ONLY FANS: FLAT-OUT IN GORD

ON MURRAY’S T.50... AT THE TG TE

ST TRACK

INTRODUCING
OUR GUEST
COLUMNIST
THE STIG

n of the... *
Retur
IN G A L E GEND
P IN E I S REVIV CH LIVES ON!
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PAR T Y L I
READY TONICALLY IT’S NOT A RENAULT
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* OK , T E C H H U T T L E RUN
S a Buga tti
Launching(almost)
RAD Chiron to NASA’s
TOTALdL6Y2-2 on 250mph inen
Radfor
RETROAL rack:
road and t on back gard
SPECI what Jens 1
£5 .9 9

did after F
ALL NEW
RENAULT
MEGANE
100% electric
E-TECH
up to 280 miles range, rapid charge as standard and with Google built-in*
all new Megane E-Tech 100% electric iconic Zero tailpipe emissions. CO2: 0g/km, MPG: n/a.

wltp figures shown are for comparability purposes. actual real world driving results may vary depending on factors including the starting charge of the
battery, accessories fitted after registration, weather conditions, driving styles and vehicle load. *Google and Google Maps are trademarks of Google LLC.
Google built-in standard from techno.
 GET YOUR FIX
There’s more than one way to
consume the world’s best car content

Ed i t o r

@jack_rix
editor@bbctopgearmagazine.com

MAGAZINE
Order a copy at MagsDirect.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
buysubscriptions.com/TGSP3M

A
re electric hot hatches actually viable? I want the answer to be an emphatic yes, we all do,
right? Because a world without hot hatches in it is like a bacon sandwich without ketchup... DOWNLOAD
not completely unpleasant, but ultimately a bit dry. The TopGear
But hang on, doesn’t an electric version of a pumped up hatch go against everything that app from your
made them great in the first place? A hot hatch should be if not cheap, then certainly attainable. App Store
As it stands, electric cars still cost more than a petrol powered equivalent. A hot hatch should
also be relatively small, nimble and chuckable (usually through the nearest hedge, backwards)
whereas batteries are heavy and handling therefore cumbersome. Just ask the new 580bhp
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, predicted to top two tonnes. WEBSITE
A hot hatch should be bristling with character, often this comes from the snickety manual topgear.com
gearbox or the rorty small-capacity engine working its socks off under the bonnet. An EV has no
need for gearchanges and they all deliver their power in the same stealthy, instant, homogenised
hit. Simulated sound cranked through the speakers is just cheating by the way... we’re looking at entertainment
you Abarth 500e Scorpionissima. and advice
A hot hatch should also be useful – seating for four or five with a proper boot. They should be
as suited to a tip run as they are to zipping up the Stelvio or visiting relatives in Norwich, and yet
YOUTUBE
any high powered EV will suck the juice from its battery faster than its lesser-powered cousin, so
Subscribe to
the range is unlikely to be stellar. Add more battery to counteract that and while you might gain
the TopGear
miles and solve one problem, you enter the death spin of increased weight in all the others.
Sure, battery tech will forge ahead and there will come a day when you can have a hatchback
to watch the

“RENAULT’S PRODUCED
with solid state batteries, with as much grunt as you
best car videos
like, that weighs less than today’s Golf GTI (1,429kg)
on the planet
and handles with similar finesse, but I’d estimate that’s

SOMETHING COOLER
at least 10 years away. Doesn’t look fantastic does it?
And then Renault, with its Alpine beret on, goes
PODCAST
and produces something cooler than liquid nitrogen

THAN LIQUID NITROGEN

Visit topgear.com
and I want one immediately, regardless of what I’ve
to download
rationalised above. Shades of the Eighties R5 Turbo
the TopGear
cloaked in ice white modernism... and a central driving

AND I WANT ONE”

podcast
position. I know the latter won’t make production, but
even so, bravo Alpine. Please, take my money.
Enjoy the issue,
@topgear
facebook.com/topgear
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TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 005

 Save
JACK RIX
E D I T OR-IN- CH IE F

HEAD OF CAR TESTING Oliver Marriage BRAND MANAGING EDITOR Esther Neve
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48
006 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › TOPGEAR.COM
 Stainless steal.

In 1972, famed designer Gérald Genta created an oxymoron. Priced more than many
precious metal rivals, the ‘luxury stainless steel timepiece’ was not an immediate
success. But eventually its tough, elegant body, integrated bracelet and patterned
dial caught on. A watch that dressed up for dinner. Or down, at the pool. Today’s
41mm, base automatic of that original watch costs £22,850 more than the new
‘Twelve’ - named for its dodecagon-sided bezel and rear lock ring. Our watch is
thinner, goes deeper and offers a choice of C1/BL Grade X1-lumed dials. A polished,
brushed and sandblasted case of daylight (and night time) robbery?
Do your research.

christopherward.com
Intelligent garden care
Cable-free

STIGA A 1500 A 3000 A 5000

Autonomous robot mowers
Guided by AGS technology for a more intelligent cutting session
 CONTENTS
ISSUE 372 /
JUNE 2023

066

032

084

094

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 009

 # N E W C A R S

E V E R Y O NE I S TA L K I N G A B O U T

THE ‘NEW’
McLAREN
Here it is folks, the McLaren 750S. Looks a lot like
the 720S, sure, but the changes run deep

010 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

# G A D G E T S # G A M I N G

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 011

 A
lthough McLaren says
meticulous analysis
was done to improve
the 720S, a sense
of impishness has entered the
previously rather uptight Woking
lexicon. While the numbers never
lie and the 750S’s 579bhp per
tonne power to weight ratio
is class leading, the new car
is definitely more... punk rock.
Sharper, sonically enhanced,
and more interactive, think
of it as more accessible and less
intimidating than the knife edge
765LT. The 4.0 twin-turbo V8 now
makes 740bhp and 590lb ft, and
rockets to 62mph in 2.8secs and
124mph in 7.2. Sure, the 720
was hardly deficient in that
department, but a whole load
of fine tuning has gone on to
liberate a bit more soul.
We know what you’re thinking,
though. Did McLaren’s design
team nip down the pub while
their colleagues in engineering
did all the heavy lifting? The 750S
is different, honest. McLaren says
30 per cent of its components are
new or changed, although its body
design will inevitably underwhelm
the noisier parts of the internet.
Its nose is lower and smoother,
there’s a longer front splitter, the
intakes that house the headlights
are narrower (and still called ‘eye
sockets’, more’s the pity), and
012 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
there are new sill air intakes
and rear wheelarch vents.
But the biggest visual
alterations are at the back: an
undulating mesh cover spans a
reprofiled rear deck and funnels
air towards a longer rear wing.
That’s positioned above a new
central exit exhaust tuned for
greater efficiency and more
audible sonic kicks. The wing’s
surface area is 20 per cent greater
than the one on the 720S, but it
weighs 1.6kg less because it’s
made of carbon fibre. It deploys in
three ways: push the ‘aero’ button
and you get more downforce in
Fancy 0–62mph in a smidge
corners depending on how fast
under three seconds?
you’re going, there’s a DRS Please take a seat here...
function for low drag high speed
runs, and high speed braking sees
the wing pop up in less than half a
second for maximum retardation. assistance pump. The turn-in and combination of aero, handling,
McLaren’s clever Proactive front end grip on this thing should powertrain and transmission
Chassis Control linked hydraulic be mighty. There’s also a Variable settings. There’s also a new
suspension has also been Drift Control and the option of central infotainment touchscreen
reworked. The springs are three 390mm carbon ceramic brakes. which sits in an aluminium
per cent softer at the front and Oh, and a vehicle lift system that surround and has improved
four per cent stiffer at the rear, cuts the 720S’s time from 10 graphics. Carbon fibre shelled
which should make the car more seconds to four. racing seats are standard, and
playful without compromising The interior is improved too: combined weigh 17.5kg less
the existing car’s phenomenal as on the Artura, the Powertrain than the ones in the 720S.
ride quality and roll control. and Handling mode buttons live Quality? “This is a car we
The 750S’s front track is 6mm on the side of the main instrument know how to build,” McLaren
wider and the electro-hydraulic binnacle. Much easier to find and says. The 750S comes with a
steering – a McLaren signature use. A new device called MCL, or three-year unlimited mileage
in a world of fully electric systems McLaren Control Launcher, allows warranty. Boring, but important.
– has a faster ratio and new power the driver to store their preferred Jason Barlow
 COFFEE BREAK FA I L O F T H E C E N T U R Y # 2 8

What we’re watching/

listening/doing, while
we should be working

I
t seems the humble city car is spluttering its last. Low profit
Tetris, Apple TV+ margins and ever more stringent emissions regulations mean
In the spirit of retro, we’re watching Taron
Egerton tessellate into Henk Rogers, the man
the tiny, cheap urban runabout looks likely to soon go the way
who discovered Tetris back in 1988. This film of the Wispa Mint (rest in peace, you magnificent chocolatey-
explains how Henk brought the game to the
world... but doesn’t explain how Kelly beat
toothpastey creation).
my high score at Video Knights in 1996 Car magazine etiquette obliges we must mourn this mass
extinction of cheap ’n’ cheerful transport. But, as we enter the city
car’s final hours, we must remember that not all of them were midget
gems. For every VW Up, there was a Perodua Kelisa. Or a Proton
Savvy. Or a Hyundai Amica.
Sure, the Amica was cheap. Cheerful? Not so much. The list of
positives was as stumpy as its wheelbase. Innovative, minimalist
Vitality Women’s FA Cup Final, 14 May design? No. Pared back practicality? Also no. Peppy urban handling?
Magdalena Eriksson’s Chelsea vs Katie Very much no.
Zelem’s Man United at Wembley is set to
break attendance records. Over 65,000
The seating position was disconcertingly high, increasing the
tickets have been sold so far! Back of the net! terrifying possibility that someone might see you driving it. The
weirdly large steering wheel wasn’t adjustable for height or reach,
and wasn’t obviously attached to the front wheels.
But worst of all was that helpless yet pleading face, a sorry
visage that begged, “Please, please, end the futile pain of
my existence”. Hyundai did, eventually, but not before
inflicting the Amica on some 23,000 undeserving Brits.
We’ll miss the city cars when they’re gone. Just not
TopGear magazine fix
You can download the latest
this one.
edition and back issues direct to
your phone or tablet from the App
Store. Because when life gives you
lemons... settle in and read TG

Public Service Broadcasting,

The Race for Space
Nowt to do with the Beeb, but this 2015 album
has put us firmly in the shuttle cockpit while
designing our space feature (p76). Word is that
had Kew been listening to this during his high
speed run he’d have reached 250mph...
I M AG E : M A N U FAC T U R E R

TopGear TV, BBC iPlayer

Don’t forget that ALL of TopGear telly
is ready and waiting on iPlayer

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 013

 R
CAR NE W S ight, this is it: the MG Cyberster
electric sports car in production
CYBER
form. And credit where credit’s
due, it looks like the real deal.
We say looks like because... we’re
MIDGET still waiting to see the thing in the metal.
However, MG has used the Shanghai Motor
Show to announce that the Cyberster will
go on sale in the UK and Europe in the
Once again MG will sell summer of 2024. Good seasonal timing,
you a sports car... only as it also happens to be a convertible.
Which brings us to the details: there
this time it’s electric aren’t any. We continue to wait on those
all-important performance specs, which
means we can only remind you of the
initial claims: 0–62mph in less than three
seconds and very nearly 500 miles of range.
Y O U C A N ’ T B U Y TA S T E
014 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
“This is the perfect time to introduce
an MG that completely reconnects with
our performance DNA and is designed
to enthral the driver on every level,”
said Guy Pigounakis, MG Motor UK’s
commercial director. “MG is all set
for an electric, sporting future and it
is the perfect way to start celebrating
our 100th anniversary.”
Difficult to know what the Cyberster
will be pitched against when it does
arrive given that we’ve had no word
on price, but considering the dearth
of electric sports cars thus far, let’s hope
it’s closer to the (sort of sporty) Mini
Electric Convertible (£52k) than the
Lotus Evija (£2.4 million). Joe Holding
Procrastination ahoy! Six videos worth watching on the web this month

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 015

 R
ock stars love a good watch. From John Lennon’s Patek Philippe to Slash’s
Breitling, a handsome watch has long been a vital part of the stage uniform. But
WAT C HE S while some may just see it as a prop to make them look cool, others take it to the
next level, so obsessed that it’s a wonder they have any time left to make any music.
When Eric Clapton gets into something, he doesn’t do it by halves. His love of

CLOCK Ferraris is well known, having bought so many over the years that in 2012 he was
allowed to commission a one-off all of his own, the 458 Italia-based SP12 EC. But his
automotive addiction is mild compared to how he feels about watches. He has bought
countless Rolex and Patek Philippes and his collection has been called “museum quality”.

AND
This is not just a man of means buying things he fancies – as well as many new watches,
Clapton has carefully sought mega-rare vintage pieces, some costing several million quid.
Singer-songwriter John Mayer is so into watches that he has added journalist to
his CV. His knowledge is encyclopaedic and he pores over rare vintage watches like

ROLL
If the world’s biggest rockers spend this much
on watches, why are they always late on stage?
an archaeologist uncovering lost treasures. He regularly writes about his passion for
watches and his ability to generate interest and boost the resale price of certain models
has led to him being called the world’s most influential watch collector.
Ed Sheeran’s style is generally casual, with his habit of wearing a hoodie onstage.
But he does not take such a laid-back approach to the acquisition of watches. He has
previously sung about being “thrifty” and making the most out of his local all-you-can-
eat restaurant. But now, Sheeran is rarely spotted wearing the same watch twice and has
a collection boasting – among many, many others – several from Audemars Piguet and
Richard Mille that cost in the high six figures, as well as at least one vintage Patek
Philippe perpetual calendar worth well north of a million.
But it’s not all about the money. While rock stars do love to splash their hard-sung
cash on a bit of bling, the three watch nuts mentioned above have all been seen wearing
different versions of the Casio G-Shock (see opposite page). So if you want the award-
winning collection, you need a few spare mil, but if you just want a watch that rock stars
wear, a couple of hundred quid is plenty. Richard Holt

016 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 AROUND
£5K

TAG HEUER CARRERA CHRONO

The famously frugal Mick Jagger is just one of many famous
rockers to opt for a Carrera. It’s no giveaway, but the brand
has always been seen as good value rather than flash. With
in-house automatic chronograph movement in a 42mm
brushed steel case, and water resistant to 100m.
£5,000; tagheuer.com

UNDER
£ 1K

HAMILTON VENTURA
Elvis wore this futuristic electronic watch in the 1961 film
Blue Hawaii, liking it so much he kept it and helped
create a watch with enduring star appeal. There are
now many larger mechanical versions, but this slender
quartz number is closest in size and spirit to the King of
Rock ’n’ Roll’s original. From £850; hamiltonwatch.com

BLOW
THE
BUDGE T
ROLEX GMT MASTER II
The original Rolex GMT was designed in the mid-Fifties in collaboration with
Pan-Am. Back in the glory days of jet travel, pilots needed a watch that
could tell the time in different timezones and look good doing it. Pan-Am is
long gone, but later versions of the watch are still finding favour among
pilots and jet-setting rock stars. The Master II came out in the Eighties,
offering the ability to change the hour hand in one-hour increments, without
disturbing the other hands. Steel versions start the range at £13,850, but
this rock star version in yellow gold is £32,700; rolex.com
UNDER
£200
CASIO G-SHOCK
As a no-nonsense piece of kit, the G-Shock is hard to
beat. Just ask the many special forces around the world
who use them. Also beloved of everyone from Bieber to
Snoop Dogg. Super tough with 200m water resistance.
Prices start under £100, while this steel version with
cloth strap is £189; g-shock.co.uk

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 017

 THE KNOWLEDGE
Need-to-know nuggets
of automotive news

GAME OF THE MONTH

LONG LIVE MPV!

Lexus is going to sell its swanky new
second gen LM MPV in the UK for the
first time. The outside doesn’t look
brilliant, but there’s a super fancy
four-seater version that comes with
a 48in TV, fridge and fold-out tables

GOLD PLATED
A Dubai auction has set a new record
for the priciest numberplate, with ‘P 7’
fetching £12m. Proceeds from the sale
have gone to charity, and you can
expect the plate to be haring through
Knightsbridge on a Lambo any day

GE AR GOT ANY ID?

VW has shown first pics of its ID.7 EV
saloon, and it says it’ll manage 435
M&D MG20 BUGATTI miles from its 86kWh battery in Pro

WIRELESS GAMING S spec. The ID.7 benefits from a

‘new infotainment concept’ and
HEADPHONES will launch later this year

FLOP 10
The new Citiline SUV from Indian firm
Force Motors is inspired by Merc’s
G-Class. It has room for 10 and will
cost about £15k in India – explains
the 90bhp 2.6-litre diesel, leaf spring
rear suspension and drum brakes

018 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 TOPGEAR TOP 9

HUGE MONEY FOR TINY CARS

01 02 03

04 05 06
WO R D S: O L L I E K E W I M AG E S: M A N U FAC T U R E R , D E TA N Y

07 08 09

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 019

 CAR NE W S

5 THINGS YOU NEED

TO KNOW ABOUT THE..
THERE ARE CAMERAS INSTEAD
The panoramic roof stretches behind backseat
passengers’ heads to aid the feeling of space,
while the actual view out the back is taken care of

POLESTAR
by a pair of digital cameras feeding images into
the rearview mirror. Polestar promises you won’t
get sick looking at it, countering that with this digital

4 set-up you’ll see more of what’s going on behind.

Polestar’s fourth car asks you to think

differently about your rear view IT’LL BE AVAILABLE IN TWO VARIANTS
The first is a single motor set-up, with one electric
motor on the rear axle powered by a 94kWh
battery offering up 268bhp/253lb ft of torque
and 0–62mph in 7.4secs. The second is a dual
motor set-up – one on each axle – with the same
lithium-ion battery producing 537bhp/506lb ft,
and able to hit 62mph in just 3.8secs.

THE RANGE IS IMPRESSIVE TOO

While the performance specs make it the fastest
Polestar you can currently buy (until, one suspects,
the Polestar 5 lands in 2025), a more pertinent
metric is range. The single motor car is targeting
up to 372 miles, while the dual motor wants to hit
350 miles (WLTP). Find a 200kW charger and you’ll
go from five to 80 per cent in just over half an hour.

IT DOESN’T HAVE A REAR WINDOW IT GETS A SPORTSWEAR INSPIRED INTERIOR

In Polestar’s desire to offer something over and
above the standard approach to SUV coupes it has
declined to fit a clear glass viewing area at the back
of the 4. The removal of the rear window wasn’t an
accident it had to design its way out of, instead a
byproduct of wanting to offer more rear headroom.
Polestar’s worked hard on making the interior clean
and inviting by taking inspiration from sportswear.
The ‘soft tech’ theme sees a new raft of sustainable
materials including tailored knit textile, and “animal
welfare secured” Nappa leather available for the
upholstery, for example. Price? Between £45k–65k.

A swoopier roofline usually results

in reduced headroom... something
Polestar says isn’t the case here

WO R D S: V I JAY PAT T N I

020 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 Lydia and ‘Soil’
– her beloved
1973 Saab 99L, as
photographed by
Amy Shore (inset)
Car photographer Amy Shore
on her formative driving memories,
her love of capturing and restoring
beautiful classic vehicles, and how
Shell V-Power fuels her passion
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
“I would totally recommend
Shell V-Power, whether
you have an old car like I do,
or a new one”
These days, I run a vintage Jaguar
restoration workshop with my husband,
Will. We aim to keep all of the car’s
integrity and adventure, while making
it drive as new. And whether it’s our
beloved Mini, the classics in our garage
or newer cars, we use new and improved
Shell V-Power. Now it up to 100% cleans
critical engine parts to fully rejuvenate
your engine’s performance – which
I didn’t know – I’m even more glad we
do. I would totally recommend using
Shell V-Power, whether you have an old
car like me or a new one*.
“Photographing cars was
something I had no intention
of ever doing, but I found my
dream job by doing it”
From the age of 12-13, I would take
my digital camera with me everywhere,
photographing life, holidays, everything
really. After I graduated, some old work
friends of my dad’s got together to rebuild
a replica Ferrari P4 from the 1960s, and
I got the chance to photograph it.
I’d never shot a car in my life, so I tried
y earliest memories of being to really appreciate it as a piece of art for
M around cars are having Formula
One bits all over my lawn as
a child, because my dad used to work
the fi rst time – how the light fell on the
curves, the geometry of the wheels and
the body. Before then, photographing cars
with Team Lotus. Even then, there was was something I had no intention of doing,
something about classic cars that made but I found my dream job doing it.
me think, that’s cool. One of my favourite ever shots came
We lived in the country, so on my at the Goodwood Revival. There were rain
17th birthday, my parents gave me puddles on the ground by the cars, and
my fi rst driving lesson. Then when I was I wanted to capture a reflection of someone
19, I bought my classic Mini. Back then, walking past. A couple happened to stop
I didn’t even have the knowledge to fi x just in the right place and kiss. It’s about
cars – luckily Dad would help me, always the cars, but it’s also about those little
making sure I was there while he was moments. Th at’s why I’d say to budding
working on it. Th at car became an exciting photographers: shoot what you love, not
avenue to freedom, and I still have it now. what you think you’re meant to.
To read more about
Amy’s experiences
on the road, restoring
Jags and the classic
gems in her garage,
scan the QR code
*Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, vehicle age, vehicle condition and driving style. No guarantees provided. See shell.co.uk/vpower for more information.
 THIS MONTH:

MARQUES BROWNLEE

HARD
DRIVE
We download YouTube’s #1 tech expert on
whatever he’s been driving this month
The overall design and
aerodynamic teardrop shape
is probably my favourite thing
about the EQXX. It gets a
swooping roofline and a long tail
with loads of extra active aero.
The magnesium aero spec
wheels are extremely cool too.

T
his is not a production car. It’ll probably never
be a production car. And yet, the Mercedes-Benz
Vision EQXX is a ridiculously cool prototype that
proves what an EV would look and act like if all of the
dials were turned towards maximum efficiency.
The truth is that every car has to make a series
of compromises – not even the world’s most extreme
hypercars go 100 per cent all-in on performance – but
the Vision EQXX was designed from scratch to show just
how far an EV could go on a charge with today’s tech.
The answer? Really very far indeed, it turns out.
Back in April 2022 the EQXX managed its target of over
1,000km (621 miles) without plugging in, but the test
drivers clearly enjoyed the slog so much that they then
went out and managed a remarkable 1,202km (747
miles) from its near 100kWh battery.

022 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM


LIGHT FANTASTIC
Not just the exterior that’s
high tech. Interior gets a
giant 47.5in 8k display that
stretches the width of the
dash, and the seats are
super thin with speakers
inside them to save weight.
DOPE TECH
M B ’ S FAV O U R I T E F E AT U R E
The active rear diffuser
slips out when the car gets
above 37mph and it is
able to reduce the drag
coefficient from 0.18 to 0.17.
It also happens to look
super cool on the move.
T HR IF T S T OR A GE
No front or rear boot
space, because this
car is an experiment
and storage wasn’t
a factor. Just some
engineering test
equipment in there.
VERDICT
You’ll never be able to C OMPA R I S ON...
buy this car, but it’s really A college science fair
cool to see Mercedes project. It’s not really
putting so much time and a piece of consumer
effort into an efficiency tech. That’s the vibe
experiment. That’s the that Mercedes has
reason the EQS has a gone for. The EQXX is
claimed 453-mile range. a project on wheels.
T HE DR I V E :
T HE T E C H:
T HE WA N T:
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 023
 S A N T A P O D R A C E W A Y

26-29 MAY 2023

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*Early price available until Friday 12th May at 5pm – Standard price thereafter. Tickets need to be pre-booked. See website for full T&C’s. +FREE as part of your sporting event ticket.
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 TOPGEAR’S GUIDE TO THE FUTURE OF EVERYTHING
H
MYT ER
U S T
B
“YOU CAN
SAVE TIME
BY DRIVING
SLOWLY” in half an hour you can take on 25kWh,
which is about 80 miles’ worth, just as
your friend rolls up to the charge station.
But your friend would argue their
battery is less depleted. True. Thing is,
you’d have used perhaps 10–12kWh more
energy than them, and as we’ve seen
you’ve already made that up, and much
more. On an ultra rapid charger you’d be
clearer by an even bigger margin.
But there are exceptions. If the journey
length is at the limit of your likely range
E V U P D AT E
NOW LATER
I M AG E S: G E T T Y, M A N U FAC T U R E R
SMELL THE MONEY OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS
Mercedes has revealed its first posh Meet Spike, Mini’s new intelligent personal
electric Maybach, based on the EQS assistant, or in other words, guide dog for
SUV. Black credit cards at the ready your touchscreen. Actually not a stupid idea
it’s probably better to slow down and go
for a no-stop strategy. But that’s unlikely.
Think of your EV’s practical range, draw
that radius on a map and see if any of your
frequent destinations lie on the circle.
More probable is that a ‘long’ trip will
be somewhere beyond your comfortable
range. Then it’s best to drive at your happy
speed, let the battery get down to below 30
per cent (so it’ll accept charge rapidly)
and then do a brief pitstop that’ll carry
you to the end. Paul Horrell
WHO KNOWS?
LIGHT, PEDESTRIAN, ACTION
Skoda is trialling dancing LED signals
in the Enyaq’s grille to help pedestrians
cross the road. RIP Green Cross Code
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 025
 SANTA POD RACEWAY PRESENTS

FUND!

ON TRACK ACTION WITH:

VP RACING FUELS PRO DOOSLAMMER STREET CLASSES COMPACT ENGINE CLASSES
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†Booking Fees Apply. ^Free as part of your sporting event ticket *Early Prices end Friday 5th May 2023 at 5pm – Standard price thereafter. Tickets need to be prebooked. See website for T&Cs.
8FSYF5TI7FHJ\F^&NWJQI7TFI5TINSLYTS<JQQNSLGTWTZLM3TWYMFSYX33=&
 Chris Harris is away, so we asked The Stig for
his thoughts on life, cars... anything really
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00100111 01000100 00100000 01001011 01001001 01001100
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01010000 01010000 01000101 01000100 00100000 01001001
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P H OTO G R A P H Y: A L E X L A K E
01001110 00100000 01001101 01011001 00100000 01001000
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00101110 00100000 01010011 01011001 01010011 01010100
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01010011 01010011 01000110 01010101 01001100 00101110
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01001101 00100000 01001111 01010110 01000101 01010010
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01010011 01010100 01001001 01000111 00100000 01010111
01001001 01001100 01001100 00001010 01001110 01001111
01010111 00100000 01000101 01001110 01010100 01000101
01010010 00100000 01010011 01000101 01000001 01010010
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00100000 01000100 01000101 01010011 01010100 01010010
01001111 01011001 00100000 01001101 01001111 01000100
01000101 00101110
Need more of the TopGear telly show in your life?
All episodes are now free to stream on BBC iPlayer
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 027
 BRAND
NEW!

CAR CHAT, INTERVIEWS, SPECIAL GUESTS

AND GAMES – ALL BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE
TEAM BEHIND THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE CAR MAGAZINE

SUBSCRIBE AT

or wherever you get your pods...

 It’s time we started thinking outside the box when
it comes to UK speed limits, says TGTV’s Sam Philip
It’s mad, but it’s never going to change. The UK’s 70mph
motorway speed limit was established (as a temporary measure!)
nearly 60 years ago, in an era when brakes were made of
lambswool and crumple zones of cottage cheese. Sixty years
before 1965, they’d only just removed the requirement for motor
vehicles to be led by a chap waving a flag. But here we are in 2023,
still stuck with our 70mph limit, and isn’t that just a bit weird?
Personally, I’m all for lower speed limits when motorways are
busy, or foggy, or icy, or wet. I’m all for 20mph zones in towns.
But imposing a 70mph limit on an empty, dry motorway, in
a modern car, is like banning Michael Phelps from his local
swimming baths unless he’s wearing armbands.
The French know this, allowing their autoroutists to do
130kph (81mph) in bonnes conditions. Yet Brits apparently can’t be
trusted beyond 70, and no politicians will ever change this,
because apparently suggesting a modest increase in motorway
speeds is the moral equivalent of campaigning on a ‘feed all the
puppies into a sausage mincer’ platform.
However. There is a simple solution to retaining the 70mph
limit, yet legally going faster on motorways. Why don’t we just
make our miles a bit longer?
“DOES ANY ONE OF US
REALLY KNOW EXACTLY
I L LU S T R AT I O N : PAU L RY D I N G
HOW LONG A MILE IS?”
It works, mathematically. Extend the length of a mile by,
say, 20 per cent, and we can stick to that nice, politically correct
70mph, yet go quicker on the M5. Same 70 limit, just each one
of those 70s is a bit bigger.
If you’re thinking, won’t that make a horrible mess of our
entire established notion of distance, a) yes it will, but b) so what?
Pretty much no one apart from us, and the USA, uses miles in the
first place, and the Americans love a bit of supersizing. And does
any one of us really know exactly how long a mile is? It’s a daft
unit of measurement, let’s use that to our advantage here.
(Added bonus: elongating the mile will make running a
marathon even more arduous and awful than it already is, which
is exactly what you deserve if you sign up to run a marathon.)
But if you’re not down with the idea of messing with our
units of distance, here’s another option for upping motorway
speeds without breaking 70mph. Make our hours shorter.
Reduce an hour to, say, 50 minutes, and we can keep that
70mph speed limit, but we’ll have to go quicker to clock up that
same distance in less time. Again, I know what you’re thinking:
Sam, you’re a genius. You’ve just knocked 80 minutes off my
eight-hour working day. Where do I sign?
You’re welcome. Sure, there’s a bit of admin to sort out.
Scratching a few digits off the world’s clocks, for starters. And
figuring out what to do with those missing 240 minutes left over
at the end of the day. But frankly that’s child’s play compared to
pretending a six-decade-old speed limit makes sense.
Sam Philip is the TopGear telly script editor, and a TG mag and
website regular for 15 years. Once wrote a Vauxhall Corsa joke
that Paddy McGuinness described as “not totally crap”
Need more of the TopGear telly show in your life?
All episodes are now free to stream on BBC iPlayer
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 029
 Paul has thoughts on the Valkyrie and AMG One –
and they’re exactly as he predicted five years ago
Is the dust settling around the Aston Martin Valkyrie and
Mercedes-AMG One? I can’t find any tester who unreservedly likes
either. Full disclosure, I haven’t driven them – frankly I don’t have
the skills to take full advantage of any car so fast. I’ll leave it to the
hotshoes, including our own Chris Harris and Ollie Marriage. But,
ahem, I seem to be skilled at predicting the future. For years I’ve
been saying they’d never work. In July 2018 I wrote, “They’re
‘road cars’ in the sense of road legal, but severely compromised
as such by their track mission. Equally the track car bit will be
undermined by the need to do speed bumps and emissions tests.”
Two years before, in 2016, I’d interviewed Adrian Newey,
Red Bull Racing’s tech chief who led the Valkyrie project before
departing, and Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s head of design.
They said there’d be a track version, and it would be very similar
to the road one, except for aero and tyres and chassis set-up.
“We don’t have time to do two cars,” Reichman said.
In the end they absolutely did do two cars – the AMR Pro
having a longer wheelbase and bigger monocoque. Critically, it
ditches the hybrid powertrain, active aero and hydraulic active
suspension. Saving itself a huge 300kg. Chris Harris says the AMR
Pro is “one of the most special cars I’ve had the pleasure to drive”.
“IF YOU WANT A TRACK CAR,
START WITH ONE AND DON’T GO
I L LU S T R AT I O N : PAU L RY D I N G
ROUND THE ROAD CAR HOUSES”
He said, as I’d predicted, that losing those complications necessary
to make it work as a road car are exactly what made it better.
The AMG One suffers many of the same added mass issues
as the Valkyrie road car. It needs a lifting suspension and active
aero because track spoilers aren’t allowed on the road lest they
decapitate a passing cyclist. It also needs heavy plug-in batteries
because you can’t start an F1 engine from cold so the batteries are
used to warm it up, replacing mains heaters in a Grand Prix pit.
There is vast irony that the Aston AMR Pro is a track car
‘derived from’ a road car, itself a road car that claims to be track
capable. Hmm, if you want a track car, start with a track car and
don’t go round the road car houses.
So I can’t stand the nonsense that they’re ‘unconstrained’
because their engineering is claimed to overcome the ineluctable
contradictions of doing two very different jobs.
Come to think of it, even if a car has just one job, there’s no
way it can be unconstrained. I asked Adrian Newey about his new
‘unconstrained’ track car, the Red Bull RB17. Can it be super wide,
in search of mechanical grip? No, because it has to fit in a truck.
Can it have ultra sticky tyres? No, because budget limits it to an
LMP1 tyre. Can it have unprecedented power? No, because said
tyre can only take 1,000bhp. Ultra light? No, because it must be
crash safe. Tiny frontal area? No, because drivers want to sit
alongside their coach. A sucker downforce fan? No, because it
mustn’t feel alien to drivers who’ve learned on other track cars.
Complex set-up? No, because it mustn’t demand a huge pit crew.
Ah, so this totally ‘unconstrained’ car is already boxed into
a seven-legged maze, surrounded by solid walls of constraint.
TG ’s eco-conscious megabrain, Paul Horrell, is one of the
world’s most respected and experienced car writers. Has
attended every significant car launch since the Model T
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 031
 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA
GTS CABRIOLET
£118,720 / £131,994

032 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 The big test:
deluxe soft-tops
Does the new AMG-honed Mercedes SL want to be a sports car,
or a GT? TG pits it against the best of both... and ends up confused
WORDS OLLIE KEW PHOTOGRAPHY JONNY FLEETWOOD

MERCEDES-AMG SL63
4MATIC PREMIUM PLUS
£171,725 / £173,325
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL
GTC SPEED
£241,300 / £283,640

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 033

 “A CLOUD OF CONFUSION HANGS OVER
THE NEW SL. IS IT NOW A SUPERCAR,
OR STILL A GOLFER’S BOULEVARDIER?”
01

034 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M

02
03
04
1 1. POV: you’re a seagull who
nicked chips laced with curry
sauce. Which would you aim for?
2. SL’s cabin not all bad. Ornate
turbine vents are a work of art
3. ‘Airscarf’ headrest heaters
really bring being tailgated to life
4. Merc’s ditched a folding
hard-top for a soft roof, but it’s
still wonderfully intricate
E
very veteran car building company
has an enduring model that defines
it. A touchstone product that
evolves with the times but manages
to stay in touch with the founder’s
ethos. No matter what niches the company
expands into, these cars endure as the bedrock
of the original vision.
Porsche has the 911. Bentley has the
Continental. For BMW it’s a 5-Series saloon.
Ferrari doesn’t carry over names, but the
812 Superfast has a lineage that stretches
back through 550s and Daytonas into the
days of the 250. These cars are vessels for
the glory days.
Mercedes has an embarrassment of riches
in this department, being the company that
got a head start on the competition by
inventing the car. The S-Class. The G-Wagen.
And the SL. Doesn’t matter if you’re thinking
about a luxury limousine, a rugged 4x4 or a
sporting GT: there’s a Benz of yore among
the greats.
British bulldog chases
down a couple of
German pointers
A cloud of confusion hovers over the
new, seventh-generation SL. Is it now a
supercar, or still a golfer’s boulevardier? Is it
a heatseeking muscle car, or a topless S-Class?
That’s why we’ve flanked it with a sweet spot
911 Cabriolet (the rear-wheel-drive GTS) and
probably the best Bentley ever made: the GTC
Speed. In other words, the best sports car
all-rounder money can buy right now, and one
of the all-time great grand tourers. We have
our bookends. Now to see where exactly the
new SL lies in-between them.
That’s the Mercedes-AMG SL63 4MATIC,
to address it by its full name. Lots of clues
here that this is a car that’s been pointed in
a very different direction – and towards a
very different kind of customer – than the
last half century of ancestors. Not least the
look of it, all brooding toothy menace and
hunkered down stance. It makes the 911 look
unimaginative, and the Bentley tall and portly.
And yet somehow, the more you look at it,
walk around it, and follow it up the road, it’s
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 035
 lacking something. The face could be from a
CLS, or a CLA. It’s as bulbous as the Porsche
at the back, but without the excuse of housing
a rear-mounted engine. Prettier than the last
couple of SLs? Undoubtedly, but not quite
knuckle-bitingly gorgeous. Maybe it’s the
Audi-cliché primer grey paintwork.
Underneath, it’s now an in-house project
designed and built by AMG, like the old GT
and the SLS gullwing models were. This isn’t
a Benz that’s been breathed on after the fact.
AMG specified the all-new, all-aluminium
platform ready to underpin a fresh GT
two-door flagship.
The foundations are massively stiffer and
lighter than any SL before it. As you can see,
the folding hard-top familiar since 2001 is
gone, and a canvas roof is back. Lighter,
easier to package.
“THE SL IS AS BULBOUS AS THE PORSCHE
AT THE BACK, BUT WITHOUT THE EXCUSE
036 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
The SL63 badge is back too, denoting
a thunderous, cackling V8 twin-turbo
developing 577bhp. So they say.
Feels more like 650, maybe 700bhp
from the way it rampantly chews through the
short-ratio nine-speed gearbox and hurls you
up the road with a ruthless efficiency alien to
the wayward old AMG GT Roadster. That’ll be
the last element of the unwieldy name coming
into play: the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system.
It’s fabulously unobtrusive, mediating where
the engine’s fury is sent without showing its
working in the margins. You demand speed.
You summon the noise. The traction control
light doesn’t even blink. A moment of turbo
lag, and POOF. You’re in the Peak District.
Actually, I came up in the Bentley,
which was fabulous and expensive. It sits
imperiously in the outside lane, devouring
OF HOUSING A REAR-MOUNTED ENGINE”
distance, massaging my back, the thickset
canvas toupee cocooning me in warmth and
peace. Out from behind another train of
trundling lorries and ah, yes, speed camera.
Lifting off doesn’t do much when you have the
momentum of an express train, to match the
distant W12 drone that sounds like a Deltic
locomotive. Yes, I appreciate the irony of being
nicked for speeding in a car literally called
‘Speed’. In my limited defence, 80mph in one
of these offers as much sensation of velocity
as 580mph in a Dreamliner.
The Speed is TopGear’s favourite current
Bentley because it now has a raffish, naughty
streak as well as the opulence and comfort you
expect. The extra horsepower is meaningless,
but there’s a rear differential willing to swing
huge wads of torque at the rear. The result is
an outrageous yet benign ability to four-wheel
 “Watch out Biff, Germans at
six o’clock! And they’ve got
very poor rear legroom”

Sure, the Conti’s fast, but it

doesn’t enjoy being driven
like your hair’s on fire

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 037

 MERCEDES
SL

05
01

04
02 03

06

BENTLEY
CONTINENTAL

02
03
05

01

04

06

038 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 PORSCHE
911
01
06
drift 2.3 tonnes of steel, leather and stone.
Yes, stone. This GTC has the optional stone
veneered dashboard. As if you needed your
Conti to feel even more solid, now it’s got
a church facade either side of the rotating
touchscreen. Gloriously silly, but also
hugely endearing.
Ultimately, when you arrive at the A- and
B-roads that nestle around the base of Mam
Tor, the Bentley can only keep up the pretence
of being a sports car for so long. Without
optional ceramic brakes the left pedal goes
worryingly spongy after a couple of heave-ho
stops, and Bentley’s never quite got on top
of this car’s Achilles heel: the eight-speed
twin-clutch gearbox. It’s fine in the less
torquey V8s, but with the limitless potency
of the 6.0-litre engine to manage, it forgets
its manners, dithering then guessing and
snatching at gears. In the Conti, the most
satisfying kick up the rear comes from the
‘wave’ massage function. Or was it ‘pulse’?
No, if you want a drop-top with a decent
boot that can corner, you want a proper sports
car. The Porsche. Obviously. How many times
have words to that effect been written in
head-to-heads over the decades? Which makes
it all the more intriguing why AMG has gone
04
02
03 05
so decidedly sportish with the new SL. It’s
firmer than the 911, yet lacks the Porsche’s “MERCEDES
impeccable body and wheel control. It’s got
faster steering than the Porsche, without any HAS VERY
of the 911’s feedback or poise. And the 911 has
the audacity to do without four-wheel drive DELIBERATELY
and still it’s got traction to spare. Yet when
you overcome it, it’s beautifully predictable. TRIED TO
Sure, a bang-on SL63 rival is the AWD 911
Turbo. But this isn’t about rivals, remember, MORPH THE
it’s about bookends. The GTS is yet another
911 that does more with less. You won’t find SL INTO AN
a more crushingly complete car. It’s even
an assured cabriolet, especially with the
electronic wind deflector motored upright.
UNAPOLOGETIC
When you’ve got a 911 skulking around
being tediously excellent across the board,
SPORTS CAR”
some of the SL’s design decisions wilt in the
heat. Take the packaging. Mercedes has very
deliberately tried to morph the SL into an
unapologetic sports car, then stuffed in token
rear chairs just as cramped as the 911’s.
The front thrones still massage your
knotty back as you rumble about, while
wafting comforting warm air around the
nape of your neck. So there are still hints
that this car is a big woolly jumper, for people
who like wearing big woolly jumpers.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 039
 Specifications

1 2 3
PORSCHE
911 GTS CABRIO
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL
GTC SPEED
MERCEDES-
AMG SL63

VERDICT

POWERTRAIN
3.0 flat-six turbo 6.0 twin-turbo W12 4.0 twin-turbo V8
TOTAL POWER
473bhp 626bhp 577bhp
ACCELERATION 0–62 3.6secs 0–62 3.8secs 0–62 3.6secs

TOTAL TORQUE
420lb ft 664lb ft 590lb ft
CLAIMED MPG,
CO2

25.0mpg, 248g/km 20.2mpg, 317g/km 21.4mpg, 299g/km

TOP SPEED
192 mph
207 mph
196 mph

WEIGHT

1,615kg 2,414kg 2,048kg

TRANSMISSION RWD, 8spd PDK AWD, 8spd DCT AWD, 9spd auto

BOOT CAPACITY

132 litres 235 litres 213 litres

SCORE
9 10
8 10
6 10
 But no one over the age of 15 has a cat in
hell’s chance of operating the SL’s disastrously
unhelpful interior. It’s like a greatest hits
compilation of everything we detest about
modern car cabins. Fiddly touch-sensitive pads
on the three-spoke steering wheel? Check.
All major functions entrusted to a fingerprint-
smeared touchscreen? Oh yes. More ambient
lighting options than helpful features? Yep.
The very fact Mercedes has motorised the
touchscreen to change angle depending on sun
glare should’ve hinted to headquarters they
were engineering their way out of a design
dead end. The screen gets worryingly hot even
on a brisk winter’s day – those processors are
working really quite hard to do the job a
button would be better at.
Then there’s the driver’s instrument
screen. Eight different displays to choose
from. Above, seven varieties of head-up
display. It’s bafflingly complicated and –
criminally – makes the SL feel cheap inside.
Instead of knurled metal switchgear, it’s
red-hot pixels.
Even popping that canvas roof down is
accomplished by fingering a slide to unlock-
style gimmick in the touchscreen. If your hand
is momentarily deflected as you drive along,
“IF YOU WANT A MACHINE THAT MAKES
EVERY JOURNEY FEEL LIKE A STATE VISIT, THE
CONTINENTAL IS MAGNIFICENCE ON WHEELS”
the roof operation stalls. After two days I
accidentally discovered you can double press
and hold the roof button to move the roof.
Does the 11.9-inch screen find space to tell
you this hack? It does not.
Yes, it’s basically all carried over from an
S-Class. But an S-Class is an easygoing deluxe
barge. The SL63 is a missile. When you’ve got
almost 600bhp and 600lb ft of torque on tap,
Ferrari-quick steering in your hands and an
alarmingly firm ride under your bum, it’d be
nice to feel like the interior hadn’t been set up
like an escape room, brimming with puzzles,
calculated frustrations and devious dead ends.
It’s certainly not a GT car: there’s more
road noise from the fat tyres, and the soft-top
isn’t as well insulated as the GTC’s thickset
canvas toupee. It’s also too firm to be a cruiser.
It’s as though AMG was so proud of how stiff
the new SL’s aluminium structure is, it wanted
to show off how taut it could make the ride
as a result.
Even in Comfort mode the SL63 is busy,
and dialling it up through Sport to Sport
Plus pours quick-setting concrete into the
dampers. AMG’s debuting a new McLaren-
style anti-roll bar free system on this car,
employing cross-linked hydraulic lines to
ensure control and support while supposedly
allowing a more fluid ride, but the SL is fidgety
and distracted. Fitting hyperfast wrist-flick
steering with no feel or feedback only increases
the sense the car’s being bullied by the road,
instead of breathing with it.
So it’s too frenetic to be a loping grand
tourer, too disjointed to be a Porsche
911-rivalling sports car, and too complicated
to be operated by anyone. In character then,
it’s ironically close to the old AMG GT.
Perhaps the SL is best thought of as a
replacement for the raucous old AMG GT
Roadster. Fine. Gotcha. Except, why badge
it as an SL? That adds baggage and a history
this car is totally at odds with.
So the 911 wins. Well yes, except it’s not
quite that simple. It’s by far the best car here to
drive. But it doesn’t make the best noise (Merc)
or have the most commodious or opulent
interior (Bentley). If you want a machine that
makes every journey feel like a state visit, the
Continental is magnificence on wheels.
The SL is closer to the 911 on the spectrum,
but loses out to a much less expensive Porsche
as a drive, and a piece of common sense. It
serves to prove that reinventing an icon for
a new audience really ain’t easy.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 041
 6 10

MERCEDES EQE SUV

3 5 0 4 M AT I C A M G L I N E

Bulk
buy
£90,560 but at least there’s a little something for standard air suspension is barely able to keep
everyone at Mercedes. the weight in check as it is.
It could make a nice electric family car, but No hiding the EQE SUV’s size on the move
89kWh 288 1spd 6.6 130 334 do you really want the kids eating ice creams – the high bonnet impedes your view, not
battery bhp AWD secs mph miles
in the back? The £90k–£120k price bracket is helped by the gargantuan slab of dash. The
rather punchy, but someone in the product tiny windscreen means the Hyperscreen
FOR Interior’s nice if you like department must think it’ll sell. If you’re display almost rivals it for real estate – you’ll
stitched leather, fancy tech sitting in the sparsely populated Venn be using all the onboard cameras and sensors
AGAINST Not remotely sporty, diagram intersection of family buyers looking to perform your manoeuvres. One bit of
nothing new, so expensive for a premium 2.5-tonne electric SUV with Hyperscreen fun is that front passengers can
£100k in their back pocket, then great. watch movies on the go – but the fun sponge
There are two UK powertrains – both infotainment monitors the driver’s eyes and

N
ice that you have options if you’re in
the market for a giant electric SUV.
The Germans fall neatly into a row –
Audi (see opposite) does electric versions
of normal cars, BMW produces space age
craziness and Mercedes falls in-between.
Mercedes is baffling though – its latest
wheeze is building slightly different versions
of its combustion cars on the EV-specific EVA
platform. Like the EQE SUV, for instance. Is it
an electric GLE, or a taller EQE? Who knows,
AWD with e-motors front and rear. The 350’s
288bhp/564lb ft gets it 0–62mph in 6.6secs,
while the 500 produces 402bhp/633lb ft for
0–62mph in 4.9secs. Both are limited to a
130mph top speed. Mercedes claims the car is
sporty, but driving it will quickly disabuse you
of that notion. The entry car promises a heady
334 miles of range, but climb the trim levels
and range drops in inverse proportion to the
size of the alloys. And you can imagine what
the top spec 22in wheels do for the ride. The
dims the screen if they look at it for too long.
There’s nothing very new in the EQE SUV,
just the lingering sense Mercedes is trying to
cover all bases and missing the point in the
process. The EQE SUV has executive vibes
– it’s large, well trimmed and has plenty of
space in the back. But if you want a fancy car
to be driven around in, surely an EQE or EQS
saloon is a better bet? Or the larger EQS SUV.
Or even better, an actual S-Class. Like we
said, baffling. Sam Burnett

042 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

8 10

AUDI Q8 SPORTBACK underwear model, nicely proportioned, striking head, don’t be seduced by the optional virtual
e -T R O N 5 5 S P O R T from the front with the grille now melting into wing mirrors (standard on the Launch Edition).
the headlights and the obligatory full-width They’re a faff to adjust, the field of vision is
lightbar at the back. For even more style points much smaller because you can’t crane your

Orderly go for the swoopy roofed Sportback version, as

driven here, you might think. But no, don’t be
neck to see more, and adjusting your eyes from
the road to a small screen in the cabin is a pain.

Q
that person. What attempts to be a coupe twist Audi will tell you about torque vectoring
on a trad SUV shape ends up looking gawky and and improved dynamics, may even try and
way too tryhard. Stick to the SUV version. upsell you to a triple-motor 496bhp SQ8 with
A fairly woeful 200-ish miles real world a 284-mile range, but don’t be fooled. This is
range was always the original e-tron’s Achilles’ a 2,500+kg car that you’ll never throw around
£79,585 heel, and that’s been addressed here. The entry with intent, it’s a waft-express that’s comfy,
level 335bhp ‘50’ gets an 89kWh (usable) isolating and quiet. An easy to live with safe
battery for a range of 281 miles for the SUV, 290 bet, if your pockets are deep enough. I’d have
106kWh 402 1spd 5.6 124 336 for the more slippery Sportback. The 402bhp one over the Merc or BMW. Jack Rix
battery bhp AWD secs mph miles
‘55’, as sampled here, gets a bigger 106kWh
battery for a claimed range of 336 miles. The
FOR Hey good looking... Audi relying on more kWh rather than the
but not a cheap date Merc’s efficiencies.
AGAINST Avoid digital Sportback prices start at £69,585 for the
50 variant, rising to £101,585 for the 55 Launch
mirrors and coupe shape
Edition. On paper the longer range 55, despite
costing £10k more, is the sweet spot... and

A
udi’s quest to confuse us all with its
naming strategy continues at pace with
this, the new Q8 e-tron. Nothing to do
with the existing petrol, diesel and hybrid Q8,
this is a heavy facelift of its first electric car
– the e-tron SUV – introduced in 2019. Still
there? Probably easier to think of it as a rival
for Merc’s EQE (opposite) and BMW’s iX SUVs.
Which is a good place to start, because
compared to those two the Audi is a chiselled
that plays out in reality, too. Real world
range in wintry British conditions is more
like 250 miles, and it never feels as fast as
0–62mph in 5.6secs suggests, but range and
performance are now both befitting of a large,
expensive, premium e-SUV.
As is the interior, which is chock full of
screens and takes some learning, but feels
monolithic and and properly built. A word of
warning: even if you’re the most ardent tech

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 043

 6 10
MERCEDES-BENZ A200
AMG L INE E XECUT I VE
Inside
job
£36,640 You don’t become one of the most successful
car companies in history by listening to me.
CO2
D
Outside, notice new grille and lights. But
2.0T 150 8spd 8.3 55.5 132 only if you’re a real spotter. Inside, the full
4cyl bhp DCT secs mpg g/km
size, double screen dash becomes standard
across the range, and there are operability
FOR Cabin trim, a good diesel, changes too – most things can now be done
comfy up front, rides well only by touchscreen, voice or super fiddly
AGAINST Numb to drive, cramped areas on the steering wheel spokes. Grrr.
back seat, can be pricey It’s a sign of the cost of certifying engines,
and the effort being diverted into EVs, that
engine choice has been cut. Other than the
I
was pretty brassed off with Mercedes AMG 35 and 45, the petrol range now consists
when it launched the current generation of the 1.33-litre petrol in the A180 (136bhp)
of A-Class in 2018. It had put too much and A200 (163bhp), both with a seven-speed
effort into the baubles – especially the fancy DCT and an additional temporary 14bhp
screens and comms – and not enough into from a mild-hybrid motor. That electric
the fundamentals. Most versions had dull assist makes the transmission feel a little
engines, clunky transmissions and primitive more alert. There’s now just one diesel, the
suspension. Well, for the facelift, Mercedes has A200, which gets an eight-speed DCT.
doubled down. Most changes are minor style Since the A-Class is a massive company car
ones and tweaks to the screen system. The seller, the A250e plug-in hybrid will be a big
mechanical bits and dynamics go unchanged. part of the mix, even if it now comes only in
044 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
the four-door saloon and not the hatch. It
uses the same 1.33-litre engine. An improved
battery allows more range and slightly more
electric power, for a total output of 218bhp.
You’re supremely unlikely to hit the 50-mile
notional range, but it does mean you’ll be using
significant grid-supplied energy even on a long
trip, helping your average mpg.
The A250 has been withdrawn. That had
a multi-link rear axle. Anyway, the A-Class’s
simple torsion beam rear suspension gets
its comfort at the expense of steering
precision. It’s rubbery and numb. The
damping can’t staunch body heave if a
quick road is undulating beneath you. But
preventing that untidiness by easing off the
accelerator is a natural reaction in this car.
It’s relaxing to drive on long haul journeys,
comfortable and relatively quiet.
What’s left? A very well finished interior,
if a bit cramped in the back. Fancy screens,
if hard to use. Massive badge appeal, if an
unappealing drive. Not my thing. Paul Horrell

PETROLHEAD
PARADISE
With unforgettable immersive
experiences and some of the
most iconic machines in motor
racing history, Silverstone
Museum is a textbook day out
S
ometimes, the blindingly obvious can
elude us because it’s sitting there in
plain sight. For instance, your blood
may run chequered black and white,
but it may never have occurred to you
to visit the Silverstone Museum.
Situated just over the catch fence
from the cathedral of British motorsport
itself, this fascinating museum is a no-
brainer for true fans of racing – it’s home
to everything from jaw-dropping cars,
bikes and memorabilia to exhibits that
put you right at the heart of the action.
Here’s a more in-depth taste of what
awaits you there…
Book in advance for just £22.50 per adult and £13.50
for kids aged 5-15 at silverstonemuseum.co.uk/tickets
The museum’s bike
collection includes Barry
Sheene’s 1979 Suzuki
F1 star George Russell’s
race day get-up
LEGENDS ON WHEELS
Given the museum’s illustrious location,
the level of prestigious machinery on
display here is perhaps unsurprising.
But when you catch sight of Nigel Mansell’s
1992 Formula 1 World Championship-
winning, ‘red 5’-emblazoned Williams
FW14B, it will still get your pulse racing.
F1 aficionados will also discover David
Coulthard’s McLaren and Daniel
Ricciardo’s Red Bull, as well as current
Mercedes hot shot George Russell’s
race suit and helmet.
These are just a few of the racing
icons that have played a part in the
75-year history of the Silverstone circuit
that you can study up close in the flesh.
Others include a resplendent ERA (English
Racing Automobiles) from the fi rst ever
Grand Prix held at the venue in 1948, as
well as legendary biker Barry Sheene’s
1979 Suzuki.
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
The ultimate
grid walk
The closing film shows
iconic Silverstone moments
IMMERSE YOURSELF
Much as a line-up of famous fast cars
and bikes would make any racing
enthusiast’s day, this museum offers
much more than that. The sights and
sounds of the Silverstone experience
surround you from the moment you
walk in, while the Race Day
Explained section allows you
to get really stuck in.
Here, you can walk up to the
replica pit wall and learn all about
what goes into putting on a race
through fi rst-hand accounts from
the famously fearless track marshals,
medical staff and even British F1
legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
You’ll also get the chance to fulfi l
the lifelong dream of many a fan by
trying your hand at commentating on
a race. And don’t worry, if you’re not
the next Murray Walker straight
away, the team will be on-hand to
offer plenty of tips.
Finally, you can round off your
tour with a thrilling immersive fi lm
showing the ultimate lap around
Silverstone and bringing together
some of the circuit’s most famous
racing moments with commentary
from Martin Brundle, David Croft
and dear old Murray himself.
 MUST TRY
HARDER
AC SCHNITZER
ACS2 4.0i
£63,630
P
CO2
3.0T 369 8spd 4.3 32.1 200
6cyl bhp auto secs mpg g/km
THE SNAPPILY TITLED AC SCHNITZER ACS2
4.0i is essentially a perfectly pleasant
BMW M240i xDrive with a few choice
modifications and many styling addenda.
And before you get overly excited, no it
hasn’t undergone a 4.0-litre engine swap.
Even if you tick the box for the near-£5k
power upgrade on offer, you still get the
M240i’s turbo’d 3.0-litre straight-six but
with a new ECU to unlock up to 414bhp.
Oh, and all of AC Schnitzer’s alterations
to the 2-Series can be purchased
individually, so guess which option
this particular UK test car does without?
Yep, we’re making do with the standard
369bhp. That means it’s just aero additions
(including the eyebrow-like boot spoiler
elements), new flow-formed 20-inch
wheels, a few interior bits like metal
knuckleduster-style gearshift paddles,
a cat-back quad-exit exhaust that
improves the rear end look and a passive
suspension system that drops the ride
height by 25mm.
And then there’s the issue of cost. All
of the upgrades that were on our test car
came to £14,500 including labour charges
to fit the bits, which means that the ACS2 4.0i
is a garish £63k+ sports car without any
extra oomph. Considering the latest G87 M2
starts at £64,745, we know where our cash
would go. Greg Potts
6
10
046 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
6 10
MG HS for an all-electric range of up to 32
miles. That’s your lot.
PHE V E XCLUSI VE
Here we were driving the hybrid, and
with its vague steering, bouncy ride and
Cheaply unrefined powertrain, first impressions
weren’t great. You sit high and start in
e-mode by default, with the engine taking
cheerful over as the speed picks up, but the handover
between motors is far from the smoothest,
and the engine constantly grumbles away
in the background. There’s also a continual
£31,095 vibration through the steering wheel and
pedals. It all feels rather... cheap.
P CO2 Which makes the premium feeling
1.5T 4cyl 254 10spd 6.9 155.8 43
interior all the more surprising, thanks
+e-motor bhp auto secs mpg g/km to soft touch materials throughout, much
chrome detailing, and – our favourite
FOR Unpretentious, comfortable, feature – turbine design air vents. There’s
and above all, great value huge amounts of space front and rear too,
though the hybrid’s boot is noticeably
AGAINST Bland looks, dull drive,
shallow on account of the batteries.
small-ish boot, avoid the hybrid If you can ignore the badge snobbery
and forgive the bland looks and dull drive,
W
e were as surprised as anyone this is a decent enough family car. Throw
to discover MG’s mid-size SUV in MG’s generous seven-year warranty and
topped the UK’s sales chart back its new lease of life in 2023 as everyone’s
in January. It’s slipped down the pecking finances get squeezed becomes somewhat
order since then, but we’ll let it bask in its easier to understand. Peter Rawlins
former glory a little longer.
Surprised, because it’s no understatement
to say the HS is a little, well, dull to look at.
It’s hardly going to have the neighbours
glancing enviously in your direction, is it?
The HS’s real trump card, however, is its
value for money – because with prices
starting from £23,495, it undercuts pretty
much every one of its mid-size SUV segment
rivals by a couple of grand at least. Which,
given the current economic climate, matters.
So what do you get for your money?
You’ve the choice of a standard 1.5-litre
turbo petrol, or a plug-in hybrid variant
(which starts from £31,095) that pairs the
same 1.5-litre turbo petrol with a 121bhp
electric motor and 16.6kWh battery,
 The overrun
Small but perfectly formed reviews. The best of the rest from this month’s drives
6 10
TOYO TA COROLL A Don’t get your hopes up – this
isn’t the 300bhp hot hatch, rather
GR SPOR T
a regular Corolla kitted out in
sportier trim. And despite the
£32,990 GR badge, there are no dynamic
enhancements to speak of. But it
FOR Stylish looks, improved does get Toyota’s fifth-gen hybrid
performance and economy tech, with the 1.8-litre engine now
AGAINST Still hardly fun, coarse producing 138bhp (up 18bhp), and
CVT, minimal room in the rear the 2.0-litre 193bhp (up 15bhp).
Shame it’s still dull to drive and the
P CO2 noisy CVT remains, which rather
discourages you from making
1.8 4cyl 138 9.1 60.1 105
+e-motor bhp secs mpg g/km use of the extra power. PR
5 10
VOLKSWAGEN The once imperious Golf is now
a jack of some trades, master of
GOLF G TE
none. Won’t go into the interior
here, we might’ve mentioned our
£39,360 issues with VW’s infotainment
before... The GTE is being pitched
FOR Performance is fairly perky, these days as a plug-in GTI –
decent cruising ability charge your cake and eat it, that
AGAINST Interior, let’s not pretend sort of thing. You’ll realise that’s
it’s sporty like a GTI, shall we? nonsense as soon as you drive it.
It’s perky, and a fine PHEV if you
CO2 have a home plug and 30 miles to
P P
go, but you’re better going fully
1.4T 4cyl 148 6.7 246 25
+e-motor bhp secs mpg g/km electric or just getting the GTI. SB
8 10
V O LV O V 9 0 Volvo rolled out a small but crucial
update to its ‘Recharge’ plug-ins
RECHARGE
a while back: bigger battery,
more powerful rear e-motor and
£69,240 more EV range. That’s the crucial
part – the old cars could muster
FOR Handsome, desirable hybrid around 20 or so real world EV
estate, with zero range anxiety miles. We saw 40 miles from this
AGAINST Not cheap. In fact, at updated Recharge – more than
nearly £70k, rather expensive the average daily commute. With
home charging, you could run
P CO2 for days on electricity alone.
Expensive, but brings more
2.0T 4cyl 345 5.5 256 25
+e-motor bhp secs mpg g/km peace of mind than a full EV. VP
6 10
T O Y O TA YA R I S C R O S S Toyota’s Yaris hatch turned
fashionable urbanite SUV is a bit
GR SPORT
of an oddball, particularly in this
new GR Sport trim which we’re
£29,460 told delivers better steering, roll
and grip feel thanks to retuned
FOR Different, practical interior suspension. Er, what’s the point?
touches, cheap to run It’s targeted at families who want
AGAINST Polarising looks, a small, slightly quirky runaround
busy ride, slightly tired cabin – driving dynamics aren’t a priority.
Focus on the neat touches such
CO2 as the rubber-lined seatbacks
1.5 3cyl 114 11.2 54.3 112
and boot that help protect from all
+e-motor bhp secs mpg g/km that family life entails, please. PR
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 047
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ALPINE 290_B

050 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › TOPGEAR.COM
 VIVE LE
HO T HAT C H!
A new Renault 5 EV is coming, but this is the one you
actually want – Alpine’s homage to the R5 Turbo

WORDS JASON BARLOW PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN W YCHERLEY

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 051

 Concept cars usually go one of two ways. They’re either pie in the sky
flights of fancy into a fantasy world that’ll never happen. Or they’re a
bona fide preview of a future design direction reverse engineered into
something that’s almost entirely feasible. With a few little caveats.
The Alpine 290_B falls firmly into the latter category. This is a
relief because it has a big job on its hands. Alpine, of course, is Renault’s
performance arm, maker of the exemplary A110, not to mention a pretty
effective Formula One team. But if you’ve been wondering what’s next on
the road car front, here’s the answer. And here’s the mission statement:
the 290_B trails the car that will reboot the hot hatch for the electric era.
Chief designer Raphael Linari smiles the smile of someone who knows
that something truly tasty sits before us, then says that 85 per cent of the
exterior design is identical to the real thing. Good news, because this is
one of the most instantly appealing show cars TG has seen in years.
Then he says something we didn’t expect to hear. “Alpine’s test driver
Laurent Hurgon has spent the past few weeks setting this car up. We
knew from the beginning that we wanted a running prototype, a car we
could drive before an F1 race perhaps. That’s why it has a roll cage and
look at that handbrake... I promise you, it all works!”

052 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 ALPINE 290_B

McLaren F1, GMA T.50… Alpine

290_B. When it comes to seats,
three is the magic number

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 053

Wheels were originally square,
until Alpine realised that was a
concept car fantasy too far

Turbofan airvents are a big tick

from us. Blue-flecked carbon
a tribute to Eighties curtains

TG has previous with Laurent Hurgon. He took us around
the track at Renault’s gigantic Aubevoye test facility in an A110
prototype six months before launch back in 2018, and made that
thing dance at speeds you wouldn’t think possible. He’s a wizard.
Clearly, the 290_B is related to the electric Renault 5 that’ll
be along some time in 2024. That’s the car that basically melted
the internet when Renault CEO Luca de Meo announced it at the
tail end of his giant turnaround plan press conference as the world
limped out of lockdown. De Meo ushered the Fiat 500 into life in a
former job and experienced the same Proustian rush when Renault’s
design vice president Laurens van den Acker showed him the R5
proposal. Just do it, he said. When something’s right it’s right.
The same goes for the Alpine version. Often described as the
French equivalent of Lotus, much of Alpine’s history is lost in the
mists of time, but as well as the original A110 we’d urge you to check
out the Seventies A310 and Eighties A610. Both still look fabulous.
Meanwhile, motorsport nerds will need no introduction to 1968’s
beautiful A220 and 1978’s Le Mans 24-Hour Race winning A442. An
R5 Alpine also predates the Eighties hot hatch R5 GT Turbo (though
it was badged as Gordini in the UK due to naming rights). Depending
on the severity of your Francophilia, this is all sub-zero cool stuff.
Strike a pose. As
silhouettes go, this
is pretty much perfect
“IT’S RAMMED WITH ENOUGH
HISTORIC TOUCHPOINTS TO KEEP
ALPINE ADHERENTS HAPPY”
ALPINE 290_B
And it’s all here in the 290_B. It’s a short, stocky looking thing,
wide of track and rammed with enough historic touch points to keep
Alpine adherents happy without tipping too far into retro pastiche.
Even if you’ve never heard of Alpine all you need are the eyes in your
head to recognise a superior piece of work. It maxes out on the R5
concept’s swollen arches, adds the obligatory chunky front spoiler
and rear diffuser, and has a sizeable rear wing. Definite shades of the
Eighties R5 Turbo, and that’s obviously no bad thing.
But there’s significant brand differentiation, too. The nose is
smoother and echoes the frontal treatment on the current A110,
a car that’s a textbook example of how to homage the past without
resorting to cliché. The quad light set-up is an Alpine signature,
although the 290_B’s square lamps and X marks the spot/double
cross rally car lighting graphic are elements that won’t make the
jump to reality. Nor, sadly, will the mountings for the auxiliary
lights (known internally at Alpine as ‘Monte Carlo’ lamps). They’re
aluminium spars that look and feel fabulous but would send the
pedestrian protection legislators into a frenzy. The wheelarch
surrounds, front spoiler and those dramatic sills are made of forged
carbon fibre, enlivened with blue infusions throughout. In fact, the
whole body is carbon fibre, and it’s finished in a frozen snow white
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 055
ALPINE 290_B

“THE 290_B’S matte paint that glitters under direct light. The colour and effect
take inspiration from the mountains that inspired Alpine founder
Jean Rédélé, Linari explains, while the darker element that carves its
MAJOR PARTY way across the bonnet and up and over the roof reflects the jagged
topography of the Alps. The carbon extrusions even have a mineral
TRICK IS ONE quality to them. The Alpine name badge uses dichroic lettering, so
it changes colour according to the light. It’s an EV but that hasn’t

IT’S NICKED stopped them from including a pair of exhaust exits. These are more
like the vents you find on a games console to ventilate the hardware.

FROM THE The wheels are 20in jobs with floating squares cut into them.
“We want people to recognise an Alpine from 290m away, then

McLAREN F1” 290cm, and finally 290mm, and the closer you get there will be a
powerful element of surprise,” Linari continues. On the show car,
that runs to a variety of Easter eggs. The indicator repeaters cut
across the lower part of the front bumper; look closely and you’ll
see the name Esteban Ocon on one side, Pierre Gasly on the other.
At the rear, there’s a little graphic imprint of Greta Thunberg hidden
beneath an access flap. Hopefully she’ll approve of this car. The GPS
coordinates of the Alpine design studio are etched by the rear lights.

056 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › TOPGEAR.COM
 Now go and
watch the
video on
topgear.com

DRIFTED: THE FIRST

e-SUPER HATCH?
I can’t tell you sideways when
anything about you pull both
what the Hyundai paddleshifters, and
Ioniq 5 N is like to there’ll be a variety
drive. Sorry. I have of futuristic sounds
‘driven’ the circa available to play out
£70k, 600bhp electric of the underbody
reinvention of the speaker, simulating
hot hatch, but it was engine noise. But with
mainly sideways so much EV chat still
on a frozen lake in focusing on range,
northern Sweden... charging times and
Hyundai is making a cold weather anxiety,
huge effort to inject will the N Division
genuine old school really convince a
fun into this two-tonne groundswell of future
crossover: there’s an hot hatch lovers to
idiot proof drift mode, prioritise getting
a torque-kick function slippy over getting
to punt the tail home? OK

And peer through the left rear side window and you’ll spot a
nodding dog. His head’ll go into frenzy if Hurgon’s on a hot lap.
There are air intakes secreted all over the body, too, some
functional but mostly as references to Alpine’s potent motorsport
connections. The slats ahead of the rear arches are arguably
somewhat superfluous, and the visible shutline confirms that
the real thing will be a five-door with room in the rear for the
conventional number of passengers.
If that sounds weird that’s because the 290_B’s major party
trick is one it’s nicked from the McLaren F1. Yep, the driver sits
in the middle with two seats set slightly back flanking them.
Indeed, as eye-popping as the exterior is, it’s inside where Linari
and his team have really stretched out.
“It’s too early to announce what’s happening inside the car so we
went crazy on the interior,” Linari says. “Driving sensation is at the
centre of our product philosophy so we thought, ‘What if we put the
driver in the middle of the car?’ This in turn led to many styling
solutions and ideas. Because this has never been done on such a
compact format.”
Rather than a conventional dashboard, the 290_B has an exposed
inner structure that spans the full width of the cabin, suggestive of
the nose and front wing of an F1 car. You can mount a GoPro on the
spars of the wing. Linari says that he wanted to expose the area
around the bulkhead so that the driver’s feet and legs would be
visible but structural issues prevented them from doing so. The
steering wheel is also F1-inspired, with the displays and information
readouts concentrated onto it, bar a series of controls set into a panel
above, plane cockpit style. It detaches via a quick release mechanism
just like its racing sibling. (There’s an alternative, more ‘lifestyle’
wheel but we didn’t see that one during our preview). The driver’s
seat is trimmed in a sustainable, quasi high-vis material, while the
two on either side are ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre race items.
Much effort has been expended on interior illumination. Magenta
light is used on the vertical axis, and runs like a spine through the
centre of the car culminating in a fin effect on the rear. That creates
a truly dazzling optical effect from the outside, as well as placing the
driver firmly at the centre of the action. Blue light is used for the
horizontal axis, running the length of the interior, embracing the

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 057

passengers, and connecting with an aperture under the exterior
mirrors. It’s pure showbiz, and none of it stands an (Alpine)
snowball’s chance in hell of making it. But it’s very imaginative
and beautifully executed.
It also has the fat sills of a racecar, which brings us back to
the 290_B’s competition alter ego. Linari says the rear spoiler
and other aero addenda are functional because they’ve done Hang on... isn’t that the
computational fluid dynamic analysis on it. Again, this is screen from an original
Nintendo Game Boy?
unusually thorough for a concept car.
It all bodes well for the real thing. That’ll be underpinned by
Renault’s CMF-EV (‘common module family’) architecture, as
applied across the group and codeveloped with Nissan. It’ll
probably be powered by the 215bhp e-motor used in the Megane
E-Tech, fed by a 60kWh battery. The details are all still under
wraps for now but Renault’s engineering boss Gilles Le Borgne
is on the record as saying it’ll have torque vectoring and the sort
of handling you’d expect from an Alpine.
Frankly, they had us at hello.

“IT’S UNUSUALLY
THOROUGH FOR
A CONCEPT CAR”
 GLOSSARY

RETRO /RET-ROH/
Literally “imitative of a style or
fashion from the recent past”,
but the word has come to
mean anything that looks ‘old’.
Which really makes it a moving
definition depending on
how old you are

TG’S ROUGH GUIDE TO

059
 GLOSSARY

CLASSIC /KLAS-IK/
The government says a classic
car is one built or first registered
more than 40 years ago that
hasn’t had “substantial change”.
This means a 1983 Peugeot
205 or VW Golf MkII is now
officially a ‘classic car’ and
not just retro. Sigh

Get to know your decades

with our handy guide, from
the Sixties to the Noughties
WORDS TOM FORD

HONOURABLE MENTION
The 1962 Lotus Elan. Absolute tiny
joy in car form – light, small,
top drawer handling.

060 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
HONOURABLE MENTION HONOURABLE MENTION
The E21 BMW 3-Series. The The Fiat Panda (1980), or the Toyota
start of good things from Corolla AE86 (’83) – both are super
BMW’s compact saloon. cool in their own way.

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 061

 HONOURABLE MENTION HONOURABLE MENTION
The Lotus Carlton (1990). The 2001 Phase 1 Renault Clio V6. We spun
Mentioned in parliament
for being a bit quick.

062 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 GLOSSARY

PATINA /PAT’I-NA/

ARTY INTELLIGENCE
A weathered surface
or sheen that gives the
appearance of long use.
Not to be confused
with ‘rust’

Get a petrolhead to steer a computer and

exceptional – if weird – things happen. The
following images were all generated by AI...
WORDS TOM FORD IMAGES @AUTOMOTIVEAI

1967 TESLA MODEL 3

Here’s where AI has to work hard – the Sixties were a time of

innovation and Big News from the USA, with some exceptional
designs. And yet Tesla as a corporate entity didn’t even exist until
2003, and the Model 3 wasn’t born until 2017. The AI decided that
1959 MINI COUNTRYMAN the Model 3 of the latter Sixties was still a compact executive car,
but actually a two-door worthy of a poster. If only.
Subtle one, this. BMC’s original ’59 Mini had an estate version,
the Clubman, but it was a stretched two-door. The Countryman,
technically a sub-compact crossover, didn’t appear until 2010. So
what would an Alec Issigonis-designed Countryman have looked
like back in the early Sixties? Well, wonder no more – weird doors
aside, you can see how good it might have looked.

1974 RANGE 2023 FORD MODEL T

ROVER SPORT
Another one that looks real. The
Range Rover Sport appeared in
2005 as a mid-sized luxury SUV.
The first Range Rover appeared
in 1969, and was two-door only
until ’81, so an imagineered ’74
RRS has ended up looking
largely like a smaller Range
Rover Classic with fat wheels
and no rear doorhandles.
If someone distilled the Model
T of 1908, boiled it down to the
stylistic components and then
rehydrated them for this year,
this is what the result might look
like. Although this seems to be
a modern interpretation of a
mid-Twenties pickup version of
the Model T – sometimes called
the Runabout – and the world’s
first pickup truck.
1981 PORSCHE CAYENNE
The Cayenne caused controversy when it was launched in 2002
– an SUV from a maker of sports cars? The horror! And yet it largely
bolstered the company’s future against the slings and arrows of
outrageous market forces. But the early Eighties saw an imaginary
Cayenne that borrowed heavily from the 911’s stylings, yet weirdly
ended up with shades of a Seventies Honda Civic. Or is that just us?

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 063

 GLOSSARY

VINTAGE /VIN-TIDJ/
A ‘vintage’ car is specifically one
manufactured between 1919
and 1930, with ‘post-vintage’
being from 1931–1945. Teens are
therefore not allowed to call a
car vintage because it has a
choke or manual gearbox GET THE LOOK
What to wear when
driving your retro wheels

The driving gloves

A leather or suede palm
ensures a firm wheel grip, but
you can get fun finishes to the
back. Pick a jaunty colour for
waving at fellow enthusiasts

The overalls
Out for a Sunday drive? Let
everyone know that you
actually do all your own
repairs by wearing lightly
oil smeared blue overalls

The bag
A lightly scuffed vintage duffle
with Seventies/Eighties motorsport
sponsor logos on it is the perfect
accessory to pop down on your
empty passenger seat

The jacket
It’s important to match your
jacket to your car, whether it’s
a waxed effort, flight jacket
with faux fur or a replica
motorsports number

RETRO IS HARD
GLOSSARY

RESTORATION /REST-OH-RAY-SHUN/
A car revived using only original
The shoes
Another car dependent part
parts, to OEM specification. Can of the fit – do you go for a nice
vary from ‘getting it running’ to suede loafer or more of a
Old design cues plus a modern chassis = success, ‘concours’ where the screws
are all aligned at quarter to
racing boot? What’s crucial is
a soft sole for max pedal feel
right? Nope, retro goes badly wrong, too three by a man with a
wonderful beard
WORDS SAM BURNETT
MOTO-RETRO
Bikes have been ploughing the retro furrow
STRIPE
IT LUCKY
Top five retro
racing stripes
for a while. Here’s our current top five
WORDS ROWAN HORNC AS TLE

Mini Hatch
Buying yourself an entry-level
three-door Mini Cooper? It will
cost you £150 to add a couple
of stripes on the bonnet. Sadly
they won’t make it any faster...

ROYAL ENFIELD
INTERCEPTOR 650
Enfield’s Interceptor 650 is
a naked cruiser that harks
HONDA MONKEY back to doobielicious Sixties
California. It’s one of the best
Back in the Seventies, Honda’s Monkey was the diddy motorbike. It modern retros you can buy.
incited palpitations of want in pretty much every flare-wearer worth Why? Because it’s good looking
their hippy bath salts. Now it’s back! This time as a £4,049 reskinned and easy to ride, making it a
MSX125 (or Grom, as it’s more affectionately known) and tartaned up perfect entry point. Plus, it
for 2023. Being the size of a large house cat and having 9bhp, it’s easy offers serious bang for your
to dismiss the new Monkey bike as a toy. But it’s not. It’s a proper bike. buck, starting at £5,700.
Proton Satria Neo Sport
Proton said that its 2007
attempt at a hot hatch was
fettled by Lotus, but never has
a car so thoroughly disgraced
its go-faster stripes
Renault Twingo Gordini
The stripes should have come with
a trigger warning – there wasn’t
the power or verve that those
evocative thin white lines on a
dark blue paintjob promised...

DUCATI DESERT X
The adventure bike market has
exploded, and Ducati has finally
given us a bespoke off-road
option: the deeply cool Desert
X. Channelling vibes from the
Paris-Dakar’s golden era and
the Lucky Strike Cagiva Elefant,
this £14,095, 937cc beast has twin
fuel tanks and massive ground
clearance to get you across the
Sahara. Or to Sainsbury’s.
TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER
The £12,695 Scrambler 1200
does a bit of everything: it’s
fast, powerful, good looking
(in that chic retro modern way),
extremely comfortable on-road,
but equally capable off it. More
importantly, it’s James Bond’s
motorbike of choice – worth a
million pub points in itself, and
ideal if your commute requires
you to razz around rooftops.
BMW R18
Want a motorbike with an engine
bigger than most city cars? No
problem. BMW’s £18,995 R18
cruiser takes classic big bike
design and adds a whopping
1802cc twin-cylinder boxer
engine – the largest it has ever
built. Two huge cylinders and
pistons bouncing between your
legs is quite the experience. Do
big bikes get any cooler?
Dodge Viper
Second generation Viper
introduced its now iconic
stripe in 1996. It was actually
a diagram of the best type
of corner to drive it through
Dodge Durango SRT
But come on Dodge, that
doesn’t mean you’re allowed
to just put racing stripes on
any old tat you pump out
– with great power, etc...

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 065

 WHAT

JENSON

DID

NEXT

066 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 RADFORD TYPE 62-2

What do F1 world champions do when they retire?

They resurrect a classic British coachbuilder and
develop their ultimate road car, obviously

WORDS OLLIE MARRIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES LIPMAN

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 067

 that’s not going to turn it into a limber, languorous tourer.
And there’s a reason for that. This is Jenson’s car.
We’re in no surname required territory here, aren’t we?
But also on familiar terrain for top flight racing drivers. In a few
pages’ time you’ll see Dario Franchitti in the GMA T.50. There
must be something written in a contract that says Porsche can’t
launch a car without a personal appearance from Walter Röhrl
and Honda NSX is basically word association for Ayrton Senna.
So what’s made the 2009 Formula One world champion get
involved with a tiny start-up? “The whole thing for me was after
a career of developing cars and the high stress of F1. I wanted to
do something I was passionate about, developing something
that’s truly mechanical and people will jump in and go ‘Wow,
that’s cool, that’s fun’.”
Jenson tells me this across the cockpit of the Type 62-2 as he
pounds it around the Radford Racing School track. He doesn’t
have to raise his voice too much because although it’s noisy in

068 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 RADFORD TYPE 62-2

here with a supercharged V6 wailing away, it’s also small.

We’re rubbing shoulders. Full harnesses ensure it doesn’t The pre-drive briefing
get even more personal than that. The famed smoothness is was a surprisingly
relaxed affair
on full display, so I’m trying to pick up tips – there’s definitely
something in the way he eases off the brakes and turns in,
managing to carry startling momentum without ever really
venturing into understeer or oversteer. No snatch and grab
here, just effortless speed and confidence. Git.
Because as I’ll find out shortly afterwards, the car is
definitely not making him look good. It makes me look a fool.
Never more than when a tie rod bolt shears mid-corner and
sees me reversing up the main straight at 75mph with smoke
pouring off four locked wheels. I laugh it off, but it’s a nerve
shredder when a car bites like that. All part of the development
process, I guess. I just hadn’t counted on being part of it myself.
Within 24 hours Radford has a new design for the tie rod bolts
and a new supplier.
I’m going to assume that you’re not too familiar with the
Radford story. Fair enough, there’s not much of a tale to tell. The car’s background is more intriguing. At this point
Radford was a coachbuilding firm back in the Sixties, made a we need to introduce another celebrity name: TV presenter
name for itself modifying Bentleys and building luxury Minis Ant Anstead. He was looking for a new project car to do a
for celebrities. It eventually sputtered into oblivion and for the TV show around, came up with the idea of rethinking the
purposes of this story is basically just a nice name with some Lotus Europa and then realised there might well be a market
faint historical connections that enables this new brand to for it and he could build more than one. The plan now is to
strum some old riffs. build 62. Which means turning his idea into a fully fledged

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 069

The track at the Radford Racing School on
the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona is tight and
twisty, much better suited to the light,
nimble Type 62-2 than to the Dodge SRTs
that also call it home. Jenson Button is
clearly very engaged in his new project,
but drew the line at sitting next to Ollie.
Understandable. The gold reflection in the
back of the engine bay is genuine –
Radford uses gold leaf as a heat reflector.
It also, more nickably, features real gold
lettering (made in Birmingham’s jewellery
quarter) across the back of the car

company with production processes and all the rest.
Not simple or quick.
The starting point is a Lotus Exige, but as Jenson points
out “there’s an aluminium monocoque chassis and we’ll leave
it there. Everything else, from the rear subframe, the uprights,
the body itself – which is completely carbon fibre – it’s all new”.
It’s longer overall to improve high speed stability (it has no
meaningful downforce) and wider as that helps to sharpen
turn-in. The engine block is carried over, but everything else
is changed. An Austrian firm called Jubu Performance has gone
over the V6 from top to bottom. It’s dry sumped, sits more
upright yet lower in the chassis than it ever has in a Lotus and
develops up to 605bhp. The car weighs a little over a tonne. So
yeah, ballpark power and weight with the GMA T.50.
Yet no safety aids. None. Not a hint of stability control, not
a jot of ABS braking. In a car with the power to weight ratio that
betters a McLaren 720S and claims 0–62mph in 2.9secs, that
appears foolhardy at best. Two reasons for this lack of hand
holding – the reason Radford gives and the real reason. Radford
claims it wants a raw and rewarding experience and doesn’t
want anything that could interfere and dilute the experience. Fair
enough, probably some truth in that. However, the other truth is
that developing the control electronics for those systems is very
expensive. You’re going to be shelling out millions and there’s
just no way you can do that when you’re only building 62 cars.
So I’m tentative when I first head out. The Type 62-2 is
immediately connected, the chassis and steering tingling,
RADFORD TYPE 62-2
fidgeting, trembling with information, desperate to tell you
everything that’s going on. Compared with a Lotus this is more
mechanical, less fluent – I could drive it with my fingertips,
but something tells me to keep a firmer grip on the wheel.
Just as well, there’s some steering kickback and the weight
makes it quite physical to drive. The carbon brakes are sharp,
arguably too sudden and powerful for a lightweight car, so
I keep thinking that an ounce too much pressure is going to
lock them up. As it is they squeal noisily when they get hot.
Meanwhile the engine is in your ear; a growling, dominant,
initially intimidating presence.
But also, currently, the best thing about the car. Mated
to a six-speed manual gearbox (a twin clutch will be optional,
but you might as well go all in on the interaction), the 3.5-litre
is well mannered low down, instant in its responses and epic
at the top end. Above 5,000rpm it’s a furious buzzsaw of noise
and drama, a raw and intoxicating reminder of just how much
responsibility you have for your own destiny.
It nags, the absence of traction control, but it’s period
correct. And at least you’ve got the signals to know what’s
going on (even if they are a bit fuddled and fighty at the
moment). It feels true to the original 1966 Europa, although
the 62-2 references an altogether rarer machine. Back in the
early Sixties Ford approached a few companies for their ideas
on building a Le Mans racer – the car that would go on to be the
mighty GT40. The gig went to Lola, which left Lotus’s offering,
the Type 62, mouldering in a corner. Only two were ever built.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 071
 This is fast enough to have been a Le Mans warrior.
The speed and grip dials are turned right up, the heart in
mouth freneticism of it, the gnashing volume and drama, the
sense of personal exposure, vulnerability and responsibility.
It puts everything out there and asks you if you’re up to it.
It’s a reminder of how much we’ve learned not only to trust,
but rely on stability systems. My advice, do not keep your foot
in for a dare. Realise you do not and never will have the upper
hand, that this car will not make you feel like a driving god,
that it is designed to reward through diligent communication,
not flatter via electronic support, and – finally – that you will
never be as good as the chap who developed it.
The inadvertent reversing happens at the end of the day and
at least in part explains why I don’t fancy driving over 100 miles
the next morning. But when I do stumble outside I’m struck
once again by the way it looks. The design, the work of Mark
Stubbs, is a very successful retro-futurist interpretation of the
Europa. Retro in its muscle and haunch, futurist in the camera
pods for mirrors and LED lights. I’m not a fan of the four-spoke
wheels, nor the riveted in, sliding windows (they’ll prove to be
a hassle during the day), but I’ll forgive anything for those twin
ducktails. They’re optional, but you need them.
The cabin is bare, driver-centric. Your phone magnetises
to a panel and Bluetooths to give you nav and tunes. A plain,
functional digital display lurks behind the wheel and there
are screens for those external cameras. Bremont pitlane
stopwatches and toggle switches lift the tone, and along with
the materials and stitching give the Radford a thin veneer of

Easiest way to earn the

TopGear seal of approval?
Swoopy bits on the back

RADFORD
TYPE 62-2
Price: £500,000 (approx)
Powertrain: 3.5-litre
supercharged V6, 605bhp, n/a lb ft
Transmission: 6spd manual, RWD
Performance: 0–62mph
in 2.9secs, 186mph,
Weight: c.1,050kg

072 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 RADFORD TYPE 62-2

“IT’S RETRO IN ITS MUSCLE

AND HAUNCH, FUTURIST IN THE
CAMERA PODS FOR MIRRORS”

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 073

RADFORD TYPE 62-2
craftsmanship. But it doesn’t need more than that. It shouldn’t
(and doesn’t) feel luxurious. It’s more important that when you
get in (not the slinkiest procedure) the driving position and
operation of the controls make you sigh with satisfaction.
A car with this much power should have a heavier clutch, a
lumbering gearshift. It’s not dainty, you need to be positive with
it, but you can heel and toe, the linkage is crisp and accurate.
Visibility is a challenge (cameras are not yet the answer), the
seats are thinly padded and bolstered, there’s noise penetration
and general hubbub and rowdiness. I’ll make an exception for
Jenson, but it’s not a car to share on a roadtrip. It’s small
enough inside that you’ll worry about each other’s breath.
I reach cactus land. Where it’s snowing. Weird. I’m not the
only one who thinks so. A local news crew is out chasing the
flurries. I don’t want to make the evening news bulletin, so
resolve to tread extra carefully and avoid the supercharger’s
post-5,000rpm sweet spot. Things fast forward rapidly enough
at 3k–4k on the road, so I’m happy to settle for a throaty rasp
and forgo the full blooded howl. There’s plenty to enjoy in the
zingy throttle response, the eager way it leaps forward, the
lack of mass, the agility and tactility of it all.
But it’s also wearing. A car for short sprints and adrenaline
hits, a car to keep you on your toes. There’s not much else like
it, and that’s what matters most. It’ll be sold to collectors and
this will do a job none of their other cars do. It’s compact and
retro, but you won’t need to fiddle with the carburettors and
hopefully the suspension won’t break mid-corner. It delivers
074 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
Now go and
watch the
video on
topgear.com
All of America’s corners
seem to have ended up
on one stretch of road...
modern supercar speed but without the electronic cloaking
devices that do so much to mask speed, and the weight that
dilutes texture and feedback. The car it reminds me most of
is the 2005 Ford GT – the retro one, with the supercharged
V8. Nothing wrong with that.
Sign up for one of the 62 cars and you have three power
outputs to choose from: 430bhp, 500bhp and 605bhp... 430 is
plenty, less likely to get you in a spot of bother. Just spec it well.
Prices are likely to start at around £350,000, but if you want to
get properly carried away Radford is offering special editions.
Both Gold Leaf (500bhp) and JPS (605bhp) versions wearing
those classic liveries are available, each limited to just 12 cars.
Buy a top level one and you’ll get a day’s training with Jenson
himself at the Radford Racing School.
Lotus DNA is still detectable, you get the sense it could be
Hethel’s own work. It’s got bigger Evija-shaped fish to fry at the
moment, but I suspect there’s a tacit support and admiration
for what Radford is trying to achieve here. It reflects well and
gives Lotus’ backstory a polish. The Type 62-2 hints at an
endurance racing history that wasn’t even there: “Le Mans,
the Seventies and Eighties those were the years, beautiful cars
that just made you smile,” Jenson grins. “But underneath this
still needs to be a driver’s car and in a world where cars have
got big and heavy we come at it from a very different point of
view.” The Radford Type 62-2, then, is the car we all say we
want: an F1 world champion’s vision of his ultimate road car.
Be careful what you wish for.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 075
CAPE CANAVERAL SPEED RUN

076 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

The fastest car in the world is about to retire. Weirdly,
TopGear ’s having one last hurrah at a place where a
Bugatti Chiron doesn’t seem so powerful after all
WORDS OLLIE KEW PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES LIPMAN

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 077

 2

1 3

(1) Atlantis, the fourth orbiter built,

looks to the heavens before STS-79 in
August 1996 (2) One of the two Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft hoists Columbia over
the Johnson Space Center, Texas (3)
Columbia lifts off on its 16th mission. At
launch the External Tank contained
680 tonnes of liquid hydrogen
and oxygen fuel (4) 15 hours after
touchdown of the final flight, Atlantis
is dragged off the SLF runway in July
2011 (5) STS-5 was the first operational
Shuttle mission. Columbia rides the
column of fire carrying two satellites
in late 1982 (6) Memorial to the seven
Columbia crew members lost during
re-entry disaster in 2003. Shuttles
were grounded for over two years (7)
Endeavour eases back down to Earth
with a nighttime landing in Florida
6

Looks like a ‘normal’ manual

gearbox but is actually made
from pure genius and magic

078 DECEMBER 2022 › TOPGEAR.COM

 CAPE CANAVERAL SPEED RUN

hen exactly do astronauts receive

their ‘badass soundbite’ training?
Universally, they’ve a knack for
memorable space-quips. Apollo 14
veteran Edgar Mitchell gave us
“From out there on the moon,
international politics look so petty.
You want to grab a politician by
the scruff of the neck, drag him a
quarter of a million miles out and say ‘look at that, you son of a b***h’.”
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, described the
tension during countdown as “knowing you were sitting on top of two
million parts — all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract”.
My personal favourite analysis of a space shuttle launch comes from real
life TOPGUN graduate Hoot Gibson, who flew five of its 135 missions.
“You just hear a massive explosion and pray you’re going up.”
Close your eyes for a second and remember the shuttle. You’re
imagining the launch, aren’t you? An undeniably spectacular sequence
of mechanical, chemical and sonic events as 2,000,000kg of hardware,
humans and fuel roared off the pad, doing 0–60mph slower than a Honda
Civic Type R but breaching the sound barrier less than a minute later, on
the way to 17,500mph. Five miles a second.
Bringing the orbiter (that’s the black and white winged bit where the
astronauts and cargo sit – only when the orange external tank and twin
solid rocket boosters (SRBs) were attached was the whole assembly
strictly a ‘space shuttle’) back to Earth was just as treacherous as firing
it skywards. As I’m sure you know, the whole point of the shuttle was
reusability. Unlike the Mercury and Apollo rockets designed to jettison
spent stages into the ocean, the orbiter was Earth’s removals lorry, lugging
experiments and equipment into orbit then ‘gliding’ home. The SRBs
parachuted into the ocean after launch. Only the relatively cheap liquid
hydrogen and oxygen fuel tank was allowed to burn up in the atmosphere.
But that’s exactly what would happen to the returning orbiter, were it
not for 24,300 silica tiles so effective at absorbing heat you could lob one
in the oven with your Sunday roast and then pluck it out without singeing
your fingers. These lightweight blocks protected the shuttle from extreme
cold of -379°C in orbit and shielded its aluminium airframe from the
1,260°C fury of atmospheric re-entry. Meanwhile, reinforced carbon
panels on the nose cone and leading edges of each wing bore the brunt
at the higher friction areas where temperatures soared to over 1,650°C,
despite their edges being just 6–12mm thick.
After 12 minutes of radio blackout the orbiter had survived trial by
white hot plasma. The tiles had done their job, but now the orbiter is
90,000 feet high, doing twice the speed of sound, it’s out of fuel and it’s a
lousy aeroplane. At 100 tonnes, it’s about two-thirds the mass of a Boeing
747 with a fraction of the lift, so its descent rate is seven times steeper
7 than a jumbo. Small wonder the pilots nicknamed it ‘The Flying Brick’.
And because it’s got no propulsion and the landing gear can only be
lowered once, as the speed drops below Mach 1 and the commander
takes over from the autopilot, they have just one shot at landing safely.
Having performed a spiralling loop to shed speed, the orbiter rushes
in to touch down at 225mph – around 100mph faster than an airliner.
A combination of rudder airbrakes, a parachute and several hundred
extremely clenched backsides at mission control bring it to a halt after
a round trip of 4–6 million miles.
Then there was the small matter of unloading the crew, hitching the
powerless orbiter onto the back of an adapted jumbo jet, and flying it cross

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 079

CAPE CANAVERAL SPEED RUN
country from Edwards Air Force Base, California back to Cape Canaveral,
Florida for recommissioning.
You’d imagine the palaver of a $750k piggyback involving three fuel stops
and an awful lot of double-checking bolts would get on NASA’s nerves, and it’d
build a runway closer to where shuttles lived and launched. It did – in 1976.
But while Florida is a useful place to launch a rocket (close to the equator to
employ the Earth’s rotation as a slingshot, handily on a remote peninsula, with
plenty of ocean for spent bits of rocket to fall into), it’s not especially helpful
for landing space planes. For the early years of the shuttle programme, landing
in the desert was preferable – less swamp and wildlife to smush.
From 1984, 78 shuttle missions ended in this verdant nature reserve: the
John F. Kennedy Space Center’s shuttle landing facility, now the launch and
landing facility, or LLF. It’s a whopper, at 2.8 miles (15,000ft) long – 1.5 miles
longer than the strip at the heart of the TopGear test track. It is a vast space,
bookended by swamps, and on the horizon, the towering vehicle assembly
building where Saturn V rockets were readied for the moon.
What with modern rockets either landing themselves vertically or back to
being as single use as a firework, a gigantic space plane runway is now as much
a white elephant as the orbiter itself. But the LLF has found one new purpose
as a vehicle proving ground. If you’ve got something really fast you want to
test, this is one heck of a laboratory. John Hennessey’s Venom F5 hypercar has
been down here at over 270mph. One of the chaps who now operates at the
080 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › TOPGEAR.COM
LLF, Johnny Bohmer, drove his modified Ford GT to 310.8mph here last
December. He almost got it stopped before the end, too...
Frankly, I’d come here just to walk along it, marvelling at the plaques laid
in the high friction surface marking where each shuttle mission’s wheels came
to rest. Being born long after the Apollo programme, for me the shuttle is
space travel. It was never as routine as imagined. It never paid for itself.
And with two orbiters and 14 crew lost, it was a risky piece of kit. But what’s
amazing is that for a few decades, it seemed... normal. We got used to launches
and landings on the news, and footage of astronauts floating about on the
International Space Station gobbling globules of weightless water. The space
shuttle contained 2.5 million moving parts. It was the most complicated
machine ever made. And now it’s a museum exhibit.
The same ‘been there, done that, don’t care’ curse applies to very few
cars. Most automobiles that achieve the improbable are well recognised and
celebrated. If there’s an exception, it’s modern day Bugatti. Masterminded
by late Volkswagen Group supremo Ferdinand Piëch as a crown jewel for
Wolfsburg’s motoring empire, in 1999 he demanded a machine capable of
achieving 1,000PS (986bhp) and 400kph (248mph). After five years of toil,
his engineers delivered him the 1,001PS, 407kph Veyron. Always helps to
exceed the boss’s expectations.
Even as Bugatti evolved its quad-turbo 16-cylinder hypercar into the
Chiron and the 300+mph Super Sport, it’s never been able to outrun the

500kph speedo = 310.6mph.
Overkill really, when the Chiron
SS vmaxes at just 304mph
Attempts to look heroic undone
by fear of getting caught
short in fireproof onesie
naysayers who give Ferrari a pass for passion and love Lambos for their lunacy.
A Bugatti is just a numbers car. A 1,000 horsepower Audi TT. Three million
quid for a Volkswagen. Precisely because it makes huge speed a supposedly
easy business, big Bugs don’t quite get the love.
Like the shuttle in 2011, the Chiron is now being decommissioned.
All are sold, and it’s a safe bet the architecture of future Bugattis will look
a little different now Mate Rimac is in charge. To close this chapter, someone
at Bugatti sussed out that only 19 people had ever driven one to 400kph, which
is rather a waste of what it was engineered for. To boost those numbers, a
handful of loyal owners have been invited to the LLF to give theirs the beans
in one of the few locations on Earth it’s safe and legal to do so. I’m doing my
best to blend in among the billionaires.
The fastest I’ve ever driven is 189mph down Le Mans’ Mulsanne straight
in an Audi R8. That’s blitzed in today’s practice run, as my weapon of choice
– a 1,578bhp Chiron Super Sport belonging to Bugatti USA rather than any
of the nearby designer haircuts – waltzes up to 211mph. This mere canter is
to familiarise myself with the runway’s perspective melting width, its slight
camber, and the brake pressure required as I thunder past the ‘FINISH’ flags
0.8 miles before the runway limit. To really authenticate my Kennedy
experience, my mission then gets scrubbed at T-minus 10 minutes. A biblical
thunderstorm crashes in and rain is bouncing a foot off the surface as forked
lightning thwacks the facility. I’ll have to come back tomorrow, early doors.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 081
“Mate I don’t care if ‘hungry
alligators are chasing you’,
I don’t pick up hitchhikers”

Each set of tyres costs $13k.

Only guaranteed for 11 miles
after doing 250mph...

082 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM


BUGATTI CHIRON
SUPER SPORT
Price: £3.5m
Engine: 7993cc quad-turbo W16
Power: 1,578bhp @ 7,000rpm,
1,180lb ft @ 2,250–7,000rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed
dual-clutch, AWD
Performance: 0–62mph in
2.4secs, 273mph (limited)
Economy: 13.1mpg,
486g/km CO2
Weight: 1,978kg
Having failed to sleep much, I return at dawn. The rain doesn’t,
but several aircraft are cleared to land, which delays my run from early
morning to post-lunchtime. Then the Chiron’s fiendishly pernickety tyre
pressure sensors get cantankerous. It’s now 28°C, and the engineers are
grim-faced. The course is measured such that, in an ideal world, I ought to
cross the finish at exactly 250mph. At current temperatures the heat soak
from the massive W16 will be immense. I’m told it’s unlikely I’ll be getting
maximum brake horsepower.
I’m more anxious about furnace cabin temperatures wilting the video
Florida’s launch and landing facility, located in Kennedy Space Center, Florida
cameras, and my ability to drive. A fireproof race suit is mandated here,
Bugatti performing straight line aerodynamic testing with JBPG at Space
packaging me into a medium-rare boil in the bag snack for a nearby
alligator. Nature offers other hazards too. Flamingo-like wading birds
called spoonbills call the Cape home, and if one of those comes through
the windscreen at 250mph, it’s goodnight Ollie.
The view a second before I get the thumbs up to roll will never leave
me. I’m backed all the way to runway’s edge. The dashboard confirms
that Top Speed mode is active, trimming out the rear wing, closing
the front flaps and confirming that at last, the tyres are satisfactory.
I’d been instructed to trickle the car off the line and bleed the throttle
in from about 30mph, but with only having one shot and the rising
temperatures – well, what would you do? I’m not ashamed to admit
I pretty much gunned it.
With a momentary chirrup from all four tyres, the Chiron teleports
away. It’s not as gut wrenching as the maddest EVs, but the relentlessness
of the surge is eye-watering. Five seconds later it’s striding past 125mph.
I’m leaving the paddles alone. Over to you, algorithms. After 12 seconds
I see 186mph and for the second time today I’m closing in on 200.
CAPE CANAVERAL SPEED RUN
Did NASA astronauts get a
glossy certificate after they
completed their mission too?
Now go and
watch the
video on
topgear.com
That was the easy bit. This is where time starts to slow down. My
eyes are scanning the horizon for the brake markers but the windscreen is
filled with a shimmering waterfall of heat haze. Beyond 220mph is where
the car has to dig in. Beyond shuttle landing speed, where crosswinds
start to attack at the most critical phase. 235mph. I’d been told to let the
car wander. Don’t fight it with a snatch at the wheel, or it’ll unsettle the
balance and I’ll be responsible for two skid marks you can see from space.
Up to 239mph. The sense of the car mercilessly battering physics,
accelerating in a vacuum, is now diminished. 242mph. Nature is holding
us back, and I know I must be running out of room, but the horizon
mirage is still masking where I am relative to the braking point. 245mph.
A horrifying idea enters my head. What if the brake flags have blown over
in the gusts and I’m about to use a Chiron for the world’s fastest Jackass
stunt? Just before the shiver travels fully down my spine along with a
message to lift my right foot, the finish whips past and I squeeeeeeeeze
the brakes. Two tonnes of blood, sweat and tears slows straight ’n’
true down to 30mph, where I volte-face 10 lengths from the dirt.
My satellite verified vmax was 401.7kph, or 249.6mph. All I’ve done is
sit down and press a pedal, but my throat is dry, palms are drenched and
my heart’s still on overboost a quarter of an hour later... it’s a bungee-
jump-into-shark-infested-waters-sized dopamine hit. A pretty visceral
reaction from just a soulless numbers car.
So, I’m into the 400kph club, and one day it’ll cease to bug me that I
was 0.4mph from cracking a nice, round imperial 250. Shuttle pilot Jack
Lousma was once asked what he thought of the shuttle’s runway. With a
typically slick astronaut’s retort, he replied: “I wish they’d made it half as
wide and twice as long.” Couldn’t agree more.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 083
 WORDS GREG POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY JONNY FLEETWOOD

084 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK

Never fear, the TopGear Rhino Protection League

is here, and for once we haven’t brought a wholly
unsuitable vehicle. This is serious business

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 085

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK
This was the warning from editor Rix. Not something you’d usually
overhear in the TopGear office, of course, but then I had just
suggested that we could put the new South African-built
Volkswagen Amarok to the test by deploying it with one of the
many anti-poaching teams looking after resident rhinoceroses
in the posh pickup’s new home.
Now dear reader, I wish I could claim that – with this ultimatum
ringing in my and photographer Fleetwood’s ears – we set off
searching for our horned friends across the African savanna for
days on end, traversing tricky terrain in the Amarok and avoiding
the more bitey creatures around with the hope of possibly catching
a glimpse of one of the circa 16,000 white rhinos in existence.
As you may be able to tell from the remarkable images on these
pages, it wasn’t like that.
In fact, the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) at Gondwana game
reserve four hours east of Cape Town has such incredible data,
knowledge and tracking ability that we manage to get our off-road
spec Amarok PanAmericana in the frame with some of these
majestic 2.5-tonne grazers in a matter of hours. Success.
That’s not to say that the escapade is without jeopardy – the two
rhino brothers we approach first are incredibly calm and happy to be
papped, but as is often the case, the danger is a man-made creation.
086 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
Thanks to its huge anti-poaching efforts, Gondwana hasn’t
had an incident since the reserve was established in 2006, but
the protection of rhinos is a perilous business to be involved in.
Conservation and sustainability manager Jono Berry tells us that
a colleague at another reserve was recently assassinated simply for
being incorruptible, and it’s not just those on the correct side of
history who need to be careful – the night before we arrive, a
poaching kingpin in the north of the country is gunned down
while at the side of the road with a flat tyre. Conservation charities
understandably don’t want to talk about the value of rhino horn on
the black market either, for fear of encouraging more poaching, but
it’s often quoted as being more expensive per kilogram than gold
or that naughty white powder that Mr Escobar was so fond of.
“Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Asian medicine to
‘cure’ a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers,” says a WWF
statement. “And the horn is seen as a status symbol, particularly in
Vietnam.” That’s despite the fact that it’s mostly made up of keratin
– the same protein found in your fingernails.
And so, as the APU loads up on board the Amarok in place of
the team’s usual 150,000+mile
first-generation Ford Ranger, the
danger – and a desire to display an
 Thanks to the carefully chosen
paintjob he couldn’t tell the
Amarok wasn’t another rhino

“Lovely conservation work,

but how far to the hotel? I did
fancy a swim before dinner”

They’re very strict about trying

to get through the airport with
more than 100ml round here

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 087

 overt security presence in case anyone is scouting the reserve while
posing as a guest on a game drive – is why we are surrounded by
assault rifles and bulletproof vests. It’s also why the unit is led by
Elton – a man who amassed 20 years’ experience in the South
African Defence Force before a career change led him to law
enforcement lecturing at the Southern African Wildlife College.
Elton’s team is fascinating, with over 20 members on alternating
12-hour shifts for round the clock rhino security. Day and night, 365
days a year. Their numbers are set to grow in the coming months
too, and a canine tracking unit will also be reintroduced later this
year to add an additional layer of protection. In a very Taken-esque
manner, each employee has a specific set of skills that ranges from
animal spoor specialists to dedicated human trackers, who can not
only spot if a rogue poacher has walked through a bush or over a
particular patch of grass, but they’ll also report which direction
they were travelling in and provide an accurate guess at how tall
they are. A ridiculously impressive skill on a 25,000+ acre reserve.
After a quick briefing that includes reports from the dedicated
fencing team (described as the second line of defence after the
local community, who are urged to report suspicious activity) and
confirmation of the location of Gondwana’s pride of lions, we head
out on an eyes down foot patrol with a select group from the APU,
This is what happens when you
select shortest route rather looking for signs of incursion into the reserve.
than quickest route on the nav After avoiding a herd of elephants and passing a family of hippos
at a closer proximity than we would like to admit to the BBC’s health
and safety department, we jump back in the Amarok to traverse the
You don’t want to know reserve and find more ‘assets’ – each rhino needs to be spotted and
what happens if you
swipe left on this app...
logged in an app by the APU every day, and if it isn’t then finding
it is a priority for the next team on shift. The Cmore system that
Gondwana’s team is using was actually developed for security at
the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but it’s now used by a
number of anti-poaching forces to log the position and condition
of their protectees.
What’s immediately obvious in the anti-poaching world is how
the mix of traditional tracking techniques combines with modern
tech such as radio telemetry, the aforementioned apps and drones
that can scout perimeter fences and offer air support at a fraction
of the cost of a helicopter.
It’s something that’s reflected in the Amarok too, come to think
of it. Thanks to a deal with Ford, this second-generation pickup is
built on the same platform and in the same Pretoria factory as the
new Ranger. That means underneath is a simple ladder frame chassis
and leaf spring rear suspension that predates the extinction of the
woolly rhino around 14,000 years ago. Engine options include

088 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK

“UNDERNEATH IS LEAF SPRING REAR

SUSPENSION THAT PREDATES THE
EXTINCTION OF THE WOOLLY RHINO”

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 089

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK

Amarok – King of the

Jungle. Or is that title
already taken?

Christopher – specialist
human tracker. He will find
you and he will... erm

090 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
“EACH EMPLOYEE
HAS A VERY
SPECIFIC SET
OF SKILLS”

Elton – APU team leader and a

man with 20 years’ experience in
the South African Defence Force

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 091

 “FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT AT LEAST
THIS PARTICULAR RHINO SEARCH
ALL SEEMS RATHER SERENE”

092 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM


four-cylinder turbodiesels with varying power outputs, but we’ve
got the torquey but retro 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel that makes 247bhp.
It’s almost as though Ford sorted all the workhorse bits down
below before VW demanded some car-like luxuries on top. That
means inside you’ll find a smart leather finished interior with orange
stitching, a 12-inch touchscreen that’s almost too modern for its
own good (imagine trying to operate those in-screen climate
controls with chunky gloves on), a fancy Harman Kardon sound
system and a multitude of different on- and off-road drive modes
that make our slow rock crawls and fast blasts on loose surfaces a
simple endeavour. Plus we’re able to provide the APU with a small
slice of comfort thanks to our double cab set-up and the Amarok’s
fairly compliant suspension. Well, that is when they haven’t plugged
in the specific frequency into the radio telemetry that says “a rhino
is that way”, because that requires a ride in the bed and some
impressive arm in the air endurance.
As we head to the east of the reserve the landscape changes, with
head height shrubbery meaning the Amarok’s bed now becomes a
makeshift animal viewing platform. There are some properly testing
tracks here too for the VW to further prove its off-road credentials.
Some deeper-than-it-looks water requires a quick check of the
manual – confirmation that yes, the new Amarok can wade to
800mm compared with the previous generation’s 500mm. And
the improved approach and departure angles are put to good use,
VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK
“Don’t look now Greg, but
there’s an impala in your tent
eating your stash of crisps”
as are the PanAmericana’s 360° camera systems to avoid
scratching that Bright Beige paint. And yep, that is what
Volkswagen is calling the colour.
UK pricing hasn’t been announced just yet, but the car we’re
driving without any options costs just over one million South
African Rand. That’s around £44,000 at current exchange rates.
Not cheap, but then the PanAmericana spec does also add 18in
wheels clad in chunky Goodyear Wrangler tyres, selectable
four-wheel-drive modes with high- and low-range options (as
well as an auto mode where the car senses slip and can send power
forward if necessary) and a mechanical locking rear diff. Sounds
complicated, but really all you need are those dedicated off-road
drive modes. Select the type of surface that you’re on or the amount
of grip you think you have, and the car sets up the gearbox, diffs
and throttle map to ensure smooth and consistent progress.
From the driver’s seat at least, this particular rhino search all
seems rather serene.
The actual number of rhinos at Gondwana is a closely guarded
secret that’s only shared on a need to know basis, but the work
that the reserve is doing to protect the species extends beyond its
2.4-metre tall electric perimeter fence. In 2017 it opened Camp
Charleston – a new home for the APU and a site where it offers
training for fellow anti-poaching units through its Gondwana
Conservation Foundation and the Rainbow Rhino Initiative. The
plan is to eventually offer a two for one deal, where a breeding herd
of rhinos can be sent out to another reserve along with a specially
trained anti-poaching unit to guard them.
The future looks bright too, because as Jono informs us, a couple
of female calves have just been born and are somewhere out there in
the reserve learning the ways of the natural world. But hang on, we
didn’t spot them at all today. Guess we’ll just have to camp out and
try again tomorrow. Now, where did Elton say those lions were?
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 093
TOPGEAR.COM
What’s life like at 12,000rpm? We got to find out... in stereo.
Jack and Ollie hop in the outer seats of the GMA T.50
WORDS OLLIE MARRIAGE & JACK RIX PHOTOGRAPHY MARK RICCIONI

› JUNE 2023
095
 Fortunately there was a bag
of sweets in the glovebox to
keep the kids quiet

Operation find-a-way-to-lock-
Dario-in-the-toilet-and-steal-
the-keys wasn’t going well

096 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M

It’s 8.30am in Shalford, the headquarters of Gordon Murray
Automotive. It’s been like the countdown to Christmas for
the past few weeks, crossing the days off until this moment.
OM: Today Jack and I get to ride shotgun (double barrelled...) in
the remarkable T.50 – a hypercar with the footprint of a Porsche
Boxster, three seats and a 3.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 that
revs to over 12,000rpm. Gordon doesn’t know or care how long
0–60mph takes or what the top speed is. This car is all about
weight saving and sensation, about righting the supposed
wrongs of the McLaren F1. Our pilot is Indycar legend and
GMA development driver Dario Franchitti. The car sits outside
the front door looking trim and petite. The doors swing up.
While Dario shuffles over to the centre seat I look at Jack across
the roof. You know how sometimes, for professional reasons,
you want to keep the inane grin off your face, but it muscles its
way through? That’s the face Jack is pulling now.
JR: Worth noting that Ollie, the consummate professional, is
also grinning like a dog with multiple appendages. Right, I’ll
sit on Dario’s left, not sure there’s actually a short straw here,
and – excuse me while I savour this – because dropping into a
passenger seat has never felt like more of an event. It’s snug for
width, luckily I keep my love handles match fit at all times, but
“A PASSENGER SEAT
HAS NEVER FELT LIKE
MORE OF AN EVENT”
GMA T.50
Security takes a dim
view of sliding down the
fire escape banister
leg, head, shoulder, elbow room... there’s enough of it. I reach
up and pull the door down slowly – no need to slam it, just
introduce the catches to each other, let the soft close do the rest.
OM: The engine fires. I’m expecting fireworks and glory, but
there’s no earth shattering moment of revelation. The V12
sounds purposeful, hard edged, but not overly flamboyant.
A few quick cockpit checks for comfort, Dario snicks first
and we’re off, straight into the first obstacles. A pair of giant
speedbumps. I’d driven my Elise down and graunched the
underside over both. Dario mentions he can’t bring his Carrera
GT down here for the same reason. The T.50 has no nose lift, yet
clears them. Gordon was more willing to compromise on ride
height than added weight, clearly.
JR: We turn out onto the public road and the view is
magnificent. Not the A281, but your field of vision within
the car. Glass roof arcing overhead (lighter carbon roof panels
are also available, but even Gordon has ordered his T.50 with a
glass roof for precisely this light-drenched effect) you’re angled
towards the centre line of the car, line of sight straight over the
driver’s shoulder to the beautiful analogue instrument set. It’s
not the full central driving position experience, but you
definitely get a slice of it.
OM: I completely agree on the view, it’s much more condensed
and concentrated than in a normal car. Without having to turn
your head you see the driver, the view out, the A-pillar and
scenery rushing past – the sense of drama and excitement is
unparalleled. And if I do turn my head I have a clear view of you
on the other side. It’s brilliantly easy for the two passengers to
have a conversation.
JR: It’s more awkward talking to Dario, isn’t it?
You soon realise you’re basically shouting in his
ear, while he has to talk forwards, so needs to
speak louder. But you can easily chat in here
by the way, so long as Dario’s just tickling the
throttle. How’s his gear changing? I can’t see
from this side.
OM: I think Dario is flattering a shift that looks
quite sharp and abrupt. I don’t think Gordon’s
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 097
 Where have their
bodies gone? The T.50
is a packaging marvel

“THE ENGINE LOOKS

Lovely in here, orange

marks the seat you
actually want to be in

098 J U N E 2 0 2 3 › T O P G E A R . C O M
 GMA T.50

Suddenly that extra £20

for windscreen insurance
seems like a sensible idea

BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED”

Go too crazy with the revs

and you’ll bosh the little
mermaid on the head

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 099

 demands for little flywheel effect have resulted in a forgiving
clutch. At least not at the moment. Quick aside here – the
gearlever housing means I have less leg space than Jack, but
I’ve figured it out now – I put my left leg far over to the right
and bend my right leg back underneath my left. Gives the
driver that bit more space.
JR: Here’s something I didn’t expect, Gordon’s allergy to
screens isn’t absolute. There is one snuggled between the dials
and it’s mirroring the maps on Dario’s phone faultlessly so far.
So much so we’re ahead of schedule – we stop at a proper British
village pub, which is closed, so we grab a cup of something hot
from the proper British village shop and have a good poke and
prod around the car. Highlights, Ollie?
OM: Opening the rear wing covers is a good place to start
because not only is that your access to the storage lockers,
you can also grab a view of the engine. It all looks so delicate
and beautifully crafted. And check out the reversing camera
plonked in the centre of the fan. Great touch.
JR: Also, those serrated edges on the fan blades look like
something out of Saw 4. They’re a tip from the helicopter
industry apparently, to reduce noise without sacrificing
efficiency. What do you think about the looks? I much prefer
it away from studio, but it’s still not the most dramatic, is
it? More of a connoisseur’s choice rather than a show-off type
thing... although a tin of luminous paint could change that.
OM: Agree, but it is quite funny when Dario starts talking about
fuel economy and the tyres being cheap because the Michelins
are modestly dimensioned, off the shelf and don’t need to be
homologated for 300mph. Dude, it’s a £2.5 million car. However,
I will be deeply impressed if that 32mpg figure on the trip
computer proves accurate. Anyway, onwards, Dario’s promised
us a ride down to Goodwood and back. Let’s swap sides.
JR: Back on the road and Dario’s coffee is kicking in. He goes
for the world’s most efficient overtake, pure teleportation. Cue
suppressed giggling from his passengers. What’s interesting is
because our bums are further back than usual for a mid-engined
car, the sensation is you’re sitting on top of the rear axle, like a
Caterham, with the car pivoting in front of you. I definitely feel
the tyres scrambling momentarily for purchase before locking
in and launching us like a frictionless molecule.
OM: And that noise! It’s epic and I don’t think we got above
about 7,000rpm. I’m loving the way it drives as well – but this
is not a car with the same bandwidth as a 911. The ride seems
crisp. Maybe not as supple as I was expecting. I think it’s more
immediate and potentially less forgiving, but the body control
is immaculate, you can tell there’s very little unsprung mass
because there’s no secondary motion from the wheels when they
kick back though potholes – and these roads have been shredded
“IT SHOWS HOW MUCH
DEPTH THERE CAN BE
TO ACCELERATION”
100 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
“We can’t have
been doing more
than 150, officer?”
by a long winter. But I love how small it feels on the road, how
easy to place within your lane, the view out, the light coming in
– it’s all fabulous. And I’m really encouraged that 85 of the 106
buyers have gone for the longer overdrive sixth gear – means
they plan on doing distance in it.
JR: And don’t forget what Gordon said – that he’ll be offering
prizes for the highest mileage T.50 each year. And no, we’re
not kidding. But now it’s time for something a bit more sprinty...
the Dunsfold runway. We won’t be lobbing it around corners
today, this isn’t a track car says Gordon – there’s a T.50 S coming
specifically for that – but the offer to experience full fury in a
straight line is one we won’t pass up. Dario nurses the clutch
off the line and gives it most of the berries in second, then
buries it in third... the crescendo of everything – noise, revs,
drama, intensity, my face muscles – is beyond comparison.
At this point readers, I suggest you scan the QR code and give
the video a watch, because it’s a moment where moving pictures
and sound are required.
OM: Oh my god, I know Dario was taking it easy off the line and
ramping up gradually through first and second, but third gear
was plain astonishing. The V12 is so visceral, so intense, so
instant, has so much edge and precision. I know 664bhp is a lot,
but for a hypercar it’s tiddly. I don’t think this quite pins you
back like a Valkyrie, but it shows how much more depth and
reward there can be to acceleration. The way the engine picks
up, the snarling intake above your head, the rev needle looking
like it had been flicked, and the soundtrack which is pure
Nineties F1. I don’t think that noise is improvable, I just don’t.
Tell you what, I fancy listening to it from outside – let’s hop out
and get Dario to have another go.
JR: We won’t be alone – look, Gordon’s standing
over there beaming and filming everything with
his phone as if he hasn’t personally breathed this
car into life, bolt by ultra-lightweight bolt, from
brain to drawing board to reality. His TikTok is
going to be lit.
OM: That’s a lovely thing to see isn’t it? Great to
know it still matters that much to him. Now
we’ve had our first taster... I can see why.
 GMA T.50

Now go and
watch the
video on
topgear.com

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 101

 VS
The Z06 is Corvette’s most hardcore sports car
yet... and, so it says, a fitting rival to anything
Europe has to offer. Time for a showdown
WORDS OLLIE MARRIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY MARK RICCIONI

102 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 103
 DEFINE AMERICA.
THE STARS AND
STRIPES, THE
HAMBURGER,
THE STATUE
OF LIBERTY,
COWBOYS, THE
CORVETTE.
Easy, huh? But that’s not what I’m driving at. It’s the only country
where inserting a car in a list of cultural touch points seems natural.
The Corvette. Seventy years of history this year. They’ve been
building Corvettes for nearly a third of the time America has been
a country. No wonder there was such a fuss when, after seven
generations of the horse pulling the cart, the eighth went mid-engined.
But it retained a pushrod V8, because y’all drive torque, right? But
pushrod engines nestle their single camshaft down in the centre of
the vee, where it turns to actuates rods that travel back up the sides
of the cylinders to operate the valves. It’s a compact layout, but it
doesn’t like high revs – too many moving parts.
So, in a second wrench with tradition, the new Z06 has abandoned
pushrod technology – the thing that defines the American V8 – and
turned to double overhead camshafts. A European strategy. Well,
I’m claiming it on behalf of Peugeot who invented it before the
Corvette was even a twinkle in Harley Earl’s eye. Anyway, with V8s
almost everyone these days reduces capacity and adds turbos to meet
emissions. But we’re in the end days of internal combustion, everyone
wants to go out like it’s the final Fourth of July and you do that to the
V8 by adding noise and power. Which means you need revs.
But if you’re Corvette and you don’t have much experience of these
things, where do you turn? Well, which supercar marque knows a thing
or three about high-revving nat-asp V8s? Ferrari. It’s been out of the
game since the 488 GTB arrived con turbocompressori in 2015, but look
back and we can identify the 458 as a high point in its mid-engined V8
heritage. Corvette does. Its engineers makes no bones about the fact
they reverse engineered a 458 during development of the Z06.
104 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
They also claim the result of their labours is now a rival to any
hardcore sports car Europe has to offer. And sports cars come no
harder or sportier than the Porsche 911 GT3. Yes, I’m aware the GT3
itself has a harder, sportier sibling, but let’s keep things road focused,
shall we? I still can’t believe they got the RS’s rear wing homologated.
Here we are then, an eclectic collection of old and new, borrowed
and blue. I collected the Ferrari this morning from the Scottsdale
dealership. On the website it hadn’t been wearing these chrome
wheels, “but these were the original specification by the first owner”
the salesman tells us, before explaining “he was from Miami”. See
also the carbon ’n’ chrome flank badges and heavily tinted windows.
Still a pretty, pretty thing, and has the divine looking retro seats
that hark back to the Daytona. God they’re uncomfortable. There’s no
give in them at all, no grip either, I’m just buffing the leather with my
arse. And my dome is doing similar polishing work on the rooflining.
I’m 5’ 9” for heaven’s sake, I don’t remember its driving position being
this compromised. Nor, if memory serves, was the ride this grumbly.
And was the twin clutch box always this amateurish and clunky?
Sports cars, it will turn out, have moved on. Mainly by losing
the cold start grouchiness that afflicts my first few miles in the
458. Temporarily temperamental, it’ll turn out. The Corvette has
challenges of its own, and none of them fade once it gets warm. The
looks. Of all the lessons Corvette should have learned from Ferrari
but didn’t, this is the biggest. It’s a ham-fisted bit of design: awkward
jutting angles, clumsy surfacing, you can tell a mid-engined supercar
is not something it’d had a go at before. The Porsche is low, glints with
menace, cares not a fig about beauty, but yells purpose, and the Ferrari
 CORVETTE Z06

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 105

 Can’t beat the sun on your
face, wind in your hair, the
snapper’s knee in your lap

Perfect parking, or self-

levelling centre caps?
You won’t get it out of us

106 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 CORVETTE Z06

Plenty of room in the

Corvette for the travel mug
and overpowered torch

Ferrari hasn’t half aged

gracefully – must be the
Mediterranean diet

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 107

 CORVETTE Z06
is more beautiful today than when it was young. It’s effortlessly
elegant. So clean and unadorned, yet slinky and sophisticated.
The Corvette’s beauty lies in its engineering, because there it has
been truer to Ferrari. The LT6 motor is brand new, shared only with
the C8.R racer. It’s a 5.5-litre that revs to 8,600, has sodium-filled
exhaust valves, titanium intake valves, titanium conrods, forged
pistons. It is genuinely exotic, and yes, it has traded torque for power:
460lb ft plays 670bhp. It’s more powerful than the McLaren F1’s fabled
6.1-litre V12, develops 122bhp per litre of capacity and delivers a
roughly equal number of decibels each time it erupts joyfully into life.
It’s on the money in other words. It’s a well documented fact that
Porsche is near the limit of what it can achieve with the current flat
six, which develops 126bhp per litre. However, 14 years ago the
4.5-litre in the Ferrari developed 125bhp/litre. But let’s allow the
Corvette its moment of glory – it owns the title of most powerful
naturally aspirated production V8 in the world. Ever. It’ll likely never
be beaten. It’s quite the brag.
And it’s quite the car. We’re on wonderful roads with these
three and they all have different characteristics. The Porsche is
tense, focused, every inch the modern track warrior. It doesn’t like
low speeds, the ride is stilted, the engine chunters and rattles, this
one’s a manual and the shift is tight, the clutch heavily sprung. It
needs input and concentration. But then you find yourself in third gear
on an empty stretch of twisting tarmac on a bluebird day and the damn
thing is just sublime. The engine, previously lumpy and recalcitrant,
yowls past 5,000rpm and the GT3 finds its flow. Communication is
transparent, every input from hands and feet is shared with the tarmac
108 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
with no slack, no delay. It’s an implacable, determined machine and
that hints at a certain darkness.
The Ferrari is its polar opposite. A gleeful show-off, so bright and
talkative it could be a morning chat show host. This initial impression
makes you worry it’s a lightweight, that it’ll offer less tangible
satisfaction than the Porsche. Wrong. So very, very wrong. It drives
like a go-kart. And not only because I’m so big in this little cockpit.
It’s the reactions. The sharpness of the steering, the hair trigger
throttle that always, always gives you a bit more than you thought you
requested, the sheer bubbling charisma of this small, svelte supercar.
You don’t need more speed than this – 562bhp is plenty – and, yes,
there is some detectable flex in the frame that’s been eradicated from
the newer cars, but the chassis is simply one of the most gifted I’ve
ever driven. The 458 dances, light in my hands, the steering writhes
talkatively, the wailing engine sings its divine V8 song, the whole
experience just carries you away. It’s alive, alert and so what if it’s a bit
flimsier? I’ve said this before, but when this era ends, the 458 will be
the car we all look back on as the zenith of mid-engined supercars.
Which, you might be thinking, doesn’t bode well for the Z06. It’s
certainly not as marked in its character as the Porsche and Ferrari. They
are the light and dark on either side and no, the Z06 isn’t as effervescent
as the 458, nor as gritty and tough as the GT3. It’s clear Corvette wasn’t
sure its US audience was ready for European levels of interaction and
suspension firmness. But forget the way it looks. Forget, too, the daftly
shaped steering wheel, dividing centre console instead of awkward
binnacle, the seats that don’t hug hard enough and the fact this is a
convertible – it offers no handling drawback as far as I can tell.
 Fully circular steering
wheel, traditional dials...
it’s a thumbs up from us

“THE PORSCHE
IS TENSE,
FOCUSED, EVERY
INCH THE MODERN
TRACK WARRIOR”

Because this is a tremendous device. It’s extremely polished and

well mannered, the edges have been chamfered off, it’s been made
wonderfully approachable despite the flood of power available. It Binnacle effectively divides
soothes rather than intimidates. That’s a new one. I remember driving driver from passenger. Not
necessarily a bad thing
a C6 Z06 fast and thinking I had a tiger by its tail. It’s clear the team
that has designed, engineered and developed this car really knows its
stuff. Us Europeans have a tendency to be a bit sniffy about American
sports cars – not without reason. But here’s an exception. A car that
rides wonderfully, steers accurately, behaves precisely and connects
you with a mighty, mighty engine. Hair trigger throttle responses,
minimal inertia, the sense of a big banger V8 with the snappiness of
a small capacity motor.
That really needs space to fill its lungs, which means we’re headed
for a track the other side of Phoenix. The Ferrari isn’t allowed out to
play on track, so we convoy back into Scottsdale. I’m at the back in the
Ferrari, feeling the road scud under my heels, watching the Porsche
fidget behind other traffic, the Corvette just amble along. It looks
big, but seems to tread lightly. No unnecessary movements.
I think I spot that same phrase on a sign the other side of the fence
from Arizona Motorsports Park. The back straight runs alongside the
main runway of Luke Air Force Base, so as I come barrelling around a
fast fourth gear corner down the bottom end I’m so mesmerised by the
F-35 filling my windscreen that I entirely miss my braking point. Home
to the 56th fighter wing, this is the place that trains 75 per cent of the
world’s F-35 pilots. On the other side of the track is a giant FedEx
Ferrari has the smallest
depot. Face one way and you’ve just joined TopGun, the other and
cockpit here, but helps
you’re powersliding around a light industrial estate. satisfy your ego

TOPGEAR.COM › AUGUST 2019 109

 Space to properly open the taps, though. The skill of the Z06 is
that they’ve put a race engine in a road car and made them play nicely
together. Each flatters the other. The roaring, thunderous engine
convinces you the car is sharper, angrier than it is, while the chassis
absorbs the punishment beautifully and distributes the power
immaculately. It’s playful and controllable beyond the limit and
10mph faster than the GT3 at the quickest point on the track.
The Porsche has the edge for brakes and grip and delivers yet more
finesse. It’s also the more absorbing, interesting car to drive, has more
depth, so the rewards are greater. It’s more exposing of its driver, does
less to help out, but leaves richer, more vivid memories in my mind. But
something else occurs to me that evening as the sun sets. That blend of
giving you access to such an extreme engine, yet choosing not to fit an
equally extreme chassis is unusual. Porsche and Ferrari don’t do that.
And the modes in the Corvette are clever. Track suspension, if you
insist, proves you can make the suspension as raucous as the V8.
This is a car with a diverse range of talents. It’s got useful boots at
both ends, so in supercar land only a 911 is more practical. It cruises
calmly. You can drop the roof. One evening I did, and it felt great.
110 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
If that’s not your thing you can lower the convertible’s rear window to
get even more engine noise in. The biggest drawback is the frankly
horrendous fuel economy (14mpg when the Porsche was doing 24).
It’s promised to come to Europe. Where everyone will be sniffy
about it and giggle at the styling. And that’s a shame, because the rest
of the car is genuinely sophisticated. And of course it’s great value: the
GT3 is £135,700, in the US the Z06 hard-top (which still has lift out
roof panels, quirkily) starts at £85,450. OK, it’ll probably be £110,000
by the time it gets here, but look at what you’re getting and when it’s
arriving. The Ferrari, in case you’re interested, was listed at £154,000.
It’ll only go one way from there. Same for the Corvette? I’ll tell you
this: Corvette recently announced the e-Ray, a 655bhp plug-in hybrid.
I know we need to look to the future, but fast forward 10 years and that
car will likely be forgotten, and it’ll be this one that everyone talks
about and is worth the big bucks.
And it’s the most European Corvette there’s ever been. But then
the hamburger’s German, the cowboy originated in Spain, the Statue
of Liberty was a gift from France and the stars and stripes... OK, that
one was your own work.
 SUPER-SUVS

FERRARI CORVETTE PORSCHE

458 ITALIA Z06 CONVERTIBLE 911 GT3
£/as tested: £154,700 (used) £91,500/£115,600 £135,700/£156,200

Engine: 4497cc, nat-asp V8 5463cc, nat-asp V8 3996cc, nat-asp flat-six

Power: 562bhp @ 9,000rpm 670bhp @ 8,400rpm 503bhp @ 8,400rpm
Torque: 398lb ft @ 6,000rpm 460lb ft @ 6,300rpm 346lb ft @ 6,100rpm
Specific output: 125bhp/litre 123bhp/litre 126bhp/litre
Max revs: 9,000rpm 8,600rpm 9,000rpm
Transmission: 7spd DCT, RWD 8spd DCT, RWD 6spd man, RWD
0–62mph: 3.4secs 2.6secs (0–60mph) 3.9secs
Top speed: 202mph 195mph 199mph
Kerbweight: 1,480kg (approx) 1,730kg (approx) 1,418kg
Power/weight: 379bhp/tonne 387bhp/tonne 355bhp/tonne
CO2: 307g/km n/a g/km 293g/km
Economy: 21.2mpg n/a mpg 21.9mpg

10 9 10
Score:

10 10 10

Now go and
watch the
video on
topgear.com

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 111

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 HEADLINER

FUJI HEAVY
DISEASE
Meet the world’s most obsessive Subaru collector, who
stashes his finds in a train station car park in Yokohama
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY MARK RICCIONI

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 113

 “YOKOYAMA-SAN
DOESN’T FIT THE
TRADITIONAL CAR
COLLECTOR MOULD”

If you were to believe social media,
the archetypal car collector should be a
chiselled, brilliantly tanned entrepreneur
with teeth so bright only the Large Hadron
Collider could accurately measure the
light they emit.
Most of these characters are usually found at
the more insufferable end of the personality scale. But
worse yet, this attitude gives very little insight into their
actual passion for cars, instead functioning more as a
peacocking exercise to showcase their wealth.
Which is what makes this particular collection all the
more endearing. It’s not located in a tax haven, rather the
outskirts of Tokyo. But not some onsen-clad retreat filled
with panpipes and geishas either. It’s actually a car park
under one of Yokohama’s many train stations, accessed by
thousands of commuters every single day. Hardly the venue
for one of the world’s largest Subaru collections...
Time to meet Akira Yokoyama – also known as Mr Boxer
– who suffers from what he describes as Fuji Heavy disease.
And no, this isn’t the aftermath of another Fukushima-
esque meltdown. But a nod towards Fuji Heavy Industries,
parent company of Subaru before it was renamed in 2017,
and the only carmaker Yokoyama-san will entertain in his
pursuit of maximum happiness.
Mr Boxer isn’t just collecting all types of Impreza,
either. He did that back in 2014 before selling off all but
four and starting again. “I love the Impreza, but I wanted
to experience the models before its creation to better
understand its history,” he explains. And since then,

114 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM


When you’ve got this many
cars, filing them by colour is
as good as anything else
Like Picasso, Akira
Yokoyama also went
through a blue period
every Subaru built since the company’s inception in 1953
has become a target.
Easier said than done with a brand like Subaru. It may
not be renowned for producing ultra expensive cars, but
they’re hardly famed for collectability once you look past
models like the 22b, S201 and Spec C. And if you’ve got
bundles of cash, it’s relatively easy to hoover those models
up. Less so a 4x4 BRAT which hasn’t rusted into the earth.
Yokoyama-san doesn’t fit the traditional car collector
mould. Aside from arriving in a Subaru jacket, his
appearance and demeanour gives very little away as to
what he has stashed here in Yokohama. You can find him
on social media, but you’ll never see a selfie or his life
outside this collection. And don’t expect a reply to any
direct messages, either.
You could eat your dinner
off these engines, just be
careful not to drip any sauce
“Many people ask if the Subarus are for sale, or if they
can make a YouTube video on them,” Yokoyama-san tells
us. “But I am not interested in either. For this is my passion,
my obsession for many years. It is not to gain followers or
become noticed. But I do enjoy meeting other Subaru
enthusiasts because of it.”
Ironic then, that his first appearance outside of Japan
should be on the pages of TopGear magazine. And that’s all
thanks to our old friend Junya Matsushita who convinced
Yokoyama-san to showcase his collection on a global scale.
But what turn of events leads to a man stashing away
50 Subarus in a shared car park, and why chose Subaru
in the first place?
“It all started when I bought a Nissan Bluebird,” explains
Yokoyama-san, which might just be the curveball of the
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 115
 Rush hour. Can sometimes
take weeks for a space to
free up down here

“THEY NEED TO BE
ROAD LEGAL AND
DRIVABLE ALL
YEAR ROUND”

Like hot wings? Well this is the place / Engine presentation has come on a bit lately / Delicious alloys galore round these parts / There’s a system, we just don’t know what it is

116 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

century. “It was my first car, and after a few years I wanted
to replace it with something more sporty. And in 1993 I
bought my first Subaru – a GF8 Impreza Sport Wagon. Its
performance and practicality impressed me so much, I
knew I had to have another as I got older.’
In truth, it was the unmistakable sound of the Impreza’s
flat-four engine – combined with unequal length manifolds
– which left Yokoyama-san hooked. “I owned that first
Impreza for a long time,” he adds. “It did everything I
needed. Every winter, I would go skiing and the Impreza’s
four-wheel-drive system was made for mountain routes.
But after seven years I changed to a Subaru Legacy
Touring Wagon (BH5) because the Impreza had many
miles, and I liked the extra space offered by the Legacy
with similar performance. But 2003 is when the obsession
really started.”
The turning point for Yokoyama-san involved
convincing his wife to use the Legacy Wagon he’d
previously cherished, allowing him to go and buy another
Subaru – a 2003 blobeye WRX STI. This plan worked so
well it continued all the way into 2007, with Yokoyama-san
handing down each car leaving the door wide open to go
and buy the latest version instead. Happy wife, happy life.
inception – collecting key models including the FF-1 from
1969 and the Leone Estate from 1978.
Yokoyama-san hardly turned his back on the Impreza,
with his current collection featuring 17 GC8-generation
models as well as later variations including the S206 from
2011 and even a GK2 from 2022 to ensure he hasn’t forgot
the very latest generation. So, what next? “Recently I
started the collection of WRC and competition cars. I only
have four so far – a 1992 Legacy, two 1994 Imprezas and a
’95 model driven by Colin McRae. The temptation is always
there to find more interesting cars, but I don’t think the
collection will grow any more from this point.”
According to Yokoyama-san, his focus has now shifted
away from collecting and more to maintaining. That’s no
easy task with a handful of cars, let alone 50 of them.
But he’s adamant they need to be road legal and drivable
all year round, even if that means selling a few in the
process. On paper that sounds sensible, but don’t forget
what happened the last time Yokoyama-san had a little
clear out nine years ago. “Like I said, there is no cure for
this disease,” he chuckles. “Sometimes you just need to
take a little medicine to make the symptoms better, but it
will always come back one day...”

PICKING A FAVOURITE CHILD

“It would be impossible to choose just one,” declares
Yokoyama-san who, when prompted with this question,
proceeds to go silent for several minutes. “The best I can
do is to narrow it down to four cars – the 1994 GC8 STI, 1996
GC8 Type R STI, 1998 GC8 22b STI and the 2000 GC8 S201.
But down to one? Simply not possible.”
He’s not lying, either. Because when he decided
to sell 45 of his cars back in 2014, the only four cars that
remained were those listed above. And they will remain
in his possession forevermore.

Naturally, he decided to push this further by bringing

home a 22B in 2007 while prices were still fairly normal. “It
was lighter and faster than any Subaru I owned previously!”
he exclaims. “The GC8 look is timeless, especially in coupe
form, and the widebody looks very motorsport. It drove so
different to other GC8s, it left me wondering what are all
the other Imprezas I haven’t owned like? The 22B is very
special, but I wanted to try all the other variations too. And
that’s when the collection got out of hand...”
Within the next few years, Yokoyama-san added all the
greatest hits to his collection – S201, S202, S203 and RA-R.
The S204 followed in 2011 along with a GC8 Type R, Legacy
RS-RA and Leone AG6 RX/II. Not only was his collection
ticking off Imprezas, but it had also spread to those earlier
models predating it too.
“In 2014, I stopped collecting when I got to around 45
cars and I sold all but four of them,” he says. “It was getting
a little crazy. I thought by selling them all, it would cure me
of the Fuji Heavy syndrome. But this disease has no cure, If all foglights sat behind
and nine years later I have even more cars than before!” three screws it would
That’s because Yokoyama-san no longer wanted to just solve a lot of problems...

understand the Impreza’s history; he wanted to go far

beyond this bloodline and all the way back to Subaru’s

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 117

 A CUSTOM
ROYAL ENFIELD
Report 1: the bike

TG has had plenty

of projects over
the years, but
we’ve never
tackled the world
of two wheels.
Until now...

The cost of living crisis

is making motorbikes
an appetisingly frugal
transport alternative.
CONCEPTS THAT TIME FORGOT Plus, they’re flipping cool.
And for not a lot of money
you can make one unique.

MERCEDES SLK, 1994

So we’re going
to make a custom,
turning a Royal Enfield
Continental GT650 into
a never been done
before crossover
custom café racer.

Royal Enfield
(the world’s oldest
motorcycle company)
has proper heritage.
And the £6k GT650
has taken the market
by storm.

But we’re going to

I M AG E S: A L L S TA R

make it into something

special thanks to
some talented bikers.
So follow its progress
here and in full on
TopGear.com

118 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM


e
o n an onlin
des
n old Merce e for Mark
ng a rtur
o rt 34 Selli ves total to
Rep pro
uctio n site
a
I
n 2004 James Wan released Saw, a horror film
centered around a serial killer nicknamed
Jigsaw. Rather than simply kill his victims,
Jigsaw would test their will to live by putting
them through deadly games, often resulting
in great pain for the survivor, and a brutal
death for the other.
These ‘games’ include a face mounted
exploding bear trap (with the key behind
your eye socket), a shackle that could only
be removed by cutting off your own foot and
– perhaps most terrifying of them all – trying
to sell an old AMG Mercedes-Benz on eBay.
It remains Jigsaw’s most twisted game
to date. Because unlike the others, the pain
isn’t inflicted over seconds or minutes... it’s a
relentless 24 hour a day marathon with multiple
twists and turns just as you taste freedom.
Administered by 257 watchers on eBay.
The game starts with a choice: do you open
the eBay email from Harry Sharp, or do you
answer the WhatsApp request from an overseas
number? Neither result in death just yet. But
after assuming eBay could be a safer bet, disaster
strikes as it turns out to be a very angry gym bro
complete with Audi TT in his seller profile.
For some reason, Harry is very agitated by the
car being priced outside of his budget. But rather
than carry on scrolling, Harry has decided to
send a tirade of abuse all centred around it
being overpriced. Despite him trying to sell
a numberplate for nearly £3,000 that reads
‘weapon’ if you use the Greek alphabet.
“PAIN ISN’T INFLICTED OVER SECONDS
If you saw this on
eBay you’d find it
irresistible too...
Maimed but not dead, the next part of the game
involves the overseas WhatsApp number. “Can I
call you please” it reads – a message I never want to
see nor answer unless my daughter has committed
a crime and needs picking up. But before I can
finish replying, Asad has clocked me being online
and is already calling. This turns out to be a test
of endurance, for Asad has not looked at any of the
the 25+ pictures nor the 1,500 words documenting
its history and information.
OR MINUTES.. IT’S A RELENTLESS
24 HOUR A DAY MARATHON”
And so 15 minutes pass, and with clumps of
hair ripped from my scalp, Asad reveals he has in
fact seen the advert. It was a ruse all along. Not
only has he seen the advert, but he knows the
price and is adamant he simply cannot pay more
than £35,000 despite agreeing that it is worth the
asking price. However, his admission of owning a
488 Pista, Huracán Performante and G63 AMG
early on would suggest this was his plan all along.
But this isn’t a Saw game with freedom
at the end. For the last part of this game only
a lobotomy will save you, triggered by Jigsaw
putting the advert on the Pistonheads homepage.
The automotive equivalent of smothering your
face with honey and going full Zinedine Zidane
into a hornet nest. No single sting is designed to
kill you here, but a thousand small incisions will
seal your fate over many hours instead.
And just before the game finishes for good,
Pistonheads regular (and Westfield owner)
16vNige disregards hundreds of hours of exhaust
fabrication by stating “you can get the same
noise just by removing the silencers”. And
with that damning statement read, two pins
are driven deep into my skull rendering the
nightmare over. Jigsaw, who turns out to be gym
bro Harry all along, then assigns his numberplate
to the S600 and drives off cackling away before
the credits fill the screen. Mark Riccioni
Internationally renowned photographer Mark has
been working with TG for many, many years. When
not taking photos he’s buying inappropriate cars.
Here he shares his addiction with the world
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 119
 PROGRESS REPORT
(2023) AUDI S3 vs AUDI S3
Two premium hot hatches, 20 years apart. So what’s changed?
THESE TWO THINGS ARE NOT THE SAME
Correct and yet... not. If you want an example of technological
evolution without dismantling expectation, then look no further
than the Audi S3. The original appeared in 1999 and featured
quattro all-wheel drive, a turbocharged four-cylinder and the
kind of Goldilocks format that meant it could operate as a rapid,
practical daily. That’s the subtle green one. The 2023 version,
here in chirpy Miami blue, also has the same basics, but drive
one immediately after the other and you’ll be surprised at just
how little the overall vibe has changed in 24 years.
OK, BUT IS THAT A GOOD THING?
We think so. So yes, they do look different – but they’re still
recognisably fraternal. The oldster is softer, more rounded, with
modest 17-inch alloys. The new one is harder edged, gobbier and
sits on 19s, but you can see where the styling has wandered up
the timeline. And so it is with everything else. The green car is an
original S3 with an MTM ECU tweak to the turbo 1.8 to give 250bhp,
with a sweet revving delivery that requires a beat to get the little
turbo up to speed. Zero to 62mph takes 6.8 seconds with a 1,420kg
kerbweight, a light feeling 6spd manual punctuating the shifts.
SOUNDS BRILLIANT – BUT THE NEW ONE IS BETTER, RIGHT?
The modern one doesn’t need that breath to get going or change
120 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
(2001)
gear – modern turbos spool faster, deliver lower in the rev range
and feel more insistent, and the 7spd paddleshift DSG doesn’t
pause. The newer face also gets a 2.0-litre upgrade and 306bhp,
though it’s moving 1,560kg. It does, however, feel appreciably more
rapid when it knuckles down to a sub-five second 0–62mph run.
THAT MAKES THEM SOUND QUITE DIFFERENT THOUGH?
The stats are a bit misleading really, because the old one doesn’t
feel outclassed. Yes, the Haldex all-wheel-drive system is the first
gen and is entirely reactive – you’ll only get up to 50 per cent action
from the rears when the fronts have already started to spin – but
it’s got the grip if you’ve got the faith. The latest model gets a
similar system in that it runs as front-wheel drive most of the time,
but it’s got a second multi-plate clutch just in front of the rear diff.
Traction getting loose? The car can thump 100 per cent of the
available torque to the rear axle and vary it much more precisely.
BETTER, BUT NOT BETTER?
It’s a much more finessed and precise delivery – and one that
doesn’t require quite so much commitment. But again, it’s grown-
up, rather than a different kind of car. Both feel like S3s. Rapid,
secure, without the fear you get with RS products. You can still
plot the lineage with a ruler. Which is better? The modern version. WO R D S: TO M FO R D P H OTO G R A P H Y: J O N N Y F L E E T WO O D
Which is best? In this case, old school still has the character.
 KIT
CARS

C AT ERH A M SE V EN 17 00 LESS
SUP E R SP R IN T (199 4) THAN
£15K

RE ME MB ER IN G

R E T R O G A M IN G
TH E CL AS SI CS
#50

FERRARI F355
BE A UF ORD LESS
CHALLENGE
SER IE S 3 (2000) THAN ARCADE/DREAMCAST/PS2, 1999
£18K
If you’d been instrumental in two of the greatest racing games in
history, you’d be forgiven for relaxing a bit. Maybe finding out exactly
how comfortable laurels are? That’s not what Yu Suzuki, the bloke
behind Out Run and Daytona USA did. Instead, he produced Ferrari
F355 Challenge, an arcade game that was, at the time, one of the
most sophisticated racing simulators available.
As the title of the game implies, you weren’t exactly spoilt for choice
when you dropped your pound coin into the slot. Would you prefer a
red Ferrari F355 or a yellow one, sir or madam?
At least the F355 in question was the stripped down, track focused
Challenge spec that raced on circuits around the world in the late
Nineties, with its distinctive perforated rear grille to aid airflow through
W E S T F IEL D the engine bay. During development, Suzuki allegedly used data from
LESS
X I (2009) THAN his own F355 at various circuits to inform the handling model, which
£20K sounds like an excuse to extend the research phase by 6–12 months
if ever we heard one.
The problem with bunging a state of the art simulator into public
arcades full of eight-year-olds is that racing cars are hard to drive
and players would spend most of their time enjoying the highly
realistic experience of sitting in a gravel trap. Suzuki’s solution was
one of the first implementations of toggleable driver assists in a
racing simulator. At any point during a race, you could mash one of
four buttons that enabled or disabled stability control, traction control,
ABS or the unfortunately titled IBS, which stood for “intelligent brake
system” rather than the other thing you’re thinking of. Though if you
switch it off and end up careening off the road at Monza’s Parabolica,
the symptoms are remarkably similar... Mike Channell

Bargain Corner
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 121
 BRAND
NEW!

ON SALE NOW!
AVA IL ABLE AT
TO PG EAR ’ S LO N G -TE R M CARS. TESTE D & VE R I FI E D

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 123

 GO TO
TOPGEAR.COM
FOR EXTENDED TG
GARAGE REPORTS,
AND TO EXPLORE
THE ARCHIVE

Ora Funky Cat

REPORT 3
£31,995 OTR/£32,790 as tested/£398 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Is Chinese domination of the small EV scene inevitable? We find out

DRI VER
Greg Potts

IT’S WELL KNOWN THAT THE NEXT MINI ELECTRIC WILL FEATURE MUCH offers no real feedback, even with the steering in the heaviest of its three
of the same hardware as the Ora Funky Cat, thanks to a joint venture settings. There’s a delay to your actions driving the Funky Cat too, with
agreed between BMW and Ora’s overlords at Great Wall Motors. the accelerator and brakes ever so slightly slow to respond.
It’s likely to be an all-new, collaboratively developed platform that It was always going to be tough for Ora to face the Mini, and if it were
underpins the next-gen Mini EV – which will once again look almost my £35k-ish that I had to spend on one of these two, I’d be heading to a
exactly the same as its combustion-engined counterpart – but it could Mini dealer. And yet, getting the two cars together did help me to
potentially use the Funky Cat’s current motor or battery tech and so on. appreciate the slightly different direction that the Funky Cat takes.
That’s one for the future though, because the Funky Cat has already
arrived on our shores, so it’s time to pit the Chinese newbie up against SPECIFICATION
the current generation Mini Electric, which first arrived in 2020.
The Mini is the quicker of the two. It gets 181bhp and 199lb ft of Electric motor, 48kWh
battery, FWD, 169bhp GOOD STUFF
torque to drive its front wheels, meaning a 0–62mph time of 7.3 and a The Ora’s focus on rear legroom
3.7 miles per kWh, 193 miles over bootspace means back
sprightly feel to the way it gets off the line. The Funky Cat makes do with
seat passengers love it.
169bhp and a 0–62mph time that’s a whole second slower, although its 0–62mph in 8.3secs, 99mph
bigger battery (48kWh plays 32.6kWh) means it’ll supposedly travel 193
miles on a charge compared to the Mini’s 145 miles. 1,540kg BAD STUFF
But there’s polish to the way the Mini drives the Ora just can’t match. The Funky Cat’s planned Apple

MILEAGE: 2,880 OUR MPKWH: 3.3

CarPlay update is still nowhere
Both have fairly firm suspension set-ups, but in the Mini that means sharp to be seen.
handling and decent body control. Chuck the Ora into a corner and you
never have confidence that it’s going to stick as it understeers heavily and

124 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

SKODA ENYAQ vRS
REPORT 2
£54,370/£54,990/£774
WH Y I T ’S HERE
Is the vRS badge still
relevant in the electric age?
DRI VER
Ollie Marriage
THE RULES OF SPEED HAVE BEEN
upended. We know a vRS should be
quick-ish. Not as quick as a GTI, but
swifter than, say, a Volvo XC40. But
hang about, for the same money as
the Enyaq vRS, you can have a twin
motor XC40 with over 100bhp more
and a 0–62mph time 1.5secs faster.
A Volvo. There’s a Kia EV6 out there
with 575bhp. Where does that fit in?
The hierarchy has been
demolished and that’s allowed firms
such as Tesla and Kia to come in and
make their own rules. Alongside
them, forced to use whatever bits
VW allows and persevere with vRS
as a recognised brand identity, Skoda
seems stuck in a rut.
And that’s before we get
back to talking about the physical
performance of this car. Because it’s
not fast, and it’s not interesting. It’s
no punchier than most other EVs.
It’s not notably faster than a regular
Enyaq and there’s absolutely nothing
distinctive about the power delivery.
Sport still sells, but if car firms want
to claim sportiness they’re going to
have to try a lot harder than this.
After all, we haven’t even talked
about weight yet.
SPECIFICATION
Twin electric motors, 4WD
77kWh battery, 295bhp
3.7 miles per kWh, 323 miles
0–62mph in 6.4secs, 111mph
2,183kg
MILEAGE: 1,630 OUR MPKWH: 2.9
AUDI
NUGGETS
I’ve accused the S3’s cabin of
lacking pizzazz, so let’s play
‘count the sporty clues’
Besides the lacklustre
S-branded seats, badged
kick plates add 10bhp
Naturally, the bootlid gets
a badge. As if four tailpipes
weren’t enough of a clue
Steering wheel also ‘S’ed up,
but with plastic paddles and
no flat bottom, it could be a Q7
Black badge on black grille
means red blob sticks out like
ketchup on your cheek
Audi S3
REPORT 5
£39,045 (£47,370 for Vorsprung ed.)/£49,030 as tested/£794 pcm
WH Y I T ’S HERE
Fast Audis are consistently inconsistent – is the S3 a hit or miss?
DRI VER
Ollie Kew
AS YOU’LL KNOW FROM PAGE 120, EVERY MONTH IN TG MAGAZINE,
there’s a ‘progress report’. The formula is simple but intriguing: we pitch
the current version of a car against its earliest (or greatest) iteration and
see where exactly the DNA has been inherited, where the car might’ve
lost its way, and how a model has adapted to the world around it.
Very often, words like ‘charm’ weave their way into a progress report,
because older cars invoke that powerful drug: nostalgia. Well, here’s the
record scratch moment. Because I drove an original Audi S3 for the first
time in my life the other week. And I didn’t much care for it.
This isn’t a spoiler for the S3’s progress report: Tom Ford is more
enamoured with Audi UK’s immaculate 2001 S3, complete with the
MTM power kit which ups the horsepower from 225 to 250. But I thought
ye olde S3 slipped into that uncanny valley where a car feels dated, but
not yet quaint. It brought home how rigidly Audi has stuck to the S3’s
original recipe, right up to the present day. The old S3 wasn’t a car you’d
have bought to be entertained. It was the fastest way of getting a modest
sized, easy to park cabin from A to B. In 2023, nothing’s changed.
What really struck me is how, while every other hot hatch has moved
with the times, Audi’s recipe has stayed steadfastly desirable. A Civic
Type R is unrecognisable in mechanical set-up, potency and performance
to what you could buy at the turn of the millennium. So is a Golf R. The
Focus RS doesn’t exist any more. Who would’ve thought an A-Class
would morph from moose-allergic box to 400bhp driftmeister?
All this time, perhaps it’s been Audi that got the modern hot hatch
formula closest to what most people want, most of the time. Under the
radar, largely unengaging, but phenomenally untaxing to live with.
SPECIFICATION
1984cc 4cyl turbo, 306bhp,
295lb ft, 7spd DCT, AWD GOOD STUFF
Audi’s touchscreen is as good as
34.4mpg, 187g/km CO2 they get right now. Sensible size,
layout and never crashes.
0–62mph in 4.8secs, 155mph
1,500kg BAD STUFF
Why do the doors need such a
MILEAGE: 5,180 OUR MPG: 30.4
hefty slam to close properly? I’m
forever setting off ‘unlatched’.
TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 125
 MAZDA CX-60
REPORT 4
£49,520/£53,270/£649

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Can Mazda join the
large/luxe SUV party?

DRI VER
Andy Franklin

AT UNI, I STUDIED PRODUCT

Design and part of the course that
resonated with me was learning how
Citroen C5 X Hybrid design is so important when it comes
to semantics (the study of meaning)
REPORT 4 and semiotics (the study of signs and WHAT WERE
£40,155 OTR/£42,985 as tested/£705 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
symbols, how meaning is created).
But in today’s modern cars there’s so THEY THINKING?
Has the world finally come round to a non-sporty large French car?
much tech enhanced by the power of
digital screens that getting those This month:
DRI VER things right is increasingly hard.
the Enyaq’s sign
recognition system
Jason Barlow Yet Mazda appears to have gone
the opposite way with the interior of Ollie Marriage
LOTS OF MILES THIS MONTH. THIS IS GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR THE the CX-60, and quite frankly, it’s so Sodding radar cruise.
Hardly a novel way
C5 X. The good news is that it tackles long-haul journeys with the aplomb refreshing. This interior is one of the to start a rant. But
of cars costing two or even three times the Citroen’s sticker price. The best interiors I have had the pleasure this time I’m not having
C5 X’s rolling comfort and motorway speed refinement is close indeed of sitting in during the past 10 years. a go at the extreme
myopia of the forward
to the well-known German paragons. Why? Because the semantics and vision systems or the
Less welcome is its compromised range. In fact, it needs replenishing semiotics (signs and symbols) work. learner level lane
ricochet that passes
about as often as the pure-electric BMW, which regularly managed 340 To break it down in simple terms,
for lane keep. You
miles on a full charge. The TG C5 X is the plug-in hybrid version, but as there’s a central screen that holds all thought that was it,
I’m only seeing 18 miles fully juiced up, that’s gone in no time. Maybe if the your entertainment and satnav didn’t you? That that
was all radar cruise
weather ever improves, I’ll get closer to the 37-mile claimed e-range. This (which is basically it) and then below could interfere with.
leaves the ICE to do almost all of the heavy lifting, and a 40-litre tank just that there is a row of buttons. Yes, I did. And then the other
isn’t big enough. From my base in north Essex to Goodwood, for example, actual buttons that only control the day the Enyaq spotted a
road sign on the M4 and
is a round trip of about 250 miles, which is easily doable. But with three heating including heated seats etc. slammed on the brakes.
longish trips back to back, I had to fuel up three days out of four. Sure, It’s a perfect combination of using There was a car behind.
No harm, no damage,
it costs a modest £40–45 per fill-up, but I’d rather have a 70-litre tank, both mediums for the right job.
but the driver, quite
spend more, and not see quite so much of my local petrol retailer. Sorry, The only downside? The driving rightly and vividly,
but hybrids still seem to me more about company car tax efficiency experience currently doesn’t live up thought I was a fool.
The Enyaq saw the
than a truly meaningful real world answer. to the interior experience. 50mph sign for
The C5 X can also be clunky around town, as it works out what gear roadworks and reacted,
it should be in and when. It’s seamless when it’s in e-mode, but it just with no awareness or
consideration for
doesn’t go far enough. Still, at least the C5 X isn’t an SUV or crossover. following traffic. And
I’m a huge fan of the Seventies and Eighties CX, and this is a 2023 you can’t turn it off.
It’s amateur hour. And
interpretation of that fine machine (good ones have risen sharply
I haven’t yet got to the
in value recently by the way). It straddles a fine line between being good part. Because
needlessly idiosyncratic and a plausible alternative. We certainly need it’s somehow reading
two or three signs on
more of that as everything threatens to homogenise and converge. my commute that
aren’t speed limits,
but feature the number
SPECIFICATION SPECIFICATION 100 on them. With

1598cc 4cyl hybrid, FWD,
222bhp, 184lb ft
186mpg, 30g/km CO2
GOOD STUFF
predictable results...
2488cc 4cyl plug-in hybrid,
AWD, 323bhp, 369lb ft
Wonderful refinement, just as
good as cars twice the price. 188.3mpg, 33g/km CO2

0–62mph in 7.9secs, 145mph 0–62mph in 5.8secs, 124mph

1,826kg
BAD STUFF
I seem to spend a
2,146kg
disproportionate amount

MILEAGE: 3,900 OUR MPG: 39.6

of time filling up at fuel stations
thanks to the tiny fuel tank.
MILEAGE: 7,538 OUR MPG: 31.2

126 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 GO TO
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GARAGE REPORTS,
AND TO EXPLORE
THE ARCHIVE

DS 4
REPORT 3
£41,600 OTR/£47,185 as tested/£643 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Is this hatchback where the DS master plan finally comes good?

DRI VER
Esther Neve

WHEN THE DS ARRIVED WITH US, IT HAD ALREADY LIVED QUITE A LIFE, health – there was even a video from the technician who had carried out
so it came as no surprise to me when the inevitable warning flashed up the service. Alex then returned the DS, valeted inside and out. Excellent.
on the dashboard – SERVICE DUE. As a member of the cynicism club, this was a most pleasant surprise. It
Normally this would precipitate several fraught phone calls to book the was the best dealer experience I have ever had. Any concerns I previously
car in when it was convenient, and likely the plans would be changed and held about the scarcity of DS dealerships across the UK has completely
updated several times... we’ve all been there. But with DS, it was different. evaporated – when life is made that simple for the customer, it’s such a
As we know, the DS dealer network is not massive. It is, in fact, petite. joy. Now we just have to wait for every other car company to catch up.
So petite that I was worried I’d have a monstrous drive to the far end of the
country to deliver the 4 for its necessary checkup. But no. Absolutely not. SPECIFICATION
It turns out that DS offers a concierge service, which puts you as the
customer front and centre. You register your request for a car service either 1598cc 4cyl turbo + e-motor,
FWD, 222bhp, 266lb ft GOOD STUFF
online or by phone. I went online, made my request and chose the ‘delivery Joy of joys – the hands-free boot
176.0mpg, 35g/km CO2 opening works a treat. No more
and collection’ option. I could also have requested a courtesy car, but
looking stupid in the car park.
I didn’t need one. Soon I was contacted by Alex from DS Brentford to 0–62mph in 7.7secs, 145mph
organise a schedule for the car to be picked up, serviced and returned.
We agreed a collection the following evening and a return the day after. 1,653kg BAD STUFF
Good as gold, he arrived on time, was super friendly and polite and It’s wide. Or at least it feels wide.

MILEAGE: 13,680 OUR MPG: 43.9

Especially when an idiot parks a
took KP22 OPZ for its checkup. The following morning I received an Cayenne half blocking the driveway.
email link to a comprehensive web page detailing the work undertaken,
which let me know the car had been serviced and given a clean bill of

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 127

 Volkswagen Multivan
REPORT 4
£59,545 OTR/£65,521 as tested/£665 pcm
WH Y I T ’S HERE
Is this the SUV antidote you never knew you needed?
DRI VER
Charlie Rose and Ollie Kew
MULTIVAN. RARELY DO WE GET SUCH AN APPROPRIATE NAME AS
this for a vehicle – ignoring the fact it’s not technically a van, but
Volkswagen Multipurpose Vehicle doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
Despite being based on the same MQB platform as the Golf, it’s still
shaped like a van but now happily doesn’t drive like one. It has a wide
range of engine options (including the plug-in hybrid like ours) and all
the creature comforts you’d find in a Golf. So, this isn’t really a van
turned car but the other way around, and that’s what sets the Multivan
apart. Forget your SUVs and estates, if you’re looking for practicality,
go for the car with seven spacious seats and up to 3,700 litres of cargo
space. Unlike a van with windows, the Multivan has refinement on its
side. And that’s important when it’s working flat out round the clock...
You see, the past month has seen the Multivan perform as TG’s
mobile production hub. It’s been an edit suite, canteen, cargo van,
meeting room, camera car... the list goes on. It’s been unfazed by
whatever we throw at it.
You may be saying, “I can do all that in my Golf, mate” and you may
be right. But I can guarantee, not with as much ease. The Multivan’s
new floor track system makes configuring the interior layout a doddle.
The seats are 25 per cent lighter than before and with the pull of a
red tag you can slide them backwards and forwards or remove them
entirely. Handy when you want maximum cargo space, or need an
excuse not to give your mates a lift everywhere.
The Multivan does without a manual gearbox and places the drive
selector on the dashboard, which opens up the centre console area and
128 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
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GARAGE REPORTS,
AND TO EXPLORE
THE ARCHIVE
makes way for the ingenious multi-function table that slides into any
position you wish. Although useful to do some work when you’ve got
some downtime, it was put to particularly good use for a late night
Nando’s after TG’s EV Awards shoot. Cupholders aren’t in short supply
either – I’ve counted nine excluding the door bins. No wonder I keep
losing travel mugs.
What’s more, power can now be sent down the tracks which allows
for heated seats in the rear, but hopefully opens the door to a whole
range of accessories. Media units, fridges, power banks, who knows?
I’m expecting big things from the recently announced Multivan
California being revealed later this year.
Finally on the practicality front, there are the vast sliding doors
and enormous tailgate. Nothing new, but the large openings and low
load height make shifting clobber super simple. At least they do when
I can operate them correctly. The Multivan has one of those sensors
under the rear bumper which activates the boot if you walk too closely
behind the car – not great if you’re backed up against another car and
find yourself doing the limbo to avoid getting incapacitated by the
bootlid. The electronic sliding doors also occasionally have a moment
where they can’t decide whether to open, close, or do nothing at all.
Perhaps that’s down to my impatient button mashing. Either way, these
are small gripes that do not diminish the van-car’s versatility.
And now you’re thinking “Fine, it’s an extremely utilitarian box, but
you wouldn’t be seen dead in one”, right? After all, no one cool would
voluntarily biff about in such a vehicle, right? Wrong. Turns out Gordon
 Multivan doubles as dining room
for a post-shoot dinner. Seats
comfy, tables a bit cramped

Murray himself is a VW MPV fan, and owner. He pored over

TopGear’s Multivan during our recent rendezvous with the T.50
prototype, as he has a T5 Caravelle. “I needed something that
could seat three couples, carry all their luggage and a massive
supermarket haul, as the nearest shop when I’m on holiday is two
hours away,” Gordon tells us. So, what did he make of the Multivan’s
more car-based makeover? Actually, he was less than impressed.
“It’s wider,” he notes immediately. “The lanes near me are so narrow,
I need to know exactly where the sides are.” He climbs aboard and
grumbles that the seat mechanisms feel more cumbersome, despite
VW’s claimed weight saving. Naturally, he’s unenthused with the
plug-in hybrid drivetrain’s weight, real world fuel economy and the
button free dashboard. We’re about to offer him a test drive, but the
T.50 neeeows past and he’s off to film it like a proud father.
So, the infamously tough to impress Murray is unlikely to be
Those iPlayer movies will
swapping his Caravelle for a Multivan. It’s true: the less van/more
not watch themselves, car recipe has brought flaws as well as improvements. But this
must keep at it... month, we simply couldn’t have done without our multipurpose
two-tone friend.

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 129

 WHAT ELSE WE’RE RUNNING

REPORT 5

RENAULT MEGANE E-TECH

Volvo XC40 Recharge

REPORT 5
£60,300 OTR/£60,300 as tested/£819 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Is this electrified crossover as good as a bespoke EV from Polestar?
REPORT 6

BMW M8 DRI VER

Jack Rix

A MONTH SPENT WITH OUR NEW TWIN MOTOR XC40 AND LET’S START
with the good stuff. The spec is spot on – that Farrow and Ball-esque
green paint sits perfectly with Volvo’s premium Scandi image, we now
have heated seats and steering wheel, a reversing camera and black
Alcantara everywhere. It looks expensive... which is fortunate, because
it is. Over £60k for a small EV crossover is an eye watering number.
The six-mile range bump over the single motor version is welcome,
but in reality makes little to no difference. The speed bump, though, is
significant, but nothing else about the car – and rightly so – is sporty.
Which got me thinking about the whole idea of performance versions
of EVs... are they necessary? I know Ollie is grappling with the same
thing with the Skoda Enyaq vRS he’s running, because the drawbacks
(cost more, less range for the same battery size, potentially harsher
suspension) seem to outweigh the benefits (faster in a straight line, more
aggressive styling – assuming that’s your thing). At least with a petrol
performance derivative your chunk of extra cash tends to buy you a more
REPORT 4 interesting, better sounding and more potent engine under the bonnet.
VAUXHALL ASTRA So what’s my solution? If you want a performance car, a car to prickle
your senses and get under your skin, buy one with an exciting petrol
engine, drive it when the mood takes you and keep it forever. For all the
boring stuff in-between, an electric car could be the zippy, fuss free
solution. And if you’re looking at the XC40 Recharge, I’d wait for the
updated single motor, big battery, rear-wheel-drive version to arrive
later this year and enjoy the peace of mind that a 320-mile range brings...
that, not 0–62mph times, is what matters more when you go electric.

SPECIFICATION
Electric motor, 78kWh
battery, AWD, 402bhp GOOD STUFF
Volvo design is in a groove, and
3.0 miles per kWh, 270 miles it is a desirable object. This one
might colour match your Aga.
0–62mph in 4.9secs, 112mph

2,113kg
BAD STUFF
Can’t seem to get over the £60k
price... yes it’s a premium product,

MILEAGE: 2,543 OUR MPKWH: 2.4 but for that money there are
better EVs out there.

130 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 2 3 4

6 8 9

Cupra Born eBoost 10

REPORT 5
£43,735 OTR/£45,100 as tested/£490 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Can the Born succeed where other VW product fails?

DRI VER
Tom Ford

BEFORE ANYONE THINKS THIS IS A SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE point turning quickly, the power steering pump groans.
Born, I’d like to point out that I actually think this is a very solid little 8 > No peaking
electric hatch with tonnes to recommend it, which we’ll cover off in the We’re yet to achieve the 135kW max charge rate.
next update. But first, here’s a few things that have bothered us... 9 > Un-stereo stereo
You don’t get rear speakers unless you upgrade to the Beats system.
1 > It chimes when you get out 10 > Information station
STOP IT WITH THE EXTRA NOISES. It could do with more relevant information on the small driver screen.
2 > Dirty business
The uncovered rear camera is basically useless for most of the year. SPECIFICATION
3 > The windscreen wipers are left handed
Which means they sweep the left-hand side of the screen first. Electric motor, 82kWh
battery, RWD, 228bhp GOOD STUFF
We’ll cover these off in next
4 > Wacky window switches
3.9 miles per kWh, 341 miles month’s update.
The VW parts bin electric window switches are a disaster.
5 > The infotainment. Again 0–62mph in 7.0secs, 99mph
A bugbear for any VW-based current infotainment.
6 > Why four? 1,946kg
BAD STUFF
See listed niggles. Although not
Only four seats. Could’ve been a five-seater. Still, plenty of room for milk. ranked in order of annoyance,

7 > Is it haunted? MILEAGE: 8,752 OUR MPKWH: 3.4 because that would be far too
difficult to figure out.
The Born will do two slightly odd things now and again. One, it will
understeer on mild lock and under acceleration. Two, if you’re three-

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 131

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GARAGE REPORTS,
AND TO EXPLORE
THE ARCHIVE

Honda Civic
GOODBYE
£32,995 OTR/£33,820 as tested/£410 pcm

WH Y I T ’S HERE
Maybe the best family hatch – just as everyone stops buying hatches

DRI VER
Vijay Pattni

THIS IS OFFICIALLY A VERY GOOD CAR. WHETHER THAT MAKES IT ONE Just like the interior. It’s a clean, uncluttered layout that – praise be!
you actively want – as we’ve discussed recently – is another matter, but the – features real-life actual buttons. The driving position is spot on, as is
case for it is compelling. Let us begin. the comfort level of the seats. Feels well built from better materials too.
Firstly, and most obviously, it is much nicer to look at than the car that Is this all damning with faint praise? Like, ‘this fat-free cake features
immediately preceded it. Cleaner lines, a face that doesn’t scream ‘I’ve had no fat or cake whatsoever’? Not in our books. Keen drivers will naturally
a few energy drinks and now I want to run up a mountainside naked’, and a gravitate towards the Type R – and should do, because it’s brilliant – but
fastback roofline. A neighbour’s teenage son recently opined that they too for the rest, here is simply a Very Good Car.
should get a ‘cool’ car like this one. They’ve got a brand new Qashqai, FYI.
Indeed it’s against the likes of the Qashqai this Honda finds itself SPECIFICATION
in a fight; a fight for the very soul of the hatchback if you want comical
melodramatics, because if Honda can make this normal, everyday car 1993cc 4cyl turbo hybrid,
FWD, 181bhp, 232lb ft GOOD STUFF
work, there’s hope others might follow suit. Or maybe it’s just the last Easy to live with, well built,
56.5mpg, 114g/km CO2 extraordinary real world
salvo before everyone packs in the medium hatchback segment entirely economy, looks better than before.
and we’re all riding around in five-tonne electric battle tanks. 0–62mph in 8.1secs, 112mph
Speaking of electricity, there’s a lot of very clever technology
underpinning the new Civic and its petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. At no 1,533kg BAD STUFF
point are you aware of any one power source dominating, such is the silky Likely to be a stopover

handover betwixt electric and combustion engine. It recharges quickly, MILEAGE: 5,848 OUR MPG: 58.2 on the way to SUV-ville
for most buyers.
accelerates without fuss, cruises comfortably, drowns out road noise and
imperfections, and handles itself with some measure of competence.

132 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

BEGINNER’S
GUIDE TO
ALFA
ROMEO
From greatest hits
to lowest moments,
everything you ever
wanted to know...
and a fair bit you didn’t
W O R D S S A M B U R N E T T,
STEPHEN DOBIE, GREG POTTS

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 133


Who is Alfa Romeo and when
did it start making cars?
Alexandre Darracq was a big cheese in the
French market in the early 1900s and started an
Italian offshoot. Its factory moved from Naples
to Milan in 1906, but Darracq grew tired of poor
sales and wound the company up in 1909. His
chairman, Ugo Stella, gathered some investors
and founded a new company called Anonima
Lombarda Fabbrica Automobil, snapping up
Darracq’s assets in the process.
134 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
Alfa produced some road- and racecars over
the next few years, before entrepreneur Nicola
Romeo bought up a chunk in 1915. He focused
the company’s efforts on military hardware in
World War One, then post-war got involved in
trains. The first Alfa Romeo car – the 20/30 HP
– wasn’t made until 1920. The same year that a
young racing driver called Enzo Ferrari joined
the firm, rising to become race team manager.
I M AG E S: M A N U FAC T U R E R
GO TO
TOPGEAR.COM
FOR MORE
MIND-BLOWING
MANUFACTURER
GUIDES
Nicola Romeo left in 1928 when the company
got into financial difficulties, and Alfa Romeo
ended up under government control after 1933,
a crown jewel for Mussolini’s Fascists. It was
never very profitable, even with state aid, and
ministers were only too happy when Fiat bought
it in 1986. As has happened with many companies
in recent years, Alfa Romeo was folded into the
ever expanding Stellantis portfolio in 2021.
 EXHAUST

Alfa Romeo’s greatest hits

01 02 03

04 05 06

07 08 09

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 135

 FACTOID
Italian illustrator
Romano Cattaneo,
friend of Alfa’s
first chief engineer
Giuseppe Merosi,
came up with the
company logo while
waiting for a tram
in Milan. His eye
was caught by the
biscione (giant grass
snake) symbol of the
that Alfa Romeo builds... and Visconti family on the
Castello Sforzesco,
what’s the most expensive? and he suggested
it for the new firm’s
You could look two ways at the current Alfa by a 158bhp 1.5-litre petrol and comes with cars. The little man
range – either it’s massively diminished, a sign 20in wheels, auto lights and wipers, keyless
of management that doesn’t know what to do with entry, powered tailgate, 10.25in touchscreen being eaten was a
it, or it’s cleverly focused, with an eye on finally infotainment and smartphone integration. bit grim on its own,
producing profitable cars. The most expensive Alfa is the £79,859
At any rate, your cheapest way into an Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio, a sporting SUV powered but balanced by the
Romeo these days is by going for a Tonale SUV, by a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 503bhp.
launched in February 2022. It costs £38,620 in It benefits from four-wheel drive and manages
red cross of Milan
mild hybrid Edizione Speciale form. It’s powered the 0–62mph run in an impressive 3.8 seconds. it became an icon.

What is Alfa Romeo’s fastest car?

It does depend on which
parameter you’re judging
by, but in both cases it’s the
current version of the Giulia.
The Quadrifoglio version
– the 503bhp saloon car that
takes on the BMW M3 – hits
a formidable 191mph top
speed, the highest of any
Alfa road car in history.
Back in 2021 Alfa
produced a more extreme
GTAm track-focused variant
of the car that was limited to
500 examples. It gave away a
few miles an hour in outright
top speed to the Quadrifoglio
(thanks to all that delicious
downforce from its bespoke
bodykit), but managed to cut
0.3secs off the 0–62mph run,
taking just 3.6secs.
Whichever way you look
at the Giulia, then, it’s the
fastest Alfa we’ve ever seen,
but the gorgeous 8C supercar
of the late Noughties isn’t too
far behind it.
The Alfa F1 team might be
mere marketing trickery, but
its cars did hit 204mph at the
Saudi Arabian GP this year.

136 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM

 EXHAUST

NOTABLE Where are Alfas built and

PEOPLE how many are sold a year?

52,664
Alfa’s HQ is at the historic Centro Stile site in the middle
of Fiat’s huge Mirafiori factory south of Turin, but the
Ugo Stella company no longer builds any of its cars in either Milan
Italian aristocrat was the or Turin. The Tonale comes from a Stellantis facility in
brains behind original
firm Alfa in 1910
Pomigliano d’Arco north east of Naples, and the Giulia and
Stelvio from a factory in Piedimonte San Germano, about
halfway along the A1 from Naples to Rome. The last year
we have an actual number for Alfa’s global sales is 2021 –
for some reason, the Stellantis overlords don’t want to
make a fuss about 2022. The Tonale crossover launch in
2022 is a recent high spot, but the firm seems content to
tick over with facelifts for the seven-year-old Giulia and
Stelvio models in 2023. A small e-SUV based on the Jeep
Avenger arrives next year and there are rumours of both
Nicola Romeo
a seven-seat SUV and a supercar on the way. Eventually.
In return for keeping Alfa
solvent in 1915, Signor Romeo
just wanted his name there

What’s the best concept that

Orazio Satta Puliga
So many greats, but Puliga
invented modern Alfas as
Alfa Romeo has ever made?
head of design 1946–1969

Giuseppe Farina
Italian racer was the first
ever F1 champion – in an
Alfa, too – way back in 1950

Jean-Philippe Imparato
CEO since 2021, JP’s job is to
launch a load of electric cars
and make Alfa great again
Well, this is a truly rich seam from which to
pick. Do we go with the 1968 Carabo, a prime
slice of Italian supercar wedge designed by
Gandini? Or Giugiaro’s 2002 Brera, a gorgeous
preview of the unconventional coupe of the
same name? Or perhaps the 2012 Disco Volante
by Touring, looking like a Sixties spaceship?
The list goes on, but before we lose the rest
of our working month ogling Alfa’s concept car
history, let’s settle on, um, three cars. Namely
the BAT trio (it stood for Berlina, Aerodinamica
and Tecnica) of the Fifties, three concepts from
Giuseppe Bertone and Franco Scaglione that
evolved a new focus on aero in stunning fashion.

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 137

 What was Alfa’s
best moment?
Alfa got the Formula One World Championship off to a solid start by
winning the first two seasons with Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel
Fangio. But really its best moment came courtesy of a front-wheel-drive
hatchback. Nope, we’re not suddenly all wistful for the slightly dopey
looking Mito city car, but rather the mighty Alfasud, a gorgeous and deftly
handling compact car like the Italians have always done best. Just over a
million of the things were built from 1971 to 1989, though finding one
now that hasn’t melted away at the merest forecast of rain is tough.
Same goes for Alfa’s other big hits, the GTV coupe and Spider, which
saw various iterations during their lifespans from 1993 to 2004. They
brought gorgeous styling penned by Pininfarina (and occasionally decent
handling) to a relatively attainable price point. Oh what we’d give for
modern day, corrosion proofed versions.
138 JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
What was Alfa’s
worst moment?
Alfa Romeo has never managed to maintain a high for very long – from
the heady excitement of the Alfasud, the company managed to follow
up the perky little hatch with a dumpy number produced in conjunction
with Japanese carmaker Nissan. For some reason they thought it would be
nice to let the Nissan designers take the lead on messing around with the
coloured pencils. It ended up as a worst of both worlds compromise – boxy
looks, indifferent handling but still with the typically dicey build quality
that everyone associates with Eighties Alfa Romeos.
The runner up slot goes to the 2013–2020 4C sports car – it tantalised
with a truly delectable bit of design but sadly wasn’t able to meet the
promise those looks built up. Maybe if we were the sorts of drivers who
merely like to pose in our attractive looking sports cars it would have been
OK, but for those of us who enjoy a good drive and decent build quality...
 EXHAUST

LOGO
EVOLUTION

19 10
Yikes, this thing could do
with some help. Bit of a
leap from here to ‘man
being eaten by snake’

19 15
Struggling Alfa takes on its
sugar daddy’s surname
in 1915 and goes double
barrelled, all looking good

What was Alfa’s

biggest surprise? 19 4 8
The European Car of the Year jurors clearly have a bit of a thing for Italian A delightful colourful
number – the little red
built motors – Fiat has the most wins from the annual award, with nine of man really pops out
its cars taking the top prize since it began back in 1964, most recently the as he fights for his life
reborn Fiat 500 in 2008.
Alfa had a brief but surprising run of form two decades ago, but while
the 156 saloon and 147 hatchback look delightful and drove smartly, did
they really, truly deserve to beat the MkIV Volkswagen Golf, original
Toyota Prius and the innovative little Audi A2 to the gongs of 1998 and
2001? Who’s to say.
In more recent years, the Mito, Giulietta (a very close second back in 19 7 2
2011) and Giulia have all done pretty well too. Clearly the charm and
More subtle look for the
romance of an Alfa Romeo is irresistible to all, even a selection of hard- Seventies. Snake looks
bitten European motoring journalists. like it’s chomping down
on a jelly baby

2 0 15
Ah, the textured chrome
phase. Alfa seems to
update its badge more
than some of its cars

TOPGEAR.COM › JUNE 2023 139

 EXHAUST
PHOTOGRAPHY MANUFAC TURER
WORDS SAM BURNETT
140
What’s the most Alfa Romeo
car in the back catalogue?
Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta / 1938–1951
There are so many eras of Alfa Romeo to choose
from, for good and bad, but there’s one iconic
car that practically invented the lore and helped
give rise to the racing cliche of ‘win on Sunday,
sell on Monday’ – the 158/159 Alfetta.
It’s one of the most successful racing cars
ever made, winning 38 of the 42 Grands Prix it
entered and countless more non-championship
events. It was driven by some of the greats –
Juan Manuel Fangio, Giuseppe Farina, Luigi
Fagioli. People complain in modern racing when
teams get too dominant, but Alfa Romeo was the
first to do it properly.
The Alfetta was high-tech at the time, but
the parts list brings a tear to your eye these
days. It had a tubular frame chassis and leaf
Fuel me twice
In its final 159 configuration
the rather thirsty Alfetta was
managing just 1.6mpg
JUNE 2023 › TOPGEAR.COM
spring suspension, no aero sophistry to speak of
and the engine was mounted up front between
two solid looking, uncompromising treaded
tyres. Hell, it didn’t even come with a seatbelt,
because back in those days men were men. Until
they crashed, then they were done for.
The 1.5-litre straight-eight supercharged
engine was designed by Gioachino Colombo,
who did such a nice job in 1937 that then Alfa
Soft pedal
race team boss Enzo Ferrari later nabbed him Watch out if you ever
for a little road car project he was planning to do drive one of these
launch in 1947. Indeed, the Colombo V12 was – the throttle is the
middle pedal and
still being built in 1988.
the brake the right
Gioachino returned to Alfa Romeo in time
to work on the Alfetta once again and ensure
championship success in the opening seasons
of the F1 championship. By the time the 159 was
created for the 1951 season, it weighed 710kg
and produced 425bhp (a significant increase
from 195bhp in 1938, thanks to the Roots single-
stage compressor being upgraded to a two-stage
system). It was enough to get the car to a top
speed of 190mph, if you were brave enough.
By the time of 1950’s inaugural F1 season, the
Alfa team was seasoned and practiced. Its driver
line-up certainly was too – Fangio (39), Farina
(44) and Fagioli (52) were wily old foxes, keen
to outrace the challenging Ferraris. It wasn’t a
walkover – turning up the power on the engines
meant having to carry outrageous amounts of
fuel, seriously taxing the swing axle suspension,
which was replaced with a De Dion set-up that
still didn’t quite address the weaknesses. Still,
the Alfa won every race that it contested in 1950
and Farina took the first F1 drivers’ title. The
upgrade to the stiffer 159 pushed Alfa Romeo
to a second title in 1951, Fangio’s first.
Alfa left F1 at the end of the 1951 season,
only to pop back up again in 2018 as a ‘technical
partner’ to the Sauber team and getting the
naming rights as title sponsor from 2019.
The marketing fluff hasn’t quite captured the
magic of the Forties and Fifties, and Sauber
Red heat
will become the Audi factory team in 2026. The exhaust pipe
Not the first time an Alfa has been chopped down the side of the
car needed aluminium
in for a premium German brand, but look back
cladding so as not to
far enough and you’ll find a time when it wasn’t burn the drivers’ arms
like that at all.
Next
month:
Toyota
 CITY CARS
These small cars are perfect for urban life,
but the trade-off is a much lower range
1. HONDA e
PRICE: £36,920–£38,120 RANGE: Up to 136 miles
This TG favourite has retro styling and a brilliant
interior, but it’s a smidge expensive and the range
isn’t great. Somehow we can’t help but love it...
2 . F I AT 5 0 0
PRICE: £30,645–£36,645 RANGE: Up to 199 miles
The latest version of the 500 offers sharper looks,
good value and decent range – and a parcel shelf
full of soft toys shouldn’t hurt the battery too much.
3. CITROEN AMI
PRICE: £7,695–£8,695 RANGE: 47 miles
Say hello to your little French friend. The pared back
Ami is the perfect car for the city streets, as long as
you don’t have ambitions to go further than that.
4. SMART EQ FORT WO
PRICE: £22,225–£25,795 RANGE: 80 miles
Yes, range is terrible, but as city cars go the Fortwo
remains a brilliant package and works well in the
city. It’s just not quite as cool as Citroen’s effort...
F OR ALL T HE FAC T S, S TAT S AND IN-DEP T H RE V IE W S F OR E V ER Y NE W C AR ON S ALE GO T O T OP GE AR.COM/RE V IE W S
SUPERMINIS
You drive mostly around town, with occasional
need for longer distances? Try these for size
1. PEUGEO T e-208
PRICE: £30,195–£34,345 RANGE: Up to 232 miles
The e-208 is competent and stylish, but ultimately
you’ll fall into one of two camps: outraged about the
tiny steering wheel or you don’t understand the fuss.
2. MINI ELECTRIC
PRICE: £31,000–£35,050 RANGE: Up to 145 miles
The electric version of the home-grown favourite
squeezes the BMW i3’s powertrain into a familiar
package. Range not massive, but the car’s still fun.
3 . R E N A U LT Z O E
PRICE: £29,995–£31,995 RANGE: Up to 239 miles
They grow up so fast, don’t they? The Zoe’s not long
turned eight, but a recent refresh has given the car
a boost. Make sure you get one with rapid charging.
4 . VA U X H A L L C O R S A E L E C T R I C
PRICE: £31,000–£33,735 RANGE: Up to 209 miles
A Peugeot e-208 in a Vauxhall suit – now the EV’s
gone fully mainstream. The one to buy if you don’t
want anyone to notice you’ve taken the plunge.
HATCHBACKS
A good electric hatch needs decent range
without compromising interior space
1 . R E N A U LT M E G A N E E -T E C H
PRICE: £35,995–£39,995 RANGE: Up to 292 miles
Renault hopes to bring a bit of va va voom (French
for increased car sales) to its electric line-up with this
larger electric Megane. Early signs are promising.
2. MG4
PRICE: £25,995–£31,495 RANGE: Up to 281 miles
Oh, MG – what’s this delightful looking new electric
hatch? The company’s previous EVs have been very
sensible buys, now we know that it means business.
3. HYUNDAI IONIQ 5
PRICE: £41,650–£56,095 RANGE: Up to 315 miles
Hyundai’s futuristic hatch is much bigger than it looks
in pics, but comes with solid range, loads of space
and a host of life-enhancing touches inside.
4. CUPRA BORN
PRICE: £36,475–£43,735 RANGE: Up to 343 miles
The Born offers a sporty flavour of VW’s small EV
hatch set-up (see also Enyaq). Check out our current
long-termer in the Garage section of the magazine.
 READY TO MAKE THE SWITCH?
W E S E P A R AT E W H AT ’ S H O T F R O M W H AT ’ S N O T
COMPACT CROSSOVERS
Small, but perfectly formed. These cars are a
perfect second motor or teeny family wagon
1 . J E E P AV E N G E R
PRICE: From £36,500 RANGE: Up to 244 miles
Jeeps are for off-roading, surely? Well this small SUV
is perfect for the urban jungle, which is why we’ve
named it our overall electric car of the year in 2023.
2 . P O L E S TA R 2
PRICE: £43,150–£49,550 RANGE: Up to 394 miles
Undercover Volvo offers Scandinavian attention to
detail paired with a level of build quality that would
shame a number of much more expensive cars.
3. KIA NIRO
PRICE: £36,745–£43,145 RANGE: Up to 285 miles
The old Niro was already a decent buy, but the new
version improves everywhere and is alright to look
at too. Great family entry point into electric motoring.
4. PEUGEOT e-2008
PRICE: £33,700–£37,650 RANGE: Up to 212 miles
Wait, when did Peugeots become so desirable
again? The e-2008 is surprisingly fun to drive and
offers a chic interior with lots of nifty touches.
F OR ALL T HE FAC T S, S TAT S AND IN-DEP T H RE V IE W S F OR E V ER Y NE W C AR ON S ALE GO T O T OP GE AR.COM/RE V IE W S
LARGE CROSSOVERS
Slightly larger electric cars that are designed
to cope with everything you can throw at them
1 . S K O D A E N YA Q
PRICE: £38,970–£51,765 RANGE: Up to 336 miles
As usual, Skoda offers a down-to-earth and slightly
cheaper alternative to whatever Volkswagen is
pumping out. To great effect, as it turns out...
2. TESLA MODEL Y
PRICE: £51,990–£67,990 RANGE: Up to 331 miles
A Model 3 with more headroom and a seven-seat
option. Latest Tesla gets usual blend of innovative
disruption and occasionally iffy build quality.
3. KIA EV6
PRICE: £45,245–£57,145 RANGE: Up to 328 miles
The EV6 is based on the same Hyundai Group
platform as the Ioniq 5, but they’re very different
propositions. The EV6 is stylish and fun, we like it.
4 . F O R D M U S TA N G M A C H - E
PRICE: £50,830–£74,540 RANGE: Up to 372 miles
The Mach-E isn’t really a Mustang at all, or a men’s
razor, but it looks pretty good. It’s definitely a Ford
though, so relentless competence is guaranteed.
FAMILY CARS
These cars need to meet tough demands –
plenty of space, a solid image and low costs
1 . V O L K S WA G E N I D . B U Z Z
PRICE: £57,115–£61,915 RANGE: Up to 258 miles
This retro-infused Kombi reinterpretation comes with
an imposing heritage, but it’s a solid family wagon
that shows off a different side to VW’s EV platform.
2. BMW iX
PRICE: £69,905–£116,905 RANGE: Up to 369 miles
A lovely cabin and it’s not too bad to drive – which is
great, because inside the BMW iX is one of the few
places where you don’t have to look at the outside.
3. BMW iX3
PRICE: £62,865–£65,865 RANGE: Up to 285 miles
Slightly stealthier than some of BMW’s more, er,
aesthetically challenging EVs, this car is essentially
an electric translation of the bestselling X3 SUV.
4 . A U D I Q 8 E -T R O N
PRICE: £67,080–£114,500 RANGE: Up to 343 miles
Audi’s flagship e-SUV wears its electricness lightly,
it’s a great option if you’re new to EVs. Just have a
look at those digital mirrors to see if you like them...
 LUXURY EVs SPECIAL MENTIONS
“I’VE BOUGHT ONE!
Wafting along in all sorts of style is perfect The EVs that have caught our eye, for all the
for a hushed electric powertrain right reasons. Who said they aren’t cool?

WHAT NOW?”
You have a home charge
point. Don’t you? Well, get
1. BMW i7 BE S T F OR FA NS OF T HE E IGH T IE S
PRICE: £110,545–£137,230 RANGE: Up to 387 miles one. There’s a grant, so it’ll
We’re really looking forward to seeing the production
The 7-Series has always been the standard setter for version of the Renault 5 EV in action, but the best thing cost you less than £500. If
BMW’s luxury efforts, and the new i7 is a fearsomely about this retro-inspired supermini? It’ll definitely cost you don’t have a driveway,
effective limo, with the 31in Theatre Screen a highlight. less than the outgoing £30k Zoe, promises Renault.
to get an overnight or all-
day recharge check zap-
map.com for posts near
home or work that give
between 5kW and 7kW.
Always make sure that
you know in advance the
supplier for the post you
2. BM W i X BEST FOR GET TING INTO RACING
PRICE: £69,905–£116,905 RANGE: Up to 369 miles want to use, and register
The Little Car Company has announced that it is
The iX sets a high bar in terms of interior quality and starting a one-make racing series for its Bugatti on its app or get its
interesting materials, a wafty ride and gusty pace. Baby II electric cars for kids. Each team requires dedicated RFID card.
But you’d probably park it round the corner still. an adult and child, though the entry fees will be £5k.
Rapid (DC) chargers,
at a slightly higher price,
are best used for long trips,
like you’d stop for fuel.
They take roughly as long
as filling with petrol and
having a full English.
In winter, keep plugged
3. MERCEDES-BENZ EQS BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
PRICE: £105,610–£119,610 RANGE: Up to 464 miles in until you drive away, as
The new second generation Ford e-Transit Courier is
Phwoar, look at the range on that. The Merc EQS is the tiniest option in the Transit range, which makes it pre-warming the battery
a proper grand tourer, complete with everything we perfect for small businesses. You know, businesses and cabin increases range.
have always loved about the combustion S-Class. that need to deliver the small things they’ve made.
When possible, choose
heated/cooled seats over
cabin heating and aircon.
Try to drop your motorway
speed by 10mph: it’ll hugely
increase range, getting you
there far more quickly if it
avoids a recharging stop.
4 . J A GU A R I-PA C E BEST FOR TOWING THINGS
PRICE: £77,495–£79,995 RANGE: Up to 292 miles A common complaint is that EVs aren’t any good for
Sure, it’s getting a bit old and left behind compared towing things, but the performance oriented BMW
with some of its rivals but the I-Pace is where old iX M60 is a £120k towing machine, rated at 2,500kg.
school class meets cutting edge technology. Ironically not quite enough to tow a 2,600kg iX M60.

F OR ALL T HE FAC T S, S TAT S AND IN-DEP T H RE V IE W S F OR E V ER Y NE W C AR ON S ALE GO T O T OP GE AR.COM/RE V IE W S

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 TG’S BIG
BAFFLED BY ELECTRIC CAR JARGON?
YOUR GUIDE TO DECODING THE FUTURE IS HERE
EV
Let’s start with a simple one.
EV means electric vehicle, as
opposed to one powered by
petrol, diesel, used chip oil,
Chanel No 5 or magic.
BEV
People in the car industry like
to use this one. It stands for
battery electric vehicle, as
opposed to, say, an FCEV
(fuel cell electric vehicle)
that’s powered by hydrogen.
We just call them EVs.
ICE
The internal combustion
engine. Confusingly, ICE
can also stand for in-car
entertainment (ie the stereo,
touchscreen and so on).
PHE V
Plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle, or a hybrid with a
bigger battery that you can
plug in to charge, giving you
a short, say 20-mile, electric-
only range. Amazing tax-
dodging mpg figures in the
official tests, not so amazing
in real life... unless you plug in
every night and use the car
exclusively for short trips.
MHE V
The mild hybrid EV, or MHEV,
the very bottom rung of the
electrified vehicle ladder. A
small electric motor assists
the engine, but doesn’t have
enough gumption to push the
car on its own. MHEVs usually
manage a fuel saving of
about 10 per cent compared
with a pure petrol car.
RE X
Refers to range extenders,
or small internal combustion
engines used as generators
to recharge EV batteries on
the move. The engine can be
run at its most efficient rpm,
converting fuel to electricity,
which is fed to the motors
that supply the motive force.
F OR ALL T HE FAC T S AND S TAT S Y OU NEED T O K NO W ABOU T E V ER Y C AR ON S ALE IN T HE UK GO T O T OP GE AR.COM/RE V IE W S
Volts, amps
and watts
We’re going to go full science
teacher on you and use an
analogy. Imagine a river: the
volts are how fast the river
flows, the amps are how
much water is flowing, and
the watts are how easily it’ll
carry you downstream.
kW
Logical, metric countries use
kilowatt to measure power
from petrol and diesel
engines. For the rest of us a
kilowatt is 1,000 watts, and is
the most common measure
of power in an EV. A kilowatt
is equal to about 1.34bhp.
kWh
Stands for kilowatt hours and
can cut two ways – how much
power you’ve used (which
a utilities bill does), or how
much capacity there is in a
battery. For instance, a Tesla
Model S has 100kWh of
capacity, of which you’ll
be able to use about 90,
because fully depleting
a battery is a great way
to ruin it forever.
AC and DC
AC stands for alternating
current, and DC stands for
Batman comics... er, wait...
direct current. AC’s better for
long-distance transmission,
because it can easily be
transformed (to higher
voltage, lower current,
so fewer heat losses).
Transforming DC power
is a faff but, because DC
charging stations can be as
big as they need to be, they
can employ high-voltage
power, giant transformers
and rectifiers and get huge
power – up to 350kW.
Slow, fas t and
rapid charging
Slow or level 1 charging is
when you use a regular wall
plug. Fast or level 2 refers
to street chargers and the
boxes you can install in your
house or office, which go up
to 7.4kW on normal 240V
single phase AC, or 22kW on
industrial three phase. Rapid
or level 3 is the high power
DC supply, the sort you’ll find
at motorway services and
dedicated charging areas,
from 50kW up to 360kW.
CHAdeMO
CHAdeMO is not the result
of a cat walking across a
keyboard. It’s basically the
fast charging standard
Japan came up with.
Competing standards
include CCS and Tesla
Superchargers, which all
look reaaaaally similar.
CCS
The DC charger you’ll most
likely use across the UK and
Europe. Works in everything
from a Tesla to a VW.
Supercharging
If it looks like a CCS charger
and works like a CCS charger,
it could very well be a Tesla
Supercharger. But you can’t
use it unless you’re in a Tesla.
mpkWh
Not content with the unholy
union of litres of petrol and
pints of milk, the UK’s uneasy
blend of metric and Rees-
Mogg leaves us measuring
EV economy in miles per
kilowatt hour. So, if you have
50 usable kWh, and run at
4.0mpkWh, you’ll do 200 miles
before you’re stranded.
W LT P
Stands for Worldwide
Harmonised Light Vehicle
Test Procedure. A way to test
new cars to see how much
fuel, or energy, they use, how
much greenhouse gas they
expel, and how far they get
on one tank/charge. More
accurate than the old NEDC
standard, but still optimistic.
Regen
Shorthand for ‘regenerative
braking’. Electric motors work
by using electricity and
magnets to spin a shaft. So,
if you were to spin it manually,
say, by coasting, you will then
generate electricity, because
generators are basically
motors operating the
opposite way.
Range
How far you’ll get in your car
from the amount of energy
you put into it. So, it’s been
fuel from a tank for most of
your life, now it’s a battery.
Range anxiety
The fear of being very far
from home, on a dark and
cold night, without enough
power to make it to a
charging station. In the
short term, the solution is
more rapid charge stations,
in the long term, better
energy density and more
efficient cars should ease
our furrowed brows.
Li-ion
A contraction of lithium-ion,
which refers to the chemical
make-up of a typical battery
pack. The 12V brick used to
start your petrol powered car
is a lead-acid battery, but
lithium-ion is now the global
norm for powering new EVs.
Solid-state
battery
The next big step in battery
tech – holds more energy
than an equivalent-sized
li-ion battery, or the same
amount of energy but in
a smaller and lighter pack.
They’re easier to cool, too,
which means you can charge
them quicker before they get
too hot. At least five years
until any come to market.
Supercapacitor
Supercapacitors can charge
and discharge more quickly
than regular batteries – good
for bursts of speed – and can
tolerate more charge and
discharge cycles, but they’re
still not as energy dense as
batteries, so you’re unlikely
to see them as direct battery
replacements. More likely
to supplement a petrol
engine’s performance.
See the Lamborghini Sián.
CCZ
The congestion charge
zone that covers central
London. From 7am to 6pm
on weekdays, or 12pm-6pm
at weekends and on bank
holidays it’ll cost you £15 to
drive in this zone. But, with
a zero emission car you can
fill out a form and pay a one-
off £10 for an exemption that
lasts a year.
ULEZ
The CCZ is there to ease
traffic; London’s Ultra Low
Emissons Zone is to ease
pollution. The ULEZ is in effect
every hour of every day, and
will rain down with great
vengeance and furious
application of a £12.50
charge if you drive into
the zone in a petrol car
that doesn’t meet Euro 4
standards or a diesel car
that doesn’t meet Euro 6
standards. The good news
is that full EVs are exempt.
FCEV
Fuel cell electric vehicles, like
the Toyota Mirai. Separating
hydrogen and oxygen takes
a lot of energy, but reuniting
them in just the right way
releases energy. You can
burn hydrogen, but in a
hydrogen fuel cell you
generate electricity to drive
an electric motor. It’s also
easier to move H2 over long
distances than electricity.
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