Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i BBC Top Gear Magazine

Just a few years ago most manufacturers were dutifully plotting a course for a full EV future. Some, to our delight, were enjoying one last party by green lighting bucket list projects with silly combustion engines while they still could, but the mood music was clear – petrol engines would be dead within the next 15 years. Cut to 2024 and, certainly among supercar makers, the message is far more bullish – they’re going to keep them alive for as long as they possibly can. Why? Because the market has spoken and what monied car buyers want are engines bursting with character and engineering creativity, not violently powerful electric motors. Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti-Rimac, recently went on record to say his Nevera hypercar isn’t selling, and he might not…

CARMAKERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF aero has come a long way since the Vauxhall Calibra 2.0 8V and its 0.26 drag coefficient. You wouldn’t think it by looking at it, but somehow Kia’s boxy new EV3 pretty much matches that Cd figure. Yep, with its 0.267Cd this compact crossover is as slippery as a 1990s coupe, and the result is an impressive max range of 348 miles on a single charge. That range comes courtesy of an 81.4kWh battery in the Long Range version, but from launch you’ll also be able to spec Standard Range with a 58.3kWh battery and 255 miles of range. The EV3 will be FWD only, with both versions getting a single motor that makes 201bhp – 0–62mph is a sensible 7.4 seconds for the Standard Range and…

Pub ammo The Bridan brothers’ 1974 Alfa Romeo 105 GTV was also known as the “Dropped Alfa” for pretty obvious reasons… IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE WHERE modern vehicle design takes direction from motorsport tech of the 1960s and 1970s, we get the Half 11. It’s part Porsche, part open-wheel racing car; the bespoke dream of twin brothers who share an aesthetic sense shaped by the rawness of vintage motorsports. It comes from the twisted minds and perma-dirty hands of Nikita and Iliya Bridan – formally educated auto stylists with a passion for the track car vibes of yesteryear – and the founders of Oil Stain Lab, a SoCal design shop. With years of experience in carmakers’ styling studios, the Bridan brothers came to social media prominence when their beloved 1974…

I that little angry guy from the telly gone? So, I suppose I know what you’re thinking. Who is this guy and where has should introduce myself. My name is Jethro – yes, really – and I’m not that angry. How could I be? My job is to write about cars, make videos on cars and surround myself with, um, cars. And now I get to do that for TopGear. My first two jobs have involved a McLaren 750S and Ferrari 296 GTB, followed by a trip to Spain to drive the new Aston Martin Vantage in perfect weather on an empty racetrack. I could scarcely be less angry. Plus, I’m at least 6ft 3in. However, I do feel some pressure to work out where I fit in to the…

Just occasionally, something’s lost in translation between poison tipped Italian and well-meaning King’s English. I’m standing alongside the new Ferrari in a Maranello studio. I ask Flavio Manzoni, the man who heads up the design department, if it’s possible to spec the black ‘mask’ bisecting its nose, the black roof section and the twin black aero flaps at the back in overall body colour. Manzoni rounds on me with derision. “If you ask to have them not in black… you walk on my body.” I think that’s an approximation of ‘over my dead body’. I’ll take that as a no then. Some ideas translate more literally than others. You thought the 812 Superfast’s name was a bit obvious. Its successor – the latest in a storied lineage of front-engined super…

1 Rev master: Cosworth GMA British-engineered 3.9-litre wailer in Gordon Murray’s hypercars revs to a record 12,100rpm – beating Cosworth’s own 6.5-litre 11,100rpm effort in the Aston Valkyrie. Yet it still delivers almost three quarters of its peak torque at 2,500rpm. 2 Poster star: Ferrari Colombo 3.0 The chromed trumpets, the red heads (hence Testa Rossa) – Maranello’s quintessential 1960s powerplant has pedigree, a soundtrack to die for, and is a treat to be behind when it’s at a standstill. 3 Lifetime achievement: Bizzarini V12 Bizzarini allegedly got a bonus from Lamborghini for every extra bhp he could wring out over Ferrari. Lasted from 350 GT via Miura, Countach and Diablo to 670bhp Murciélago SV, doubling in capacity. 4 God of sound: BMW S70/2 Also known as the 627bhp Paul…

It began as an idle conversation about what ‘small’ means when applied to cars, but it ended with my torso wedged into Europe’s narrowest street (and possibly the world’s… it depends on whom you ask), with a French man laughing, making circular motions around his belly and pointing at my midriff. Certainly not something one expects on the usual Thursday. But to get to the latter, we must first address the former. And it began in London, with a little, sorry ‘small’, car. The car in question is a Kia Picanto, and therefore undoubtedly at the bijou end of the automotive scale. The kind you can park immediately without parking sensors or fish eyed cameras, ending up adrift in a sea of clearance in even the most modest of spaces.…

That time we… RECREATED THE MOST FAMOUS PEUGEOT ADVERT The maddest bit about this story from 2018 was that the idea made it beyond the first email. “Hi Peugeot, we’d like to recreate the famous ‘Sculptor’ advert but instead of TV trickery, we actually want to travel to India and turn a Hindustan Ambassador into a 206 GTI. Sound good?” Miraculously, a few months later, there we were piggybacking the hard work of the automotive design department at DY Patil University in Pune – India’s Motown – which had meticulously fashioned a modern hot hatch (using fibreglass and witchcraft) from a 50-year-old rust bucket three box saloon. The ‘moment’ where it went from surreal to full on fever dream? When we couldn’t source an elephant to sit on the bonnet…

Can’t beat a Whatsapp message like that one. “Ollie, are you free next Thursday? Fastest Lotus versus Porsche grudge match in south Wales.” Count me in. I’ll have to unfurl the thermal cagoule because the weather will be howling, but I’ll happily cosplay as an oil rig worker for an ultimate Britain versus Germany sports car showdown. Imagine my surprise. Abergavenny thinks it’s Andalusia and the cars dispatched to battle it out in the sun scorched valleys boast back doors, big boots and a combined weight of five tonnes. And for once, Stuttgart is outgunned by Norfolk. The Lotus Eletre R offers up 905bhp, so in the continued absence of the forever delayed Evija hypercar, this 5.1 metre banana is the most powerful Lotus of all time – apart from…

The time has finally come to stop buying cars. Or more specifically, cars on Facebook Marketplace. Usually after many evenings spent browsing the classifieds, changing location to gain even more results and (gradually) increasing the price until something interesting pops up. Over the years I’ve bought various cars off marketplace completely unseen. I’ve sent money to strangers in the hope they’re not scammers, and inevitably I’ve then had cars arrive which were completely different to their description. Always much worse, funnily enough. Yet earlier this year I managed to tick all of those red flags – and then some more – by purchasing a car that wasn’t in England. Or even Europe, but some 9,000 miles away in the depths of South Africa. It only really hit home when the…

THE GOOD I like it overallCam Still 1000x better looking than UrusRMS LOOKS A BIT LESS LIKE A BLACK CAB NOWBrian Walker I LOVE ITTimo Rantalainen I think it looks greatTomothy Sou THE BAD What a dreadful looking thingKyron Smarcaro I can’t unsee the sad dog with a bristly moustacheDavid Paul Evans ANOTHER EXAMPLE THAT MONEY DOESN’T BUY TASTEAndy Is this the Mansory edition?John Cleave THE UGLY Are you sure this isn’t a picture of the cardboard box it comes in?Mike ROLLS-ROYCE CUGLYNAN WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATEChris Farrugia I rate it right up there with the Ssangyong Rodius as one of the all time great eyesoresTony Hall Vomit on wheelsRichard David Mault 120 years of style and sophistication gone in one vehicleRobert Smith WELCOME TO THE ROLLS-ROYCE CULLINAN SERIES II. Apparently…

NORMAL PETROL CARS GET THEIR worst fuel economy in town driving. Hybrids do better there, because they collect energy otherwise wasted when you slow down, then in accelerating can re-use that captured electrical energy instead of burning more petrol. But when speed is roughly constant on faster main roads, hybrid tech does very little to help. Because of that improvement in urban economy, people say, “Half my driving is in town so I should get a hybrid.” Usually they’re wrong. Because half the time they spend driving is in town, not half the distance. Here’s an example – an extreme one but it illustrates the point. On a weekday evening, it’ll take roughly an hour to get from King’s Cross in central London to the southern end of the M1. Then…

“IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ART, THE SCULPTURE, THE LUXURY” Where to start? It’s a toss up between wing mirror and gearbox. And the weather come to think of it. But let’s go with the initial plan and tell you about the side mirror. Because look at it. It’s more steampunk street lamp than functional item. Wonderful, but needlessly elaborate. Welcome to the world of the Pagani Utopia – a Jules Verne fever dream for the 23rd century. Done with the mirror? Then have a look at those bonkers carbon wheel spats, the brake calipers like bronze knuckle dusters, the elegant slivers of aluminium, the leather buckles, the roof portholes. It’s a 1930s vision of the far future, Flash Gordon’s motor conveyance. Pagani likes to claim its cars perfectly balance art…

What do these things have in common: Take That’s new tour, paint drying and autonomous racing? That’s right! They’re the three things I’m least excited about watching in the known universe, and yet I’m sat on the Yas Marina start/finish straight, in Abu Dhabi, along with 10,000 other slightly confused members of the public, cheering on a bunch of racecars fitted with sensors and PCs where humans with otherworldly driving skills and gladiatorial mindsets normally sit. The leader has just spun out on an innocuous left hander, and the other three competitors have ground to a halt, line astern, behind it, unable to fathom going past anything car-shaped under a yellow flag. I’ve seen our autonomous future and it involves very long tailbacks on the motorway. As a racing spectacle…

PC, 1995 In the early 1990s, the name Gremlin Graphics was synonymous with 2D arcade racing. With a catalogue that included Lotus Turbo Challenge, Super Cars and Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing, this small Sheffeld studio dished out more hits than a prizefighter. While Gremlin never enjoyed the same success in the 3D era, 1995 PC game Fatal Racing had an undeniable charm. Although the theme was deadly competition in the near future, with its luridly decorated saloon cars, tight handling and host of fictional sponsors, this played a bit like TOCA Touring Cars, only with more homicide. Well, unless you let your rivalry with Jason Plato get really out of hand. Circuits were treacherous, stunt-filled affairs and your race was just as likely to be ended by falling off…

JEEP WRANGLER SAHARA £61,125 CHANGES BIG AND SMALL ARE afoot for Jeep’s most authentic car. First the small – new grille, alloys and a bigger screen. Now, drumroll please… diesel is dead! And so is the two-door. Are we grieving? Nah. Even with less torque the Wrangler still makes a red carpet of impassable terrain. True, it won’t feel at home when you’re in town. But in that respect, it’s still leagues better than a Grenadier. JH ORA 03 PRO+ £35,195 IT’S THE ARTIST FORMERLY known as the Funky Cat. This Pro+ model gets a sorely needed bigger battery, and inside Ora claims many tech wins (among them CarPlay… in beta form). But the same old gremlins remain – the steering assist aims for lanes that aren’t there, and if you…

REPORT 4 RANGE ROVER SPORT £1O2,540 OTR/£117,385 as tested/£1,474 pcm WHY IT’S HERE: The Range Rover casts a big shadow. Can the Sport step out of it? DRIVER: BEN PULMAN RRS SPECS POWERTRAIN: 2998cc TTD 6cyl, AWD PERFORMANCE: 345bhp, 516lb ft, 0–62mph in 5.9secs, 145mph KERBWEIGHT: 2,360kg ECONOMY: 36.1mpg, 205g/km CO2 MILES SO FAR 5,211 OUR MPG 33.6 REPORT 5 PORSCHE CAYENNE S COUPE £88,100 OTR/£113,484 as tested/£1,982 pcm WHY IT’S HERE: Is Porsche’s big SUV still a game changer 20 years on? DRIVER: ROWAN HORNCASTLE CAYENNE SPECS POWERTRAIN: 3996cc TT V8, AWD PERFORMANCE: 474bhp, 443lb ft, 0–62mph in 4.7secs, 170mph KERBWEIGHT: 2,160kg ECONOMY: 20.8mpg, 282g/km CO2 MILES SO FAR 7,823 OUR MPG 20.4 TG’S PORSCHE CAYENNE S AND Range Rover Sport (RRS) are both red, cost around £110k, and are staunch…

It’s a tough job being a driver – it’s not just about controlling the two tonnes of metal and plastic beneath you, you want to keep everyone safe onboard. Sometimes the advice is to treat other drivers as if they’re out to get you, but what if they really are? John Moore is CEO of Westminster Security Group, providing private security services for all sorts of rich people and visiting heads of state, including driving them around and avoiding terrorists and suchlike. These aren’t mere drivers, but ‘security chauffeurs’, highly trained bodyguards with driving skills in the mix, ones often picked up in the military or with the likes of the Metropolitan police’s special escort group. So what sets a security chauffeur apart from other drivers? “Awareness, diligence, planning, knowledge,…

They called it “The World Cup of Cars”. Drivers competing on behalf of their home nations in identical – albeit patriotically liveried – machinery, the winning team at the end of the season officially crowned Fastest Nation State of All. In fairness, there have been worse motorsport ideas. For example, ‘Taki Inoue’. And like any self respecting modern World Cup, A1GP was sloshing with Gulf state oil money. Conceived and initially bankrolled by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, things began promisingly: no fewer than 25 countries signed up for the opening 2005–06 series, with drivers including Nelson Piquet Jr, Adrian Sutil, Karun Chandhok and Will Power. A reported six million viewers tuned in to watch the season opener live. But within a couple of years, things started…

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TIME FOR THE EMERGENCY STOP. I check my mirrors and, as instructed, pull over on the left-hand side of the road for the pre-briefing. I check my mirrors again. Can’t be too careful. “I’d now like you to perform an emergency stop. When I raise my hand and say ‘stop’, I want you to…” While my examiner talks, I’m dimly aware of a figure swaggering out of the Best One opposite. A pair of heavy knees appear at the window, then a dripping ice cream and finally a face. It’s having to stoop a long way down. What’s the etiquette now? Are you allowed to interact with a member of the public during your driving test? Aren’t I under exam conditions? Since the car is safe, handbrake on and in…

Don Wickstrum loves cars. Within five minutes of meeting, we’re onto the subject of what he has in the garage. Or rather, garages. The non-exhaustive list includes a 1934 Ford Model A, a 1957 Mack B61 truck, a 750bhp Audi 90 that runs on ethanol, an E34 BMW M3 drift car, a 1946 Dodge that’s now a ratrod with a 600bhp Cummins 4BT engine in it in tribute to Don’s uncle Joe, a 1972 Ford Bronco and a 2000 Ford F-150 Lightning. Deep breath, because there’s also a 1968 Ford Mustang with an EcoBoost four pot, a 1955 Ford F-250, a 1964 Ford F-100 with a modern Mustang GT350 5.2-litre Voodoo V8, another Ford F-100 with an electric powertrain, yet another F-100 (this time a 1972 that wears its patina…

ENGINE A HUMBLE FOUR-CYLINDER turbo, albeit one with pedigree. This is Honda’s K20C1 unit, closely related to the Civic Type R lump but strengthened and boosted up to 550bhp, and run through a 3MO six speed paddleshift gearbox. Theoretical top speed of 186mph CHASSIS DALLARA’S EAV24 CHASSIS UNDERPINS this SF23 Japanese Super Formula racer, albeit modified to house and hide all the autonomous sensors and actuators. Pushrod suspension front and rear, carbon everywhere, 660kg all in… this is a very serious racecar RADAR OPERATE MUCH LIKE lidar, using pulses of electromagnetic waves instead of lasers to form a picture. There are three fitted here – ZF ProWaves in case you fancy fitting a couple to your old dog that keeps bumping into things COMPUTER GEEKS ASSEMBLE! THAT BLUE box buried…

Paul Clayton Zimbabwe Bought a Venturo to ship to Namibia. Plans to fly across Botswana and see what world records exist for flying vechicle and go after them Stu Lawson Hartlepool Owns the only yellow Venturo. Why? He’s got a collection of cars and bikes that have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 cylinders. They all have to be yellow Alex Shepherd London Bought a Venturo to add to his 15-strong monkey bike collection. This is the only one that can off-road. And fly Dave Walker London Bought his Venturo drunk at a Christmas do. Has since got engaged, married and had a kid. The monkey bike is his guaranteed escape Hans-Jörg Weckenmann Germany Being a sadist, Hans has gone for the smaller 50cc Venturo. Not ideal…

“ONE CLICK RIGHT, THE BIG STARTER BUTTON GLOWS. THUMB IT AND HOLD UNTIL THE THROBBING V8 CATCHES” I’M NOT SURE I HAVE DRIVEN ANOTHER car that rumbles about quite as satisfyingly as this Jensen Interceptor. There’s something deeply pleasing in the act of getting about the place in it. People say the reason the Interceptor has never been worth big money is that it lacks pedigree, but having spent a week with one I find the combination of Carozzeria Touring styling and lumpy great Detroit motor utterly beguiling. And we’ll just skate over the bit that was 1970s West Midlands build quality. Maybe it’s because this one isn’t an original. Or maybe it’s because I have memories of an original. Memories chiefly concerned with polishing chrome, overheating in traffic and…

INCLUDING · RANGE ROVER SPORT · BMW M2 · VW ID.3 · JEEP AVENGER · RICCI’S GARAGE · LOVED AND LOST: FORD KA MKI · RAY-BAN META GLASSES · SWYTCH E-BIKE KIT · PROJECT CORNER: ROYAL ENFIELD REPORT 5 BMW M2 £62,995 OTR/£66,607 as tested/£680 pcm WHY IT’S HERE… Is the ownership experience as bright and sunny as the car itself? DRIVER: OLLIE KEW CARSPEAK SHORTHAND SAYS THE 2 is the entry level M. But is a £65k, 460bhp car ‘entry level’? Just because BMW says this is where your journey with a punchy but daily drivable rear-drive entertainer should begin… doesn’t mean you can’t flex your muscles. Just like Simon Bond from the TG office, or Matt Kew – my little brother. All 6ft 4in of him. Last year, Simon…

ROYAL ENFIELD CONTI GT650 WHAT IS IT? A passion project motorbike created to make the world a better and happier place for all who see it OWNER: ROWAN HORNCASTLE WELCOME TO TOPGEAR’S PROJECT Corner, a pocket of the magazine where we modify and mend things. It’s also the most profitable part of the business as it’s where TG’s swear jar is located. Over the past year, we’ve turned a stock Royal Enfield Continental GT650 into a never been done before crossover custom, a zany cafe racer with panniers and practicality. With the help of Royal Enfield’s custom team, we settled on a design and got to work. First stop, Central Wheel Components to lace up some wider, handmade spoked wheels. Harris Performance then offered us a mixture of CNC billet aluminium…