Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i BBC Top Gear Magazine

@jack_rix @rixjack jack.rix@bbctopgearmagazine.com I must have checked my phone 47 times before it pinged. Jethro’s hot take live from the F80 launch. Ferrari’s hypercars come around roughly once a decade and this verdict felt like a big one… for all the wrong reasons. Most people’s minds were already made up, and it was hard to blame them. I did the initial static reveal in Maranello, grimaced when the covers first came off and cried a little bit inside when Ferrari confirmed our suspicions – it would ditch the LaFerrari’s monumental, naturally aspirated V12 for an e-boosted twin turbo V6. Yep, like the ‘baby’ 296 GTB. I’d watched and listened to YouTube clips of various parade laps as it whistled past sounding worryingly like Ferrari’s first EV. Needless to say I…

CALL IT WHAT YOU LIKE, THIS IS QUITE simply a gorgeous car. It’s the latest from California’s finest rebigulater of Porsche 964s, and references a very unique spec of 911 Carrera available in the 1980s. It is offcially known as the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer for reasons you all know. Long name, short story – at heart, it’s a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre 964 with a gloriously 1980s suit. The first step is stripping and inspecting a donor 964 – because these things arrived when Tim Berners-Lee was busy helping future mankind watch dog videos on their phones – before cleaning and prepping each one for restoration. The bare chassis is then fully restored using methods developed in consultation with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (no, it won’t dive…

A RANGE EXTENDER (REX) IS A SIMPLER form of plug in hybrid. The engine can’t power the wheels, but drives a generator that sends its electricity to the battery, or to the drive motor if it’s needed there. Mostly you run with the battery, with the engine sparking up only when it’s flat. These things had their moment in the sun a decade ago, with the Fisker Karma, Chevy Volt and BMW i3 REX. Then we thought they’d gone. They ran well as EVs but felt odd with the engine on. Now they’re back. The Chinese include BYD’s DM-i models, Li Auto and the floating/spinning Yangwang U8. The Mazda MX-30 intrigues, and in the US heavy pickups from Ram and VW subsidiary Scout will soon use them. Supplier ZF has…

As a rule, Epic Fail steers clear of featuring motorbikes, for two reasons. First, Epic Fail is not a motorbicyclist, and does not understand the subtle nuances of the craft, or indeed why motorbikes don’t just fall over all the time. Second, many motorbicyclists are both musclebound and also leatherbound, and thus not the folk to anger by saying something out of place. Nonetheless, Epic Fail feels confident in its decision to consign this motorbike in the ‘big ol’ crash and burn’ category. This particular motorbike was the magnificently named Johammer J1, a machine Epic Fail would applaud for its ambition were Epic Fail’s hands not busy shielding Epic Fail’s eyes. The concoction of Austrian industrial designer Johann Hammerschmidt, the J1 arrived in 2014 promising to shake up the world…

Ferrari Amalfi THE NEW FERRARI AMALFI – OR PERHAPS the second generation of the Ferrari Roma – is, overall, a well proportioned luxury GT car. At first glance, I see the intent towards a simplification of details and minimal design evolution, but I don’t immediately see Ferrari. For me, Ferrari is all about ‘fare la bella figura’, meaning it should accomplish this through casual elegance and breathtaking, striking details. The emotional spark feels missing here. That said, the Amalfi has great proportions, looking well balanced and hunkered down with a phenomenal stance on the road. While there are certain front end elements that leave me at a loss for words (that tongue, those reptilian eyes, not to mention the pencil line moustache), the surface sculpting of the bonnet and front…

MARIO KART WORLD £75, Nintendo Switch 2 Believe it or not, it’s been over a decade since the previous Mario Kart game in the series, Mario Kart 8, was originally released in its non Deluxe form. If you want some perspective on how long ago that was, back then there were only six Star Wars movies. Fortunately, Mario Kart World is worth the wait. It’s a glorious, chaotic, 24 kart stampede and retains the series' crown as the undisputed king of sofa based, elbow to ribcage multiplayer. This time rather than individual themed circuits, the tracks themselves are part of a sprawling open world. Also new is Knockout Tour, an elimination race which is our new favourite way to play Mario Kart online. Like all Mario Kart games, Mario Kart…

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The Ioniq 5 N was a revelation. Hyundai’s N division took a soft and slightly lardy electric crossover and turned it into an engaging, oversized hot hatch with terrifying straight line speed, a realistic paddleshift gearbox and a proper tyre shredding drift mode. Now it’s time for the difficult second album, and thankfully Hyundai has decided not to stray from the original recipe. Mixed metaphors aside, the first thing you should know is that this new Ioniq 6 N gets the same basic powertrain as the 5 N, which means a twin motor setup for all wheel drive and a total of 601bhp. However, as you may also remember from the 5, there’s an N Grin Boost button which gives you 10 seconds of 641bhp and 568lb ft of torque.…

“IF WE GET KIDNAPPED BY ELVES, THAT’S PROBABLY NOT COVERED BY BBC INSURANCE.” Photographer Mark chews slowly on a mouthful of wasabi-coated fish pieces and grimaces. At my sudden outburst or the food, I’m not sure. “Think of the premiums for covering mythological kidnap,” he says, as if imagining fable-led loss adjusting. “But I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” He’s not wrong. Although he might be. Nothing is clear. We’ve already not found a mythical gold chest hidden at the base of the Gullfoss waterfall, failed to root out the legendary trout fishing ogress who occupies the Háifoss, can’t find the Huldufólk (hidden people, although that just proves that they’re really good at hiding) and our snacks are verging on human rights violations. Mostly fish or liquorice for some…

What is it? The first true electric supercar. Under its gullwing doors, the e-SLS mustered four motors delivering a colossal 740bhp and 738lb ft. Despite weighing more than Munich airport it could do 0–62mph in 3.9 seconds. The 548kg battery was supplied by Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, of F1 engine fame. Did they actually build any? AMG said it wasn’t merely a tech exercise and it would sell the ’leccy SLS to customers – for a million euro. Demand was, ahem, sluggish, with a reputed nine finding owners between 2013 and 2015. Where are they now? AMG’s electric reboot has stuttered: the EQE and EQS 53 are about as driver engaging as a canal boat, and heavier still than the SLS ED. There’s an all-electric four door EV due next…

What is it? A V8 coupe/convertible from a ‘British’ manufacturer. Much like an Aston Vantage. They’re both good looking, fast and sound brilliant. Why are we interested? Both do the same job, and do it well. But a new Aston starts at £165k+ and you can get an F-Type for mid-£30k for a very clean one. So… they’re the same but not? The numbers run at 656bhp, 202mph for the Aston, 475–575bhp for the Jag depending on model. Should I buy one? For the full fat experience, V8S or F-Type R. All are s/c, all offer the Aston’s experience, but with more bang for buck.…

I really don’t want to start too far into Natalie’s territory here. She is informed and immersed in the world of F1. I just watch on the TV at home. However, I think it’s time to reassess Max Verstappen. Not his skill as a driver nor the relentless, high energy style that dazzles spectators and destroys team mates. He is a genius behind the wheel, up there with the greatest of all time. That is fact, undisputed and undeniable. And I love watching him extract (or should that be invent?) performance through sheer force of will. But as a bloke he has, up to now, been mostly pretty hard to like. How so? Well, for a guy who clearly adores driving and racing, Max’s demeanour could largely be described as…

Carbon fibre wheels roll to a stop in the pitlane at Misano. The Ferrari F80’s fans are working at full pace to counter the fierce heat and the thermal load of a full day of fast laps and a couple of hours of loose driving for the camera. For now it’s over. The first day of the launch for Ferrari’s new godfather of the range. The F80 follows 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari. A statement of intent for the future and a 1,183bhp flex that embodies everything Ferrari knows about making a supercar right here and now. Tonight? Pasta, limoncello, a million mosquito bites… and a significant amount of puzzlement. I don’t love it. There’s respect. Awe, even. The F80 does some incredible things. I’m not sure that…

There’s a butt coming. Soon it will be going, and I can’t decide if that’s better or worse. The front is an ode to 1970s fibreglass, the back is… well, significantly prolapsed. The square, rheumy headlights lift as it accelerates, then fall like a sigh under braking, the bodywork leans into the corner like it’s about to flop off the chassis beneath, and it exits in a complicated flurry of wheelspin, lock and lurch, displaying a back end of prodigious ugliness. Makes a divine noise, though. Meet Edward. He’s not the best looking chap, bless him. But he does have a story to tell. Because buried behind the mesh rump is a 6.1-litre naturally aspirated, BMW created V12. That’s right, this tale digs deep into the history of the legendary…

AUDI A5 e-HYBRID QUATTRO TECHNIK £49,675 FINALLY, THE A5 THE FLEET operators will love – maybe we’ll see some on the roads now. The plug in version of Audi’s stalwart has 20.7kWh for an offcial range of 61 miles. It runs nicely in EV mode, the engine integrates smoothly the rest of the time – Audi’s done a lovely job on the brake blending too. No fast charging sadly, it can only be juiced up on an AC plug up to 11kW. SB HYUNDAI INSTER 02 £26,755 WE NEED MORE NEAT LITTLE EVs that are easy to live with, fewer outrageously chonky SUVs. It’s a measure of how good Hyundai/Kia’s EVs are that I was disappointed to average 4.1mpkWh with this car. It’s not without its flaws – it feels cheap…

THE GOOD He is getting close to warp speed!! Dwayne Patterson Gotta hand it to that crazy Swede! He really knows how to make stupendously fast and beautiful cars Marius Hokland MR KOENIGSEGG IS REALLY PUSHING ENGINEERING ON Bright Automotive That’s exactly what I need to get groceries in! Bruce Thornton THAT LOOKS PUUUURR RRRDY!! Rodrigues Neil THE BAD And very few places in the world you can actually drive it Beth Rogers Built for collectors Andrei Bumbulici THIS SEEMS QUITE UN-SPECIAL… A 25BHP INCREASE IS NOTHING Clutch Built to smash records. The price is definitely one of them Chris Farrugia I would rather save millions and buy a Corvette ZR1 X Brent S. Dax THE UGLY IT’S ALL GREAT THIS MARKETING SCAM. HAS ANYONE DONE A REALITY CHECK YOU…

HUMANS ARE WEAK. HUMANS ARE fallible. Humans are treacherous and untrustworthy. That’s our customer motto at TrustUs Laboratories, where we're in the final months of our push to bring the world’s first true self driving cartothe road. TrustUs aims to do for human drivers what the car did for horses. Specifically to liberate them from the daily grind to enjoy a life of leisure, not "renderthem redundant, and thus only good for melting down for glue". We expect our Level 5 self driving vehicles to reach British roads early next year. How? Firstly by embracing that traditional strategy of autonomous driving firms: just blithely asserting it’s going to happen without any actual evidence. But also by harnessing the awesome power of AI, because there’s no way that could end badly.…

Ferrari hypercars appear approximately once a decade. Which means approximately once a decade the TG hive mind turns to the cars that went before, and we swirl through the space-time continuum like a lo-fi special effect back to 1984. It’s when the 288 GTO landed, the car that fired the starting gun on the whole hypercar shebang. It’s the one I clock first sitting outside the recently restored fire station at Dunsfold, which must say something given the company it’s keeping today. On the face of it an elongated 308 GTB, the GTO (Ferrari never calls it 288) somehow transcends its origins to become the sort of thing a little kid would draw when asked to imagine a fast car. It’s a primal force with swoopy front wings, big NACA…

It’s called a Life Cycle Impulse. Facelift, in old money. The iX has been trolled mercilessly by the online commentariat but that hasn’t stopped BMW from shifting more than 130,000 units since it arrived in late 2021. Healthy business for such a polarising machine, in a global car market that has collectively taken fright at upmarket EVs. Here goes, then: I like the iX, and always have. The ‘impulse’ gets new air inlets instead of the challenging DRLs and they’ve rearranged the panels on the nose. The elongated BMW double kidney grille now comes with the option of the ‘iconic glow’ illumination. Yep, you have to pay extra to emphasise it. New colours and wheel combinations definitely help, and the iX remains the category buster that it’s always been. An…

The problem with renting a storage unit is it means you no longer need a sensible head when it comes to buying cars. Prior to this, a natural limit would be whether it could fit on the drive or what could spill onto the street before a neighbour had a meltdown. But gain access to storage and the world of hoarding awful vehicles really is your oyster. No longer are an MoT certificate or vehicle tax needed – in fact, it doesn’t even have to drive. Push it into the unit, pull the shutter down and worry about it when you’ve got time/money to fix it. Sadly, the latter doesn’t happen too often. It’s also the main reason why – out of the 10 cars I own – only three…