Evo

ASTON MARTIN’S FIRST HYPERCAR and Ferrari’s first SUV. Two cars we wondered whether we’d ever get to drive. Not that we were losing any sleep over the lack of a DBX-rivalling Ferrari coming off the line at Maranello. The Valkyrie did generate conversations however. A lot of conversations. In seven years, we’ve seen the original model revealed behind closed doors at Gaydon, tripped over its splitter on motor show stands, heard its V12 run on a test bed, ‘driven’ it on a simulator and heard it lapping Silverstone miles before it screamed into view. Designers have come, gone and come back again. Likewise engineers, development drivers and two CEOs during the Valkyrie’s protracted and very public birth. There have been both wow moments and head-in-hands, let-the-ground-swallow-me-up moments for everyone involved.…

THE BRILLIANCE OF THE FERRARI PR department’s dastardly planning only hits me days later. Like a good murder mystery, a series of disparate events coalesce into a perfect whole so seamlessly it seems improbable it could have ever been planned. The plot starts immediately upon landing. The hire car isn’t fitted with winter tyres. Hmmmm. The gorgeous launch venue is high up in the Dolomites. Could be a challenge. Incredibly, our research suggests that despite the location we’ll actually be based many miles from truly great roads. The sort we can’t help but seek out even if it means a much longer day. Ferrari knows that. They know everything. Pretend phone calls are made to ‘sort the hire car tyres’ to no avail. Apologies are offered that the local roads…

MORE. LOTS MORE. OF EVERYTHING. Power, torque, gearboxes, driving modes. This is the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance 4-Door Coupé. More badges, too. It’s at once a technological marvel, a thumping supersaloon, a mind-bendingly fast rocketship and a wildly expensive extravagance. It is – and I think we can say this officially – too big, too heavy, too fast, too expensive and too complex. The headlines are 831bhp, 1084lb ft, 2305kg and £178,704. Aside from the AMG One – remember that? – it’s the most powerful AMG product ever made. Do we care? Well, why not? We are well beyond the realms of sanity with these sorts of cars, so why not embrace the madness and submit to the ridiculousness of it all? Besides, it’s hard not to marvel at…

BBR’S PORTFOLIO OF MX-5 CONVERSIONS continues to grow with this, a supercharger kit for the 2-litre ‘ND’ (Mk4) car in its original, 158bhp form, as built from 2015 to 2019. BBR is working on an installation for the later, 181bhp ND models too, but for the 158bhp engine the kit is available in two stages of tune: Stage 1 being the core and Stage 2 improving the engine’s breathing to liberate even more horsepower and torque. The heart of the conversion is the fitment of a Rotrex C30-94 supercharger – and very neat it looks too under the bonnet, where you’d be hard pressed to notice this is a modified car and not as it left the production line. The kit includes an oil cooler, intercooler and K&N air filter,…

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT LITCHFIELD does have time to work on other projects beside my Porsche 996. Mostly ones that are rational and have a chance of commercial success. So it makes sense that the Golf GTI has been treated to some Litchfield love and attention. Don’t forget, what works for a Golf GTI in terms of performance upgrades also works for an Audi S3, Golf R and a host of fast models from Cupra to Skoda. Get this right and there’s a big market and lots of customers looking for a bit of excitement. Which sounds great in theory, but so far we’ve not really gelled with the latest Golf in any of its guises. There’s a real danger that more power might just highlight the shortcomings already…

WHAT COULD BE MORE LIKE A ‘RALLY car for the road’ than a Lancia Delta HF Integrale? When Group B was scrapped in 1986, the Delta was rapidly developed for the new Group A regulations and hit the ground with all four wheels spinning. It went on to win an incredible six WRC manufacturers’ titles on the bounce, from ’87 to ’92, earning itself icon status. It was also feted as an exceptional road car back in the day, becoming a poster car for many enthusiasts. The spacious workshop of Maturo Competition Cars is filled with Delta Integrales, some Group A rally cars, some tidy road cars. It’s clear that the Delta is a passion of the firm, based in the small town of Veghel, a few miles north of…