There was no fanfare inside the sober portals of the Oxfordshire civic boardroom when the big decision was handed down in early January, but there was plenty of cause for jubilation on the outside. The Cherwell Planning Committee, an all-powerful local body whose authority encompasses the century-old former RAF Bicester air base – better known… Continue reading Bicester Motion: Touring the radical new home of British motoring
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Smit Oletha: BMW Z4-based V8 GT driven
This is a prototype, but the Smits are looking at a price of $450,000 (£365,000) for an Oletha with the V8. If they stuck with the straight six, it would still be $350,000 (£285,000). The brothers are still tweaking the dynamics, yet to settle on a set of suspension bushings that don’t allow kickback through… Continue reading Smit Oletha: BMW Z4-based V8 GT driven
A blueprint for the future of the motor show
For such a rich, world-famous car industry, the absence of a motor show in Italy is a bit of a miss. The reasons for the decline of motor shows are well known: rising costs mixed with the changing priorities of car makers, and their diminishing appeal for traditional show goers (why look at a car… Continue reading A blueprint for the future of the motor show
Autumn Budget must address company car tax, industry warns
Issuing company car tax bands beyond April 2025 must be a priority at the Autumn Budget to reassure businesses and drivers that incentives for electric vehicles are long-term, the fleet sector has warned. Company car tax in the UK is based on a percentage of the vehicle’s list price (P11D) weighted against models with higher… Continue reading Autumn Budget must address company car tax, industry warns
Lamborghini electrified supercars will still look like “spaceships”
Lamborghinis will continue to “look like spaceships” as the firm enters the electrification era, according to design boss Mitja Borkert. The Italian supercar maker will switch to a fully hybridised line-up for next year and, like all car makers, will make full-electric cars, too. It has already launched the Lamborghini Sián and Lamborghini Countach as… Continue reading Lamborghini electrified supercars will still look like “spaceships”
Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica makes public debut
Like the STO, the Technica is solely rear-driven and powered by a 631bhp naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10, whose efforts are delivered to the road through Lamborghini’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. At the contact patch, semi-slick Bridgestone Sport tyres (305mm at the rear) are wrapped around a new design of 20in wheel. Carbon-ceramic brakes are… Continue reading Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica makes public debut
New experiences-per-mile ratings can help buyers find right car
As the RPM gauge, that tried and trusted measure of a car’s performance, is rendered obsolete by the electric motor, so a new one could be about to replace it: the EPM. Standing for experiences per mile, it’s claimed to be a new method of evaluating how effective a vehicle is at developing a positive in-car… Continue reading New experiences-per-mile ratings can help buyers find right car
Ferrari SF90 Spider
Saunders’ spec includes one key difference over the SF90 Stradale that went through our road test: the absence of the Assetto Fiorano package, which transforms the SF90 into a more hardcore machine with a whole series of performance and lightweight upgrades, most notably the fixed Multimatic race dampers that are optimised for track use. On… Continue reading Ferrari SF90 Spider
Matt Prior: EV 3-wheeler is the next step for Morgan
Funny how attitudes change so quickly. Three times last week while out with the Morgan Super 3, I was asked if it was electric. It isn’t, although Morgan has had an electrified three-wheeler before, in 2016, and the new Super 3 has been designed with future electrification in mind. Beyond that description, Morgan doesn’t want… Continue reading Matt Prior: EV 3-wheeler is the next step for Morgan
Take it or leave it: Why we love the VW Up GTI
Volkswagen’s GTI badge has defined the German car maker’s performance range since 1976. The nameplate has come to represent excellent all-round performance and dynamic ability and it continues to appear on the Volkswagen Golf and smaller Volkswagen Polo to this day. The most recent model to gain the GTI badge, though, was the Volkswagen Up: the… Continue reading Take it or leave it: Why we love the VW Up GTI