Evoの December 2021 の目次

THIS MONTH HAS SEEN THE REVEAL OF two renewed automotive icons, models that over the decades have put in the hard miles to earn their place in the history books. Yet while one of these appears to have nailed the brief, the other hasn’t. Well, not to me at least. For five decades, the Range Rover has been unmistakeably a Range Rover. Admittedly the P38 left a little to be desired in the looks department, but it retained the key attributes that made it the car that rival manufacturers wanted to make but didn’t have the confidence to. Today’s fifth generation is a masterstroke of evolution, appealing to existing customers while having enough about it to attract new ones. And then there is the new Mercedes SL. Except it’s not…

I THINK I CAN GUESS WHAT SOME OF you are thinking. Is it not bad enough that the latest BMW M3 – and the M4 for that matter – weighs significantly more than the last one? That it’s switched to a torque converter automatic gearbox? Not exactly the stuff of Steve Soper and Roberto Ravaglia yumping their E30 M3 touring cars at The Ring, is it? And I haven’t even mentioned the divisive styling yet… And now there’s this, an M3 with four-wheel drive. Humph. It’s enough to make an M-car purist cry into their pint of Warsteiner. However, don’t be taking to sniffing the Wintershall rocket fuel just yet, because given the glittering run of form that BMW M has been on lately, and just what a frankly superb…

WE DON’T ATTEND MANY TYRE LAUNCHES, chiefly because driving a new tyre is rather pointless unless you have something to compare it with, some way of verifying or refuting claims made for it. Generally we prefer to conduct our annual tyre test, which gives direct comparisons in controlled conditions (see page 113). However, the launch of the SportContact 7, Continental’s new UHP (Ultra High Performance) tyre, was a bit different. Its predecessor, the SportContact 6, has been a solid performer but it’s been around for six years, so you’d expect the new tyre to be better. Wet and dry braking distances are claimed to be improved by 8 and 6 per cent respectively but on top of this the new tyre comes with a service life extended by 17 per…

WHEN THE ORIGINAL BMW 8-SERIES was announced in 1989 it was quite the technology flagship, what with its active dampers, traction control and world-first multiplex wiring system. What it wasn’t, however, was very sporty. And despite 300bhp from its 5-litre V12, it wasn’t very fast either, failing to outpace its sober 750i sister. Contemporary reviews were lukewarm at best, noting that it was quite far from the ultimate driving machine. Behind the scenes BMW’s Motorsport division had already been tasked with doing something about that. To start with, they put the 8-series on an extreme diet, replacing metal with composites for the doors, bootlid and bonnet, removing the back seats, replacing the front seats with racing buckets, switching glass for plastic in the windows, and deleting the regular car’s pop-up…

NOW WE’RE REALLY FLYING. THE LITTLE, SINGLECAM, eight-valve motor is well into the red zone on the Jaeger rev-counter, surging past 7000rpm, the note hardening into a tight, percussive sound, like a drill. Perhaps a small, cordless, low voltage sort of drill rather than something you’d use to cut through a rock face. But what it can’t offer in raw power, it makes up for in spirit. It is rev-tastic, tuneful, and as I glance down at the speedometer I realise we’re really covering the ground, as just over 800kg skims and shimmies down this fast, sweeping B-road, exhibiting an economy of movement and a loose-limbed ease perfectly in tune with the stylish insouciance so associated with this car’s mother country. My face almost hurts from smiling so much, an…

ATLANTA-BASED AMERICAN motorsport photographer Camden Thrasher has shot a Formula 1 Grand Prix race just once to date. He relished the opportunity to witness car racing’s juggernaut in action, but doesn’t feel inclined to swap over from his regular diet of sportscars and off-road, Baja-style buggies. ‘I did the Canadian Grand Prix in 2019,’ he explains, ‘and it was an awesome experience. I was interested in shooting it because, for me, it was new and different. ‘One of the biggest things was that there were actually spectators, and as far as a backdrop with all the colour and visual interest goes, that was a whole lot different to most sportscar racing. But in my opinion I don’t think that just because it’s F1 and the top level of racing that…

MUSTANG MACH-E GT AS CONTRASTS GO, THE ONE BETWEEN A SHELBY GT500 and a Mach-E GT is quite considerable. In reality, the only commonality between the two is the word ‘Mustang’ in their names and that neither has a Ford badge anywhere to be seen (or rather anywhere visible). Instead this pair links today with tomorrow – tomorrow for Ford meaning every road car it sells being available with some level of electrified powertrain by 2030, the majority of those being fully electric vehicles. The Mach-E GT is the first of those to have gone through the workshops with a Ford Performance sign above the door. As with every electric car there are plenty of numbers to get stuck into. There’s a 98.7kWh battery (88 of which is useable) connected…

@evomagazine @evomagazine @officialevomagazine WITH THE 993 HAVING RECEIVED a clean bill of health (see last month’s report), it was loaded with road-trip essentials: two large travel bags, two rucksacks, and various coats and shoes placed between the roll-cage bars in the back. Despite being a small car, a mid-’90s 911 can carry more than enough luggage for a week away for two, the majority of it fitting in the front boot. We – me and the soon-to-be Mrs Parrott – were on our way to the Isle of Skye, which meant an eleven-hour drive on day one, a good portion of it motorway cruising. Despite the fixed bucket seats and relatively firm Öhlins suspension, the 993 proved surprisingly comfortable – I know this because my fiancée nodded off not long…

IT’S HARD NOT TO FEEL A BIT SORRY FOR the folks at Chevrolet, specifically for their representatives in Europe. At the beginning of 2020 they were all revved up about selling us the new eighth-generation, mid-engined C8 Corvette on this side of the pond. And in the UK the excitement must have been especially intense given that the car was going to be factory built in right-hand drive for the very first time. To whet our appetites we drove the new Vette out in the US and, bar some mild reservations about its styling, we reckoned it was ready to take on the best European sports cars that less than £100k could buy. It bore all the hallmarks of being a 911 rival but for Cayman money, plus, of course,…

AS THE SUN SET ON THE 2021 evo track season finale, we were already planning our 2022 schedule. And now we can share our plans and you can book your space. Thank you to all who joined us at Bedford Autodrome, Brands Hatch and Goodwood throughout 2021. Your approach to each event and how you drove was commented on by all three venues as some of the best they have witnessed on a trackday regardless of the event, so thank you. And a huge thank you to Audi UK, who supported our evening events by bringing along the two ends of its performance car spectrum in the guise of the rear-wheel-drive R8 and the RS e-tron GT for attendees to drive. Now it’s time to look ahead to 2022. We…

‘HER MAJESTY, THE V12…’ These are the exact words Ferrari uses to introduce the 812 Competizione’s V12 engine in the media briefing the night before we’re due to drive the new car around the Fiorano circuit. It’s theatrical reverence for a type of engine that goes back to the very first car Enzo made under his own name, as Ferrari as the old courtyard at Fiorano and the Ristorante Cavallino across from the main gates of the factory. I had wondered – feared even – that I might be about to drive the final naturally aspirated V12 engine from Maranello, a truly sobering thought for any car enthusiast, but the Ferrari people confirm that while there’s demand from customers, and the will is there inside the company – and currently…

I MAGINE IF YOU SPENT THE NIGHT BEFORE A flight watching videos of planes landing in high winds. As I close my laptop and switch off the bedside light, not feeling in the least bit like sleeping, I realise I’ve probably just done something equally daft. As I put my head on the pillow, all I can see are images of Hannu and Stig leaping over the rollercoaster crests of Ouninpohja. Flames spit from from the yellow and white beasts as they slew sideways at jaw-dropping speeds, the soundtrack beautiful but angry. As I close my eyes I’m picturing Walter waltzing, his blue Adidas pumping the pedals as he splits a sea of spectators like a motorsport Moses. It’s terrifying to see the commitment as he drives blind, save for…

HAVING PLAYED A ROLE ON BMW’s M3 launch fleet before arriving at evo, the Mighty Green returned to BMW this month for some fresh rubber, new brakes front and rear (after its dismal showing on the track as explained in last month’s report) and a software update that’s being applied to all G80 M3s. That last piece of work hasn’t made the car any quicker, but I do wonder if there’s a little more crack and woofle to the engine during upshifts and off throttle, and the gearshifts seem slightly snappier – although that may be my imagination. The new discs and pads have improved brake pedal feel too, which further convinces me that all was not well with the old ones. I’ve also ordered a set of Michelin’s Pilot…

THE MÉGANE IS A FAST, EXCITING CAR if you use the drive mode button and select Sport or Race. There’s a real zip to its engine response that energises the whole car, and when rear-steer pitches in too it feels properly on it. It’s a blast but you need to be in the mood for it, and the contrast in key-on mode is rather greater than you’d hope. Simply fire up and drive off and the Mégane feels a bit flat, almost disinterested. I think this is so that the official economy and CO2 figures – taken in key-on mode – look good, but I find it frustrating that a 296bhp fast hatch with RS badging needs to be put into Sport mode. I could probably live with that simple…

IT WAS A TANTALISING PROPOSITION, the M550i, promising the otherworldly performance of the hardcore M5 and the everyday usability of the regular 5-series. And, as advertised, it provided these attributes, wrapped in discreet yet slightly menacing packaging, in our car’s case black paint (a no cost colour) with the standard 20-inch alloys finished in a cool gunmetal. The M550i shares a lot of hardware with the M5, including its twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel-drive system, but at £68,590 it costs over £30k less. Sure, it has less power – 523 versus 616bhp – but more importantly for a near two-ton car and its role, it enjoys the same humungous torque rating of 553lb ft from 1800rpm. Unexpectedly, it also has more simmering V8 character. An unbridled romp through the options list…

‘Have we reached peak VW Group hot hatch, and the Cupra got there first?’ I CAN STILL VIVIDLY REMEMBER THE WAY the Cupra steadily reeled-in and then edged ahead of the Cayenne S as the two cars accelerated flat-out down Bruntingthorpe’s runway. Aerodynamics and mass no doubt played their part in the Porsche’s downfall, but it still had a 380bhp V8 and had got off the line quicker. Yet it was the Leon that broke the timing beams first – at exactly 150mph. While three-up. That was back in 2007, when such performance from a family five-door seemed like a big deal. (The triumphant whooping inside the Cupra confirmed that.) That Mk2 SEAT Leon Cupra – my long-termer at the time – certainly hinted at the seriousness that was to…

AUDI’S RS3 HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE automotive kid who has everything handed to them on a plate but still managed to flunk it all and achieve very little. It’s failed to capitalise on the unique characteristics of its five-cylinder engine, make the most of its four-wheel drive, or take advantage of having the might of Audi Sport in its corner. It has, instead, had more of a ‘that will do’ approach to life, which is why it leaves many disappointed and signing up for Ford RS, Honda Type R and VW R models instead. And in more recent times, AMG’s hot and hyper-hatches. All this could be about to change, because the new RS3 feels more the honed hyper-hatch – or, as pictured here, compact saloon – than a sales…

IT’S NOT THE CAR YOU TAKE FOR THAT life-affirming dawn drive on a summer’s morning. But it is likely to be a guilty pleasure amongst many of us. The Range Rover is an evo car but not in the traditional sense. And here’s the fifth generation, with an evolutionary new look, an interior that puts many first-class airline cabins to shame, and new or updated powertrains to accompany the tech that it’s hoped will keep the world’s original SUV relevant for the decade ahead. The Range Rover has no direct rival, the competition avoiding going head-to-head to sidestep an unsightly mauling. It means the team behind it enjoy the freedom to focus on what their customers want rather than chasing rivals. And if they’ve nailed the reliability, there’s no reason…

FROM THE BLEAK HILLTOP PASSES OF THE NORTH Pennines, via the pockmarked, nip-and-tuck tarmac ‘stages’ of mid Wales, to the familiar – but no less revealing – Bedfordshire lanes near evo HQ, in 2021 we have done everything we can to sift through the current crop of hot hatchbacks in pursuit of a winner. We’ve driven them collectively thousands of miles, we’ve argued at length about them, and we’ve enjoyed driving them and debating their relative merits more than with almost any other class of performance car this year. There have been disappointments; there have been revelations; troublingly a few have left us cold, but there is one, overarching thing we can all agree on: the cars you see here are the ones we genuinely believe to be the finest…

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IT’S KIND OF NEAT WHEN YOU PUT the BMW M4 Competition into its sportiest mode and its exhaust note deepens and on the overrun – there! – you can spot the occasional, distant boom. Then you fire up the Shelby Mustang GT500 and the roar from its tailpipes almost knocks the BMW over. In the film version, the M4 is the punk in a soon-to-be-shredded jacket and the Mustang is Crocodile Dundee grinning and saying ‘That’s not a knife…’ I love a thunderous V8 as much as any enthusiast and the Mustang’s supercharged V8 is a doozy. There’s a savage horsepower bite to back up that bark, too – a stupendous 760bhp, making it Ford’s most powerful production car ever. Add ‘Grabber Lime’ paint and a full set of stripes…

‘These two cars couldn’t be much more different under the skin, or to drive’ THIS MONTH OUR INSIGNIA GSI CROSSED paths with an even less common family-sized five-door hatchback in the form of Kia’s Stinger GT S. The Korean car shook Europe’s assumptions about the (former) budget brand when it arrived in 2018, using hardware borrowed from existing models in overseas markets and bundling it into a high-performance saloon that we’ve long been fans of here at evo, especially after running one on the Fast Fleet a few years back (see issue 258 for John Barker’s summing up of his thoughts back then). Yet while the Stinger’s form and function might seem to be shared with the GSi, the two couldn’t be much more different under the skin, or to…

HOW MUCH ‘UTILITY’ DOES THE DBX have? SUVs such as this are, after all, designed and created to perform multiple tasks as a luxury, sports (in the loosest sense) and do-anything-and-everything-required-by-a-family car. Those first two remits KY21 JYD has regularly demonstrated it is more than capable of fulfilling. From thousand-mile commuting weeks to 1000-mile weekends to Le Mans, with plenty of enjoyable, more interesting and quicker miles in between, it’s been a perfect companion when you simply want to cover large distances in a short space of time in as much comfort as possible. When designing the DBX’s platform, the intention was to maximise the interior space as much as possible, for occupants and for storage, both of which it has nailed. The man who oversaw the DBX’s design, 6ft…