20
List
Everything you need to know about cars this week: 31 Mar '19
An actual 300mph road-car, a stunning new DBS and Audi's e-tron in the UK
When is a hot hatch *not* a hot hatch?
"Hatch plus hot equals gold, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that crossover plus hot, or electric plus hot, or estate plus hot, will necessarily also strike it rich…"
Advertisement - Page continues belowHere are the 11 greatest hot hatches of all time
"Hard hats on: here are the hot hatches we think are the absolute best..."
The Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato will look a bit like this
"The double-bubble roof is a big part of the design - it stretches all the way to the back of the car for a nice, clean line that also sacrifices the entire rear window. The bonnet has a double-bubble theme too, and the windscreen is a wraparound item that 'removes any hard lines above the car’s shoulder line'. The wheels, headlamps and grille will all be unique designs."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThis Ford GT just did 300mph
"M2K Motorsport’s 2006 Ford GT broke the 300mph barrier on the last of its three runs at a standing-mile event at Texas’s Victoria Regional Airport last weekend, hitting 300.4mph before deploying its parachute and hitting the brakes. Presumably very hard indeed."
Ferrari reveals the P80/C: a one-off 488 GT3
"So here it is, the latest Ferrari one-off, the P80/C, and we’re calling this the best yet. Sure, a new Ferrari will provoke a debate so fierce it can get more heated than the surface of the sun, and these SP cars are often very personal interpretations of a theme. But here’s why this one knocks it out of the park: it’s the most extreme yet because it’s also the first to use a racing car as its jumping-off point."
The Ford Fiesta and Focus are going hybrid
"The Ford Fiesta and Focus are going hybrid. Well, kinda. Ford is giving them both the option of mild hybrid technology from 2020 as it aims to 'bring the benefits of electrification to greater numbers of consumers'. Slapping it onto two of Britain’s best selling cars will certainly do that."
This is BMW's 330i British Touring Car contender
"The 3 Series competed in the BTCC between 1988 and 2009, in which time it won five drivers’ and two manufacturers’ titles. In 2013 BMW swapped to the 1 Series, but last month announced 'one of the most evocative cars in BTCC history' would return to the grid this year."
Advertisement - Page continues belowTesla's Model 3 outsold the 3 Series, C-Class and A4
"Yup, the new Model 3 sold 3,630 units in February, which was apparently more than The German Big Three did. It also topped the pure electric vehicle charts, outselling the Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and Hyundai Kona."
Nine things we learned driving the front-drive BMW 1 Series
"If you want wild, the M135i is your best bet. BMW’s reverted back to the old 1 Series hot hatch naming structure because ‘40’ badges are reserved for six-cylinders, and for the first time, the fastest 1 uses a four-cylinder turbo engine."
Advertisement - Page continues belowBentley’s going after another Pikes Peak record
"Pikes Peak isn’t until June, but Bentley is already gearing up for the 12.42-mile, 156-corner hillclimb. Why? Because it wants another record - this time for fastest production car."
The Mercedes-AMG A35 has been saloonified
"Remember when cars were individually recognisable? And badge nomenclature made sense? Well, those days are well and truly gone as the nichetastic nature of the motoring industry is showing no signs of slowing down with this, the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon."
Behold: it's a full-size Lego McLaren Senna!
"Why are we showing you a photo of a McLaren Senna coarsely pixellated and sent down a 56k modem? We’re not. It’s something vastly more wonderful. A McLaren Senna rendered in full size out of Lego."
Speed limiters: are they a good idea?
"The European Commission has provisionally approved plans to place speed limiters on all new cars sold from 2022 onwards, and we want to know your thoughts."
Renault Megane RS Trophy review: new hot hatch driven
"I suspect it’s brilliant if you’re on a track. But on a road, especially the sort of British country road that you want a hot hatch to excel on, there are one or two issues. It’s very stiff, and while the quality of the damping, especially in extremis, is superb (thanks in no small part to the hydraulic bump stops), when you back off it’s too harsh to be enjoyable."
Hyundai has reinvented the (steering) wheel
"It’s Hyundai’s vision of a future that involves replacing the majority of physical buttons with small touch displays. It might look radical at first glance, but given that we’re now seeing touchscreens replacing physical function buttons everywhere from on mobile phones to driving mode switches, this seems a pretty logical evolution. RIP buttons. Maybe."
Audi R8 V10 Performance review: yes, it’s all about that stunning engine
"It’s ironic that this madman of a V10 lives in a supercar that’s freakishly easy to drive and endlessly forgiving. Whatever Audi chooses to do with the R8 next, this car will be remembered as one of the company’s all-time greats."
Living with a Mercedes-AMG G63: part 1
"With the G’s tech overhaul, this one should be a doddle to live with compared to the last generation. Should be. Come back to us every month and we’ll let you know. And, don’t worry, we’re going to test it in every environment we can. So there’s only one thing for it, let’s off-road!"
Audi e-tron review: first UK test of Audi’s electric SUV
"The e-tron is for electro-sceptics. And by god does it do a good job of convincing them they don’t need to be scared of the future. The only thing that’s going to unsettle you about the e-tron is how quiet and smooth it is."
Lotus's future: new sports car, platform and electric hypercar
"In 2017, Geely Auto Group (which also owns Volvo, Proton, Lynk&Co and makes the new EV London Taxi) acquired the major shareholding in Lotus. In September 2018, Popham was appointed. And he’s clearly been busy. Driving past the factory, you’re aware of significant expansion already taking place; as becomes clear during our interview, this is just the start."
Chris Harris Drives: the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR
"The Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Racing has a long name. But the story is quite short and simple: it’s a tuned GT2 RS by Manthey Racing, and it’s the fastest road-legal car to lap the Nürburgring. Now, it’s Chris’s turn."
Trending this week
- Car Review
- Long Term Review
