Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i CAR UK

‘I’ve tried to suggest that F1 is more than just cars following each other’ Former Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul and star driver Daniel Ricciardo awkwardly avoiding each other post-split like reality TV contestants, each race weekend a microscope through which to observe their deteriorating relationship. The McLaren bromance of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, long a refreshing tonic to the frosty comradeship that normally characterises the team-mate relationship, rapidly losing its cordiality as the former signs for Ferrari and the latter is snuggled to Zak Brown’s bosom as McLaren’s Chosen One. Haas’s Guenther Steiner spitting swear words like a machine gun, naturally. Valtteri Bottas – the purest, most undiluted form yet discovered of that crucial F1 element, the number two driver, railing against the notion of being a number…

WHAT YOU GET FOR £100M There’s some serious expansion and renovation going on at Hethel right now. In 2017, Lotus employed 806 people. Under Geely, that’s risen to 1560. Aside from two new assembly lines, a new paint shop and restaurant, the site’s power supply, drainage and communications links have been overhauled. Capacity on a single shift is about 5000 cars per year. It’s not just Hethel: Lotus has built an Advanced Tech Centre at the University of Warwick, a new HQ for Lotus Engineering NEW ASSEMBLY HALL Evora final assembly is now underway to blood the new, 110,000sq ft manufacturing hall. Body frames are carried by automated guided vehicles, giving more freedom to rejig the line than with a fixed carrier system. As Elise/Exige/Evora bow out, their conjoined areas…

It was never goodbye, only au revoir: Ferrari has confirmed it will return to the sharp end of the Le Mans 24 Hours grid in 2023. It joins the growing number of manufacturers committing to the World Endurance Championship’s new Hypercar class. No doubt partially enabled by funds freed by F1’s budget cap, an official Scuderia entry in the WEC will battle for overall honours throughout the championship season, including the big one: Le Mans. Ferrari has raced at Le Mans in the lower-division GT category for the past few seasons (and done extremely well, its 488 winning the WEC GT manufacturers’ championship four times since 2017). But this is the first time in decades that it’s stepped up to the top class with its sights on overall honours. There…

Aztek, is that you? Turning heads in the increasingly crowded compact-crossover market can’t be easy. Hyundai’s answer with the new Bayon is bold colours, split headlights and a rear deck that echoes Pontiac’s wonky MPV. Pick ’n’ mix Inside you’ll find bits of i20 here, chunks of Kona there, with a big central infotainment screen and cube graphics on the digital display. Connected services give you hyper-reactive navigation routes. A ’box with brains Along with a dual-clutch auto (pictured), there’s an ‘intelligent’ manual for the mild-hybrid 1.0-litre. It coasts when you lift off, even with a gear engaged, and rev-matches in Sport mode like an i30 N. Battling in the space race Hyundai says it’s super practical, with more rear legroom than a Nissan Juke or Ford Puma. The 411-litre…

THE INNOVATIONS TRANSFORMING OUR DRIVING WORLD There’s life in the combustion engine yet. While the world focuses on electric power to run the next generation of cars, the use of commercially available synthetic fuels is just around the corner – an innovation that could help keep all of the cars that still use combustion engines on the road, after bans on sales of new combustion-engined cars have taken effect. ‘Synthetic fuels are a great opportunity,’ says Adrian Hallmark, Bentley CEO. ‘For those cars that need liquid fuel for the future, this could be a viable alternative.’ WHAT’S THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT? The chemistry uses the planet’s most abundant natural resource, hydrogen, in a way that’s far more sustainable than drilling for a finite amount of dead dinosaurs. The process is…

‘A corner rascal’ ‘We had to have a mechanical differential. It’s an option in some markets but my guess is 99 per cent will take it, and if someone doesn’t then they’ve made a mistake! It’s key to making the car fun to drive. The i20N is a corner rascal.’ N got in there early ‘With the i20 we joined development early, so we were able to avoid compromise on key parts. We could include parts that both met our requirements and those of the normal car.’ Manual is best ‘A hot hatch and a manual gearbox – for me this is the best combo. DCT might be best on a racetrack, because it allows you to concentrate, but if you are an enthusiast you want a stick shift.’ The…

Illustration by Peter Strain ‘The cars we buy for town are plainly ill-suited for urban use. Where’s the progress?’ For quick personal city transport, it’s hard to beat a bicycle. Unless it’s wet or cold, and you don’t want to pedal and puff. Then, nothing beats a small car. So, the ideal form of urban transport would be a cross between a small car and bike. Such a machine exists. It’s called the quadricycle; in effect a four-wheel motorbike with a roof. The best-known quadricycle of recent years was that Bangalore-built botch-up, the G-Wiz. It was renowned for its pedal-car style, its lethargy and for being at the opposite end of the crash safety scale from a modern Volvo. Yet, for a while, it was the UK’s and the world’s…

OLIVER ZIPSE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD A BMW lifer, Zipse joined in 1991 and never left. Became CEO in the summer of 2019. A fan of developing in-house expertise, to better arm BMW for change, Zipse is now pushing for revolution. ADRIAN VAN HOOYDONK HEAD OF DESIGN Visionary group design honcho Adrian van Hooydonk has had to field plenty of criticism of his team’s BMW- badged output. Needs to balance elegance with the march of progress. FRANK WEBER HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT Ex-General Motors man Weber is an electrification Jedi; for his previous employer he worked on the Volt and the Ampera. Brought in by Zipse to kickstart BMW’s EV onslaught. This is his moment. DIRK HACKER M DIVISION HEAD OF ENGINEERING Another Munich lifer, a good egg, and keener than…

What’s the CV? The car that proved AMG could challenge M on dynamics as well as performance, while still going its own way. Two generations in, a legend. If it were an Olympian it’d be… Russian shot put ace. Monster muscle, spins up from a standing start, some suspicion over steroid abuse. The 10-second sales pitch The only V8 on test, a rumble like thunder, shot-through with precision dynamics. Next one’s a four- cylinder, so hurry hurry. Don’t buy one if You don’t want to wake the neighbours but you do want the latest thing - C63 is rowdy, and it’s not long for this world.…

Back at the helm of the company he chaired between 2005 and 2016, Stephan Winkelmann has some catching up to do. In his absence Stefano Domenicali, who now runs F1, did some fine work – but that did not include leaving a strong plan for the next decade’s Lamborghini models. Despite a couple of Covid-induced production stoppages, output in 2020 was only nine per cent down on 2019, at 7430 units, while profit per vehicle sold again eclipsed even Porsche. But the company’s own worst-case projections show output could fall below 3000 per year during the 2021-2025 transformation period. Some fascinating ideas were considered during the Domenicali years but most came to nothing. He repeatedly locked horns with VW Group high-ups and did not get backing from Porsche and Audi…

Why is it here? Because it’s a Ford, and when Ford does something that means it’s gone mainstream. And because it’s a Mustang, or at least that’s what the badges claim. We want to know if there’s more to it than marketing, and whether it has the dynamic advantage we expect from Ford. Any clever stuff? There’s a keypad on the door so you can open it you’ve forgotten your key, or if you’re using your phone as a key and the phone’s battery has died. And there are no exterior door handles: push the button and the door pops open – unless somehow the car battery’s flat… Which version is this? The entry-level £40,350 rear-wheel-drive Mach-E with the standard 75.7kWh battery. A bi-motor, four-wheel-drive version starts at £46,650, and…

It took just one week to turn my initial indifference on its head. Maybe it was the familiarity of Renault’s big-selling little EV. Maybe it was the distraction of flashier new rivals such as the Honda E. Perhaps it was the price– this top-spec GT Line R135 Z.E. 50 wore a £30,120 as-tested price tag: £28,620 on the road after the government’s plug-in grant, plus £1000 for 50kW DC rapid charge capability and a £500 Winter Pack for hot seats and steering wheel. And then plugging it in for a recharge at the end of its first full week of school runs, tip trips, grocery shopping and work commutes, I realised the Zoe was a deeply impressive car, and we were going to get on very well indeed. Why? Let’s…

Remember the neither-fish-nor-fowl BMW 5-series GT, with the wheelbase of a 7-series and a hefty bootlid that let it double as both saloon and hatchback? There’s a distinct resemblance between that BMW and this electric Audi. Which is ace, as I always had a soft spot for the bloated 5 GT. The e-Tron is neither SUV nor estate yet offers raised seating (helpful when, like me, you’re a giant) and gargantuan space, thanks to the 3m wheelbase. There’s no silly double lid this time, but with a big hatchback lid (for shelter) and fixed parcel shelf (for support) the boot is the perfect place to dress a toddler in waterproofs for a rainy walk. Audi e-Tron Sportback Month 6 The story so far Audi’s first EV, on test in Jaguar…

Porsche is already taking orders for the 992-generation 911 GT3. We’re aiming to spec one that blends everyday usability with engagement and performance mods for trackdays. First decision: paddle or stick? We’ve picked the manual. Starting price: £123,100 Porsche’s ‘Crayon’ colour (£2525) pairs nicely with gold-hued satin neodyme wheels (£842). We’ve also blacked out the rear tail lights (£590) and deleted the GT3 badging (at no cost). Those who are interested will be in no doubt it’s a GT3. Running total: £127,057 We’ve gone for full bucket seats (£3788), trimmed the dash with carbon (£926), and the seats (£834) and belts in red (£194). We’ve also added the Bose stereo upgrade (£1002), for those non-track days. Running total: £133,801 We’ve declined the rollcage – ‘only useful if you’re going to…

THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR For a decade, the steel skeleton of the new factory stood open to the elements, the empty shell acting as a monument to the failed moonshot of short-lived CEO Dany Bahar’s attempt to resuscitate Lotus. But things have moved on. The company is yet again under fresh ownership and management, a recurring theme in the turbulent story of Norfolk’s underdog. There’s a new plan to restore the brand, built by Colin Chapman conquering Formula 1 and creating fabled road cars such as the Seven, Elan and Esprit. Over the past 18 months, that steel frame has been renovated, the building enclosed and – on 22 March – final Evora assembly moved into Lotus’s new manufacturing hall. Soon, prototype builds of the first all-new Lotus road…

EARLY DAYS Starts as an apprentice at camper van maker Dormobile. Next stop: Daewoo in Worthing, learning computer-aided design and working on the Matiz city car LOTUS 1 Joining Lotus Engineering in 1998, Windle works on the 2001 Aston Vanquish, APX concept and Satria GTI for owners Proton. ‘In seven years I never worked on a Lotus,’ he jokes TESLA From 2005, becomes Elon Musk’s point man at Hethel responsible for the Roadster’s body engineering CATERHAM Windle works on the joint venture with Renault’s sports car brand Alpine in 2013 – but lack of funds kills the Caterham version ZENOS Helps engineer the innovative two-seat rocket from Norfolk’s other sports car maker, but firm runs out of cash LOTUS 2 Returns to Lotus in 2017, regularly taking on new roles…

Illustration by Peter Strain ‘Colin Chapman became St Colin of Hethel, but the back-street salesman never went away’ Saint Colin. I’m sure some Lotus enthusiasts have already written to the Pope about Lotus founder Colin Chapman. There’s probably a temple somewhere with ‘Simplify Then Add Lightness’ carved above the altar. But all this talk about Lotus recently – the last Elise and the electric future – had me revisiting the other side of Chapman’s personality: the entrepreneur, the multi-millionaire, the fraudster. It’s a Chapman we tend not to talk about much, because it doesn’t fit with the theological purity of his engineering. Online forums get in a froth about the future Lotus SUV and how it goes against Chapman’s principles, but read Mike Lawrence’s book, Colin Chapman, Wayward Genius and…

What’s the CV? Cloverleaf badge goes back to Alfa’s racing roots, but Giulia is a clean-sheet new chapter that made the last M3 feel numb. If it were an Olympian it’d be… A shoo-in for a gymnastics medal - limber- limbed, flows delicately down a road, wobbles when the pressure’s on. The 10-second sales pitch Forget the Germans, get some Italian passion on your driveway. Drives with flair and excitement, and drop-dead gorgeous too. Don’t buy one if You need space in the back or you want the last word in interior quality. Giulia is all about the looks and the drive.…

1950s RENAULT FLORIDE/CARAVELLE (1958) Classically curvy design by Pietro Frua while at carrozzeria Ghia. A true raregroove beauty. 1960s ALPINE A110 (1961) The most desirable ‘60s car from the current Groupe Renault brands is the Alpine A110 Berlinette, with bodywork by Michelotti, known for special Ferraris plus the Triumph TR4 and GT6. Honourable shoutouts to the Renault 8 Gordini (1964), later licensed as the Dacia 1100 Gordini (1968), and of course the Renault 4 (1961). 1970s RENAULT 5 (1972) The original 5 is fondly remembered by many as their first car, while the Gandini-designed Mk2 and epic 1980 Turbo version laid strong foundations for its legacy. The 2021 5 Prototype looks set to cement them, reborn as a modern-day EV. 1980s RENAULT FUEGO (1980) Cool coupe with the horizontal black…

Why is it here? The original Kona Electric struck such a chord with a public there was a 12-month wait for delivery. That frenzy has subsided but the Kona still looks strong value and a recent facelift brings a new nose and extra driving range: up from 279 to 300 miles in the 64kWh version. Any clever stuff? How about something not very clever? There’s no front boot, or frunk, in the Kona, which is a bummer because it only has 332 litres at the back. Strangely, given it’s a dedicated EV design, the ID.4 doesn’t have one either, but then it’s got a massive 543-litre rear boot. Which version is this? Kona prices start at £30,625 for the SE Connect with the base 39kWh battery. A mid-spec Premium version…

The moment my Mazda rolls off my drive it gets covered in road gunk, like any car in a damp winter. This highlights the less than brilliant placement of the reversing camera. While the likes of VW and Mercedes hide their cameras behind the badge – waiting until you engage reverse, which prompts it to pop out – the Mazda’s is attached to the rear bumper, just above the number plate. That quickly coats it in filth in winter, even on short drives to the supermarket, and making it near-useless when parking during the cold, wet months. I don’t need a camera to park, but if I’m given one, it would be kind of handy to be able to see out of it, don’t you think? Mazda 3 GT Sport…

ABARTH 595 ★★★☆☆ > Pricey pocket rocket with divine details, dodgy dynamics and a choice of 1.4-litre turbocharged engines in various stages of steroidal overcompensation > VERDICT Like a small yappy dog: noisy, excitable and likely to give you a headache ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA ★★★☆☆ > Looked like a credible Golf rival for a while but now the game has moved on. Keen prices, but several alternatives are roomier, classier and more fun to drive > VERDICT Miles better than a Mito. Miles better than a 4C, even. But, unfortunately, miles behind a Golf - the old one, let alone Mk8 GIULIA ★★★★☆ > Good grief - an Alfa Romeo we can finally recommend that you buy. Auto-only 3-series rival has sharp steering, sultry looks, great driving position and a…

HYPERCAR The first new-era Lotus, 1973bhp electric Evija aims to be the most powerful car ever. Carbonfibre monocoque chassis could spawn more halo specials, Ferrari-style EV SPORTS CAR Project LEVA –Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture – is working towards a BEV that weighs the same as a car with an engine. Alpine set to share the spoils V6 SPORTS CAR Mid-engined combustion platform forms the bridge from Elise/Exige/Evora to the EV future. V6 Type 131 coupe due early 2022, Clubsport and roadster versions likely LIFESTYLE Lotus has to branch out into four-door cars to become viable. Geely’s new Wuhan factory set to make EVs for premium brands such as Lynk & Co – and Lotus…

Audi and Porsche are considering joining Formula 1, and could make a decision this spring about whether one or both will press ahead with the surprise move. Major rule changes due to come into effect with the 2025 season, lowering costs and going greener. These could tempt new teams with the prospect of a more level playing field. Porsche boss Oliver Blume said: ‘The good thing is that everybody starts at zero.’ But he also said: ‘To turn it into viable business case which dovetails with our core brand values, the regulations need to change so that Porsche can broadly identify with the new environment-friendly priorities.’ Meanwhile, an Audi spokesman flatly denied that F1 is an option. ►At the end of 2020, Audi and Porsche held preliminary discussions with the…

Tell us about your first car ‘A Holden Torana – basically a Vauxhall Viva. It was six months old when I bought it; I blew it up in three months.’ What is your proudest achievement? ‘The BTCC. It has been my baby, and I still get as much pride from its achievements as I did in that first year.’ Tell us about a time you screwed up… ‘Which year?! I’m not arrogant enough to say I don’t mess up, but there isn’t one huge f**k up that really haunts me.’ What’s the best thing you’ve ever done in a car? ‘Phillip Island racetrack with Peter Brock in a Commodore racecar, 1987. There was no seat; I was hanging onto the rollcage to listen to the diff. He forgot I was…

Abrief glance at the new Bentley Continental GT Speed won’t tell all. It barely looks different from the outside and, save for some new veneers and alcantara upholstery, little has changed inside. But the GT Speed is Bentley’s ‘most dynamic car ever’, with some serious road-pummelling technology to make it a few notches more fun to drive, including some firsts for Bentley. THE ENGINE THAT JUST WON’T QUIT The engine’s still a 6.0-litre W12 – a format that’s been in use in the VW Group since 2001 – this time making 650bhp (up 24bhp) and 664lb ft (the same figures as the exclusive Bacalar), good here for a 3.5sec 0-62mph sprint and a 208mph top speed. ‘We’ve produced more than 100,000 of this W12, and it’s still the most efficient…

20-inch wheels, skirts, creases like a student’s job interview shirt, bootlid spoiler – the i20N’s aesthetic is not low-key. But tell me you don’t want to drive it. 02 miles So many options I have to pull over to investigate. Infotainment is tech-heavy done right. Nicer than either the Ford system in the Fiesta ST or Honda’s Civic Type R offering. 02 miles Calibrating your N Modes is all-consuming. We go with a covers-most- bases N1, with Sport ESC assistance, and a red-blooded, no-safety-net N2. 21 miles Launch control lets you adjust your preferred launch rpm. Feels like overkill given half the fun of a front-drive launch is juggling clutch, throttle and grip. 46 miles Various track maps can be accessed, should you and your i20N find yourself, say, at…

The rise of the Peugeot 508 from also-ran business bus to desirable fastback is a comeback story worthy of a strings-laden montage. The hot 508 doesn’t have a GTI badge but instead talks of being ‘Sport Engineered’ – not a trim level but an indication it’s been given some extra attention by Peugeot Sport, as we saw previously with the likes of the 208 GTI and RCZ R. Not only is the 508 the first of many SE-badged cars, but, with 355bhp, it’s the most powerful (roadgoing) Peugeot ever made. It’s also all-wheel drive, like the old 405 T16 (but the extra driven axle comes courtesy of an electric motor). There are two e-motors, in fact, totalling 220bhp of bonus brawn (broadly the same output as the 405 T16’s engine,…

Surely new JLR boss Thierry Bolloré had second thoughts when he drove this updated F-Pace SVR. Not because Special Vehicle Operations has produced a duff, but because an SUV with a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is at odds with Jaguar’s switch to electrification from 2025, yet eloquently states the case for maintaining the status quo. The SVR is engaging even if you tap only 40 per cent of its potential. It’s in the ease of the steering, which twirls lightly and quickly, but also with authentic feedback. It’s in the fastpaced heartbeat of the powertrain, how it surges so effortlessly and shuffles gears just so. It’s also in a sweet ride and handling compromise that makes the SVR wieldy but comfortable, too. This thing bursts with charisma and energy, even around…

Land Rover should go back to basics. Build a durable workhorse that could be used as a fire truck, police vehicle or ambulance – easy to repair, cheap to maintain. Fer Maxwell Excellent. Not electric, not self-driving, and goes like the clappers. What’s not to like? Mike Nash For many that don’t really go off-road, a six-cylinder hybrid would make more sense. But for those in the wilderness you want something that’s simple and repairable in the field. Ashley Stevens…

What’s the CV? Not the original M car, but M3 is the bullseye on the M division dartboard. We wouldn’t give the previous- gen a reference. New one top of the class. If it were an Olympian it’d be… Pole vault champion. Bit of a run up, then a big pointy arc of power delivery over a wobbly bar the others can’t clear. The 10-second sales pitch High-revving straight six, oversteer lunatic, family hack, tech showcase, probably the last rear-drive M3. Don’t buy one if You’re a shrinking violet - like a dangerous dog on start-up and these looks aren’t shy, but reaction on our shoot says people like it.…

What’s the CV? Now four generations old, and still living in the shadow of 2006’s B7 V8. All-wheel drive and estate bodies since before it was fashionable. If it were an Olympian it’d be… Straight to the Winter Olympics for a gold in Alpine Skiing. The 10-second sales pitch Mini RS6, anti-M3 - a high- performance car that won’t try to kill you, doesn’t look embarrassing and has space for things. Don’t buy one if You want to buzz with excitement after every drive, and you commute on bumpy roads. Handling neutral, ride so-so.…

You’ll need to make good use of the giant paddles, as the Sián is hard to drive in auto Four seconds. One, two, three, four… it’s over. A four-second pedal-to-the-metal stint is all it takes to fully deplete the electricity stored in the super-capacitor, the tech innovation that makes the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 a supercar unlike anything else. That’s four seconds of thrilling acceleration in a car that wouldn’t exactly be short of accelerative thrills even without the brief 34bhp e-motor boost, which cuts out at 81mph. Then a good hard application of the fantastically powerful brakes recharges the e-reservoir, ready for another V12-meets-forked-lightning blast down the next straight. So, as you’ll have gathered, the Sián is not some sort of overdressed Prius. Yes, it is a hybrid, but…

Why is it here? Big brother to the ID.3 hatch, the Tiguan-sized ID.4 is VW’s first electric SUV. It’s built on the same versatile MEB electric car platform as the ID.3 and upcoming Cupra el-Born and Audi Q4 e-Tron. Since VW isn’t building an electric Tiguan, if you want an e-VW SUV, this is it. Any clever stuff? The ID’s exterior door handles look like they’d pull outwards, though in fact are fitted with touch-sensitive micro-switches. They feel strange to use, but more worryingly the handle insert seems insufficiently anchored to the door structure – just one example of less than stellar build quality on a car that deserves better. Which version is this? The 1st Edition is the only ID.4 currently available. It has a 77kWh battery, a single…

1 PLUGGING IN (PART 1) Somebody (okay, me) left the Seven in the garage with the ignition on, so a spot of car-to-car resuscitation is required before it’s going anywhere. Not often an MG F is the healthy one providing the power. 2 PLUGGING IN (PART 2) Underway. I’ve learned never to leave home without earplugs (for the road noise) and a 12V-to-USB adapter (for my phone). 3 ROOFLESS VILLAIN Do wish I’d remembered to bring the hood bag with me, though. It’s a sunny day and it’s getting too hot inside for it to stay up. Without the Velcro on bag, I need to squash the roof into the boot and get paranoid about crimping the rear screen. 4 SMALL CAR, SMALL APPETITE The Caterham’s averaging an entirely respectable…

If there’s one thing to make getting out of bed on a cold winter’s morning more bearable than the promise of driving a supercharged V8 F-Type, it’s the promise of driving two of them. The 567bhp F-Type R is the flagship in a range that starts at just under £55k and, with the Heritage 60 Edition cars, created to celebrate/cash-in on the E-Type’s 60th birthday, temporarily runs to £122k (the R coupe is usually £97k). Impressive though the R’s rear-biased all-wheel drive and rampant straight-line performance are, I’m happy the F in my life summons a more modest 444bhp and drives only its rear axle. Its engine is the one you can enjoy more of, more of the time. Jaguar F-Type Month 3 The story so far Rear-drive coupe version…

Nine pokes it took me to get it turned on. You’d think I’d be a bit more skilled after all these years. I’m starting to think that the cold weather affects the efficacy of the Golf’s touchscreen, because first thing in the morning it’s grumpier than my wife with a hangover. This morning, just to switch the heated seat on, access the climate control, turn the temperature up high and sync it (again) with my phone, it took nine frustrating jabs with my finger, because half those thrusts didn’t land the requisite punch. Oh for old-fashioned buttons, like the two I have to press every time I start the car to switch off the infernal lane-keeping assist… VW Golf 1.5 eTSI 150 DSG Style Month 3 The story so far…

1 TOYOTA YARIS The jury’s choice is Phil’s pick too. He says this of the new baby hybrid (and hot GR version): ‘Heaps of space, lavishly equipped, and the explosive GR is a hot-hatch thrill.’ Yours from £19,910. 2 CITROËN C4 Not rated particularly highly by other UK judges, but Phil praises its epic comfort: ‘A haphazard design hides an impressive family car – plush seats, first-class ride and rolling refinement.’ From £23,005, or £33,395 for the electric one. 3 LAND ROVER DEFENDER The reborn Defender is the UK judges’ overall favourite; Phil says it’s a ‘deeply desirable’ SUV, offering plenty of wheelbase and powertrain choices. Prices start from £44,200. 4 FIAT 500 The reborn-again 500’s new lease of electric life is a convincing package: ‘It has so much charm,…

NISSAN GT-R 50TH ANNIVERSARY £1139 A dinosaur, but a powerful one Spec 3.8-litre, all-wheel drive, 562bhp, 316g/km CO2 List price £92,995 Initial payment £6838.38; then £1139.73/month for 35 months Mileage allowance 10,000 Via Hitachi Capital BMW M2 CS £885 Last in a line of great M2s Spec 3.0-litre, rear-wheel drive, 444bhp, 238g/km CO2 List price £75,320 Initial payment £5507.89; then £884.65/month for 36 months Mileage allowance 10,000 Via Key2Lease PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 £1074 The best Cayman, with the manual Spec 4.0-litre, rear-wheel drive, 414bhp, 249g/km CO2 List price £75,780 Initial payment £6445.98; then £1074.33/month for 36 months Mileage allowance 10,000 Via Hitachi Capital ALPINE A110 LEGENDE GT £817 Fully loaded peachy lightweight Spec 1.8-litre, rear-wheel drive, 249bhp, 145g/km CO2 List price £59,140 Initial payment £4899.78; then £816.63/month for 36 months…

1917 1917 Curtiss’s Autoplane trailblazer While patents are filed for flying carriages as early as 1841, it’s not until the 20th century that prototypes take shape. American Glenn Curtiss’s Autoplane is one of the first. Plenty of on-paper promise but the Great War gets in the way before it can, ahem, get off the ground. 1947 1947 Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar Neither Nicolas Cage’s Con Air nor a Chevrolet Corvair but something more hazardous than both: the ConvAirCar is a smart, Henry Dreyfuss-styled fibreglass two-seater with a roof-mounted monoplane get-up. It flies in prototype form but a crash landing after a fuel-gauge mix-up proves a hefty knock to car and public confidence alike, and production is a non-starter. 1997 1997 Moller’s M400 Skycar Dr Paul Moller’s life’s work is the…