Work has started on next Celica, says Toyota

Toyota’s vice president has confirmed the Japanese brand is readying the next Celica, 18 years after production of the sports car ended. Discussion on reviving the model name has been rife for years and Autocar was told last year that a reborn Celica was being considered as part of a new-era of electric Toyota sports cars… Continue reading Work has started on next Celica, says Toyota

“On a lap like this…it doesn’t matter if the car doesn’t come back”

What hits you is the spooky matter-of-factness. The unadorned delivery of a stunning observation before moving on indifferently. Very demure, very mindful, very German racing driver. “The thing is,” says Jörg Bergmeister sotto voce, sitting at a side table during the recent launch event for the updated Porsche 911 GT3 at Hockenheim, “that on a lap… Continue reading “On a lap like this…it doesn’t matter if the car doesn’t come back”

Has Alpine’s new hot hatchback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

I’ve just spent some minutes talking to Autocar’s road testers about the Alpine A290, the quick version of the new Renault 5 EV. What’s great is that we weren’t talking about where the charge port was or how far it could go or whether the driver assistance systems were infuriating. Instead it was an old-fashioned chat about… Continue reading Has Alpine’s new hot hatchback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

Has Alpine’s new hot hatchback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

I’ve just spent some minutes talking to Autocar’s road testers about the Alpine A290, the quick version of the new Renault 5 EV. What’s great is that we weren’t talking about where the charge port was or how far it could go or whether the driver assistance systems were infuriating. Instead it was an old-fashioned chat about… Continue reading Has Alpine’s new hot hatchback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

Has Alpine’s new hot hathback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

I’ve just spent some minutes talking to Autocar’s road testers about the Alpine A290, the quick version of the new Renault 5 EV. What’s great is that we weren’t talking about where the charge port was or how far it could go or whether the driver assistance systems were infuriating. Instead it was an old-fashioned chat about… Continue reading Has Alpine’s new hot hathback struck a chord with enthusiasts?

Lion kings: the Peugeot 508 PSE meets the 505 GTi

Committed cornering in this Peugeot feels like it resembles those wild pictures that fill the 1980s Autocar road testing archive and yet it’s all without loss of control or momentum. Crucially, you will be having a ball at speeds markedly below the 60mph single-lane limit, which no modern performance car – even a lot of… Continue reading Lion kings: the Peugeot 508 PSE meets the 505 GTi

Skywell BE11

One benefit of its size in comparison with its competitors is the amount of interior space on offer, and as this is the sort of car you will buy for its size, let’s start there. For rear occupants, the BE11 excels. There is a limousine-like spaciousness back there that is missing in most of its… Continue reading Skywell BE11

Mercedes-Benz CLE 300e Coupe

It will take upgrading C-Class owners only seconds to recognise the ‘squircle’-style air vents and rounded transmission tunnel console of their old saloon here. The CLE’s cabin layout, specification and finish are very much, and rather apparently, C-Class-derived. That’s perhaps marginally more likely to disappoint those giving up an old E-Class Coupe for it than… Continue reading Mercedes-Benz CLE 300e Coupe

The venomous rise of the AC Cobra

It all started in 1953, when British racer John Tojeiro demonstrated his latest competition special to UK car maker AC, which really needed a new sports car to restore its mojo. Renamed the AC Ace and displayed at the London motor show, it was received well enough that it was adapted for production, being given a… Continue reading The venomous rise of the AC Cobra