Table of contents for September 2020 in Evo

THIS MONTH IT FELT LIKE A CORK WAS FIRED FROM A metaphorical new car bottle as the sanitised keys to a handful of new driver’s cars were handed over in freezer bags. The preceding four months had seen the launches of a number of key evo cars postponed, delayed or simply cancelled as restrictions put paid to any notion of travelling to the four corners of the earth to have a play in something new and shiny. This month, however, has seen us catch up with BMW’s M2 CS, Ferrari’s SF90, Porsche’s 911 Targa 4S and Aston Martin’s DBX, an eclectic mix showcasing the variety of sectors manufacturers are operating in when it comes to driver’s cars. Then there are the announcements of what is on its way. Gordon Murray’s…

EVERY NEW CAR IS IMPORTANT TO ITS manufacturer, the days of building stuff because a member of the board fancies one (how else do you think the BMW 5-series GT made production?) long gone. And in 2020 there are some incredibly significant cars coming to market that are carrying considerable weight on their shoulders. Volkswagen’s ID.3 will set the course for the electric vehicle strategy of the world’s largest car company. Land Rover’s new Defender is a linchpin to the British firm’s future success, too. But neither can touch the DBX in terms of its importance and significance to those responsible for its creation. Aston Martin hasn’t just staked its long-term future on its first SUV, it needs it to be a success now, because if the DBX comes up…

IT’S A SIGN OF THE TIMES THAT WE seem to report on more track-only hypercars than affordable roadsters or naturally aspirated hot hatches these days, but as with the recent spate of speedster-style supercars, there’s clearly a lucrative market for high-end trackday weapons. With the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 you might say that Sant’Agata has captured the essence of this market, ticking many of the boxes we’ve come to expect, from a carbonfibre tub that meets FIA requirements, to downforce levels that eclipse those of a modern GT3 racer. It’s also limited to just 40 units, and makes more power than the cars in any officially sanctioned GT series. That power comes from the most potent version of Lamborghini’s V12 yet, with 819bhp achieved in part through a ram-air effect from…

’I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN CARS, since I was a small child. I always played with cars; they were my favourite toys. As soon as I was able to wash cars I washed them, for small change. And of course I started drawing relatively early: cars, boats and planes – moveable objects have been the subject from the very beginning. Cars of all types were fascinating to me, and growing up I could recognise every car from a distance, and when they came closer I could say which model it was. So I could tell them apart already from a very young age: that one is a Mercedes, this is a BMW, American cars… all types were of great interest. Especially VWs, which were always part of the family garage.…

THE AUDI QUATTRO MAY HAVE SHAKEN UP rallying but its reign as king of the special stage was short-lived. After taking the 1982 world championship, the loss of the ’83 title to the mid-engined Lancia 037 gave a hint of the Quattro’s weak spot, and the arrival of the Peugeot 205 T16, which was mid-engined and four-wheel-drive, hammered home the problem. Audi tried to stay in the game with the Sport Quattro of 1984, addressing works drivers’ concerns about agility with a shorter wheelbase, but this effort gave so little benefit that Hannu Mikkola and eventual ’84 world champion Stig Blomqvist were in no hurry to switch from their original, long-wheelbase Quattros. For 1985 the E2 evolution tried to lessen the car’s nose-heavy weight distribution but it was glossing over…

‘I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE HERE ON THE F1,’ SAYS Gordon Murray, pointing to the T.50’s bulkhead, no doubt dismaying the McLaren F1 faithful in the process. The designer, in spritely and convivial form despite the ongoing pandemic, arrived just moments earlier in a blur of blipped downshifts behind the wheel of his fabulous Zagato Alfa, and clad, as usual, in one of his trademark ebulliently patterned shirts. He’s now in full flow, the patter as smooth as the unpunctured surfacing on his new creation. His scorn is directed at the rear windows on the F1, either side of the driver. As he points out, when a passenger occupies one of those side seats, all the driver gets to see in the interior rear-view mirror on that side is their…

WE LIKE THE M2 CS. WE LOVE IT, IN FACT. YOU CAN probably tell that if you’ve just read the previous story. But there’s no getting away from the fact that ‘our’ £81,115-astested black and gold example is essentially a hotted-up 2-series sparring in some fiercely contested and grownup waters. This is the story then, about a battle between a rather upright, feisty compact 2+2 coupe and Porsche Motorsport’s junior warrior, a car that patrols said waters like a shark with territorial issues. They were born less than 150 miles apart in neighbouring German states, and both are powered by six-cylinder internal combustion engines of real substance. A common bond of scorched Michelins Cup 2s, long, hot, bug-splattered days at the Nordschleife and irresistible double-take visuals links them amongst dreary,…

IT WAS INEVITABLE, REALLY. AS THE PAGES for last month’s Fast Fleet were rolling off the presses, with the ink of the words ‘On the housekeeping front, nearly three months of being laid up had no detrimental effect’ still drying, the Vantage caught a cold. The 200-mile drive to the Peak District to shoot a twin-test for a future issue hadn’t presented any problems, but within 30 minutes of handing KR69 HTE over to Dickie Meaden, evo’s founding father returned offering one of his deeply technical and concise pieces of feedback that enabled a near instant diagnosis: ‘I think there’s something wrong with “your” Aston, Stu. Do you have the keys to the other car and I’ll do some cornering shots with that while you sort it out.’ Professional to…

A NOTHER ALPINE. A MODIFIED ONE AT THAT. AND WE’VE MADE IT the lead Driven in this month’s mag. You may be thinking, ‘Bit of a thin month for Drivens, chaps?’ Not a bit of it. When you drive something as awesome as the Life110 there’s no conversation to be had about relegating a 911 Targa to second place. This 2018 Première Édition A110 is the property of Life110, a new company specialising in the tuning of the little French sports car that has valiantly attempted to reverse the trend for heavier, faster but less satisfying performance cars. That’s something we adore the Alpine for, yet we’re not blind to its flaws. So good is the rest of the car that it’s easy to look past them, to desire to…

WHAT HAS TURBOCHARGING EVER DONE FOR US? SO IT’S given us some of the most iconic performance cars of all time, from Renault 5 GT Turbo to Ferrari F40. Apart from that, though? Well, there’s the potential for big power from small capacities, such as the AMG A45 or the GR Yaris. That aside, what have we really gained? Of course, there’s your entertainingly boosty power delivery too, and some of the most exciting eras in motorsport. But how have turbochargers really benefited us? Okay, turbochargers are actually pretty useful on reflection, purveyors of entertaining whooshing noises, low-down grunt and glowing pipework since the Chevrolet Corvair Monza of the early 1960s. Variety is the spice of life though, and if there’s one thing about them we’re really not keen on,…

IN PERFORMANCE CARS, THE TURBOCHARGED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE (ICE) HAS BECOME THE NORM AND LED TO DOWNSIZING. WILL THIS CONTINUE? Dr Frank Welsch, board member for technical development at Volkswagen: ‘I call it rightsizing: there has been a trend for lightweight engines with a comparatively small displacement, not just for particularly powerful vehicles, but in general – due also to emissions reasons. Power and torque outputs that would have been almost inconceivable just a few years ago are now achieved through forced induction, intelligent injection processes and use of high-tech materials.’ Richard Moore, propulsion director at Lotus: ‘Yes, we think it will – turbocharging complexity continues to develop, with twin-turbo arrangements starting to be replaced with [electric] e-turbochargers.’ Phil Hopwood, head of engine and emissions control products at Ricardo Automotive…

IT’S TAKEN A WHILE, BUT MASERATI is finally to offer its Ghibli and Quattroporte saloons as fully fledged supersaloons in the form of 572bhp Trofeo models. Fitted with an evolution of the 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 from the Levante Trofeo SUV, this will be the first Ghibli available with an eight-cylinder engine. Prior to its installation Maserati’s engineers have beavered away on the internals to better suit the demands and needs of a pair of rear-wheel-drive saloons. Co-developed with Ferrari, this latest V8 has redesigned pistons and con rods, a new design of cylinder head, camshafts and valves, and a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers that feature new internals to improve performance and efficiency. It results in 572bhp produced at 6750rpm and a peak torque figure of 538lb ft available from 2250…

EVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.’ ADVICE AS relevant in life as it is in literature, but just this once, we suggest you freely ignore it. Each of these cars drives exactly as it looks. There’s the brawny, muscular one. The precise, tactile one. And the quirky, slightly experimental one. Names are barely necessary in this company. But if each really was a book, you’d be sold as soon as you clocked it on the shelf. ‘Brawny and muscular’ is the BMW 1-series M Coupé, better known as the 1M. This was the car that promised a return, of sorts, to the ethos of the original M3. At the time of the 1M’s launch in 2011 the M3 was in its fourth generation and packed V8 power, but it…

MIDNIGHT ON THE M6. NOT THE MOST ROMANTIC of settings, but strapped low in the thinly padded driver’s seat of the Ultima GTR640, it feels more like the Mulsanne Straight. Not because I’m travelling at any great speed, you understand, but because the Ultima feels as much like a Le Mans sports prototype as it looks. The spartan cabin has a simple Stack instrument pack and an exposed, right-hand gearshift, while the view through the Porsche 962-style wrap-around screen is framed by a fat hoop of roll-cage and underlined by a valley formed by the swoopy front wings. It sounds loud like a racer too, which adds to the endurance feel of this late-night drive. I’ve always enjoyed the sense of adventure that laces a long drive into the wee…

I THINK IT WAS DAMON HILL WHO ONCE said the first test of a new Formula 1 car after the long winter break was always the most shocking. The braking force, the unnatural levels of sustained lateral G and the free-fall acceleration seeming all-new despite years of experience. At least half the battle, he said (or maybe it was Mika Häkkinen… but definitely somebody. Probably. I am not making this up), was just believing in the car’s alien abilities. Post-lockdown, the RS7 felt like an F1 car on a cool January day at the Circuit de Catalunya. Maybe it was weeks of not really going anywhere. The thrill of almost freedom. But I suspect it was just because the 592bhp RS7 is lunatic fast, carries so much speed and always…

YOU HAVE TO HAND IT TO EDITOR Gallagher. Running two long-termers is a feat of blagging even I’ve lacked the audacity to attempt. Given the other half of his pairing is an Aston Martin Vantage you might consider him offering me the Duster something of a hollow gesture, but I have to say I’ve become rather fond of the Dacia. Many years ago the Meaden daily was a ’99 Subaru Forester (non-turbo). It was a brilliant, humble, honest, versatile and hugely enjoyable car. We did 180,000 miles in it before it finally cried enough. I’ve always thought the Duster to be its spiritual successor, and that’s now been confirmed by living with it for the last few weeks. It’s got an easy enthusiasm about the way it tackles every journey…

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE, AND WHEN it comes to offering multiple flavours of something, few provide the breadth of derivatives that the 911 does. While rivals pare back their offerings to sometimes a single model designed (compromised?) to suit all tastes, Porsche continues to stick to a more traditional automotive business model when it comes to its trim and body styles, which is why the Targa has now joined the 992-series Carrera coupe and Cabriolet models. It means that once again Porsche is offering two options when it comes to open-top 911 motoring, which for some people might be one option too many. But with 50 per cent of all Porsches sold being of the open variety, and the UK the third largest market for them, the Targa…

‘THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A GT R PRO WITH A BIT MORE POWER AND A LARGER WING’ JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT AMG’S ultimate sports car couldn’t get any more intimidating, beastly and generally good at giving the impression that it wants to munch through everything in front of it, including the road – that’s you, GT R Pro – along comes this, the GT Black Series. You’ll note it doesn’t get the GT R name, and with good reason, because while the family resemblance is clear, this is much more than merely a GT R with a bit more power and a larger wing. In fact, it has an awful lot more power: an incredible 143bhp to be precise, joined by 74lb ft more torque, and as you’d imagine,…

‘THIS IS A SERIES PRODUCTION CAR. THIS IS A SERIES production car.’ The more exposure you have to the SF90 Stradale, the more you have to remind yourself that rather than a once-a-decade successor to the LaFerrari, this near-as-dammit 1000bhp mid-engined hybrid is the new flagship of Ferrari’s bread and butter range. The timing is interesting, arriving as it does in the tumultuous age of Covid-19. This much is evidenced from the scenes at both the factory and Fiorano test track, where masked gate guardians zap your forehead with a thermometer before allowing you into the facility, and test cars are meticulously sterilised between drivers. Ferrari was ravaged by the virus, but everyone is now back at work. Apparently the spectacular Marco Visconti-designed factory canteen no longer offers freshly made…

FEW PHOTOGRAPHERS MANAGE TO capture more in each ephemeral blink of the eye than motorsport photographer Drew Gibson. Action and atmosphere, emotion, intimacy and an unmistakable sense of place, Gibson’s shots consistently express the vitality of a thrilling sport. As the racing fraternity begins to return from its pandemic-induced parc ferme, we caught up with the County Durham-born photographer to talk about his career to date. ‘I was never an avid photographer as a kid. However, when the time came to pick my A-level subjects I decided I wanted to learn a skill and ended up doing a Media Studies course. A small part of this was a City & Guilds module in photography. It was still film-based then. I loved learning about how an aperture or shutter speed affects…

LOOKING BACK AT MY LAST report on my 996 (issue 266), the sense of excitement is tangible. Lists of parts had been compiled and ordered. Porsche Classic was drawing up a large bill and my new engine was about to come to life at Porsche Swindon. My rather grandly titled ‘Project Arena Red’ was looking pretty promising. That was some time ago and my 996 is not home. Nor does it look likely to be for some time. Pride comes before a fall, I think they say. By way of a recap, the 996 developed a mystery misfire at around 5500rpm. Little more than a splutter and then a slightly strangled slog to the red line. I guessed it was a coil pack or something insignificant, as the 3.4-litre engine…

YOU MAY HAVE DETECTED THAT I WAS slightly hesitant to give my opinion on the Supra driving experience last month, at which time I’d had but a scant few days behind its wheel. That feeling remained for most of this month, too, but after a recent two-hour drive taking in some favourite evo roads on a quiet Saturday evening, I think I’m finally beginning to get a handle on it. I reckon a good part of my early cunctation was caused by a mismatch between my expectations for the Supra and the reality. Toyota’s bumph on the car is littered with terms such as ‘pure’, ‘honed’, ‘single-minded’, ‘motorsport expertise’ and ‘Nordschleife’, which had me preparing for a scalpel-sharp, take-no-prisoners sports car. But that’s not quite what it is. It’s certainly…