Innholdsfortegnelse for March 3, 2021 i Autocar

MERCEDES-AMG’S NEW P3 plug-in hybrid system (see p6) is compatible with each of its existing combustion engines and will be paired with its latest four-cylinder powerplant for the upcoming C63e 4Matic+ EQ Power+, the hot, hybridised C-Class range-topper. Arriving in UK showrooms in the first half of 2022, the four-wheel-drive Audi RS4 and BMW M3 rival adopts a longitudinally mounted version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine used by the A45 S 4Matic+, with a 48V integrated starter motor in the nine-speed AMG Speedshift MCT automatic gearbox. The electric motor will drive the rear axle and a battery pack under the boot floor will enable electric-only running. This hybrid system has been developed to provide the C63e with a level of power and torque comparable with the outgoing model’s non-electrified, twin-turbocharged…

ENTRIES HAVE OPENED for Autocar’s 2021 Drivers of Change, run in partnership with executive search specialist Ennis & Co. The annual contest identifies and promotes emerging talent from across the car industry. The initiative is open to anyone over 18, including those who have no automotive experience, with an idea that could revolutionise one of the industry’s three key sectors: technology, digital and retail. The finalists will be invited to attend the annual SMMT dinner in November, and the winner in each category will take home £5000 and get the chance to interact with key sponsors from the industry. Candidates must submit a short written piece on why they should win, as well as a creative video. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment day, where a panel…

IF A CAR on 20in rims is travelling at 300mph, the wheels will be spinning at roughly 3800rpm depending on the profile of the tyre. At that speed the centrifugal forces acting on the rim and in the tyre are huge, and the heavier the wheel and tyre assembly, the bigger they get. Think of those playground roundabouts. Hanging off the outside of one is fine when it’s rotating lazily, but when the big kids turn up and spin it like a top, it’s hard to hold on. Wheels for ultra-fast cars, like the SSC Tuatara, which set a new world record for a production car of 282.9mph, need to be as light as possible. Specifically, the rims need to be light and strong. Back in the day, the material…

Beneath the digitally themed camouflage seen here is the fourth-generation Skoda Fabia. Although it’s still six months from its planned UK launch, we can confirm that this is very much a new car, right down to the same MQB A0 platform used by its Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo siblings. It replaces the structure used by the current Fabia, launched in 2014, and this is in essence a complete reset for Skoda’s most affordable model. The Fabia has received a number of other key developments as well, including greater structural rigidity, a revised engine range and a more advanced electronic architecture with more modern infotainment and connectivity functions, all of which promise to increase the competitiveness of the Czech car. Not that it has ever lacked buyer appeal. Since its…

Alpine has been busy. Not only has it joined Formula 1, if only in name, but it has also, like Jaguar, committed early to becoming an electric-only brand. The arrival of the new Légende GT, an expensive and more luxurious derivative of the sensational A110, is therefore very small fry. You might even now refer to the A110 in all its guises as Le Petit Dinosaure: a car propelled by nothing more futuristic than a four-cylinder combustion engine, and one soon to be consigned to the back catalogue. Billed as the A110 you’d want for touring duties (the only real concession for which is a fraction more storage space between the seats), the Légende GT’s passive spring and damper set-up is the same relaxed one you’ll find on the regular…

MAGIC 5 REBORN Renault’s dramatic revival, signalled by the coining of the word Renaulution and a promise to resurrect the famous 5 supermini as an affordable small electric car, would surely have been one of the highlights of Geneva, along with a high-profile presentation by new Renault Group boss Luca de Meo. Instead, we’ve recently had a series of digital presentations. The electric 5 will be one of 24 new Renault Group vehicles (10 of them EVs) over the next five years. Look for production models in 2023, plus a reinvented electric 4 soon after. If the automotive world were turning on a normal axis, we, along with 10,000 fellow journalists and 600,000 other attendees, would now be packing our bags for a visit to the giant Palexpo exhibition centre,…

What Mario Bonfanti thought was simply an annoying emissions problem with his Range Rover Evoque has spiralled into a data protection issue that should concern every motorist who pairs their phone with their car. The 26-year-old energy advisor took delivery of his new Evoque in September 2018, but by February 2020 it had suffered four breakdowns related to its diesel particulate filter, a problem common to Land Rover models and recently highlighted by Autocar. Frustrated by his car’s poor reliability, Bonfanti approached Rejectmycar.com, a firm that helps motorists in dispute with dealers and finance companies. According to Bonfanti, it was revealed during court proceedings that Park’s Land Rover Ayr, the dealership that sold him the Evoque, had downloaded all the electronic data stored in it. The aim of Park’s had…

New BMW M3 and M4 Coupé We meet the year’s most eagerly awaited new performance cars (and there’s not an electricmotor in sight) Toyota GT86 Matt Prior’s ode to his favourite car of the past decade as production ends Jonathan Palmer My Life in 12 Cars with ex-racing ace turned UK circuit supremo EVERY WEEK Mazda MX-30 The electric car done a different way – Mazda’s way. We rate it Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 Lamborghini’s most powerful car yet is also its first hybrid SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p20…

QUESTION My garage has quoted a huge bill for a failed steering pump. Can I soften the blow by sourcing a second-hand replacement part myself? Lara Hodgson, Teignmouth ANSWER Some faults are far pricier to fix than others, so you might find the repair cost outweighs the value of your car. In this instance, the bulk of the bill is likely to be related to labour costs, rather than the part, so we wouldn’t expect a huge saving, even if you could persuade the garage to use your own parts. Most garages refuse to fit customer-sourced parts, because they can’t guarantee the quality (particularly with second-hand items) and don’t want to be held accountable for any issues that might arise later. If you can’t afford the bill or fix it…

The Porsche-tweaked 850 T5-R of 1995-96 was an even more potent version of the T5 launched in 1993. Both changed perceptions of Volvo as a maker of dull but safe and practical cars. The limited-run T5-R quickly sold out and today you’ll have your work cut out finding a decent UK car. Still, some lucky soul managed it when they bagged this 1995 T5-R at auction. The well-maintained, two-owner, 101,000-mile car, which had £2000’s worth of new clutch, springs, brakes and windscreen, was offered without reserve and sold for a reasonable £9500.…

Some cars just outstay their welcome, and the Volkswagen Passat CC was one. Launched in 2008, it was still with us in 2017. Still, it had given the company a toehold in the emerging four-door coupé class inspired by the Mercedes CLS of 2004, and we all know how important it was for Wolfsburg to bash Stuttgart (see VW Phaeton). The letters ‘CC’ stand for ‘comfort coupé’, but if anyone thought they were code for a sporty drive, they were to be disappointed. Under those attractive, swoopy lines lurks the safe-as-houses Passat: reliable, comfortable and well screwed together but no barrel of laughs. However, the Passat CC was at least longer and lower for a sportier look, and it had classy frameless windows. It was powered by a choice of…

An owner’s view JEREMY TRACEY “I’m the second owner. I bought it with 52,000 miles and it’s been solid, comfortable, refined and economical. It has heated seats, parking sensors and a full leather interior. The first owner ticked the chrome-delete option so it has a black grille surround and black badges. The frameless windows are classy, and unlike some CCs I’ve heard about, they’re watertight. It’s one of the first facelifted cars so the back seat is a three-seater, but I reckon the two-seat arrangement, although not as practical, made the interior look a little more special.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE Where fitted, timing belts should be changed every 84,000 miles or four years (replace the water pump at the same time). Diesel particulate filters clog up on cars that…

The new Mercedes-AMG GT73e 4Matic+ EQ Power+ 4-Door Coupé will pack “more than 800bhp” in a bid to position it at the top of the four-door sports car ranks when it hits UK showrooms this year. The range-topping performance saloon will be the first in a series of new plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG models to feature what is known within the firm as a “P3 plug-in hybrid” system, which should enable the GT73e to cover 0-62mph in less than 3.0sec and exceed 200mph. The new flagship model will rival the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and command a premium over the current, non-electrified GT63 – with prices likely to start upwards of £150,000. As well as representing the beginning of a new electrified era for AMG, the GT73e could also serve…

Mercedes-Benz is committed to offering coupé and cabriolet models in the future, according to chief operating officer Markus Schäfer, but will trim back and refocus its line-up of such machines. The new C-Class has been launched in saloon and estate forms and would traditionally later gain coupé and cabriolet variants. But with Mercedes currently expanding its line-up of EQ-branded electric models – including a potential C-Class EV that could be launched in 2024 – Schäfer said the firm needed to rationalise and focus on higher-volume models. “We reached a portfolio of close to 50 vehicles last year and there’s more to come on the electric side with our EQ line-up,” said Schäfer. “We have some limitations in terms of what we can do in research and development. “Some of [our…

ASTON MARTIN CEO Tobias Moers has given early details of his Project Horizon plan for a post-pandemic recovery, led by opportunities arising from the marque’s new partnership with Mercedes-AMG. Aston Martin’s retail sales fell 32% year on year in 2020 as a result of Covid-19, but they recovered significantly in the fourth quarter, with 1171 DBXs sold – more than a quarter of its total output for the year. The firm made an operating loss of £323 million last year but remains on track, it claims, to boost annual wholesales to 10,000 units by 2024/2025 for revenue of £2 billion and a £500m pre-tax profit. A pair of new DBX derivatives are due in the third quarter of 2021 and the second quarter of 2022 in an effort to widen…

The long-awaited V8 version of the Land Rover Defender brings “a new layer of driver appeal” to the 4x4 alongside a series of updates for the model range. The 5.0-litre supercharged AJ V8 engine, which is familiar from performance models including the Range Rover Sport and Jaguar F-Type, is now made in-house by JLR. It endows the Defender with 518bhp and 461lb ft, making it the most powerful Defender yet to make series-production. It is also comfortably the fastest, hitting 62mph from rest in just 5.2sec and topping out at 149mph in three-door, short-wheelbase 90 guise. Priced from £98,505 for the 90 and £101,150 for the larger, five-door 110, the Defender V8 is marked out by its quad-exit exhaust, grey 22in alloy wheels and blue front brake calipers, while a…

Car manufacturers facing shortages of vital semiconductor chips are hurriedly trying to overhaul their supply chains to avoid over-reliance on just a handful of suppliers. The shortage has affected the production plans of almost every car maker, including those operating in the UK, and will cut global car production this year by 672,000 units, according to analysis company IHS Markit, although others put that figure much higher. Investment bank Morgan Stanley points out that Ford and Volkswagen have each estimated a drop in firstquarter production of 10-20%, suggesting the overall unit reduction could run into the millions. Ford has warned its profits could be hit by between $1 billion and $2.5bn (£723m-£1.8bn) in the first half of this year as a result. Car makers first discovered chip supply was drying…

It has been clear for a while now that electric vehicles are coming. If the sales charts and chatter on social media weren’t evidence enough, the UK government’s announcement of a 2030 ban on the sale of new ICE cars is the future writ large in bold font. But as Brits start to buy more EVs, many people are worried about the infrastructure to charge them and whether it can cope. Will the UK’s transport network give us the flexibility we currently enjoy from our cars? In the latest of our Autocar Business Live webinars, sponsored by NewMotion, some of the fog was cleared by our guests: Graeme Cooper, National Grid’s project director for transport decarbonisation, and Ben Fletcher, EV project lead at Moixa, a clean-tech software company working specifically…

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The EQA marks the moment another legacy car maker moves its electric car roll-out into a higher gear. Astonishingly, it’s a compact crossover, and one that will act as the crucial entry-level EV for Mercedes – a zero-emission, three-pointed hook for those who can’t stretch to the £65,000 EQC SUV, and one designed to challenge the Volkswagen ID 3 and upcoming Tesla Model Y. Following the EQC and the EQV, the EQA is the third pure EV in Mercedes’ EQ sub-brand, with the S-Class-flavoured EQS soon to become the fourth. However, whereas the larger EQC sits on EV-specific architecture, the EQA uses an adapted GLA platform. And unlike the EQS, whose styling will mark an obvious departure from that of the S-Class saloon, the EQA is very closely related to…

Kia has made more changes to the Stonic for this mid-life facelift than a first glance at both the car and spec sheet might suggest. Exterior styling revisions to the compact crossover are limited to new LED headlights, a new GT-Line trim and extra colours, while inside the central touchscreen has grown and the digital driver display is higher resolution. Welcome upgrades, but hardly substantial. The big change is the powertrain, although it might seem similar: the entry level – and UK best-seller – remains a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-pot offering an unchanged 118bhp. Except that it’s Kia’s new-generation Smartstream unit, which adds variable valve tech for improved torque and claimed better efficiency than the Kappa motor it replaces That motor is also available with, as fitted to our test car,…

The Mini JCW GP’s wild power eruptions, the crisply sophisticated balance of the finely honed BMW 420i or the unexpected punch of the carbonfibre-rich, concept car-like BMW i3? Each of these experiences can be yours for near enough £40,000, making for quite some variety not only at the price, but also from the same manufacturer. It’s not just that the characters of these cars are different, but so are their missions and make-up. Disparate selections of vehicles can, of course, be made from other car makers’ portfolios, not least Volkswagen for one, and Stellantis (PSA and FCA, if you’re wondering) for another. But no manufacturer offers three such utterly different cars for near-identical money. The most mainstream model here is the 420i, a close relative of the 3 Series, if…

It was a filthy day in November 2015 and I was gatecrashing an Autocar group test: I’d heard the boys were roaming around Wales in four fast cars so I offered to meet them “so I can drive the tracking car”. That’s the vehicle from which the photographer dangles while taking a picture of all the cars in the test driving in formation behind. The subject of the test was the then new Audi R8, which we’d put up against the Aston V12 Vantage S and Porsche 911 Turbo S. The Audi got its arse kicked. But it was the fourth car that won, and it was the fourth car that lay behind my apparently generous offer of assistance: the McLaren 570S. Explaining its victory over such stellar opposition, Matt…

More 2021 F1 cars revealed Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Red Bull have unveiled their 2021 F1 challengers, named the C41, AT02 and RB16B respectively. Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi return for the Sauber-run squad, while Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez will drive for Red Bull, and Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda for its sister team. Ferrari will return to Le Mans in 2023 Ferrari will enter a new LMH challenger in the FIA World Endurance Championship – which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours – from 2023. The Italian marque has won the endurance classic nine times, but the last of those victories came in 1965, and it hasn’t competed in the top class of sports car racing since 1973. Ricciardo gives tattoo update McLaren newcomer Daniel Ricciardo has said…

The closeness of the relationship between Formula 1 and the automotive industry has ebbed and flowed over the years, but there has always been a clear connection. With car makers undergoing epochal changes to tackle the climate crisis through growing electrification, new technologies and the drive towards carbon-neutrality, F1 needs to follow or will lose its much-vaunted ‘road relevance’. Four manufacturers supply F1’s engines, which are more correctly referred to as power units given they incorporate a 1.6-litre turbo V6 and an electric motor that’s powered by energy recovered from the front brakes and exhaust. However, Honda is on its way out at the end of 2021, citing its need to focus on achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050, leaving just Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG – F1’s two longest-serving manufacturer supporters – plus…

I hadn’t intended to update you on the Flying Pig this week, but unfortunately the Lorry refused to fire. Yes, it has just had a brand-new battery and I have been using it, but a few days off then super-sub-zero temperatures and a dumping of snow combined to knock the old girl out of the game. Indeed, when I hoofed open the bonnet, there was a ton of snow under there that I had to dig out – hardly surprising for an almostpensionable Land Rover. Meanwhile, the Porsche has been epically competent during the big freeze: warm, comfortable, practical and with not a hint of slip on sheet ice or packed snow.…

Sports cars are nice in principle, but buying them used can be hard to justify. There’s the fear that they will cost too much to run, be difficult to drive in day-to-day traffic and have a stiff, uncouth ride. Fortunately, Toyota has a history of making fun, inexpensive and reliable performance cars, so when it teamed up with Subaru in 2012 to make the GT86, the result was a modern classic. The GT86 used exactly the same 197bhp 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine as the Subaru BRZ. A lot of hot hatches have more power than that, but the aim here was to give just enough power, allowing its performance potential to be exploited more of the time. As such, you need to rev the engine hard to get any meaningful acceleration…

The Mercedes-Benz AMG 300CE Hammer made its debut at the 1987 Geneva motor show. Based on the 300CE, it swapped that model’s petrol straight six for the 5.6-litre V8 from the 560 SEL: the fabled M117. The original model offered 355bhp and 376lb ft. However, the legend wasn’t complete until Mercedes-Benz began offering a second output option, which upsized the M117 to 6.0 litres, with power increasing to 385bhp. The engine modifications were overseen by Erhard Melcher – the ‘M’ in ‘AMG’, and one of the performance division’s original founders. Key changes included a new four-valve cylinder head (in place of the standard two-valve set-up), reworked camshafts and lighter pistons. The 300CE Hammer was renowned more for its segment-leading torque output than outright power, and at 417lb ft it was…

Volvo has introduced its second electric vehicle: the C40 Recharge, a coupé reworking of the new XC40 Recharge P8 SUV. Due to go into production this autumn with first deliveries before 2022, the C40 is being launched in line with Volvo’s ambition for half of its global sales to be full EVs by 2025 and to be an EV-only firm by 2030. Built on the Swedish company’s CMA platform, the C40 is based on the electric version of the XC40, gaining a sloping roofline and a new rear light design. The front features a progression of the XC40 P8’s closed-off grille, which is “a new face for electric Volvos”. At 4431mm long and 2035mm wide, the C40 has the same exterior dimensions as the XC40, except it is 690mm shorter,…

Toyota has confirmed plans to renew its affordable city car offering in Europe, although it stopped short of confirming whether it will retain the Aygo name. The new model will keep costs down by using a variation of the Yaris supermini’s GA-B platform with non-electrified engines. It is likely to be priced in line with the current Aygo – from around £12,500 – and prioritise interior space and utility. Previous spy shots suggest the styling will draw heavily on the Yaris but retain some of the Aygo’s characteristic cues. Toyota Europe boss Johan van Zyl confirmed in 2019 that a new Aygo was being developed in Belgium and will be assembled at the same plant as the current car in the Czech Republic.…

THE DISTINCTIVELY STYLED Bayon has arrived as the new entry point into Hyundai’s expanding SUV range. It will take on rivals including the Ford Puma and Peugeot 2008 in the hotly contested small crossover segment. The Bayon is closely related to the new i20 supermini. It has been designed especially for Europe, with defining features including a front end modelled on the slightly larger Kona. Slim, high-mounted LED daytime-running lights and prominent creases along the body sides are hallmarks of its maker’s new ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language. It “solidifies Hyundai’s SUV design direction”, said styling chief Luc Donckerwolke, hinting at a similar treatment for future models. The Bayon’s maximum ride height of 183mm is said to give it an edge over “most other vehicles” in its segment, while a contrasting…

Car making is so delicately balanced that one delayed part can hold up your entire production line. If that part is in high demand, then you’ve just got to wait in the queue and watch your revenue disappear. Ford CEO Jim Farley called the situation a “good metaphor” for possible future battery problems on a recent investor call. EV battery supply mirrors chip manufacturing in that car makers are currently reliant on a handful of mainly Asian suppliers, with very little local production capacity. It is also hugely expensive and not something that car makers are rushing to get into. That could change as car makers such as Ford start producing more electric cars. “The next step is going to be a much more aggressive electrification plan,” said Farley. “We…

Here’s a test of character. Perhaps the first I can remember being like this. Can two battery-electric vehicles that share so many of their underpinnings feel like two different cars, from different brands, when both have a premium and performance slant? When both marques scream individuality? This striking four-door saloon is the new Audi E-tron GT, tested here in two derivatives. One, shown on these pages, is the RS E-tron GT. That’s RS as in RS6 or RS7, the really fast version. Then there’s the E-tron GT quattro, a slightly slower variant that gets ‘quattro’ in its name when the RS doesn’t, somewhat confusingly. On Audi’s numerical power output scale, this is a ‘60’, although it doesn’t appear to be badged as such anywhere but on Audi’s online configurator. But…

Crikey, this is good. Call it home advantage if you like: picking up the new Jaguar F-Pace SVR within sight of the garages it was engineered in and heading onto roads that were used for developing and signing off its dynamics. But I reckon it would play well away, too. Apparently, development has never really stopped since Jaguar first put a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in its big SUV in 2014. The SVR didn’t go on sale until 2019, well after the regular F-Pace, but it was due for this update along with the rest of the range. The changes are detailed but plentiful. The new bonnet, now without an uncomfortable shutline across it, improves the aero and allows bigger grilles, with more cooling for both the drivetrain and brakes (the…

MODEL TESTED GR YARIS CIRCUIT PACK Price £33,495 • Power 258bhp • Torque 266lb ft • 0-60mph 5.2sec • 30-70mph in fourth 7.2sec • Fuel economy 27.0mpg • CO2 emissions 186g/km • 70-0mph 54.5m The Toyota GR Yaris is one of those rare cars that seems to be destined for greatness right from the get-go. Of all the high-end automotive exotica that emerged in 2020, none generated quite the same level of collective salivation as this steroidal, and comparatively affordable, Japanese pocket rocket. In fact, since the first whispers of its existence emerged in 2019, every new glimpse of this compact, four-wheel-drive performance hatch has been shadowed by such fervent anticipation that you’d be excused for mistaking its arrival for the second coming. It’s easy to see why. This is…

We have yet to try a GR Yaris without the Circuit Pack in the UK, but it will be interesting to see how it copes with British roads on its softer dampers and also how traction is affected. The stiffer set-up of this Circuit Pack is pretty good on even bad roads, which the Millbrook Hill Route looks to emulate with surface changes and some severe cambers. They don’t manage to unsettle the GR Yaris nor upset its steering, bar the occasional light hint of movement on the wheel as cambers get really big – but it’s feel rather than corruption. Likewise the steering gains weight pleasingly and linearly as the Yaris builds towards its terrific limits, which edge towards understeer initially, though you can trail-brake to quell this and…

He arrived in Formula 1 with McLaren, tipped as a future star, and took a stunning podium in his first race. Sounds like the debut that leads to the all-time wins record, right? Sadly for Kevin Magnussen, the parallels between his F1 career and Sir Lewis Hamilton’s end there. That amazing second wasn’t the first of many podiums for the Dane; it was his only one. Instead, he spent seven years battling in the midfield, his combative race-craft hinting at his untapped potential. The trouble was he wasn’t alone in that respect. All drivers can do is show their skills as best they can with the car they have while waiting for an opportunity. It can be done: take Sergio Pérez, who turned a super season for Racing Point into…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com Technicians need training Your article ‘The countdown to year zero’ (20 January) was brilliant: 12 pages of detail, argument and discussion, and your conclusion was exactly right. However, one aspect was very conspicuous by its absence: vehicle technicians. The change from ICE cars to EV is a radical alteration to automotive design, and this will impact the technicians that service, maintain, repair and recycle our vehicles. Training and education; understanding and knowledge; and tools and equipment will all have to change. An electric shock of 70-90V DC is enough to kill. Every hybrid, PHEV and EV has more than enough voltage to cause ventricular fibrillation in the case of an electric shock, and as voltages increase (the Porsche Taycan has an 800V battery), so do the risks…

MILEAGE 2815 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if there’s more to this funky plugin SUV than a tax-friendly CO2 rating Running this plug-in Citroën over the past few months has been an interesting experience, even if a renewed lockdown has limited my time behind the wheel. That’s not to say it’s been sat idle this whole time. On the occasions that I have, you know, actually driven it, the car has definitely had its moments. With a soft ride and occasionally spongy-feeling controls – the brake pedal is particularly cake-like – the C5 comes across as more of a bean bag on wheels than anything else, which makes it a comfy thing to point down a motorway. Bump absorption at low speeds is decent, too, but every so often…

Thanks to Keith for this story: “My wife and I bought a new Suzuki Jimny for her business in 2012 at £13,500, regularly serviced it and kept it under guarantee, and then we sold it last November for £10,500. Apart from the wiper blades, everything was original. It had only done 13,600 miles but, still, that’s what we call value for money up here in Yorkshire. It never gave so much as a murmur of a problem and had bags of character. I can see the attraction – not for a motorway trip or on poor surfaces in town, but it’s unstoppable in the rough!”…

£32,725 You know it’s going to need a large garage and deep pockets, but an Aston Martin Vantage like this causes an itch that must be scratched. As classic sports cars go, this one ticks all the boxes: right name and pedigree, right colour, right trim, right mileage, right gearbox (manual), right service history (full, main dealer), right provenance (just two previous keepers) and in the right condition (flawless). There is one box this car, registered in 2006 and which has done 30,000 miles, doesn’t quite tick, however, and it’s the one marked ‘engine’. The 4.3-litre V8 is based on the Jaguar unit used in the 1990s. Here in the Vantage it produces 380bhp and 302lb ft, but in 2008 Aston went back to the drawing board and replaced the…

Ford Focus Mk1 1.6i Ghia £1650 What makes a classic? Desirability, ultimately. Scarcity helps, too. Doesn’t look too good for this old Mk1 Focus, then, even if it does have a near-full Ford service history, 63,000 miles on the clock and a tidy-looking body and interior. However, look past its humble ranking in the automotive pecking order and this Mk1 Focus is of significant historic value as the model that drew a line under the tired old Escort. Comfortable, safe, practical and fun to drive, it inspired rivals to lift their game, too. And just feast your eyes on its neat and fluid design.…