All the latest jump-cuts from behind the world of motoring. When every spy shot’s snapped, when every story breaks, we’ll tell you what it really means.
By
Alistair Weaver
03 July 2009
10:51:41
Hard to believe that it's now ten years since a scarily-young looking Nick Heidfeld set what remains the hill record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Heidfeld was the McLaren test driver at the time and this was in the days when the F1 drivers still drove flat out for the fastest time. Official timing stopped in 2000 after a fatal accident and today's F1 drivers concentrate more on putting on a show than setting the fastest time. Given how hard Heidfeld had to work just to keep the car on the track, it's not surprising.
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03 July 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
26 June 2009
12:46:51
Despite the overwhelming majority of Panamera customers opting for the new seven-speed PDK gearbox, it’s good to know Porsche is still willing to bring an old skool six-speed ‘box to market in September.
Dodgy push-pull buttons aside, the PDK shifts gears seamlessly but it isn’t anywhere near as engaging (or as fun) as driving the Panamera with a six-speed manual. Sounds daft but yes, even in a two-tonne saloon. That’s why if I was going to spec my perfect Panamera, it would be the car you see above: a Panamera S with 20in Spyder alloys and a manual ‘box. Not only does the rear-wheel drive ‘S’ version feel lighter and more agile than the four-wheel drive versions, you don’t feel like there’s enough savage torque from that 4.8-litre V8 to truly miss a four-wheel drivetrain.
If I had a bit of extra cash - err yeah, that's on top of the £72,000 asking price - I may be convinced to spend £2830 on Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. Oh, and while Im splashing the cash, it would be a shame not to add £1699 worth of sports exhaust. Every car needs a better base note, don't you think?
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Jon Quirk
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26 June 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
26 June 2009
02:23:13
The Sports Chrono Package for the Porsche Panamera Turbo is a £1233 option - that's on a car already costng £95,298. However, lodged in the small print of this Chrono Package is Porsche 's miraculous Launch Control System. I say miraculous because not only does it allow a two-tonne saloon car to hit 60mph in 4secs flat, Porsche's drivetrain engineer Christian Hauck also reckons the system can be used as many times as possible without shredding the clutch. Traffic light GPs won't ever be the same again...
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Jon Quirk
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26 June 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
26 June 2009
02:08:17
The Porsche Panamera saloon hits UK showrooms on 12 September but we've been lucky enough to blag an early drive in Porsche's first ever saloon and tell you whether it's worth putting an early deposit down. Porsche's brief is certainly a tricky one; build a luxury saloon that's as refined as it is rapid, while offering the versatility of a sports tourer. But come end of play tomorrow, we'll hopefully be closer to telling you how it manages to wrestle these rather contradictory disciplines.
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26 June 2009
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By
Owen Ready
25 June 2009
18:13:08
On new car launches, journalists are always provided with a set test route on which to try out the manufacturer’s new wheels which can be handy of you find yourself in the bum end of nowhere. But yesterday when Lexus very kindly flew myself and a group of other journos to Nice to try out its new IS 250C, the road book was tossed out of the open roof: there was only one place I was heading with my four hours in the sun – the Col de Turini.
Where is it?
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What's so special about the Col de Turini?
You might have heard of the mountain pass between Nice and Monaco before – it’s the most famous stage on the Mote Carlo Rally. At 1607 meters above sea level and with a torturous cocktail of “don’t look down” sheer drops and endless hairpin bends this is one of the most epic roads in Europe. And if you don’t believe me check out this video:
The views
What Sebastien Loeb didn’t have time to do was pull over, stretch his legs and check out the unbelievable views. On one side the Cote d’Azure, on the other the craggy peaks and valleys of the Parc National du Mercantour and the snowy peaks of the Italian and French Alps. This is just one big, beautiful playground. (Click to enlarge the pics)
The car
The Lexus IS 250C might have designed to be cruising 1600m below on the boulevards of Nice rather than the switchbacks of these Alpine roads but it was surprisingly good fun.
Ok so the 2.5-litre engine struggled as the air got thinner (it struggled at sea level too, to be honest) but, credit where it’s due this is one very composed car. Having the sun and the clear air on the Alps all around you helps too.
Read the full Lexus IS 250C Car Review here>>>
And finally...
Two very random vehicles spotted on the Col. The first was the badly crumpled Fiat Panda (above) which brought home the fact that while beautiful this is also a very dangerous place. I really hope that nobody was inside at the time.
There was also this black cab right at the top. Must have been some fare...
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Owen Ready
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25 June 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
24 June 2009
09:55:30
I've never driven the standard Audi R8 with its 4.2-litre V8 and found it lacking in any department, but that hasn’t stopped the guys from Ingolstadt plonking a Lamborghini-derived 5.2-litre V10 behind the driver to challenge Italy’s more established supercar makers.
Alistair is taking this white-with-carbon-blade number along to Spa Francorchamps for his next instalment of BritCar, but I got to drive it home (with a few de-tours) last night.
Here are my scribbles: throttle response instant and measured, power delivery is linear and shocking, esp. considering how unbelievably docile and refined it is at low speed. Masses of grip, very confidence inspiring. Far too many ‘thumbs up’ to count. Traits of standard R8 regarding refinement/body control have been maintained, ride is firm but comfortable and never crashy. Not enough visual differentiators between both versions. Very rarely feel need to put dampers in sport mode. Average fuel consumption 8mpg (ouch), third gear of six-speed gaitor ‘box sometimes difficult to engage quickly, washer fluid not strong enough for the severity of bug splatter. Sounds ridiculous but £99,580k actually sounds like good value?!
If only I were a better a footballer…
Check out which other car uses this 5.2-litre V10 engine >>>
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Jon Quirk
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24 June 2009
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By
Owen Ready
22 June 2009
12:44:12
Spotted this grey Ferrari F50 crawling through traffic on the A3 heading into London the other day. I remember it being canned when it was new for being a bit of a minger but it didn’t look that way to me.
After bit of digging I found that car is actually a one-off in terms of the colour and is currently for sale at Ferrari specialists Joe Macari in Wandsworth for £345,000. Maybe if I combine all my birthday and Christmas presents until I’m 265…
Don’t forget to email us pics of your car spots.
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Owen Ready
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22 June 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
18 June 2009
11:15:39
If you’re wondering what you and your old man should get up to this father’s day, why not take a page out of Trent Whatley’s book. The American petrol head has converted an old Chevy V8 block into the manliest gas BBQ ever. Apparently, Whatley had been cooking up the idea (sorry…) for some time, before getting the cleaning polish out and beginning the transition from mill to grill. We're glad he did: eight warped cylinders have since been replaced by a large grilling tray for your burgers and bangers. Of course, Trent says you can have a go with any old engine, but we’d also recommend you fit a second grilling tier for the pork chops. You can't forget the pork chops...
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Jon Quirk
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18 June 2009
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By
Jon Quirk
16 June 2009
19:18:39
The J-Gate is dead, people. I've just peered through the window of the new 5.0-litre Jaguar XK in our car park and spotted the same Jaguar Drive transmission that features in the Jaguar XF. Seeing as that car won the 2008 Sky Motoring Award for Best Interior, it's no surprise that the XK has felt the need to follow suit.
Some other details I've immediately spotted on this car that differ from Alistair's long-term Jaguar XK Convertible include the LED rear lights, chrome-effect seat controls (instead of Alistair's black plastic ones) and fang-shaped silver air scoops up front, which look better in the flesh than the pictures. This new 5.0-litre V8 package will now set you back nearly £65k, which is £4k more than the list price of the old 4.2-litre V8. By tomorrow morning, I'll be able to tell you if the revisions have been worth it.
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Jon Quirk
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16 June 2009
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By
Alistair Weaver
16 June 2009
17:32:50
I’ve been hearing endless comments recently about how GM is going to re-emerge as a stronger, leaner and more competitive company after its rescue from bankruptcy. But what happens to the old drabs of GM, like Hummer? Well, you may have heard last week that industry giant Sichvan Tengzhong snapped up the Hummer. Never come across Sichvan Tengzhong? They’re best known as one of Chinas biggest engineering companies manufacturing heavy industry equipment.
Hummer’s been a drain on GM for years but if there’s one country where Hummer could work, it’s China. Conspicuous consumption is still popular in the world’s new superpower, which does not have the best record on CO2 emissions. Even so, Sichvan Tengzhong has already announced plans to produce a more fuel-efficient model. So will we see Hummer re-emerging as a rival to Land Rover here in the UK? Somehow I’m not so sure.
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Alistair Weaver
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16 June 2009
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