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Everything you need to know about cars this week: 19 Jul '20
Includes news of the GT Black Series and Ford Bronco, plus our drive of the Ferrari SF90
Isn’t this Lego Bentley Blower just tremendous?
"Creator '17BenBricks' says it took around eight months and countless rebuilds to perfect, with working steering that mimics the original’s ‘worm and sector’ setup and an accurate representation of the 4.5-litre supercharged engine."
Advertisement - Page continues belowPorsche’s 3D-printed pistons give the GT2 RS 30 extra horsepower
"Frank Ickinger, from Porsche’s advance drive development department, says the new, lighter pistons, developed with help from engineering companies Mahle and Trumpf, mean powertrain engineers can 'increase the engine speed, lower the temperature load on the pistons and optimise combustion'."
Change Our Mind: kei cars need to come to Britain
"If they were allowed on British shores with similar tax breaks to their JDM home, then I think people might just flock to them. Our people love a) a bargain and b) a loophole, as the scrappage scheme of a decade ago proved. Delta Integrales, 944 Turbos and 205 GTIs were sent to an early grave purely for a modest chunk of cash off a Hyundai i10. Apply a tax cut to something truly wacky and inventive, and I’d like to think our car buyers’ appetites would be even more voracious."
Advertisement - Page continues belowReview: Ferrari SF90 Stradale
"As an object lesson in corralling the discordant forces of petrol and electricity, it’s stunning"
Gaming review: F1 2020 makes you the boss
"Such are the strange times that we live in, the F1 season has only just kicked off and we already have the official videogame version of the 2020 championship landing in our collective lap. When we said last year that we enjoyed the game arriving earlier in the season, this isn’t quite what we had in mind."
Review: Audi RSQ8
"Better looking than the Lambo Urus, phenomenal performance and handling, hugely expensive… ideal if you need a supercar and an SUV rolled into one"
This is it: the fully electric BMW iX3 SUV
"Underneath the X3’s bonnet lies BMW’s fifth-generation ‘eDrive technology’. This comprises the latest motor, battery, electronics and charging tech the company has to offer; indeed, they’ll be fitted to the production iNext and i4 from 2021 onwards."
Advertisement - Page continues belowFinally, it’s the new Ford Bronco
"Ford really isn’t messing around. After a 24-year break, the Bronco is back, and it wants for nothing more than to bludgeon the Jeep Wrangler into a muddy submission. And on the strength of its spec, looks and price, it could well do just that."
Wait, what? The Audi SQ7 and SQ8 are now 500bhp V8 petrol SUVs
"Audi has binned the SQ7 and SQ8’s diesel V8, and replaced it with a 4.0-litre biturbo petrol V8. Fairly busy engine, that."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThis is the new Range Rover Sport Black edition
"The Black is one of many new special edition Range Rovers to welcome the 2021 model year, and this one features the exterior Black Pack, 21- or 22-inch black wheels, privacy glass, an all-black interior and either black or grey paint. Hang on, grey?"
New issue out now: TG saves your summer
"Uncancel summer and slap on the factor 50, because this month we’re going out topless with four of the best convertible supercars. Yep, rather than a boring old bucket and spade, for TG’s trip to the beach we packed the new Ferrari F8 Spider, the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cab, the McLaren 720S Spyder and the Lamborghini Huracan Evo RWD Spyder."
FCA and PSA’s merged company will be called STELLANTIS
"We first heard of the merger between FCA and PSA (not McFly and Busted) back in October last year, and the news was officially confirmed in December. The plan is to make a truly global company with PSA currently huge in Europe and FCA shifting millions of cars per year in North America. For reference, the new group will become the fourth largest OEM by volume and third largest by revenue."
This new Porsche 911 Turbo will do 0-62mph in 2.8s
"You’d still be wise before you took it on, mind, because like its big brother it’s bloody quick. Total power now sits at 572bhp and a healthy 553lb ft of torque. Down on the Turbo S’s 641bhp, but nearly 40bhp more than the last-gen, 991 Turbo. Also, 572bhp is quite a lot anyway."
Ford Bronco vs Wrangler vs Defender: the numbers
"We’ll only be able to compare the Bronco with other 4x4s – to say whether it’s better or worse – when we get to drive one. Numbers don’t tell the whole story – nothing like it – but they’re as good a place as any to start."
This is the new hybrid version of the Maserati Ghibli
"The hybrid system consists of a small battery, a belt starter generator which acts as an alternator and an eBooster that backs up the engine’s conventional turbocharger at low revs. The result? 330bhp, 332lb ft of torque, 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 158mph."
Goodwood Speedweek will take place in October
"Like all the sport is right now, it’s taking place behind closed doors, but Goodwood assures us that – unlike eerily echo-y fanless Premier League games – Speedweek is designed to be watched online."
Seven of the best three-seater sports cars
"No surprises here. Overseen by Gordon Murray and powered by a 6.1-litre, 627bhp V12 created by BMW’s engine genius Paul Rosche, the F1 is regarded as one of the greatest sportscars ever built. It remains one of the most furiously sought-after cars, too, with notable past and present owners including Elon Musk, Rowan Atkinson, and Jay Leno. They’d make for an interesting road trip trio…"
Chris Harris on… convertibles
"Roof down, my priorities seem to shift to a different place – I travel more slowly and love the sense of being more exposed to the elements. I couldn’t give one third of a crap about the steering column shaking or the damping being a bit ropey or the glovebox lid shaking itself to bits. I’m relaxed and happy."
Review: Lamborghini Huracán Evo Spyder
"‘Evo’ updates don’t make the Huracán any easier to live with... but we almost forgive it, because of that V10"
Be afraid: it's the 202mph Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series
"This is the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, a car with a singular purpose: to push the boundaries of what a car wearing a number-plate can do. For example, manually extend the front splitter and you’re barred from the public road… track-only for you, sunshine. That’s how fine the line is."
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