Innholdsfortegnelse for May 27, 2020 i Autocar

BMW HAS EXTENDED its X2 line-up with a four-wheel-drive xDrive25e plug-in hybrid model just four months before the sporting crossover is due to receive a mid-life facelift. The X2 xDrive25e will rival the all-new Mercedes-Benz GLA 250e when it goes on sale in July and adopts what BMW describes as a fourth-generation petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain. The same system is used by the X1 xDrive25e and 225xe Active Tourer. It employs a transversely mounted turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 123bhp and 162lb ft of torque together with an electric motor located within the rear axle and developing 94bhp and 122lb ft. The two power sources provide the X2 xDrive25e with a combined system output of 217bhp and 284lb ft. Drive from the petrol engine is sent to the front…

THE NEW BMW X7-based XB7 SUV is Alpina’s largest, most powerful and most expensive model to date. Powered by an uprated version of the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8 used in the X7 M50i, the XB7 makes 613bhp (90bhp more than the M50i) and 590lb ft of torque. It’s therefore one of the most potent SUVs on sale, beating its closest rival, the 603bhp new Mercedes-AMG GLS 63. This enables the 2655kg XB7 to reach 62mph from a standstill in 4.2sec and reach a governed top speed of 180mph. Alpina also claims that the XB7 offers “unrivalled agility”, courtesy of a four-wheel steering system and a bespoke suspension set-up including dual-axle air suspension, active roll stabilisation and retuned damper settings. The XB7 also gains reinforced torsion struts and a new dome-bulkhead…

HYUNDAI IS READYING a family of radical electric cars, all built on the Korean firm’s new modular EV platform and each with very different styling. First will be a production version of the retro-styled 45 concept in 2021, followed soon after by the production version of the sleek Prophecy concept. The third vehicle will be shown next year as a concept and is said to demonstrate the breadth of the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). SangYup Lee, Hyundai’s head of design, said: “The new EV architecture gives us a long wheelbase and a flat floor, and we’re experimenting with unique USPs and how we will stretch it [for various vehicles]. “The 45 is more SUV-style and the Prophecy is the future [saloon] proposal. The third one is more of the…

Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann has said the car industry can be a “powerful engine” to help kick-start the European economy following the coronavirus crisis. Stackmann said the interconnected nature of car making means that resuming production will have a major economic benefit in Europe. But he cautioned that sales incentive schemes focused purely on electric cars, which are being considered in some countries, wouldn’t have enough impact. Wide-ranging lockdowns to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in Europe caused the industry to grind to a virtual standstill for nearly two months, with production halted and car sales plummeting as dealerships were forced to close. “Coronavirus will have a deep and lasting effect on the automotive industry around the world,” said Stackmann, “and in the long term, it will change the…

Long a staple of the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars list, and towards the sharp end at that, the Vauxhall Astra this year finds itself missing from the SMMT’s monthly rundowns. Even a facelift two-thirds of the way through last year hasn’t helped prop up the model’s sales in what remains a mainstream family hatchback segment shrinking next to the rise of SUVs, and the affordability of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class that’s taken the Astra’s place in the top 10. Yet the Astra remains a car worthy of your consideration, a point emphasised by the new 1.2-litre petrol version, which we’ve now spent a bit more time in after its original launch. Astra sales are split 70/30 in favour of fleets, where the new 1.5-litre diesel and its RDE2 compliance makes…

MODEL TESTED GT2 RS The new Porsche 911 GT2 RS becomes the latest in a line of five ‘GT2’ namesakes, the first of which appeared in 1995 as a homologation version of the 993-generation 911. That original version’s 444bhp would hardly worry a modern super-sports car driver, although it still earned itself the legendary nickname ‘Widowmaker’. The 691bhp 3.8-litre flat six in this car is a development of the current 911 Turbo engine (with 80bhp more than the last 3.6-litre GT2 had) and uses bigger turbochargers, new pistons and water-sprayed charge air intercoolers. It is the first GT2 with a paddle-shift dual-clutch gearbox and is steered by the same four-wheel system as was used in the 918 Spyder. The GT2 RS’s standard-fit fixed-backrest bucket seats and half-sized roll-cage build your…

The car industry is used to having huge challenges thrown at it. Legislators have long been setting aggressive targets around cutting tailpipe emissions to improve air quality, speeding up the hugely expensive development of electrified technologies in the process. Political issues such as the US-China trade war and, of course, Brexit have brought uncertainty to buyers and markets and hurt bottom lines. And all the while, buyers have been demanding ever-more sophisticated cars and technology with little willingness to pay more for it. Yet however high car makers have been asked to jump in recent years, they’ve managed to do so. But all this was before the latest challenge to hit the industry: Covid-19. And, as we’ll discover, it’s probably the biggest that the industry has ever collectively faced, touching…

“ You’ll encounter just about every condition Jaguar owners are likely to come across in years of use ” What’s the best way to assess a car in every important dynamic aspect – in one day, without fear or favour? Drive it, of course. Drive it on a well-known and demanding course, with full concentration. The answer is so blindingly obvious that it’s amazing more people don’t do it: you undertake a long, well-planned and varied journey, preparing yourself for the experience as well as you prepare your car. Take notes of every nuance and foible so you can amplify the excellent bits and chase away the faults when you get back. Mike Cross, Jaguar’s legendary chief engineer of vehicle integrity, has been doing this sort of thing for the…

Can you really test a car on a driving simulator? To an extent, yes, because if you couldn’t, car makers and racing teams wouldn’t put such great stock in them. When it costs £15 million to make each real prototype but perhaps £2m for the world’s best simulator, you can see why they appeal. As Billy Johnson, a racing and development driver for Ford, told me last year: “It might cost $200,000 [£164,000] to take a car and six engineers to the Nürburgring. Here on an advanced simulator in Ford’s workshop, they can drive a road car on six of the world’s great race tracks in a day.” The same applies at my house with my PlayStation. A simulator must do two things. First, replicate what a car is doing.…

Most kids in the 1980s spent Saturday nights watching the Dukes of Hazzard and fantasising about Daisy Duke. I also loved seeing stickered-up cars flying through the air, but instead that was thanks to Top Gear Rally Report and Hannu Mikkola: the winner of the first RAC Rally that I clearly remember, in 1982. Last Sunday, the man who put me on the road to writing about rallying for a living turned 78. Has so much time really passed? I wasn’t the only one with such an obsession. Rally drivers were such folk heroes at the time that even cult rock band Half Man Half Biscuit featured Mikkola in their 1986 song Architecture, Morality, Ted and Alice. “The wonderful dexterity of Hannu Mikkola makes me want to shake hands with…

“ I’ve proved I can win races, and I don’t want to deny myself that feeling for much longer ” Daniel Ricciardo, 30, has started 171 Formula 1 races, scoring seven wins, 29 podiums, three pole positions and 13 fastest laps. Lewis Hamilton, 35, has started 250 F1 races, scoring six world championships, 84 wins, 151 podiums, 88 pole positions and 47 fastest laps. Yet Ricciardo is modestly but forcefully unequivocal. “There are rarely unicorns in sport,” he says. “There’s always a small handful of people who have the talent to win on any given day, and our sport is no different. I believe there’s a group of us at the top tier, and I believe I and a handful of others, in the same car, could have given him…

Cramping Aston’s style In a recent Channel 4 show about Aston Martin, design chief Marek Reichman explained how the DBS Superleggera is beautiful because its body shape delights the eye with surfaces reminiscent of water flowing, or words to similar effect. It all sounded very plausible, except the current Astons just don’t do that to my eyes, while Ferraris and McLarens really catch the eye. To me, Aston’s shapes are too aggressive to be beautiful, with gawping, oversized grilles and cut-outs on the sides contributing to remove the flowing surfaces Marek talks of. The DBX’s large grille is further emphasised with running lights that just add ugliness. The interiors don’t work for me, either. If Aston were to bring back the DB9 generation with some gentle and sympathetic modernising, it…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT What better way to celebrate the easing of restrictions on movement? Phew! Wednesday came just in time. Boris announced that it was possible for us to go out for some proper exercise, and drive to the venue, what’s more. So, one day before the man arrived to take it away, I was able to take the Flying Spur out for a decent drive, fetching up at a large local park for a pleasant stroll with the missus. The drive was the best bit by a long chalk, especially since we didn’t take the most direct route either to or from. It’s been weeks since I’ve done anything meaningful in this car. There are a few of us at home and several cars, so we’ve been using…

QUESTION I’m keen to buy a fast, non-German saloon for £20k. I want something comfy, fun to drive and timeless. Ideas? Nicholas Alt, via email ANSWER Jaguar, of course, springs to mind. You’ll get a 3.0-litre V6 XFS for that budget – and have the choice of a 375bhp supercharged petrol or a 296bhp diesel (we’d recommend the oil-burner, depending on how important running costs are to you). The Lexus GS 450h may crop up on your search, but while it’s reliable and comfy, it’s also fairly dull. So consider the more unhinged (and rarer) IS F. Your budget should find you a tidy newer example (it previously had a rigid suspension). Or, if you don’t flinch at the thought of owning a used Alfa Romeo, the Giulia Veloce is…

It’s showing 155,000 miles? Pah! The 4.0-litre V8 in this famously durable luxury car is just getting warmed up. The LS 400 was the car with which Lexus announced itself to the automotive world in 1989. A few years ago, there were quite a few examples knocking around on the cheap, but such is their sound reliability that buyers were snapping them up, running them and keeping them. Now their numbers are dwindling. We found one for £3000 that its owner has had since November 2014. At its last MOT, in May 2019, it sounded like the tyres needed replacing. In the past year they have been, while fresh brake pads and discs have been fitted. All other minor advisories (dodgy headlight, ropey numberplate) seem to have been straightened out,…

BMW IS WITHDRAWING the 6 Series Gran Turismo from the UK due to slow sales of the five-door executive liftback. The UK was expected to be one of the biggest markets for the model, which replaced the 5 Series GT in 2017, but BMW has confirmed it won’t offer the facelifted version that was recently unveiled for sale in other countries. The current model will be removed from UK price lists next month. The demise of the 6 Series GT in the UK is put down to the increasing popularity of BMW’s SUV models, which, company officials say, offer similar levels of practicality in combination with greater ride height and a higher seating position. Just 209 examples of the 6 Series GT found homes across Europe during the first month…

THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT will insist that Renault keeps open its factories in France, after local media reported the firm planned to close or end car production at four of them. Reuters said prime minister Édouard Philippe made the statement the day after the reports emerged, adding that he was particularly concerned about Flins, just north-west of Paris. French media reported that this facility, which produces the relatively slow-selling Nissan Micra and electric Renault Zoe, could stop manufacturing cars altogether. Other plants at risk of closure include the Alpine factory in Dieppe (leaving the future of the slow-selling A110 sports car in jeopardy), the Choisy-le-Roi spare parts plant near Paris and the Fonderie de Bretagne engine-and-gearbox plant in Morbihan near Lorient. The French state is Renault’s largest shareholder, at 15.01%, and…

Mini has applied a series of design, technology and efficiency upgrades to the Countryman in an attempt to give it an edge over the fresher-faced Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Roc. The small SUV, which has been on the market in second-generation form since 2017, already accounts for just under 30% of Mini’s global sales. External revisions are similar to those drafted in when Mini facelifted its three-door and five-door hatchbacks in 2018 and Clubman estate in 2019. These include a new radiator grille design with a one-piece chrome frame, standard LED headlights and foglights, LED tail-lights with the now-trademark Union Jack motif and new alloy wheel designs. Also now available is a Piano Black Exterior pack that replaces the standard chrome detailing with gloss black. The Light White, Melting Silver…

PORSCHE WON’T FOLLOW the recent return of naturally aspirated engines to the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman with a turbo-free 911 Carrera, its sports car boss has revealed. Speaking to Autocar before the unveiling of the new 911 Targa, Frank-Steffen Walliser admitted that it’s “not really feasible” to take Porsche’s new 4.0-litre engine (which is found in the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder and detuned for use in the Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS) and spend money on rotating it 180deg for use in the rear of the 911. When asked if there’s a desire for natural aspiration to return to the 911 in non-GT form, Walliser said: “You ask if there’s a desire. I will not deny that. But the reality tells me it will not happen. I would…

Volkswagen says UK customers will be able to buy an ID 3 from July, despite the impact of the pandemic and a number of software issues with the car. The Golf-sized electric hatchback will be launched with a special First Edition model that uses a 58kWh battery for a claimed range of 260 miles. It will be offered first to more than 35,000 customers who placed a refundable preorder, beginning in Europe on 17 June, with the UK following in mid-July due to the extra time required to gain type approval for right-hand-drive versions. Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann insisted that ID 3 deliveries remain on schedule, despite the software problems. “The focus of the company now is on the ID 3,” said Stackmann. “We’re almost ready and we just…

Three wheels or two, it genuinely doesn’t seem to matter. For one of the friendliest but also most addictively feral performance cars from any era and at any price, anything less than the full four contact patches appears to be its preferred mode of attack. The M235’s gymnastic talent is something we’ll return to but, on paper, tuning stalwart Mountune’s latest take on the Ford Fiesta ST is simply for the person who wants an everyday supermini but craves something hotter in the engine bay. This £890 aftermarket kit duly delivers, pushing Ford’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost engine to the brink of what it can reliably muster before stronger internals are required at considerable cost. Power rises from 197bhp to 232bhp while torque increases 44lb ft to 258lb ft for a…

If you’re familiar with the X7, the arrival of the xDrive M50i should come as no surprise. It’s the new range-topping petrol version of BMW’s flagship SUV, slotting in above the distinctly milder xDrive40i that’s already on sale here. And seeing as BMW has decided not to create a full-blown M version, unlike with the X5 and X6, it will be the hottest version of the firm’s biggest SUV. Its status as an M Performance car is shown by a series of subtle styling changes. These include a deeper front bumper with greater structuring and larger air ducts, wider door sills and a new-look rear bumper that houses a reworked diffuser element and larger, trapezoidal, chromed tailpipes. There’s also a range of new 21in and optional 22in alloy designs. It’s…

As an engineering showcase, the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid ranks alongside supercars such as the 911 GT2 RS. However, its freakish breadth of capability on paper results in a less than perfectly rounded product on the road and ultimately consigns this wild Porsche to curiosity status – a car reserved only for those who really have to have the most extreme of everything. There will be some for whom the electric range – and one should bank on no more than 16 miles, whatever the official claims – will be useful on a daily basis, but those miles will be undertaken in a fairly sedate nature, when this fastest but heaviest Cayenne’s necessarily firm and tightly controlled ride is completely unnecessary. Equally, the electric portion of the powertrain contributes less…

All cars are equal, but some cars are more equal than others. In the latter group are those that may enter a designated and legally enforceable Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for free. We could debate the rights and wrongs of such zones, but it’s a fact that some vehicles can enter them freely, while others are subject to a fine. Whether a vehicle meets ULEZ standards has become very important to used car buyers. For many people, it’s the difference between passing up on a car or buying it. So, what are the rules? Essentially, to drive into central London for free, you must have a petrol car compliant with Euro 4 standards (usually registered after 2005) or a Euro 6 diesel (usually registered after September 2015). Although you…

True enjoyment of drives as serious as this can stand or fall on preparation, for which we offer a simple checklist. ▪ Make sure your car’s tyre pressures are spot on. Set them exactly to the maker’s specification, and be sure to do it when they’re stone cold. ▪ Clean all glass. A dirty windscreen or headlights that only emit a proportion of their available illumination will damage your enjoyment. Be especially aware of gunge inside your windscreen; that’s often missed. ▪ Stow cabin junk to suppress rattles. Vibrating ‘stuff’ can destroy your impression of your car’s tautness. ▪ Fuel the car and check all other levels before setting out. It’s no fun running out of washer fluid mid-journey. ▪ Dress comfortably. In particular, wear the right shoes for driving.…

FEATURE Bentley’s best of Britain Steve Cropley embarks on a tour of the UK to trace the Bentley marque’s rich history INTERVIEW Richard Noble Britain’s land speed record legend on why risk-taking is the key to success FEATURE Extreme E Why you should take the world’s new craziest racing series seriously EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST BMW M8 Coupé M division’s range-topping two-door is given a thorough going over FIRST DRIVE Morgan Plus Four Olde-worlde roadster gets the most modern of makeovers SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p32…

MILEAGE 62,250 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF One of the least-used vehicles around the Bangernomics compound has been my daughter’s Golf, the VW being denied its big daily commute. Lockdown and an extra pair of hands have meant everything else around here is rather cleaner than before (obviously it isn’t me getting out the bucket and sponge). I have before-and-after Lorry images that are spectacular. Meanwhile, the designated on-site car cleaner has been dealing with the extremely minor paint chips that my old eyes can barely see. The Halfords touch-up stick is a three-stage process, and the one-woman jury remains out on just how good it is.…

Take the Volkswagen Passat. Add a dash of glamour, a pinch of practicality and a teaspoon of kit. Voila, you have the Arteon: a five-door fastback offering a choice of six impressive engines. The turbocharged petrols are a smooth 148bhp 1.5-litre, a sweet-spot 187bhp 2.0-litre and a hold-on-to-your-hats 276bhp 2.0-litre. And then there’s a similar trio of diesels, offering 148bhp, 187bhp and 237bhp. Unless you really need the extra frugality of an oil-burner, the Arteon is best served in petrol form – specifically with the 187bhp engine, which is smooth, punchy and quiet. The equipment choice is simpler: pick from SE, Elegance and R-Line. SE is no bargain-basement special, coming with LED headlights, parking sensors and tri-zone climate control. Elegance adds leather seats (heated in the front) and digital dials,…

CITROEN 2CV6 DOLLY Who can resist the charms of a 2CV? A fine, rust-free example typically starts from the £5500 mark on the used market, so this 2CV6 Dolly, which passed through auction almost £1000 cheaper than that, caught our eye. It’s said to have had three owners since it was first bought in 1989 and has been in storage since 2014. At its last MOT, in August 2019, its tyres were worse for wear – to be expected after sitting in a garage – but nothing in the advisories suggests it’s a rust bucket. If it is all in good shape, then this dashing 99,000-mile two-tone Dolly could have been well worth a punt.…

The BMW M3 is about to enter its sixth generation, packing more power than ever before and promising handling dynamics on a par with most supercars. It’s a good time to consider what the hot G20-generation car’s arrival might mean for the legacy of older M3s. The wondrously excessive E30-gen M3 still has undeniable bedroom poster appeal, and the snarling E46-gen CSL is upheld to this day as an example of how to get a sports coupé right. But in between the two there’s the E36 M3, not often invited to showdowns between the all-time greats, nor held in particularly high regard by collectors and diehard enthusiasts if the discrepancy in prices is anything to go by. That’s not to say it’s an unimportant footnote in the M division’s back…

BMW has revealed a raft of upgrades for its class-leading 5 Series to fend off the newer Audi A6 and refreshed Mercedes-Benz E-Class (see p10), including new technology, new engines and the introduction of a 523bhp M Performance variant to the UK line-up. A hardcore CS version of the V8-powered M5 super-saloon is coming later this year, too. The suite of updates to BMW’s executive mainstay also brings a new 389bhp 545e xDrive plug-in hybrid model into the line-up, plus UK customers will be able to order the 523bhp M550i for the first time. This variant has been on sale in mainland Europe since last year. Launched in 2016, the seventh-generation 5 Series has continued the success of its predecessors, with more than 600,000 sales achieved worldwide to date. The…

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the facelifted E-Class Coupé and E-Class Cabriolet, which follow the saloon and estate versions shown earlier this year with revamped electrified engines and a host of design and technology upgrades. Due to go on sale in the UK and Europe this autumn, the style-focused models feature a range of alterations designed to enhance their appeal, including a new ‘A-shape’ front grille and flatter LED headlights and tail-lights. Both maintain their customary three-door, four-seat designs and the Cabriolet a folding fabric roof. E-Class product manager Andrea Ruland said: “A big focus was that we wanted to make them look more dynamic. Customers liked the general design of the previous E-Class range but wanted it to look sportier. It’s a big step forward.” Mercedes has extensively reworked the electronics…

EV CHARGING TIMES are likely to tumble soon and industry sources predict that in five years it should be possible to ultra-rapid-charge even a high-capacity EV battery en route in less than 10 minutes. But this will be a story of two parts, the first being the introduction of high-power charging and the second improvements to the way batteries are designed (rather than any new miracle chemistry). Most EVs today are equipped with 400V electrical systems, which are rated by the industry as high-voltage systems. Electrical power is measured in watts and the power in watts is worked out by multiplying the voltage by the current in amperes. To increase the power in watts that an EV system can deliver, or the charge it can accept, either the voltage or…

MODEL TESTED TURBO S E-HYBRID Time was when the wildest Porsche usually took the form of a turbocharged 911 replete with an enormous wing and, if extra security was required, front driveshafts. In the turbulent wake of the GT2 RS (see road test rewind, p30) and the subsequent launch of the new 911 Turbo S – a car with 641bhp, a 2.6sec 0-62mph time, hips wider than a bin lorry and a wing – you could argue that nothing has changed. However, if you accept that modern Porsche is really an SUV company that builds proper sports cars mainly to protect its pedigree (last year, it sold almost 200,000 Cayenne and Macan models compared with only 80,000 of everything else, which is a sobering statistic for the purists), then the…

BMW X5 xDRIVE45e M SPORT It’s beaten by the Cayenne for performance and dynamism but it’s still good to drive, is more than quick enough and packs far greater electric range. AUDI Q7 60 TFSIe Audi behemoth loses seven-seater status to house its battery, but comfort and quality are the keywords here, and at a sensible price. PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO S E-HYBRID Huge performance and superb handling given the weight, but excess in just about every area except electric driving range. BENTLEY BENTAYGA PHEV Fails to capture the traditional Bentley experience with only a V6 under the bonnet. Opulent, but not as convincing as it should be. VOLVO XC90 T8 RECHARGE Characterful but showing its age. Never feels as quick as the numbers suggest, either, and ride quality is lacking…

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The Toyota GR Supra is a much more spacious two-seat coupé than I remember. There’s at least six feet of head room from my seated position, more wood than is typical in a Japanese sports car and softer furnishings, too. Hold on, this is my living room… But we’ll come back to that. There’s a new, 2021-model-year Supra for the US market, you see, which will go on sale there this month. And it has more power. “Because, why not?” says the strapline in America. I’ll tell you why not, m’laddio: because of EU emissions legislation. So the 37bhp power boost that the Supra is allowed in the US, taking the output of its straight-six engine from 335bhp to 382bhp, won’t make it to cars sold in Europe. What might,…

5 Italian GP and Pescara GP (1957) The first time F1 raced twice in the same country in one season was in 1957. The loss of the Belgian and Dutch rounds due to the Suez Crisis opened up a slot, and Ferrari and Maserati’s dominance meant a second Italian race made sense. Run on a 16-mile circuit that remains the longest to host an F1 round, the Pescara GP was won by Stirling Moss in a Vanwall after Ferrari opted not to compete. 4 French GP and Swiss GP (1982) F1 raced at the Swiss circuit of Bremgarten in the early 1950s, before the country banned motorsport following the 1955 Le Mans tragedy. In 1975, the Swiss Automobile Club hopped across the border to run a non-championship F1 race in…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Because a soft-top SUV is the perfect type of car for supermarket runs during the lockdown – possibly… My hometown of Clevedon in Somerset is a lovely seaside town full of lovely sights. There’s the beautiful Clevedon Pier, which dates from 1869, a late 19th-century clock tower, a charming bandstand – and now a largely ornamental Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet. I relocated temporarily to Clevedon pre-lockdown for remote working and family support, and the T-Roc I’ve been left with after Volkswagen’s press garage closed has moved only for trips to the local Tesco (which lacks the Victorian charm of the previously mentioned sights). The rest of the time, it’s been parked on my family’s drive, where it’s attracted plenty of attention from neighbours, delivery drivers and random…

Peugeot 107 Thanks to Robert Bell, who sent this picture of his 107: “Eight months ago, I needed a cheap car to do a 90-mile-per-day commute for a new job. I found this at a dealer who had got it in that day as a £200 trade-in and was happy to let me have it ‘sold as seen’ for the same price. It had a nasty rattle from the engine and was full of water in the boot, so I took a risk. After a new water pump (the rattle) and fan belt, service and MOT, it hasn’t let me down. The oil in the car was clean, and it had new brakes and tyres. It feels like I got it for free!”…

Ford Fiesta ST200 £12,500 The new three-cylinder Fiesta ST is among the very best junior hot hatches. But is it better than its predecessor? Some argue not. The old four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine was a firecracker; the handling was sublime; and while the ride was firm, it wasn’t too taxing to live with. It was one of the all-time great hot hatches. The run-out ST200 gave a bit more poke, revised the suspension and fine-tuned the ST’s excellent formula. It was pricey at the time, but now £12,500 for a tidy one seems good value for a hot hatch legend that will be long sought after.…

An expert’s view BARRIE ROWLES, TURNER AUTOMOTIVE “I started with BMW in 1994, and this car was a huge deal – especially when coming out of an E30 M3 with an S14 [engine]. These cars were pretty bulletproof in the early days, especially with the S50. Only now, 25 years later, we’re really seeing the car’s weaknesses, but some of the problems are less serious than many 10-year-old BMWs that I see through my doors.” Buyer beware… ■ BODY The E36 is known for a susceptibility to rust. Common problem areas include the front wings, boot floor, jacking points and rear suspension mounts. If there’s no BMW roundel on the front windscreen, it has been replaced at some point, so check for the telltale signs of a poor seal, which…