Tested 19.4.06 Hoping to crack Europe from the inside, GM badge-engineering allowed the distinctive, Trollhättan-built BLS to emerge from understated Saab origins. Although the BLS retained the Saab 9-3’s roofline, windscreen and side windows, the designers did a good job of giving the Cadillac its own identity and its materials beat its Stateside brethren for… Continue reading Greatest road tests ever: Cadillac BLS 2.9 TID Luxury
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Under the skin: how BACT uses a hydrogen fuel cell to laptop faster
The maker of the BAC Mono sports car has completed the first stage of a project with hydrogen-powertrain specialist Viritech to develop an electric version of an ultra-lightweight car called the BAC e-Mono. The virtual four-wheel-drive e-Mono weighs in at 704kg, just 149kg more than the conventionally powered BAC Mono-R, yet it still proves to… Continue reading Under the skin: how BACT uses a hydrogen fuel cell to laptop faster
BMW M2 Coupe prototype
“We knew the platform would bring some added size and weight,” explains M Division project dynamics manager Sven Esch, “and we had to decide very early on whether to fight with that weight at every stage, sacrificing many things in order to deliver the lowest figure we could; or to accept and work with it,… Continue reading BMW M2 Coupe prototype
The new torque tech making Audi E-Trons EVs drift
“For now, we have to operate at the limit of what the car itself is capable of,” explains Finke. “The E-tron was built on our MLB Evo model architecture, the same one that the Audi Q7, Audi Q5 and Audi A6 all use, so the chassis and axles simple aren’t designed for greater cross-axle loadings… Continue reading The new torque tech making Audi E-Trons EVs drift
New 2022 Ferrari 296 GTS is 819bhp hybrid convertible
The overall effect of the subtle makeover gives “an extremely compact cabin effortlessly integrated with the wings and flanks”. Aerodynamic efficiency and downforce are on a par, too – with Ferrari engineers taking care to ensure the airflow impact of the wing and buttresses is replicated – and there is still an active rear spoiler… Continue reading New 2022 Ferrari 296 GTS is 819bhp hybrid convertible
Inside Yasa: how a British firm is revolutionising electric cars
For the next couple of Yasa generations, believes Woolmer, the company’s technology will provide a strategic advantage for Mercedes and friends, but eventually (“perhaps by 2040”) it will spread wider. Ultimately, axial-flux technology should be commoditised, he says, but not yet. As for Yasa’s awesome technical progress, Woolmer says that it has reached its fourth… Continue reading Inside Yasa: how a British firm is revolutionising electric cars
Jaguar XJ220 at 30: Why V6 misfit is now a legend
Want to own an example of that extraordinary breed of supercars that time after time broke all performance records in a 10-year spell from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s? I’m afraid they’re all gone: any decent Ferrari F40 or F50, Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110 or McLaren F1 now requires a seven-digit investment. Apart from one. Despite… Continue reading Jaguar XJ220 at 30: Why V6 misfit is now a legend
Ferrari previews 2023 Le Mans contender
Ferrari has released the first preview image of its upcoming prototype hypercar Le Mans challenger, which will mark the return of the Prancing Horse to the famous 24-hour race for the first time in 50 years in 2023. The image gives little away about the look of the LMH-class racer, but it is the first… Continue reading Ferrari previews 2023 Le Mans contender
MG Cyberster: electric successor to TF convertible leaked
The Cyberster roadster will arrive before 2024 as an affordable halo car for MG, and its final design has been outed in a series of patent filings from parent company SAIC Motor. The two-seat electric sports car was previewed as an outlandish concept in 2021, which company bosses said was given the green light for… Continue reading MG Cyberster: electric successor to TF convertible leaked
New electric Ford Supervan set for Goodwood
A new Ford Supervan is set to be revealed at Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month, as the brand seeks to bring back the iconic concept as an EV. Ford previewed the van in a video posted to social media, featuring a prominent focus on a racing helmet, Ford Performance and the Ford Pro commercial-vehicles division. The video also… Continue reading New electric Ford Supervan set for Goodwood