Innholdsfortegnelse for 01-Feb 2015 i BBC Top Gear Magazine

This, I suspect, is going to be a contentious question. Have Aston Martins ever really been any good? Glorious, yes. Caddish, of course. Likeable, most defnitely. A little bit knowing, quite possibly. A keystone of this nation’s sense of its own identity as evinced by the more memorable of its industrial products, like Mallard and Concorde – yes, yes, all right. But actually that good? I’m not sure. It pains me to say this, because as a lad I could imagine nothing more wonderful than a V8 Vantage (I’m talking about the one from the Seventies, which is when I was a lad, not the more recent one). The thought of that car kept me awake longer than the thought of Catherine Bradley did. Somewhere on the bookshelves, I still…

PART 7: WHAT IS AMERICA’S SUPERCAR? Is the new Corvette Stingray Z06 better than the Dodge SRT Viper? Depends what you mean by better. We haven’t driven them side by side, but I have driven both on road and track, and they are equally crazy. But they’re also quite different. How so? Compared with the hand-built Viper, the Z06 is a relatively mass-produced car. The production line at GM’s Corvette factory in Bowling Green, KY, currently pumps out seven Z06s per hour. The Viper’s Conner Avenue production facility in Detroit produces only between seven and 10 cars a day. OK, so the Viper is a rarer beast, but what about the mechanical differences? In the Vette’s corner, you have a 650bhp/650lb fit s’charged 6.2-litre V8. In the Viper’s, there is…

AGE: 70(ish) OCCUPATION: MUSICIAN NATIONALITY: AMERICAN What was your first car? I learned how to drive on a ranch in an old army Jeep from the war. I was out in a pasture and this old cowboy guy was helping me, and I somehow caught the bumper on a fence and knocked the whole thing down. The car was still going. I froze. He was watching me going, “What the f**k are you doing?” Any other incidents? Not too many, I’ve been way lucky – especially when I wasn’t all there in the brain. I remember driving from Washington state to Cali in the Sixties and kinda woke up after a coupl’a hours thinking, “Who been drivin’?” And your worst car? I never had money, so I’d buy a car…

PLANET / PUB AMMO KING OF THE ROAD Before becoming a reasonably famous pop star, Elvis Presley was a truck driver for the Crown Electric Company in Memphis. In fact, he was once advised by the musician Eddie Bond to keep on trucking, as he was “never going to make it as a singer”. SIN BIN For centuries, residents of the German villages Glees and Wassenach have argued over which is better. In 2010 they decided to settle the feud once and for all, by holding a downhill wheelie bin race. Unfortunately the rivalry only worsened when some competitors were accused of illegally modifying their council-issue bins by fitting skateboard wheels. DIGGER FOR VICTORY With an officially recorded top speed of 72.58mph, the JCB GT recently became the fastest digger…

With a thrummy little fourcylinder petrol engine, the new Fabia is a thoroughly pleasant thing. But this one doesn’t have a little petrol. It has a little diesel. Still a three cylinder, the 1.4-litre delivers 89bhp and 83.1mpg (there’s a version on the way that Skoda claims will hit 88.3mpg, too). So did we see 83.1mpg? No. We managed just under 60mpg after 70 miles of mixed driving, which, given the vagaries of the fuel-test cycle, isn’t bad. Though quiet and tractable in and out of town, it’s the getting up to speed that undoes the diesel. The noise amplifies, and once the power tails of at 3,500rpm, the rev needle moves at a speed best described as archeological. The long gearing doesn’t help. Fifth is best reserved for motorways,…

Like the Citroen Berlingo – a past TG favourite – the e-NV200 is basically a commercial van converted into an MPV for those who want five seats and bootspace on a budget. And as part of Nissan’s increasing electrification of its range, this is the battery-powered version, using the tech from the Leaf (110,000 sold globally and counting). The top-spec Tekna throws in as many car-like options as it can – alloys, parking cameras, privacy glass, a very good multimedia console, de rigueur ‘electric car blue’ paint – but climb in and you’re still driving a van, sitting bolt upright and reaching uncomfortably for the wheel. Worse, the increased weight hampers the real USP of electric cars in the city: the torque. Especially using Eco mode, which gets you closer…

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the first of Ford’s four consecutive wins at Le Mans with the legendary GT40, and its historic 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 event. Until recently, it looked like Ford wouldn’t have a car capable of fighting the good fight on that particular birthday. But that changed at the recent Detroit motor show, when it unveiled the new Ford GT. And stole the entire show. Now, keeping secrets in the motor industry is difficult, especially when bringing a car to life requires the equivalent of a small army necessary to design, construct and engineer the thing. Humans with an impossible need to gossip. But somehow Ford managed to keep the GT under wraps for 14 months by making it a skunkworks project in…

INTERWEB, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LETTER, CARRIER PIGEON. YOU SEND IT, WE PRINT IT TWITTER.COM/BBC_TOPGEAR FACEBOOK.COM/TOPGEAR SECOND FLOOR A, ENERGY CENTRE, IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY LONDON LIMITED, MEDIA VILLAGE, 201 WOOD LANE, LONDON W12 7TN FROM TOPGEAR.COM McLaren Special Operations has introduced us to this, a Gulf-coloured P1... So does this mean they could make a Martini one? Daniel The Porsche 918 comes in Martini livery (with the logo and everything). Yiannis Kaparos Bit of a problem here, Gulf colours look good on anything. Joshua VoVillia Anyone who thinks this looks better than the transparent purple-black over bare carbon fbre must be mad. Richard Harrold I once made the mistake of buying a Gulfliveried jacket at Le Mans. Alex Joe Mills SO MUCH YES. Sideways AMG GT S It looks like a GT40!!!…

1 Bentley’s SUV will be called the Bentayga Production version of EXP 9-F concept will land in 2016 with, um, an unusual nameplate. Apparently it’s a mountain in the Canary Isles. We’re told the Bentayga will be the most expensive SUV around. Get saving 2 Jaguar’s SUV will be called the F-Pace Production version of C-X17 concept will land in 2016 with, um, an unusual nameplate. It’ll use the skeleton and engine of the new XE (p82) with 4WD smarts from its Range Rover cousins. Sounds F-ing promising 3 Revised Cayenne Turbo S is ’Ring king Porsche’s new 562bhp V8 monster has lapped the 14-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7m59s, becoming the first SUV to dip under the eightminute barrier. Your move, Range Rover Sport SVR... 4 Shelby’s GT350R is the…

1 Proper car workshops have lifts so you can work under the car standing up. They also have used oil collection drums, with big funnels on the top, to make things easier. But you don’t have any of these things. You will have to crawl underneath. 2 Drive the car around a bit, to warm it up. This makes the oil hot, so it flows out more easily. It also means it will burn your hands 3 Park on level ground, or over your inspection pit. You probably don’t have one of those, either. 4 Look up your car’s sump capacity, and find a bucket or plastic bowl at least that big, not smaller. Crawl under the car, and place your receptacle under the sump. Crawl back out because you…

GRECO GENÈVE In the watch world, a ‘novelty’ – strictly speaking – refers simply to a new model. Often though, the word takes on its other, more comical meaning, especially when the watch in question is shaped like a giant nut. It’s called the LTM-04T and it’s made by Swiss company GRECO Genève, which, by its own admission, is a bit of a weirdo. The press pack refers to “mechanical truths”, “dance-house pianos” and “magical powder”. Clearly GRECO’s designers have sampled much of the latter. But love ’em or hate ’em, their inventions certainly get your attention. We’ve seen plenty of designs inspired by cars, with carefully knurled bezels to resemble air vents and grooved straps that look like tyre tread. Most manage to corral these elements into a tasteful…

NISSAN 370Z NISMO • Latest update for the most hardcore 370Z includes more figure-hugging seats, but also softened dampers and better sound-deadening. You what? • It’s £37,575, and that’s far too much for a car that doesn’t have the all-round class of a Cayman or TTS. Runs Porsche close for fun, though. • 3.7-litre n/a V6 is the same. Pulls strongly, but is inefficient and none too tuneful. Sixspeed manual good with rev-match software. • It might feel dated alongside a TT, but it’s not short of driver appeal. Nicely damped, steers well and is an honest and pretty sharp drive. There’s a lot to like here. Engine 3696cc, V6, RWD, 339bhp, 276lb ft Performance 26.6mpg, 248g/km CO2, 0–60mph in 5.2secs, 155mph Weight 1535kg Price £37,575…

I should have waited to write this. I’m tempting fate; this is a mistake. Anyway, I’m teaching myself to drive today. More specifically, to drive and ride. I’ve complicated my life in recent months by having a clear-out of some of the various hulks and wrecks lurking about the pile of mud and stone where I live and replacing them with more interesting, possibly even functioning, toys. And that’s the point: I undertook this exercise intending to simplify my life, to cut down on paperwork and maintenance and replace the many with the important few. So, gone are some of the bought-to-impress cars and flashy bikes – including a BMW HP4 road rocket of a bike I miss already and a Land Rover I should NEVER have parted with. And…

IS IT A BIG MAN AND SMALL CAR OR A SMALL CAR AND BIG MAN? OR IS IT SIMPLY AS MUCH FUN AS YOU CAN HAVE WITH EIGHT BHP? WORDS: DAN READ / PICTURES: ROWAN HORNCASTLE My colleague Oliver Marriage is a gentleman of some distinction. He does his files up every morning. Takes his hat of indoors. And in the past three months, he has cursed just once, and even then it came out as “shoot”. Today, he’s dressed in a moleskin jacket that previously belonged to his father, and if there happened to be a lady nearby he would hold open the door and definitely not goose her on the way through. He is also an arse. Because while I came here today for a spot of cultured…

LOWMILER 1980 3500 NADA £6,950 A US import, with just 43k miles and a manual ’box. Ignore the US-spec lights, bumpers and oatmeal velour. You’re gonna turn it into a cop car anyway. Right? countryclassics-cars.com EARLY CAR 1977 2600 £3,950 OK, it’s not the V8 one. But it’s £3k less than the US car, and has, according to its seller, recently undergone an ‘extensive restoration’. Looks tidy, and probably is. carandclassic.co.uk CHEAP ALT’ 1986 2600 Vanden Plas £850 A runner, with ‘some history’ (possibly a dark one), but no tax or MOT. The seller will throw in a load of bits to get it going again, however. Could be a decent project... carandclassic.co.uk…

ON THE PODIUM NORMAN DEW IS Legendary Jag test driver gets OBE. All rise! SCHUEY JUNIOR Reportedly aces first ‘secret’ test in a single-seater RICH WEISSENSEL Builds DeLorean truck, cabrio, limo and hovercraft IN THE POINTS LIL WAYNE Buys 16-yearold daughter her first car. A Ferrari 599 GTO HYUNDAI DRIVER Smells burning. Finds squirrel nest under bonnet ALFA ROMEO Confirms new MX-5-based roadster will wear Abarth badge IN THE PITS LONDON MAYOR Eco-group slams Boris for driving 305g/km Previa CHINESE WOMAN Stuffs boyfriend’s 918 Spyder. Mixes up gas and brake GERMAN THIEVES Steal nine Range Rovers from set of new Bond film…

• A refresh of lights, grilles and alloys has offered the powertrain alchemists the chance to squeeze even more teetotal stats from the super-frugal ‘ultra’ A6 estate. • A beautifully built wagon with an eco-tuned Golf GTD engine, this is a great package. The main weakness is the S tronic ’box, and the unappealing clatter. • Thanks to a decoupling gearbox function when coasting, it’s a bigger tax-dodger than a comedian: 61mpg and 114g/km CO2. • Pub fact alert: A6 Avant ultras use fibreglass rear springs to save 1.6kg! That sums up the car – nerdy attention to detail, aiming to save your pocket. Engine 1984cc, 4cyl turbo, FWD, 187bhp, 295lb ft Performance 61.4mpg, 114g/km CO2, 0–62mph in 8.5secs, 140mph Weight 1800kg Price £35,485…