valencia. “We’ve not seen anything like it in [...]
