You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack; you may find yourself in another part of the world; you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile; and you may find yourself in a stuffy photo studio waiting for the reveal of a new car; and you may ask yourself: “How did… Continue reading Behind the scenes of a car launch: what really happens at a reveal?
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Porsche’s new project turning rubbish into premium materials
Porsche has created some of the most thrilling performance cars of all time but, behind the scenes, it’s also using its engineering expertise to perfect better methods of recycling. Working with German chemical giant BASF SE and technology partner BEST (Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies), Porsche has recently completed a joint project for recycling troublesome mixed waste… Continue reading Porsche’s new project turning rubbish into premium materials
Britain’s car fleet is getting older – because it has to
The average car in the UK is the oldest it has ever been. That’s the headline from the RAC Foundation, which has found that, as of the end of last year, the average car in the UK was nine years and 10 months old. Nearly a decade ago, at the end of 2015, the average age of… Continue reading Britain’s car fleet is getting older – because it has to
Alpine’s ‘family-sized A110’ showed me electric SUVs can dazzle
I first experienced the A390 at the Car of the Year judging event at Tannis in September, and the first thing that took me by surprise was how good it looked. I’d seen pictures, of course, and thought it seemed striking but a bit… odd. But in the weak Danish sunlight it looked properly marvellous:… Continue reading Alpine’s ‘family-sized A110’ showed me electric SUVs can dazzle
I drove Skoda’s fastest ever Fabia – the warm-ish hatch is back!
The weight of a new Fabia vRS is potentially resting on this car’s shoulders. Should demand for the Fabia 130 be sufficient, the powers that be in Mladá Boleslav might decide to go whole hog. Does it do a good enough job to warrant a full-fat version? Yes. Would a future Fabia vRS make it… Continue reading I drove Skoda’s fastest ever Fabia – the warm-ish hatch is back!
Forza or Gran Turismo? Our writers’ favourite video games
If you were born in the past half-century and read Autocar, chances are that your obsession with all things automotive was at some point fuelled by video games. Be it a hyper-realistic simulator, the childlike innocence of Mario Kart or the ultra-violent Grand Theft Auto series, the medium has presented many different takes on the driving… Continue reading Forza or Gran Turismo? Our writers’ favourite video games
Why the BMW 3 Series still rules after 50 years
The roll call of cars that were on the scene 50 years ago and which are still being built today is short. It gets shorter still if you stipulate a perfect, unbroken run of production. If you then dismiss those cars whose name has lingered but whose physical form has flitted from one class to… Continue reading Why the BMW 3 Series still rules after 50 years
Inside the chaotic 1975 Earls Court Motor Show
The International Motor Show at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre – its status can’t be overstated. But back in 1975 it was a grim time for Britain in general, with economic stagnation and inflation somehow coexisting, and a car industry in turmoil. Just months before the show, British Leyland had been nationalised after a government report had revealed… Continue reading Inside the chaotic 1975 Earls Court Motor Show
Testing the bookends of BMW’s supreme B58 straight-six engine
If I were to gaze into a crystal ball and predict what kinds of articles classic car magazines will be pumping out in 25 years’ time, staring back at me from within the quartz would be one letter and two numbers: B58. A few pages on the history, the birth, the need for a new… Continue reading Testing the bookends of BMW’s supreme B58 straight-six engine
How a German Prince created a Vauxhall legend
We’ve heralded the 1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry as one of the most influential cars of the 20th century, being perhaps the first proper production sports car. But what was the inspiration behind it? And who was Prince Henry? His name was actually Heinrich, and he was Prince of Prussia (the dominant state within the German… Continue reading How a German Prince created a Vauxhall legend