Table of contents for May 2019 in Evo

IF YOU ONLY ATTENDED ONE MOTOR show in the calendar year you made sure it was the one held in the country famed for triangular chocolate. It was the show that celebrated the performance car and locked out the mundane. This year’s Geneva show? I’ve sat in more interesting budget meetings. Yes, there was wall-to-wall 1000bhp-plus electric hypercars but, seriously, how many are going to see the light of day? Pininfarina is the closest to making it, but the rest? The majority we spoke to admitted the cars on their stands were merely examples of what they could achieve. Underprepared, underfunded, under the illusion they know what they are doing. It was all a bit Dany Bahar, minus Brian May. There was some meat to get your teeth into, however. Aston…

WHAT’S IN A NAME? WHEN IT COMES TO the Ferrari F8 Tributo, a great deal. Tributo is the name Ferrari has given to the 488 GTB’s replacement revealed at the Geneva motor show. It’s in recognition of the three consecutive Engine of the Year awards that Ferrari’s 3.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 has collected since 2016. But there is more to it than that, as the F8 Tributo also pays tribute to the concept of the mid-engined V8 Ferrari, because this will be the last of its kind. ‘This is as far as we can take the V8 engine in terms of performance with the current [emissions] legislation,’ Ferrari’s chief technical officer, Michael Leiters, told us at Geneva. ‘We will need to use hybrid technology in the future. It’s the only way…

KOENIGSEGG PRESENTED A NEW HARDCORE, track-focused model at the Geneva motor show. Called the Jesko, it’s intended to replace the Agera RS, and in a departure from the Geneva norm this year it does not feature any form of electrification – but it does boast some truly fascinating engine tech. To start with the Jesko’s 5-litre twin-turbo V8 is a major update on Koenigsegg’s existing unit. It gains a forged, lightweight flat-plane crankshaft weighing just 12.5kg, which the company says makes it the lightest of its kind in the world. This, together with other internal refinements, has made it possible to raise the engine’s rev limit to 8500rpm. More interestingly, the engine’s twin turbos are pre-spun by a compressed-air circulation system, essentially mimicking an electric supercharger set-up but replacing electronics…

For 2019 evo will also hold its first trackday at the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit in Sussex. Home to the world-famous Goodwood Members’ Meeting and Revival, the evo Goodwood Trackday will allow you to experience one of the most exciting race circuits in the UK. Available as a full day or a half day (morning or afternoon), not only will the occasion allow you to enjoy your car on this hallowed track, but the price also includes catering throughout the day. 2019 evo Goodwood Trackday need to know: When is the evo Goodwood Trackday? Monday 1 July 2019 How much does it cost? The evo Goodwood Trackday costs just £275 per car and £120 per additional driver. A half day (morning or afternoon) costs £150 per car and £99 per…

THE BEAUTY OF ASTON MARTIN’S bespoke commissions department, Q, is that it exists to indulge the company’s wealthiest and most dedicated customers. Sometimes this manifests itself in cars of, er, ‘highly personal’ taste, but sometimes it results in something truly magnificent. The V600 very definitely falls into the latter category. Originally the dream of one individual (a friend of evo’s as it happens), when he described his concept in detail Aston liked it so much it proposed a very limited run of seven cars. Our friend agreed, then went a step further by suggesting Q build seven roadster versions as well. A man of diverse yet focused tastes, the original customer was very much inspired by Porsche’s 991-generation 911 R. So, the car had to be manual and discreet. Or…

DRIVING IS A LOT DULLER with an electric car, a dumbing down, like going for an auto rather than a manual, only more so because electric cars take away gearshifting and also set the engine to mute or, worse, whine. ‘But electric cars are really quick: a Tesla will out-drag almost any supercar.’ Yes, yes it will. The take-off in an electric car can be dizzying, yet easy – just pin the throttle. The fastest electric car is now sub two seconds. But that’s as relevant to regular driving as a car’s maximum speed is. When was the last time you did a standing start? ‘General throttle response is incredible, too.’ Also true, and that’s great if you’re the driver. If you’re a passenger, it’s a literal pain in the…

LIKE IT OR NOT, ELECTRIC PROPULSION, WHETHER absolute or partial, will be present in the cars we drive in the future. Is there a place for performance cars in this future? The short answer is yes, and although there are plenty of caveats and technical challenges to overcome, the car industry at large has not given up on the performance car, and neither should we. In fact trends are already beginning to emerge sector-by-sector, as manufacturers start to tentatively introduce mild, parallel and plug-in hybrid versions of existing driver-focused models. But while the internal combustion engine is still very much part of the short-term future for people like us, the march towards full electric performance cars is not far behind. So which manufacturers will be the trailblazers when it comes…

BENTLEY IS NOTHING IF NOT A BRAND OF contrasts. One that is keen to attract a younger audience but still caters for the drawing-room wood and leather set. One that promises exclusivity but has just sold over 10,000 vehicles in a year, for the sixth year running. It can boast of using 310,675 stitches to pattern the new Continental GT Convertible’s interior trim, but it also values ‘digital detox’, allowing you to rotate the central touchscreen out of view to be replaced by traditional dials. And it is a brand that can deliver a driver’s car despite that car weighing almost as much as three Lotus Elises. The GT Convertible’s 2414kg kerb weight makes it 170kg heavier than the equivalent coupe. Lord knows what it’d weigh if the exterior panelwork…

NINETEEN MILES TO THE GALLON. That’s what I saw last time I drove an AMG E63 Estate, admittedly with a bias towards urban driving. But rough, isn’t it? Even if money were no object it would still be a drag having to fill up the 66-litre tank every 275 miles or so. We present to you, then, the compromise: Mercedes’ new E400d. It packs the company’s all-new 3-litre straight-six diesel, which as well as being a more sensible choice is also very satisfying. It develops an impressive 337bhp, but of more importance is the whopping 516lb ft of torque – only 37lb ft less than the E63, and available 1300rpm further down the rev range at just 1200rpm. As such, the 0-62mph time of 5.1sec only hints at the full…

‘WATCH THE THROTTLE PEDAL WHEN YOU pull away,’ I told the delivery driver when he came to collect our 308. ‘It’s more responsive than you would expect.’ Watching from behind the kitchen blinds I smirked as the Pug jolted forward before stopping abruptly as the driver came to terms with what had just happened. It was a scene that summed up everything I feel about this car and it still makes me smile to think about it. During the long hot summer of 2018 I finished a stint in a Golf R and had become acclimatised to both its performance and prestige. In my mind it couldn’t be bettered, and so I’ll admit it was with a mix of curiosity and scepticism that I first took the keys to the…

WE’VE SEEN QUITE A FEW EXAMPLES OF the Octavia vRS pass through evo’s Fast Fleet pages over the years, and while each one has been a little faster and a little more polished than the version before, the Skoda’s core appeal remains undimmed – it offers a decent chunk of performance for a relatively modest amount of cash, plus it’s flippin’ practical to boot. So some mid-life revisions aside, it’s fair to say we knew what to expect when our Corrida Red vRS turned up six months ago, which is to say a car that was hugely competent but lacked the capacity to really thrill. And while this updated model did little to change that view, our respect for the speedy Skoda continues as strong as ever. That said, it…

DESPITE THE MOUNTING PRESSURES, Peugeot seems determined not to abandon the performance car just yet. Leading its charge (no pun intended) is the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered Concept, a 400bhp hybrid sports saloon with a 0-62mph time of just 4.3sec. It’s been a long time since there was a truly credible French sports saloon, particularly one from PSA, but this 508 might just change that. Power comes from three sources: the familiar Peugeot 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, used here in 197bhp guise, which powers the front axle along with a 110bhp electric motor, drive being deployed through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. And on the rear axle is a second electric motor with 200bhp, and yes, that does equal more than the 400bhp stated above – 507bhp in fact. However, the…

IT’S CERTAINLY STRIKING, ISN’T IT? THIS IS THE Akula (the Russian word for ‘shark’), the new – and first – supercar from Ginetta. While it may look like a GT racing refugee, Ginetta says the Akula is a road car first and foremost, albeit one with just five per cent less downforce than its own LMP3 car. It’s powered by a naturally aspirated, single-cam, 6-litre V8, machined by Ginetta from a solid billet of aluminium. Power is quoted at 600bhp, with 516lb ft of torque – enough to reach 200mph (no 0-62mph time has been mentioned). The engine has been moved so far back in the chassis that Ginetta boss Lawrence Tomlinson claims: ‘It’s where the gearbox would be in a normal car – you could fit a V12 in…

THE FIRST TIME YOU TIP THE 1.8-TON Kodiaq vRS into Abbey corner at what feels like a good deal more than 95mph, it’s hard not to feel a twinge of nerves. There are plenty of cooking-to-hot SUVs out there that are track capable, but few offer seven seats or are quite as large as this. But here we are, on a typically damp and cold afternoon at Silverstone, lapping Skoda’s latest – and unlikely – vRS offering. If it’s deserving of that three-letter badge, we’ll find out here. Until now vRS has stood for what is the essence of a hot hatch, taking something practical and useable and giving it the capability to add spice to every journey, without chucking all those core qualities in the bin. The multiple generations…

‘THERE IS A SET OF FACES THAT I HAVE IN THE back of my mind,’ says Chris Goodwin. This might sound like day one, session one on a psychiatrist’s couch, but Aston Martin’s expert high-performance test driver is actually talking about how he crafts a car. He has been with the company just over a year now (he was previously at McLaren – his final cars there were the Senna and the 600LT) working flat-out on the Valkyrie, embedded within Red Bull in Milton Keynes, spending long days on the simulator. But today we’re chatting about the 003 and I’m keen to know how he goes about setting up a new car, or in Aston’s case a whole new range of cars. With so many dynamic directions he could take,…

YOU COULD BE FORGIVEN FOR BEING A LITTLE confused over AMR. More power? Yes. Stripes? Yes, but optional. The Aston Martin Racing name? Check. So this is like a GT3 of the DB11 range, right? That would be an entirely logical conclusion, except amongst Aston’s grand tourers I’m sorry to say you’re heading off on a wildly misguided tangent. A further layer of opacity is provided by the knowledge that the regular DB11 V12, the car that kicked off Aston Martin’s new era, is no longer on sale. Buyers now have the choice of the AMG V8-engined DB11, or its open-top Volante twin, but if they want the full extravagance of Aston’s homegrown V12, then it’s the AMR model or nothing. So when I set out this morning I had…

YOU’RE NOT PARANOID, EVERYONE’S OUT TO GET you. In the case of the performance car, you might not be wrong. From motoring’s earliest days, where the infamous 1865 Locomotive or Red Flag Act mandated a pedestrian walk in front of a vehicle carrying a red flag, to the latest CO2-busting laws, and even the consequences of Brexit, lawmakers have the high-performance car in their sights. It’s pretty difficult to argue with some of the legislation, however. Scary descriptions of 1950s Los Angeles zero-visibility smogs, which could extend 20 miles inland and last for two weeks, seem ample justification for the first US anti-smog laws introduced in 1960. And as Ralph Nader put it in Unsafe at Any Speed (1965): ‘The health hazard posed by various combustive by-products is of a…

SQUEEZING EVERY LAST DROP OF POTENTIAL from a car is an art form that Porsche is truly a master of. Some might mock the seemingly endless stream of 911 variants, but each one satisfies a very specific type of buyer. One of last year’s most intriguing was the Carrera T (evo 245), which offered a slightly more hard-edged version of the entry-level 911. Although not the baby GT3 we hoped it might be, it was certainly a refreshing proposition. Now the 718 Cayman and Boxster have been given the T treatment, creating a pair of more affordable, enthusiast-targeted models to sit just below the more powerful S variants. Its notorious four-cylinder soundtrack aside, few cars offer such a compelling out-of-the-box package as a 297bhp, 2-litre 718 Cayman, but tick a…

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM SUGGESTS that a two-door grand-touring coupe such as BMW’s new 8-series should be at its mile-munching, cliché-wafting best when a large-capacity eight-cylinder petrol-fuelled engine resides behind its kidney grilles. But conventional wisdom can often be proved wrong, just like when people laughed at Lewis Hamilton when he left McLaren for Mercedes. That same wisdom would also suggest that this 840d iteration of BMW’s new big coupe is on a hiding to nothing in the current anti-diesel climate, and with the small issue of the V8 petrol M850i launched at the same time and the 600bhp-and-more M8 on the way, too. Because a diesel engine in a car designed to mix luxury with grand touring expectations, with a bit of dynamism thrown in for good measure, should be avoided.…

I BRIEFLY TOUCHED ON THE MX-5’S somewhat idiosyncratic handling last month, proclaiming that its soft springs and stiff dampers seem to be the Achilles’ heel of what is overall an entertaining little package. The question is, does the Mazda’s Italian cousin on our Fast Fleet show where the MX-5 is going wrong? A recent catch-up between the two roadsters provided the opportunity to find out. Right away it was obvious that the Abarth’s suspension is not nearly as soft as the Mazda’s; the 124’s body pitches and rolls far less, movements kept tight and to a minimum. But while its suspension is firm, it is not to the detriment of overall ride quality, even if it still isn’t perfect – wheel control remains an issue and the Abarth also struggles…

IT’S BEEN A QUIET MONTH FOR THE ’86, whose winter-weather chores have remained primarily limited to motorway slogs. As alluded to previously, that’s not as tragic as it sounds, as our Toyota is unexpectedly adept at dealing with the kind of monotonous schleps to which most daily-driven vehicles end up constrained. That’s because it benefits from an engine that hums away quietly and smoothly at motorway speeds (both wind noise and road roar are the dominant sounds, and neither is excessive), a stellar driving position that remained comfortable throughout a four-hour slog from Northamptonshire to Tyneside recently, a rattle-free cabin, and a pleasing parsimonious attitude towards the consumption of superunleaded. On the subject of fuel, not unlike Aston Parrott with his Alfa Stelvio (see page 145), I’m trying to run…

AFTER MY LAST REPORT’S RATHER bracing confirmation of the 996’s ill health below decks (evo 258), and spurred on by my colleague Aston Parrott raving about the newly sorted suspension on his 993-generation 911 (issue 259), I’ve been taking a look at the options available to me to put things right. The most obvious is to simply replace worn-out components like-for-like. My car had the standard chassis option from new – a fine mix of ride and handling most would agree – but as a ‘weekend use’ car and with the mindset of an enthusiast owner, there’s the desire to shift that balance a little towards the sporting end of the spectrum. Porsche offered a sports chassis option with the 996 known as the MO030 (model option code 030), with…

 ‘BANG!’ I CAN’T HELP BUT INSTINCTIVELY DUCK. THE ‘CRACK’ THAT carves the air sounds just like a live round being fired across the open roof of this 720S Spider. Yes, we’re in Arizona, surrounded by endless cacti and passing through a narrow, dusty ravine, perfect for an ambush, but really, am I actually being fired upon? It’s only when I click the left-hand paddle again as we approach the next corner - one of precious few deviations from the straight ahead around here, it must be said - that I realise it’s not a Colt, or a Winchester, but emanating from the twin barrels that are connected to one of McLaren’s exuberantly powerful twin-turbo V8s. Lifting the lid on supercars is supposed to ratchet up the drama level, to put…

IT MAY LOOK VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO ITS predecessors, yet underneath the 1930s styling of the Plus Six is not only BMW’s latest turbocharged straight-six 3-litre engine, but also an all-new platform that Morgan says will underpin the next decade of cars from Malvern Link. The ‘CX Generation’ chassis is a riveted and bonded aluminium structure of the type that has formed the basis of Morgan’s high-end models since 2000, but it’s 100 per cent more torsionally rigid than before, while being no heavier at 98kg. The wheelbase has also grown by 20mm, which helps to provide 200mm more legroom in the cockpit and a 31 per cent increase in storage space. The B58 TwinPower engine produces 335bhp and 369lb ft of torque, which combined with a reduced kerb weight of…

CLEAR YOUR DIARY AND TURN YOUR phone off, because it’s time to book your place on one of evo’s 2019 track events. Now in their 14th year, they are the perfect opportunity to join like-minded enthusiasts and the evo editorial team at some of the UK’s most exciting race circuits. evo will be holding five evening events this year, at Bedford Autodrome and – new for 2019 – Brands Hatch, as well as a full-day event at Goodwood Motor Circuit. With limited numbers and open pitlane formats, track time is unrestricted and the relaxed nature means you get to enjoy your performance car in the very best environment. Sign up now at evotrackdays.co.uk evo 2019 track evenings Friday 10 May Bedford Autodrome Friday 14 June Bedford Autodrome Wednesday 31 July…

’MAY I SIT IN IT, PLEASE?’ IT’S A question I seem to have been asking for most of my life. Although it might seem like a small favour to the car’s custodian, it generally means a huge amount to the person allowed to swing the door open and perch behind the wheel, because you can learn so much just from looking through a windscreen. Take the Aston Martin AM-RB 003 concept for example. I can only guess at the strength of the sensations that might be conveyed in corners by the huge aerodynamic downforce this hypercar will generate – the squeezing of a ribcage into a seat bolster, the slight or perhaps huge heaviness in the limbs. Similarly, I can only try to imagine what the sound of its all-new…

IT WASN’T LONG AGO I WAS MUTTERING ABOUT THE amount of high-speed wind noise seeping into the Vanquish’s cabin; it sounded like the windscreen was literally thin, rather than a failing seal, and I made some pedantic, road-testery scribble about turn-of-the-millennium NVH standards. Now I’m grinning so hard about it my face hurts. The road ahead snakes through a motley copse of trees, and evo’s Ian Eveleigh has dropped the hammer in the Vanquish S, whereupon all of its near-600bhp is roaring, spitting and crackling its way through the air, permeating the glass in front of my nose and ringing in my ears as if I’m sitting on the newer car’s carbonfibre bootlid. Then, like the slider gliding forwards on a studio mixing desk, the soundtrack is increasingly augmented by…

ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO, THE WORLD held its breath anticipating silken sheets being pulled back to reveal the most thrilling new cars at the Geneva motor show. Today there are still supercar surprises, but many of the reveals this year are of crossovers, SUVs, hybrids and EVs – cars that generate the same level of excitement as the white goods department at John Lewis. But don’t lose heart, because right now is a great time to be a car enthusiast. We have fast hatches with 300bhp, junior supercars with 700bhp… and naturally aspirated engines that make the 627bhp V12 in the McLaren F1 sound almost tame – a high-revving 789bhp V12 in the front of the Ferrari 812 Superfast and, soon, a 1000bhp V12 in the Aston Martin Valkyrie.…

‘WHEN I MADE IT TO THE GT ACADEMY FINALS I really did want to race. It was a more exciting proposition than sim racing. I think with the insane competition and professionalism we have now in e-sports though, it is the bigger interest for me.’ The words of Simon Feigl, team owner of Logitech G Altus Esports and former GT Academy finalist, in a tweet in early February. Feigl was responding to a conversation about a racing driver missing an actual race for a simulator test, and put forward an opinion on e-sports that I’d never even considered: for some people, virtual racing is now the end goal rather than, as has been considered in the past, a fresh new way of forging a path into real motorsport. We’ve already…

ON FACE VALUE, THIS COMPARISON LOOKS simple enough. You have around £75,000 to spend on a Porsche, reckon 350bhp or so is more than adequate, and want a car that is going to really enthral on both road and track. You want choices and here they are: you can either buy new, as in the case of a well-optioned 718 Cayman GTS, or buy something much more bespoke, older, and with an even more focused sporting persona, in this case a 996-generation 911 CSR Evo from Porsche specialist RPM Technik. The Cayman is the easy option. In GTS guise it already comes with much of the kit that helps it meet our road and track brief, and its reputation for handling excellence precedes it. Sadly, its reputation for having a…

THE RISE OF THE PERFORMANCE SUV appears unstoppable. There are so many now that even mainstream versions are having the wick turned up enough to put the frighteners on hot hatches. Take the latest Audi Q3, which in current flagship 45 TFSI guise packs a VW Golf GTI-sized punch. Literally, because under the bonnet is essentially the same turbocharged 2-litre motor, producing 227bhp and 258lb ft, the latter from just 1500rpm. At 1620kg this high-riding, four-wheel-drive Audi is no lightweight, but it will sprint to 62mph in a claimed 6.3sec and carry on to 144mph. It feels rapid too, and once the revs climb past 3000rpm it really kicks on, the four-pot motor spinning happily to 7000rpm with a distant yet pleasing growl. Less impressive is the S-tronic gearbox, which…

THE LEXUS GS WAS A FINE OLD thing. Handsome lines, built like a bomb shelter and fairly satisfying to drive on a good road. It’s a bold move, then, for Lexus to replace it with the ES, its other long-running saloon, this one with front-wheel drive and a less sporting persona. The US has had the ES for years but this is its first appearance in the UK, where buyers are rather fond of their rear-drive 5-series and E-classes. And diesel engines, for that matter. But as we’ve come to expect from Lexus, this £35,150 ES is a hybrid instead. Its 2.5-litre four-pot and electric motor deliver a combined peak of 215bhp, and while the transmission is an E-CVT, it’s of an all-new design. The idea is that it minimises…

LAST ISSUE’S FIESTA VERSUS i30 N test (evo 259) pitched two fiscally similar but dynamically dissimilar hot hatches against each other. I was deeply impressed by the Hyundai’s ability on seriously tricky Welsh asphalt but… you have to be pushing it to reveal the magic, while the Fiesta is more eager, more enthusiastic right from the off. The contrast reminded me very much of the dilemma of my friend Tim. Tim lives in London and a few years ago asked my advice on what to get to replace his Renault Sport Clio 200. He asked about the Golf R. I’d driven one in Scotland on that year’s eCoty (evo 203) and told him how incredible it was across the ground, how sorted and polished and fast. The lease deals at…

THE STELVIO TOOK A DISLIKING TO A TANK of 95 octane fuel recently. Normally I would use at least 97, but I found myself in a small village in the sticks and needing to fill up. Shortly after I did, while driving in Dynamic mode, the engine warning light came on and the car automatically switched itself into N mode. The engine felt a little sluggish too, although whether this was due to the weaker fuel or because the engine management was reining back the power in line with the warning I’m not sure, but to be on the safe side I took it easy and left the Alfa in its default mode until the next fill-up. Sure enough, when the next tank of fuel went in – high-octane stuff…