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Everything you need to know about cars this week: 26 Apr '20
Actual new cars from Audi, Land Rover and Toyota, plus Ford confirms the Focus RS is dead
VW Group design boss: 'chance to speed up' EV uptake
"As of April 1, Bischoff is Head of Group Design, making him master of all he surveys, design-wise anyway – Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and the rest."
Advertisement - Page continues belowReview: Volkswagen e-Up
"A superb gimmick-free electric car. Try this before you go for that ID3…"
One lightly-Stigged Lambo LM002, yours for £285k
"If you hate the modern trend for cramming unfeasibly large engines into-unsuitably high bodies, resulting in the middle-fingers-to-the-planet that are super-SUVs, this is the car you should blame. The Lamborghini LM002, aka the Rambo Lambo, is the original bad idea - squeezing a supercar engine into a utility vehicle."
Advertisement - Page continues belowFord is ‘not planning another Focus RS’
"In a statement, the company said: 'As a result of pan-European emissions standards, increased CO2 taxation and the high cost of developing an RS with some form of electrification for a relatively low volume of vehicles, we are not planning another RS version of the Focus.'"
Waste a whole day on the Ferrari Roma configurator
"The configurator offers a 360-degree exterior view of the Roma too. Which is great for inspecting both your dream and disaster specs. Although if you’re actually in a position to buy one you might need to be careful with Ferrari’s infamous options list."
Say hello to the new Audi A3 Saloon
"The old A3 Saloon always looked a bit stubby to us, but this new one appears better proportioned. It’s 15cm longer than the hatchback and 4cm longer, 2cm wider and 1cm taller than the old car. Expect Audi to do a long-wheelbase version for the Chinese market, which values decent legroom above all else."
10 of the best racing drivers never to win an F1 title
"During his career, Moss accumulated 16 wins in just 66 races, which to this day is more than anyone else to have never won a championship. He finished runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship four times, and third on three other occasions."
Advertisement - Page continues belowGood news: you can buy a new, old Aston Martin V12 Zagato
"They’re endorsed and approved by Aston Martin but are being produced by R-Reforged (part of Swiss race team AF Racing which runs privateer GT3 Aston Martins and is also involved in Aston’s new mid-engined supercars and Valkyrie) in a new 30,000 sq. ft facility in Warwick. Just like the Aston Martin Vanquish 25, the £550k remastered V12 GT from Ian Callum and R-Reforged, these Zagatos will use donor cars that will be stripped down and then built up again to be new-old cars."
Yep, this is an actual Ferrari 250 GTE police car
"Finished in black with a hard-wearing tan leatherette interior, #3999 was retired from service in late-1968. It was in great condition, having been regularly sent back to Maranello to have its battle scars touched-up. Sold in 1972 at a public army surplus auction, the car’s remained in Italy ever since."
Advertisement - Page continues belowReview: MG ZS EV
"It's cheap, sure, but the rest of it won't make you run away screaming."
This road-legal, Gulf-liveried McLaren P1 GTR is incredible
"At the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, Lanzante showed the world the P1 GT – a gorgeous rebodied, longtail version of the GTR. And now there’s this – the P1 GTR-18 (so named because the project began in 2018). To our eyes this looks almost identical to the P1 GT, but that was a one-off for an anonymous (and very wealthy) Middle Eastern collector, so presumably a new name was needed when others came knocking at Lanzante’s door."
Check out Land Rover's new plug-in hybrids
"Business people of England, please be upstanding for the new plug-in hybrid versions of the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. With claimed CO2 emissions of 36 and 32g/km respectively, getting a P300e instead of a petrol or diesel will save you literally thousands in tax."
Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet review: better than the Coupe?
"Yep, it’s the cabriolet version of the new road-crushing 911 Turbo S. And, as is the tradition with these things, it’s a little bit heavier – 69.8kg to be precise – than the coupe thanks to the additional bracing and hardware for the roof mechanism. So you’d expect it to be a little slower, worse handling than the tin top. That’s just the way it is. But not here in Porsche World."
Bentley dismantles, 3D-scans its famous 4.5-litre Blower
"As well as engineering the new-old Blower, the CAD model is being used by Bentley’s design department to help the 12 lucky individuals spec their cars. Said wealthy individuals can choose their own exterior and interior colours and materials. Now that’s just asking for trouble…"
This is Hyundai’s new paddleshift-equipped Veloster N
"There’s no official word yet on whether the UK will definitely be getting a DCT-equipped i30N, but it’d be a huge shock if Hyundai went to all of this trouble to produce a paddleshifter just for the Veloster. We know there’s a facelifted i30N coming at some point soon too, so that’d be the obvious time for Hyundai to launch such a thing."
Say hello to Ford’s 1,400bhp electric Mustang
"Usually power comes from a big supercharged V8, but for the Cobra Jet 1400 Prototype Ford’s gone down a different route. Set to make its debut 'later this year at a drag racing event', the prototype eschews the V8 in favour of batteries and electric motors. We don’t know how many motors or how big the battery is, but Ford tells us this thing is good for 1,400bhp, 1,100lb ft of torque and a 1/4 -mile in the low eights at around 170mph."
This is the brand new hybrid Toyota Yaris Cross
"This mini-me RAV-4 will be Toyota’s attempt to crack the small crossover market. That’s the Jukes and T-Crosses and Pumas of this world. Sometimes I think it’d be worth setting up a keyboard shortcut: alt-f8 means ‘write a news story about a new compact crossover’."
Review: Peugeot e-208
"Looks like a 208, *is* a 208. This electric version is a strong all-rounder."
SCG’s Le Mans racer will use a twin-turbo V8
"The V8 isn’t dead! At least, not in motorsport, and certainly not for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. Jim’s team has just announced a partnership with French race engine builder Pipo Moteurs, for his upcoming 007 Le Mans racer."
McLaren will keep its supercars on a carb-free diet
"McLaren is committed to cutting the carbs from the diet of its supernaturally fast supercars. Bossman Mike Flewitt reaffirmed his company’s commitment to winning the ‘weight race’. Ensuring his cars are, in modern parlance, shredded."
Top Gear’s Top 9: the best car pedals, ever
"They could’ve just used parts-bin pedals – after all, the Elise borrowed Vauxhall indicator stalks, and Peugeot heater controls. But they went bespoke, and to this day, the Elise has pedals that look like designer label cutlery from the 23rd Century."
This is what an ‘entry-level’, three-seat Koenigsegg could look like
"A design study, but before you run off into the night in disbelief, this one’s got proper provenance. It’s been designed by a chap called Esa Mustonen, a 23-year old student who did an actual internship at Koenigsegg."
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