Innholdsfortegnelse for March 26, 2025 i Autocar

Aston Martin has revealed the drop-top version of its 824bhp V12-powered Vanquish flagship. Taking the Volante name, it is technically identical to its coupé sibling, which arrived in September 2024 to revive the Vanquish nameplate as one of the few V12 cars on the market. In drop-top form, this is one of only two new GTs – alongside the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider – to offer open-top driving with a 12-cylinder soundtrack. The fabric roof is operated by a K-fold mechanism, similar to the arrangement in the new Vantage Roadster. The roof can be opened in 14 seconds and closed in 16 seconds. Underbody bracing is fitted to recover some of the rigidity lost during the transition from coupé to roadster and, as a result, the Vanquish Volante is 75% stiffer…

Cupra will electrify the Terramar SUV for its second generation by twinning it with the Porsche Macan Electric in a move that will take the brand further upmarket. CEO Wayne Griffiths confirmed to Autocar that Cupra’s large SUV will become its new flagship EV within the next decade. It will join electric versions of the Formentor crossover and Leon estate. Both were confirmed to Autocar last year and they will bolster Cupra’s electric line-up, which currently comprises the Born hatch and Tavascan fastback. Griffiths told Autocar: “For the next generation, the next platform, we’re looking at battery-electric vehicles succeeding both Formentor and later Terramar.” Given the Terramar was launched late last year and model life cycles normally last at least six years, the EV would be likely to arrive in…

SPY SHOTS Volkswagen will introduce a full-powertrain to hybrid its line-up for the first time, starting with the second-generation T-Roc, which will be unveiled at the Munich motor show in September. The move marks a shift in VW’s electrification strategy as it responds to slower than expected EV sales. The new set-up combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and battery. The engine is expected to be a 1.5-litre turbo four that will help to drive the wheels and recharge the battery for limited electric-only driving. Outputs from 201bhp to 268bhp are planned, a source has told Autocar. The tech differs from VW’s current hybrid systems, which either require charging via an external source (plug-in hybrid) or cannot operate in pureelectric mode (mild hybrid). After the T-Roc, the VW…

Citroën will leverage the history and heritage of the brand – and the 2CV in particular – with future models, according to boss Thierry Koskas, who has also promised that more concepts are on the horizon. Autocar revealed earlier this year that design work on a model inspired by the original 2CV had begun. Asked if Citroën makes enough of its heritage, Koskas said the brand has “one of the richest histories in the world” and in France the original Citroën DS and Citroën 2CV are always named as one and two when people are asked for their favourite cars from the past. “The brand has an incredible history and I think it still appeals to a lot of people,” said Koskas. “When you travel everywhere in the world, people…

WHEN MARIO ILLIEN and the late Paul Morgan founded Ilmor Engineering in 1983, neither could have dreamed what part of their company would be doing 40 years later. Based at Brixworth, the firm was formed to develop methanol-fuel Indycar engines but soon branched into Formula 1 and eventually sold its F1 division to Mercedes-Benz. Today, as Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), it’s playing a major part in developing what could be the most advanced EV battery yet. Solid-state batteries have been on the radar for years now, but we’re still waiting. So news that Mercedes began road testing a new battery earlier this month in an EQS using cells from US-based Factorial Energy is significant – not least because it tackles a key drawback associated with these high-capacity lithium…

Jeep is priming its next-generation Cherokee large SUV for launch next year, offering the choice of petrol or electric power. It is set to have a close relationship with Jeep’s flagship Wagoneer S electric SUV, moving onto parent firm Stellantis’s STLA Large platform. The current Cherokee offers up to 510bhp from a 3.0-litre straight six, which it could take into its next generation, while the electric version will probably use the 600bhp dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain from the Wagoneer S. Spy shots show the Mk6 Cherokee will share several design cues with that car, too, including a sloping roofline, squared-off haunches, rear doors set into the wheel arches and door handles recessed into the body.…

THE NEXT-GENERATION Mazda CX-5 SUV will offer an all-new petrol engine, marking the Japanese firm’s latest commitment to offering ICE cars for the foreseeable future. Mazda said the new unit would be named the Skyactiv-Z, suggesting it will replace the 183bhp Skyactiv-X four-cylinder engine currently offered in the CX-5, CX-30 and 3. It added that the Z engine will comply with the EU’s incoming Euro 7 emissions standards and that it will be paired with a hybrid system in the CX-5. It will also feature fewer electronic control units (ECUs) and different types of control software to simplify development and production, cutting costs. The new CX-5 is due to be launched in two years’ time. Meanwhile, Mazda reduced its planned investment in electrification from ¥2 trillion (£10.2 billion) to around…

FIRST DRIVE DACIA BIGSTER Is this budget Defender rival another hit for its maker or a step too far? FEATURE WHAT NEXT FOR JEEP IN THE UK? We find out on a byway drive with Jeep UK boss Kris Cholmondeley INSIGHT FROM BATMOBILE TO INNOVATIVE EV CHARGERS How one man went from supplying power for Glastonbury and the Olympics, via crazy film and TV cars, to a clever EV charging solution EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT Slick, compact 4x4 now costs just £6k. Here’s what to watch out for LIVING WITH A… FORD EXPLORER Harbinger of future Fords – a Volkswagen-based electric crossover – joins our fleet…

BYD’s quest for world domination (see p15) continues with the UK launch of the Sealion 7, the latest model in its maritime-themed range, following the Seal, Dolphin and Seal U. BYD’s fourth electric car here, the Sealion 7 is essentially an SUV alternative to the Seal saloon (the Seal U SUV, a plug-in hybrid, is entirely different from either). The line-up consists of three specifications. The single-motor RWD Comfort and dual-motor AWD Design cars use an 82.2kWh battery for ranges of 300 and 283 miles respectively and can charge at speeds of up to 150kW, while the AWD Excellence uses a 91.3kWh battery that gives a 312-mile range and can charge as fast as 230kW. The Sealion 7’s performance figures suggest it’s no blubbery ocean puppy. BYD presents it as…

YOU’VE GOT TO award Maserati some points for bravery. It has been among the first prestige brands to introduce fully electric versions of its models in addition to fizzy petrol equivalents, giving the discerning Italian-car fan the freedom to choose. The Grecale Folgore is the most everyday of Maserati’s EV offerings, if you can say that of a £100k SUV. We drove an early left-hand-drive one last year and were uninspired by its ride and handling, even if its 550bhp proved appropriately rabid. Is this full production right-handdrive car any better? Not really, no. The Grecale Folgore is heavy, at 2480kg, and while the standard air suspension has been reworked to account for that, the EV still struggles to manages its bulk. In the comfort-oriented modes, there’s noticeable float and…

Not many people know this, said someone in the office, but the Kia Picanto is the best-selling car in Jersey. This is hardly the kind of factoid that stops traffic, even traffic of a verbal kind, but it stuck around in our conversation because it soon became clear that various members of the Autocar community had been to Jersey, driving cars, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But how – the rest of us wondered – could you possibly enjoy driving in a place where the blanket speed limit is 40mph? From that, one of those animated but pointless debates ensued. Jersey is only nine miles long and five miles wide, said the supporters. Its permanent population is 100,000, but 500,000 tourists go there every year because it’s endlessly scenic. The…

“The straight-six engine is a belter and a real highlight” WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To generate a progress report on the evolution of the high-tech yet traditional Mercedes-AMG coupé When the CLE was first announced, it sounded like just another new Mercedes to fill yet another specialist niche. However, quite the opposite has proved to be true: the CLE has allowed for a rationalisation of several Mercedes models, while still feeling both special and unique from anything else in the range. The CLE strikes me as one of the purest and most feelgood models the three-pointed star makes today. Not only has progress on the oldschool Mercedes-Benz coupé been good, then, but the CLE also feels like it’s among the best of them. The CLE has a more classical style,…

Anyone on the hunt for a luxurious four-seat grand tourer will surely have the Porsche Panamera high on their list of potential buys – if not right at the top. This is a striking super-saloon that is almost peerless in its ability to blend blistering pace with stunning dynamics and cosseting high-end refinement. The first-generation Panamera is looking like great value these days – if you can overlook its flaws. It was extremely fast and good to drive, but it didn’t quite clear the high bar set by rivals such as the Audi RS7 and BMW M5 due to a clumsy ride and tricky hatchback boot. Instead, we would recommend forking out for the more stylish and sophisticated second-generation ‘971’ version: a bona fide greatest hit from Weissach, and one…

Cosworth became famous the world over in the late 1960s as its Ford-funded ‘DFV’ V8 engine totally dominated Formula 1 – something it would continue to do throughout the 1970s. In fact, its final grand prix win didn’t come until 1983. It’s one of the most admirable of the many ‘blokes in a shed beat all the car industry giants’ stories Britain produced in the last century. It’s not well known, though, that Cosworth at this time created not only its own F1 engine but its own F1 car – and a highly unconventional one at that. This unnamed racer was dreamed up by Cosworth co-founders Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, both former Lotus engineers, and Robin Herd, who started his career as a design engineer on Concorde, and then…

Audi is considering a new halo model that captures the spirit of some of its most iconic sports cars – and the original TT is a key potential source of inspiration. Having retired the TT and the R8 supercar in the past 18 months, Audi is currently without a dedicated twodoor sports car in its line-up for the first time in decades. But CEO Gernot Döllner has suggested that a re-entry to this segment could form part of an extensive overhaul of the company’s product line-up and positioning. Asked at the company’s recent 2024 financial results presentation whether he would consider reintroducing a sports car to the brand’s portfolio, Döllner said: “For sure. That’s part of the brand’s DNA and we have to find the right way, timing-wise, to integrate…

THE BYD DOLPHIN Surf will be one of the cheapest electric cars in the UK when it goes on sale later this year. Known as the Seagull in China, where it costs the equivalent of around £8000, the model will be made more sophisticated for its launch in mainland Europe and the UK, including gaining new safety technology. BYD executive vicepresident Stella Li said that while the Dolphin Surf might “not be the cheapest” on sale, it will “be the best value”. It is not expected to undercut the £15,000 Dacia Spring, which is the current cheapest electric car on sale, but it is likely to be priced below models such as the Fiat Grande Panda and Citroën ë-C3. This would mean a starting price of less than £20,000 for…

VOLKSWAGEN-OWNED Seat Group has warned that the impact of the European Union’s new import tariffs on Chinese-built EVs may force it to stop production of the Ibiza and Arona and “start firing people” to claw back heavy losses and balance its sales mix. The Spanish firm builds its £47,000 Tavascan SUV in China and has been absorbing the extra 20.7% import tax (on top of the previous 10%) imposed by the EU since October 2024. The tariffs were brought in to combat government-subsidised Chinese brands undercutting European makers. However, CEO Wayne Griffiths told Autocar that the tariffs “do not protect Europe” and “damage us”, referencing the effect they have on the firm’s ability to hit increasingly stringent emissions targets. He warned the financial consequences in terms of lost sales and…

UK DELIVERIES OF the Smart #5 will begin in October. The brand’s largest car yet will be underpinned by an 800V electrical architecture and majors on in-car technology and driver assistance systems. It will be offered in five trim levels: Pro, Pro+, Pulse, Summit Edition and Premium. Battery sizes, depending on trim level, range from 76kWh to 100kWh, with as much as 366 miles offered in its most efficient form. Top recharge speeds of 400kW yield a 10-80% fill in 18 minutes. The Summit Edition is notable for bringing a variety of off-roading addenda inspired by the #5 concept, with four-wheel drive, a roof rack and a ladder mounted on the right-hand side of its body. It also gets five off-road driving modes, including settings for snow and mud.…

BENTLEY’S PROFITS DIPPED 37% last year to £314 million, but new CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser described the results as “positive” as the firm ramped up investment in new products and its factory to prepare for a significant increase in its electrified line-up. Bentley, which sits alongside Audi as a business unit within the Volkswagen Group, posted revenues of £2.2 billion in 2024, a dip of 10% on 2023. It blamed global economic challenges, increased costs, the renewal of three of its four model lines and investment at Crewe – including a new paint shop, a new quality centre and a new production line for EVs – for impacted profits. As a result, the £314m profit was down on £495m in 2023 and the record £595m that Bentley achieved in 2022. However,…

The second-generation MG 4 EV hatchback has been revealed in China, bringing a new look and a significant reduction in weight. The new 4 has grown to bridge the gap between the existing model and the new S5 crossover (below). It’s now 4.4m long, compared with 4.3m before, and the wheelbase has grown by 45mm to 2.75m. This brings it into competition with the likes of the Citroën ë-C4 and Kia Niro EV. It was previously a closer match for EVs such as the Volvo EX30. The new 4’s softer styling draws heavily on that of the S5, Cyberster sports car and 3 supermini, with thin lights up front and arrow-shaped brake lights at the rear. MG has yet to reveal the car’s interior, or technical details, but it’s expected…

JUST FIVE YEARS ago, BYD posted its third straight decline in annual sales. The 530,000 cars it sold in 2018 dropped to 470,000 in 2019 and then to 430,000 in 2020. Last year, the Chinese company’s sales topped 4.2 million to make it the sixth-largest car-making group in the world and the third-best-selling brand. Its ultimate goal, says executive vice-president Stella Li, is to become the world’s biggest car maker. “Do your maths,” she says with a smile after I ask when BYD hopes that will happen. Li expects BYD’s progress in Europe to be slower than in less mature markets, recognising that it needs to “build trust” here and offer a more rounded package by “spending time on residual values and interest rates”, as “we need a strong offering…

IF WONKA MADE CARS I was interested in Kris Culmer’s retrospective about Franco Sbarro and his amazing cars (Lost in the archive, 5 February). My interest in Sbarro goes back many years and several visits to his workshop and ‘hall d’exposition’. His fresh approach to car design was completely different from many others in the field. I recall a Volkswagen Golf with a hinged floor that gained access to a Porsche Turbo engine and a replica Bugatti Royale with two Rover 3.5 engines in tandem replicating the 16 cylinders of the original. He also specialised in other replicas: BMW 328, Mercedes-Benz 540K, Ford GT40, Lola T70 and Ferrari P4. The 1977 Function Car, based on a Cadillac Eldorado 8.2 FWD, complete with lounge and living areas, was at one point…

“The body control feels tighter yet the ride is still entirely absorbent” It wasn’t until BMW took on Rolls-Royce that the latter deigned to share how much power its engines made. Right up to the late 1990s, it told that us its cars had “adequate” power and left it at that. If you would like just one example of how far it has moved since then, note that it isn’t only declaring that the new Black Badge variant of the Spectre electric coupé is “the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history”, owing to its 650bhp, but that during the launch of this car, its accelerative capabilities were demonstrated on a race track. Nonetheless, the Black Badge is still, we’re assured by CEO Chris Brownridge, “a true Rolls-Royce”. It’s just that a…

Following the renewal of the 1 Series hatchback, the 2 Series Gran Coupé has officially entered its second generation, with its chassis code changing from F40 to F70 (any similarity to Ferraris, living or dead, is purely coincidental). But look closely at the silhouette, the body panels and the engines on offer and you will quickly realise that this is really an update of the original car, albeit a heavy one. Like the 1 Series, the 2 Series Active Tourer MPV and combustionengined Mini models, the 2 Series Gran Coupé uses the natively frontdriven UKL2 platform. However, BMW claims that it has managed to increase the structure’s rigidity in addition to the visual updates. The car has also got 20mm longer, although that comes from the redesigned bumpers, since the…

A In 2025, there is more talk of debt piles, the trimming down of the workforce and share price woes. It is enough to make you wonder if the company will ever make the leap from being “a high-potential business to a high-performing one”, as new CEO Adrian Hallmark, formerly of Bentley, recently put it. It is, in short, easy to feel a little downbeat. But then something like the new Vanquish shows up for its full road test and you wonder, for a moment, how the company that makes such a machine isn’t also making money hand over fist in the process. We sometimes talk of cars needing to ‘succeed as an object’, and when it comes to this subjective trait, few if any do it as reliably well…

An orthopedic surgeon-turned-high-level automotive deal-broker and part-time racer, Cosworth CEO Dr Florian Kamelger was connected with the firm through his work selling Aston Martins, and he played a role in bringing the two companies together at the beginning of the Valkyrie programme. He hails the Swiss watch-like analogue appeal of a Cosworth engine (in contrast to the do-it-all functionality of a smartwatch) as central to the company’s ongoing success. “Luxury is everything you desperately want but don’t really need,” he says, suggesting this can remain a calling card well into the future. “We’ve realised over the past couple of years that the political ambition to put a deadline where all fossil fuels have to be banned and where all internal combustion engines will be gone doesn’t work. This is too…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if the latest incarnation of Suzuki’s supermini has maintained its trademark no-frills appeal f there was one adjective to describe I the vast majority of contemporary cars, it would surely be ‘overcomplicated’ – with ‘big’, ‘heavy’ and ‘expensive’ jostling for position not far behind. There are myriad reasons for this – safety regulations and consumer buying trends among them – and they’ve been discussed at great length before. But the long and the short of it is that there are relatively few small, light cars compared with 15 years ago. In fact, if you leave out featherweight track specials from firms such as Radical, Caterham and GMA, or quadricycles such as the Citroën Ami or Mobilize Duo, there are just five sub-tonne cars on…

AN OWNER’S VIEW ANDREW PALMER “I’ve owned four Panameras, among most alternatives, like BMW M5s and Audi RS6s – my current one being a 2023 Turbo S E-Hybrid. The Panamera is the best all-around car I’ve come across and I’d describe its defining characteristic as composure: it makes every competitor seem too harsh or busy or too soft; you can sense its Bentley GT underpinnings. The driving position is tremendous and the PDK gearbox is snappy and smooth. Road noise is quite loud because of the wide tyres, and I’ve had a few issues with the climate controls. Listen out for a rattle from the panoramic roof and creaky front suspension.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ GEARBOX Take a long test drive to run the car up through the gears. Rough shifting,…

New-age electric cars from BYD will be able to theoretically fill up in just six minutes, bringing parity of usability between EVs and combustion cars ever closer. This will be made possible by the Chinese car maker’s new Super e-Platform, especially its latest ‘flash-charge’ lithiu-miron-phosphate Blade battery. Although BYD has yet to reveal the battery’s capacity and weight, the company claims the pack can sustain a charging power of 1MW (megawatt) – far greater than the fastest-charging EVs currently on sale. Showcased in the updated China-market Han L saloon and Tang L SUV, it allows the pair to add up to 249 miles of range in just a five-minute charge via BYD’s newly developed 1000kW supercharger. The company has yet to reveal plans to use the Super e-Platform for any…

Seat won’t launch an electric car this decade – but the brand will need one if it’s to survive in the future. CEO Wayne Griffiths said: “For Seat to have a certain future, we need to have an electric future.” A decision on its EV timeline will be made “at the end of the decade”, he said. Asked why Seat is willing to wait when others are launching EVs now, Griffiths said “Seat at the moment is in a good place” financially, with 310,000 sales last year – a 7.5% rise on 2023 – and a turnover of €4.8 million (£4.0m). Any Seat EV would need to be highly profitable, he added, and current tech makes that hard to achieve at the desired price point. Volkswagen is set to launch…

VOLKSWAGEN WILL UNVEIL a celebratory Golf GTI model at the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in June to mark 50 years of the genre-defining hot hatchback. Full details remain under wraps but the GTI special is expected to be based on the recently updated Golf GTI Clubsport, featuring unique badging and styling touches that pay tribute to its heritage. It isn’t yet known whether Volkswagen will introduce any power upgrades. The standard Clubsport offers 330bhp from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and sends its power to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. By contrast, the first Golf GTI, launched in 1975, offered just 109bhp – modest by today’s standards. Instead, the car got its verve from its low 810kg kerb weight, which helped it to hit 62mph from…

Citroën hopes to spark a revival of the small-carbased van segment by launching a £15,000 ë-C3 electric van. The commercial variant of its new entry-level electric car is due in April, with a likely starting price of £15,035 excluding VAT but inclusive of the UK’s plug-in van grant. It will be built to N1 classification and is expected to include an eight-year warranty scheme that is currently being finalised. Only the Dacia Spring Cargo will be cheaper, at £14,995 (excluding VAT), although the ë-C3 van will have a longer range. It will be based on the larger-battery (44kWh) version of the ë-C3, with 200 miles of range and charging speeds of up to 100kW. Power will come from a 111bhp motor. The ë-C3 van is expected to be used primarily…

THE MG S5 EV has been unveiled as the Chinese car maker’s latest electric SUV, targeting the likes of the Hyundai Kona and Skoda Elroq. It indirectly replaces the MG 5, which was the first EV estate on sale in the UK. The S5, which has already been launched in China as the ES5, uses the same Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) and rear-drive mechanical layout as the MG 4 hatchback – a car that has been hugely successful for the brand in the UK, with more than 42,000 sold since it was launched here in September 2022. Prices for the S5 start at £28,495 in SE trim and rise to £33,495 for the Trophy, undercutting all major EV rivals, despite the S5 also offering more standard equipment. Deliveries will begin…

Mercedes-Benz is planning the rollout of humanoid robots and new artificial intelligence (AI) software across its European and American production lines to streamline processes, increase efficiency and save money. Robots from US company Apptronik and AI software from Google DeepMind are currently being tested at Mercedes’ Digital Factory Campus in Berlin, Germany. Unlike familiar industrial robots, which are fixed in place and do repetitive tasks, Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid can navigate factory floors and handle a variety of non-repetitive functions to speed up manufacturing processes. Mercedes is initially deploying Apollo in intralogistics, moving materials between workstations to support human workers. It has also confirmed an investment of more than £85 million in Apptronik, signalling a deeper partnership that is expected to expand into other areas of manufacturing automation. Jörg Burzer, Mercedes’…

I can’t understand how the global car market has conditioned our eyes and brains to become so conditioned to accepting larger and larger wheels and tyres on ever-smaller cars. Though they are heavier, I’m sure most EVs never come close to needing the huge load capacity these 19-23in-diameter monstrosities offer. Your article on the Volkswagen ID Every1 concept (News, 12 March) finally drove me to write in. Having spent years in and around styling studios, I think we can lay the blame firmly at the door of car designers, product planners and marketeers. Where to start on a list of negatives? Here goes… The larger ‘wheel boxes’ required eat into interior space, the lower tyre profiles ruin the secondary ride and make the wheel assemblies more vulnerable to kerbs and…

When the second-generation M2 was launched, it couldn’t escape comparison with the preceding M2 Competition, and sure enough it wasn’t quite as compact, thuggish or lovable. Only two years on, it’s getting a model-year update to bring it in line with the rest of the lower half of BMW’s range. Munich is on a big renewal spree: Series 1 through 4 and the X3 have all been updated in the past year. Some are quite substantial, as with the 2 Series Gran Coupé on p30, but you would be forgiven for not noticing the changes to the 2 Series Coupé, on which the M2 is based. As a reminder, despite sharing most of their model name, those two coupés are mechanically very different. While the four-door is front-wheel drive, the…

THE DISCOVERY SPORT has been on sale for more than a decade now, so last year Land Rover made some changes, mainly to its interior, in an effort to fend off fresher rival SUVs from Germany and beyond. The latest iteration features a new front grille, revised LED headlights and a suite of new technology, while more electric-only range has been added to the plug-in hybrid variant. As the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, and Land Rover should have borne this in mind when redesigning the baby Discovery’s interior, because it has actually made it less usable. Previously, you were given a central touchscreen and a cluster of knobs and buttons for the climate controls, which meant changing the temperature or fan speed was a…

Despite that 40mph speed limit, there’s plenty of enthusiasm for speed sport on Jersey – and the same, incidentally, goes for its Channel Islands twin, Guernsey. Jersey’s Motorcycle and Light Club has a whole programme of hillclimb events at the spectacular Bouley Bay course we found (and drove) on our Picanto tour. However, this year’s motoring showpiece will be JIMF (Jersey International Motoring Festival), held from 5-8 June this year. It starts with a sunset rolling road show in St Helier on Thursday night and follows with a seafront sprint on Friday, a hillclimb through the streets on Saturday and a grand finale plus more track action on the Sunday. Find more information about it at jimf.je.…

AUDI A3 Mileage 2573 Last seen 12.3.25 I don’t use as many steering wheel controls as a motoring journalist perhaps should. But the A3 has a button that I probably use more than any other in the car: the mute button. Every time my son speaks from the back, I mute then unmute the radio. It’s simple yet practical. The alternative in many cars is to touch a button multiple times, which is far more onerous, especially when concentrating on the road. RB MAZDA MX-5 Mileage 6174 Last seen 19.3.25 Why won’t Mazda let me use the touchscreen while I’m driving? There are hundreds upon hundreds of other people wondering – and discussing it online. Aftermarket suppliers are even offering solutions. The obvious answer is ‘safety’. But flicking between Google…

Love is… replacing your old Lancia Fulvia that was written off in a flood with another. Back in 2011 in Brisbane, Australia, Angus Sinclair woke one morning to a terrifying storm, which, he found out later, had claimed his beloved Fulvia. “I brought it with me and the family when I moved to Australia for work,” he says. “We hired a 40-foot shipping container; the back half filled with the contents of our home and the front half for the Fulvia. There’s was no way we were going to leave it behind; it held too many memories.” Following the biblical storm, the car was under water for three days. Angus bought what remained of it from the insurance company and, reluctantly, sold it. “Amazingly, its new owner restored it, and…

FIAT 124 SPORT COUPE CC 1800 TWIN-CAM 1976, 64,000 miles, £17,995 Four-seat Italian coupés don’t get much cooler than this 124 Coupé. Abarth alloys and a sports exhaust enhance its looks and sound, and it has just had a £4000 service at a specialist, with lots of new parts. ALFA ROMEO GT 1300 JUNIOR 1968, 100,000 miles, £22,995 This rare right-hand-drive 1300 Junior looks a bit tatty but has an MOT and has been cared for by the same owner for 35 years. Mechanically it is in good order, with a lengthy list of new parts including a fuel tank and exhaust system, plus rebuilt carbs. Tax and ULEZ exempt, too. BMW 2002 1973, 57,000 miles, £29,995 Garage-stored for more than 30 years, this 2002 has been fully restored and…