More than 90 years down the line, Bentley is picking up production on a car that it last built when Gloria Swanson could be seen but not heard. In recent years we have witnessed the growth of “restomods” – cars such as the Jaguar E-type and Porsche 911, restored and modified with re-engineered parts, fit for the purpose of modern motoring. However, this “new” Bentley takes the concept to a higher level.

The Blower Continuation is a phenomenal achievement. To accomplish this task, the team in Crewe took apart the famous Bentley Team Car #2 and scanned every part in its construction. Team Car #2 was developed by Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Birkin was the figurehead of the “Bentley Boys” of the Twenties, whose esprit de corps and hedonistic lifestyle set the template for motor racing as a glamorous sport. So Car #2 is probably the most valuable Bentley in the world.

The car is a fitting master model for the project, which is being overseen by Bentley’s Mulliner coachbuilding division. Mulliner can trace its history back hundreds of years to a time when they were building coaches of the horse-drawn variety. Mulliner’s director, Paul Williams, explains the importance of this continuation model.

“It’s a chance for us to be able to enhance and recreate a little bit of Bentley’s past, both in terms of its vehicle and its racing heritage,” he says. It was a daunting project, requiring the re-engineering and remaking of a staggering 1,846 parts – and that was not all.

The assembly was equally challenging. These days, Bentley is more accustomed to creating cutting-edge, uber-luxurious vehicles, often with hybrid engines, but its headquarters and design and manufacturing centre in Crewe were created during the Second World War, when the government needed extra capacity for aircraft engines.

Employing 10,000 people, the plant produced 25,000 Merlin engines. The facilities that were developed to run-in and test these massive Merlin V12s before they were fitted to Spitfires and Hurricanes have been in place ever since. Bentley adapted them to accommodate the Blower’s 4.5-litre engine, which was designed by WO Bentley himself.

This time, though, they were linked to a computer-controlled dynamometer, allowing the engineers a new degree of precision and monitoring.

Bentley wasn’t alone in this endeavour. A group of some of the finest artisans shared skills – passed down through generations – to make this venture come together.

Israel Newton & Sons, a 200-year-old company from Derby that builds boilers for steam locomotives, was tasked with forging the heavy-gauge steel chassis. Bridge of Weir, a multigenerational family firm that provided the leather for Concorde and the House of Commons, created the sumptuous oxblood leather for the seats, which were each filled with 10kg of horsehair – a padding that had not been used in the Bentley trimming department for decades.

Only 12 cars will be made and options for the lucky customers are limited to external and leather colours, all in pleasing period tones, and a few tweaks such as string wrapping for the steering wheel, which you certainly would not expect to see on a modern car.

Bentley is a company on the move, looking forwards as well as back. Although it has recently committed to going fully electric from 2030, this project is a testament to its craftsmanshipmore than 90 years earlier. The Blower is a work of art that fires into life and Bentley is confident that buyers will be using these cars, rather than wrapping them in cotton wool for display. Many are predicting a post-pandemic Roaring Twenties. Driving into that era in a period car sounds like a marvellous idea.

The Bentley Blower Continuation costs £1.5 million plus taxes. Visit bentleymotors.com

David Green is a TV presenter and Times Luxx’s motoring editor. This article first appeared in Times Luxx on May 15, 2021.

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

• After reading and watching David Green on the £1.5m Bentley Blower Continuation, check out our news story about these incredible cars here.
• Jeremy Clarkson is a huge fan of the Alfaholics GTV restomod — see what he had to say about that £320,000 updated classic car here.
• Clarkson also loves the Eagle Lightweight GT, a modern interpretation of the Jaguar E-type – see his thoughts on that here

The post Behind the wheel of the £1.5m Bentley Blower continuation car (video) appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

With so much change underway, Times Luxx magazine’s motoring editor David Green thought the time was right to revisit one of the first pure-electric vehicles from a well-established premium car maker: the svelte Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV, which we crowned The Sunday Times Car of the Year in our inaugural Motor Awards, in 2018.

Though the Jaguar is no longer the fresh-faced new kid on the block, in his exclusive video Green was nevertheless pleasantly impressed with the I-Pace as he reacquainted himself with it around the streets of Tokyo. He believes the zero emission Jag “sets the benchmark for the premium all-electric sector”. Which is lofty praise indeed, considering that camp of cars now includes accomplished vehicles like the Audi e-tron, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model 3.

The performance in particular ticks all the right boxes, according to Green. With 395bhp and 512 lb ft of torque on tap, the car is no slouch (Jaguar claims it can accelerate to 62mph from a standing start in just 4.8 seconds), with Luxx’s man saying the turn of speed makes the I-Pace “absurdly quick for what it is, which is a big SUV weighing over two tons”.

Pop the car into its sportiest Dynamic mode, and Green points out, you get a synthesised sci-fi sound effect pumped through the speakers as you speed along — though, if you’re not as entertained by the audio as he is, you can disable it and continue driving about in silence.

Slowing the Jaguar down again is no trouble at all, either, as the regenerative braking system can, in its most aggressive setting, bring the car to a stop when you ease off the throttle, letting you control the car’s speed with a single pedal.

The I-Pace also has a pretty trick cabin. Interior materials like the Alcantara fabric on the steering wheel imbue a sporty feel, which in combination with the high-tech gadgets such as the huge dual-screen infotainment display leads Green to suggest the first ever electric Jag’scabin is “probably my favourite Jaguar interior to date”.

The Biritish car maker has had a go at using the I-Pace’s all-electric architecture to maximise interior space. Because there’s no petrol or diesel engine up front, the wheels can be pushed further forward than they otherwise would have been, which means the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles) is longer and room for passengers is increased.

All things considered, then, the Jaguar I-Pace remains one of the best electric cars of its type. But, with a slew of new models from premium rivals like Audi, BMW, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Tesla and Volvo set to arrive in the next few years, will the pure-electric Jag remain at the top for much longer? As Green concludes, “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

2018 Jaguar I-Pace review

Behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy electric racing car

The post Revisiting the Jaguar I-Pace in Tokyo appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Some felt this was the long-awaited and richly deserved, first of many, World Titles for one of the most well-regarded drivers in the paddock. Others felt Rosberg had scrapped out an unlikely victory against one of the greatest of all F1 stars and would be put back in his box the following season.

What nobody expected was what happened next. As calmly as he piloted his Formula One car to success, he announced he would be leaving the sport and retiring with immediate effect. In one of the most remarkable and dignified sporting exits, Rosberg had walked away from a rumoured £18m a year Mercedes contract and the chance of future glory.

This was a rare occasion when a sportsman departs at the very top of the tree and despite the global press the retirement attracted, you might have expected it to be the final footnote to his career and, as he retreated from the spotlight, perhaps the last many of us would hear from him, save for an honorary spot on the after-dinner speaking circuit.

That would be to underestimate Rosberg the sportsman and certainly Rosberg the individual. The son of another F1 world champion, he has undoubtedly had a gilded life but has certainly not sat back in his cage. His Instagram profile simply states ‘F1 World Champion’ but he could also add ‘Multilinguist, Entrepreneur, Father, Eco-Warrior, #highachiever’ to the list.

Instead of relaxing into a life of family, fishing and the occasional round of golf, Rosberg threw himself into business and investment and the exploitation of his skill on four wheels. As well as retaining ambassador roles for both Rolex and Hugo Boss, he pops up on television as an F1 pundit and imparts his expertise in a refreshingly unfiltered way, now unencumbered by the shackles of corporate diktat.

But his real passion is the pursuit of ethical and sustainable start-ups and investments, or as he puts it: “I want to have a positive impact for many, many people out there and for our planet.”

This has involved shares in Formula E, the pure-electric single-seater racing series, his engineering company, TRE, and his GreenTech event, which he describes as a “festival for preserving the planet”.

The most hedonistic of his new ventures is Drivin’ with Nico, which, despite sounding like a Chris Rea song is a three-day motoring event that defies the usual pigeon hole classification.

Yes, it’s a road rally and a way to sample various cars, but unlike most rallies that specify and work in a narrow window of specification, such as pre-war, Drivin’ is a broad church that not only allows the celebration of some of the all-time classics, but also a chance to sample some new motoring technology at a Formula One circuit … and in the company of an F1 world champion.

With this event, Rosberg is hoping to muscle his way into the motoring social calendar with an event that is both a motoring enthusiast’s bacchanal and a showcase for all things in which he is interested, invariably with an environmental slant.

At the inaugural gathering in the south of France, this heady cocktail of motoring decadence attracted an eccentric mix of participants in a jaw-dropping line-up of cars. A games tech entrepreneur in a Ferrari 288 GTO, a California-based British classic car broker in a throaty Shelby Cobra, and a Milanese architect owner of a divinely elegant Alfa Romeo 6C that won the Coppa d’Oro at Villa d’Este, were just part of the line-up.

The event started in the port of Monaco. Rosberg is a child of the city-state and he comes across as an ambassador for the principality with this event serving as a homage to his hometown.

“Drivin’ with Nico is one way I want to have a positive impact for many, many people out there and for our planet”

While the original Cannonball Run started in a carpark in east New York, this super-luxe version kicked off in the Monacan equivalent, The Riva Tunnel. This extraordinary landmark in Port Hercules was the perfect location to get the festivities underway.

In 1959, Carlo Riva needed a storage facility for his eponymous, mahogany-hulled boats and he persuaded Prince Rainier to let him dynamite a 100-metre cavern in the rock face under the palace. Sixty years later it serves as the perfect staging post for this group of auto exotica.

The hometown boy is keen to point out the more mundane sides of what often comes across as a rich playboy’s paradise. Indeed, he was a pupil to the school above the Riva Tunnel and the drivers seem to enjoy his recollections that bring this Bond-like location back to earth.

After loading and registering the cars and a brief chance to meet their fellow drivers, the first leg was a leisurely trip to the overnight stop and base for the event, the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat.

The first day of action was a track day at Circuit Paul Ricard, location for round eight of this years F1 championship. To get there, Rosberg has eight private jets on standby to make the short hop from Nice airport to the runaway adjacent to the circuit’s main straight at Le Castellet.

Of course, the line up of private jets seems diametrically opposed to Rosberg’s environmental aspirations but in keeping with the rest of the event, this is a carbon-neutral journey. The CEO of GlobeAir, Bernhard Fragner, who happens to be in the cockpit of one of the jets, explains that with the use of relatively efficient Citation Mustang planes and working with the Swiss agency, Carbon Connect, they can offset the flights’ carbon footprint.

Fragner is also the mastermind of coordinating the jets to fly in close formation to the track. It looked impressively easy, but, “Trust me, behind the scenes it required prep work and quite an effort to arrange,” he explains, and is clearly happy to get everyone there safely and on time.

Once at the circuit, a host of toys to play with were lined up in the pits. Rosberg is as much a kid in the sweet shop as the rest of us, and the only disappointment of the participants was when one chosen vehicle was no longer available to drive, as the F1 champ had cooked the brakes in a couple of overzealous but extremely fast laps.

True to his desire to steer drivers towards newer, more sustainable tech while not ignoring the glorious past of motoring, clean, pure-electric tech marvels sat side by side with the most bellicose internal combustion beasts.

Representing the electric-powered brigade was a stealthy Rimac, a Jaguar I-Pace and even an Energica electric motorbike, as well as a host of more ‘traditional’ fire and brimstone internal combustion-engined cars such as Aston Martin Vantage and ItalDesign’s outrageous looking Zerouno.

“There’s a competitive element, but the event’s really about having a lovely time and experience these classic cars together”

If enthusiasm for the horsepower in all its various forms started to wane, another more fragrant experience was on hand. Chateau de la Colle Noire, a private home of Parfums Christian Dior, one of the event partners, opened its doors to the competitors, who could take a break from speedy pursuits to visit the chic, aromatic surroundings of the Grasse countryside.

The next day was a rally through the foothills of the Alps taking in parts of the Route Napoleon. This driving event was run on the archaic and, to some, baffling rules of regularity rallies. A mixture of navigational prowess and driving dexterity, it was old hat to many but a new experience for around half the field, including Rosberg.

For this leg, he brought along his white Mercedes 300SL Gullwing – a car of extraordinary good looks, it is his pride and joy and surely one of the catalysts for the organising the event.

“It’s really about having a lovely time together and experiencing the emotion of these classic cars,” he offers, but I get the impression that doing well in the rally standings is of equal importance to him.

The final leg of the navigation took everyone on a lap of the Monaco F1 circuit, albeit during rush hour and back to the Cap-Ferrat to see who has won and could own the all-important bragging rights. The award ceremony took place by one of the most celebrated hotel pools in the world, the Club Dauphine at the Cap-Ferrat.

Making it on to the podium, Rosberg proudly claimed his second-place prize, able to forget for a moment that he is the organiser of the event. After graciously accepting the runners-up position — quite an achievement in his first regularity rally — his steely determination then crept out: “I’ll win next year,” he declared.

When I ask what he misses about professional competition he fires back: “Winning.” An honest, quick, subconscious reply and then with more thought: “Winning and celebrating with friends.”

Maybe creating his own rally is a way for him to keep the competitive embers burning? I guess you can’t keep a world champion down, and there’s still more in the tank … or should that be lithium battery?

This article first appeared in Times Luxx magazine

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

Me and My Motor: Nico Rosberg, Formula One champion

The post Drivin’ with Nico Rosberg: from F1 to fast car festivals appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Categories included best small car, best hot hatch, best family car, best sports car and the most dog-friendly car — picked by owners, not their canine companions (sorry dogs).

We also picked our Sunday Times car of the year and manufacturer of the year, while Driving columnist Jeremy Clarkson got greedy and chose two winners for 2019: his favourite supercar and a “people’s favourite”. Well, he is the people’s favourite motoring journalist, after all.

Last year Clarkson won our motoring personality of the year award, but not this year – that goes to another larger-than-life TV star.

In this second year of our awards, competition was fiercer than ever, with more than 60 shortlisted cars and products, and 270,000 votes. If you took the time to pick your personal favourites, thank you for taking part. Read on to see if the majority agreed with you.

The Sunday Times car of the year 

Porsche 911 

Chosen by Expert panel

It was harder than ever this year to choose an overall winner but after much intense discussion at ST HQ, the latest version of Porsche’s evergreen 911 was put on the top step of the podium. Our writers found it to be not only fast, beautifully balanced and thrilling on track but also comfortable on a long cruise. According to Richard Porter, “Few cars can match the 911’s breadth of ability. Yes, it’s good at hammering across the countryside if you get your kicks from such things, but what sets it apart from rivals is how good it is at mundane, everyday stuff.”

Manufacturer of the year 

Volvo 

Chosen by Reader vote

Volvo is still riding the crest of a wave that began when the XC90 was re-launched in 2015. That brought stunning high tech Scandi-chic interiors and excellent driving manners along with the Swedish manufacturer’s trademark levels of safety and comfort. Since then the full line-up has been replaced, and Volvo has announced one of the industry’s most ambitious plans for electrification, ditching diesel this year and with ambitions for half of its global sales to be pure-electric by 2025.

Volvo is still pioneering safety, revealing to us in March that women are just as safe as men in its cars (a 2011 study found women wearing seatbelts are on average 47% more likely to suffer severe injury in a crash than men). It even opened up its archive of crash test data to the world in an effort to cut deaths across the board.

Also shortlisted

• Jaguar Land Rover
• Kia
• Porsche
• PSA (Citroën, DS, Peugeot, Vauxhall)
• Toyota

Jeremy Clarkson’s supercar of the year 

Ferrari 488 Pista 

Chosen by Jeremy Clarkson

In his review for the Sunday Times in July, Clarkson said the Ferrari 488 Pista was “not just good. Or brilliant. It’s way beyond that.” Here is an extract:

“There was a time when any car, even a Ferrari, struggled to cope with 711 brake horsepower. The back end would skitter about, and you could never — not on the road, at any rate — use full throttle in any gear for more than a second or two. But it’s not like that in the Pista. To make the engine feel naturally aspirated rather than turbocharged, the torque is limited in the first six gears. So you don’t get that wheelspinning madness. Which means you don’t get the terror. This is a car you can drive fast. That you’ll want to drive fast.

“And then there’s the handling, which is faultless. You find yourself going round quite significant corners at ridiculously high speeds and there isn’t even a chirp of protest from the tyres. Or your passenger, because it all feels so completely controlled. You’d imagine that, to achieve this, the suspension was harder than a communist’s heart, but no.”

Jeremy Clarkson’s people’s car of the year 

Bentley Continental GT V8 

Chosen by Jeremy Clarkson

Replacing the V12 with a smaller V8 drops power a little, but you still get planetary amounts of torque combined with even keener handling characteristics and more miles per tank.

Here’s what Clarkson had to say:

“There’s no doubt the Bentley is the people’s car of the year because Bentley is owned by Volkswagen and that literally means “people’s car”. Sure, it has an interior like one of Lewis Hamilton’s earrings and some chintizness that only a footballer could love. But footballers are people too.

“Also, it is extremely good value for money. Yes it’s expensive but compared to the offerings from various other boutique brands, £152,000 is the bargain of the week. Because this car offers sooo much; power, opulence, comfort and a sense when you’re behind the wheel that all is well in your world.

“I don’t need a Continental in my life but I want one. And that’s the measure of a car’s greatness.”

Watch Jeremy Clarkson reveal his cars of the year at Sunday Times Motor Awards

Small SUV/ crossover of the year 

Volvo XC40 

Chosen by Reader vote

The XC40’s design is straight from the Apple school of “minimal is best”, but poke around a bit and you’ll also find it has the functionality that Swedes are so good at. Jeremy Clarkson reckoned this was the car to have for those who couldn’t bring themselves to drive a Range Rover.

Also shortlisted:

• Audi Q3
• BMW X1
• Cupra Ateca
• DS 3 Crossback
• Nissan Juke
• Volkswagen T-Cross

Family SUV of the year

Range Rover Evoque 

Chosen by Reader vote

The Evoque is the car that dyed-in-the-wool off-road enthusiasts love to hate, but it is still extremely effective on the rough stuff. It’s also popular with buyers, being Land Rover’s best seller. The second-generation model is more spacious, more high tech, better to drive on the road, more fuel efficient and improved in just about every way, yet the designers and engineers crucially managed to stick very closely to the original’s winning looks.

Also shortlisted:

• BMW X7
• Honda CR-V Hybrid
• Mercedes-Benz GLE
• Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
• Volkswagen Touareg

Family car of the year

Volvo V60 

Chosen by Reader vote

The Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3-series Touring and Mercedes C-class estate are all good cars, but they’re common, so your boss will have one — with a bigger engine than yours. Which is why there’s a place for the Volvo V60. Driving it is as soothing as a meditation podcast. Yet it’s still, at heart, a hard-working estate car that’s fit for a life with children, Labradors, botched DIY projects and Gumtree purchases.

Also shortlisted:

• BMW 3-series
• Kia ProCeed
• Peugeot 508 SW
• Skoda Scala
• Toyota Corolla

Adventure car of the year 

Ford Ranger Raptor

Chosen by Reader vote

Just as our burgers, fries and shakes are a fraction of the size of the ones in America, so are our pick-ups. The problem with that is they look weedy compared with their US counterparts. So Ford has created a version of the mighty American Raptor for more conservative Europeans. Based on the popular Ranger pick-up, it comes with a sensible diesel engine with a sensible amount of power, but beneath the wheelarches you’ll find off-road racing suspension that makes it a riot to drive flat-out to the top field and will have drivers hollering: “Yee-haw!”

Also shortlisted:

• Audi A6 allroad
• Land Rover Defender
• Jeep Wrangler
• Suzuki Jimny
• Volvo V60 Cross Country

City/ small car of the year

Ford Fiesta 

Chosen by Reader vote

Somehow the spanner-wielding folk at Ford have managed to give the Fiesta all the best bits  of a small car without any of the annoying stuff. No matter which version you jump into, it’s a hoot to drive, even if you’re just pottering to the shops. Yet if you have further to venture, the Fiesta shows a maturity and confidence beyond its size and price. By sipping fuel and being affordable to insure, it’s easy to live with, too.

Also shortlisted:

• Fiat 500
• Mazda 3
• Peugeot 208
• Renault Clio
• Vauxhall Corsa

Sports car of the year

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante 

Chosen by Reader vote

This Aston is a tour de force, a car with muscular performance yet forgiving manners on the road. It will stand your hair on end, should you wish, but will never scare you to the point where some of it starts to fall out. Which, let’s agree, has to be a good thing when the roof is down and people are staring. Technically it’s a four-seater but the rear pair are scaled for handbags, manbags and designer breeds of miniature dog.

Some critics, including Jeremy Clarkson, aren’t convinced it’s worth nearly a quarter of a million, but even he admits that not only is it blisteringly fast but “one of the best looking cars ever made”.

Also shortlisted:

• Audi R8 V10 Performance
• BMW Z4
• McLaren 600LT Spider
• Porsche 911
• Toyota Supra

Dog-friendly car of the year

Nissan X Trail 

Chosen by Reader vote

The Land Rover Discovery (last year’s winner in this category) has cocked a leg and left its mark on this territory. Yet the X-Trail is a comfortable and, yes, lovable companion. It’s also cheaper than the Discovery. The boot is generous, and Nissan offers a Paw Pack, which  includes a boot liner and a ramp so Fido doesn’t have to jump in and out.

Also shortlisted:

• Land Rover Discovery
• Mazda CX-5
• Tesla Model X
• Volvo V60

Electric car of the year

Tesla Model 3 

Chosen by Reader vote

Britain’s drivers have started voting with their feet and plugging into the electric revolution, ditching petrol- and diesel-powered cars. In the process, they have propelled the new Tesla Model 3 onto the podium of the UK’s bestselling cars. In August, only the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Golf sold more.

Motorists appear to have caught onto the fact that the Model 3 can travel for up to 348 miles on a charge, depending on the version, and is cost-effective to run when compared with a similarly sized Audi or BMW. Plus you can drive with a halo over your head.

Also shortlisted:

• Audi e-tron
• Hyundai Kona Electric
• Kia e-Niro
• Mercedes-Benz EQC
• Mini Electric

Motoring innovation of the year

Nextbase Series 2 Dash Cam 

Chosen by Reader vote

Nextbase is the UK’s best-selling dash cam brand, and with good reason — it keeps one step ahead of the pack. Or several steps in the case of its new Series 2 range. With clever magnetic mounts, plug-and-play rear-view cameras (zoom, wide-angle or rear window-mounted), Alexa voice control on higher-spec models (if specified), quick file transfers to your smartphone and an Emergency SOS service that will call for an ambulance if you don’t respond following a crash, these are clever bits of kit. They also happen to record driving footage in class-leading clarity, fuss-free, and are far from the most expensive models out there.

Also shortlisted:

• Airbubbl in-car air filter
• Hyundai NEXO Blind Spot Monitor
• Land Rover Ground View
• Polestar Android Auto
• Tesla Sentry Mode

Best Designed Car of the Year

McLaren GT 

Chosen by Reader vote

A McLaren for those who wish to travel without earplugs, the new GT is also gentler on the eye. The shape is familiar but friendlier — it doesn’t so much shout as whisper sweet nothings, but it will still turn more heads than a streaker at a cricket match.

The McLaren is unusual for a grand tourer in that it’s mid-engined (McLaren refuse to do it any other way), and as such has an unusually-shaped rear luggage compartment, but with a large space between the front wheels buyers can transport more than just a weekend toothbrush. And it’s so light and well-balanced that McLaren’s trademark fine handling characteristics come as standard.

Also shortlisted:

• Aston Martin Valhalla
• Kia ProCeed
• Mazda 3
• Peugeot 508
• Volvo S60

Value Car of the Year

Kia Picanto 

Chosen by Reader vote

Not only is the Kia Picanto competitively priced — not always the case with small cars in an age of easy finance that has a way of hiding the true cost of a vehicle — it also has a seven-year warranty. You get only three years with a Fiat 500, Ford Ka or Volkswagen Up!. Neither will it leave drivers feeling that corners have been cut on build quality.

The highlight of the range is the perky turbocharged 1-litre engine, which means it can punch above its weight.

Also shortlisted:

• Dacia Duster
• Skoda Citigo
• Suzuki Jimny
• Vauxhall Combo Life

Hot Hatch of the Year

Mercedes-AMG A 35 

Chosen by Reader vote

If you want a hot hatch you won’t tire of, look no further. There are appealing rivals but when you floor the throttle, they turn out to be about as exciting as a night in on the sofa.

Clarkson described the A 35 thus: “You put your foot down and it’s like going through the ‘Devil’s Anus’ — the wormhole in Thor: Ragnarok that was used to reach Asgard. It’s a mad ride, full of jolts and judders and stars flying past at breakneck speed.”

Also shortlisted:

• Ford Focus ST
• Hyundai i30 Fastback N
• Renault Megane Trophy
• Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

British-built Car of the Year

Bentley Continental GT V8 

Chosen by Reader vote

A second award for mighty V8-powered grand tourer, this time recognising the incredible work put in by the skilled team at Bentley’s Crewe HQ. Each Continental GT takes 110 hours to make, with around 11 bull hides going into every one. At the end of each day’s shift,  444 unassuming members of the 4,000-strong Bentley workforce swing a leg over their bicycles and ride home, content to know they have produced another run of cars that can stand  comparison with the best in the world.

Also shortlisted:

• Jaguar XE
• LEVC TX taxi
• Nissan Qashqai
• Range Rover Evoque
• Mini Electric
• Toyota Corolla

Luxury Car of the Year

Mercedes S 63 Cabrio

Chosen by Expert panel

Mercedes engineers are an exacting bunch. Why, they asked, should we expect our customers to settle for a heated bottom when we could warm every other part of their body as well? And lo, to the drop-top version of the S-class they added armrests that will warm your elbows and lower arms, and headrests that keep your head and neck cosy even on a chilly autumn morning. To complete the glow, they fitted the AMG version with a 603bhp twin-turbo V8 engine that will warm the cockles of a driver’s heart every time the accelerator pedal is squeezed.

Motoring Personality of the Year

Guy Martin 

Chosen by Expert panel

Imagine being Guy Martin and looking through your diary.

Saturday: put finishing touches to Second World War Dakota plane.
Sunday: ride a bike around a wall of death at sister’s pub.
Monday: take part in a tractor-pulling contest.
Tuesday: parachute jump out of Dakota to commemorate D-Day landings.
Wednesday: start building driverless robo-van.
Thursday: repair lorry engine.
Friday: race bike against David Coulthard in Formula One car.

There is seemingly never a dull moment. And the best bit is that the nation gets to enjoy the adventure with him, be it through his Speed with Guy Martin TV series or by following his exploits via the Guy Martin Proper YouTube channel.

As addicted to tea as he is to speed and breaking records — including fastest speed on a wall of death — he has an unassuming air and a natural curiosity about how things work, a combination central to his appeal.

All the while, Martin keeps his feet firmly on the ground, in part thanks to a day job that sees him performing MoTs on lorries in Grimsby, and because he’s the sort of person who shuns celebrity. In this day and age, clearly it’s a trait his fans value.

Photos by Simon Thompson. Video by News Productions. With thanks to Silverstone Circuit.

The post Motor Awards 2019: The Times and Sunday Times cars of the year appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Concepts also need to showcase new technology and look to the future; the X E-Tense model is DS’s vision of 2035, a two-in-one car with a passenger pod on one side, in which you can relax as you are driven to your destination, and a gorgeous cockpit on the other side for when you actually want to drive.

That will, apparently, be a rare pleasure in a decade and a half. The DS X E-Tense recognises that, while autonomous cars are seemingly inevitable, there will always be room for some good old-fashioned driving.

Thierry Métroz, the car’s designer, explains that the company wanted to create “a two-faceted car, capable of delivering the best of two worlds: that of providing intense, unfettered driving enjoyment with an abundance of power, and that of . . . autonomous motoring.

“In a way the X E-Tense comes across as a reinterpretation of the motorcycle sidecar, with a bold asymmetric stance, but on four wheels.”

DS Automobiles, now a stand alone brand distinct from parent company Citroën, has a great history of revolutionary design. It can trace its roots back to the Citroën DS of 1955, one of the most innovative and influential cars of all time.

Yves Bonnefont, the chief executive of DS, has embraced this pioneering spirit not only in the car’s design, but also its motor. As you’d expect with such a technological vehicle, there’s no smoky oil burner under the bonnet. Instead there’s a clean electric motor — or, rather, two, each powering a front wheel.

Neither is the X E-Tense some automotive show pony. It’s a working car that moves — and moves quickly — making use of the DS Formula E team’s experience with electric power trains.

At the 2019 Marrakesh ePrix in January it was demonstrated on track, between Formula E qualifying and race sessions. By 2020 at least ten manufacturers will be involved in the series. Why? Not only can they develop their electric technology in a fast, competitive setting, but they can show off their environmental credentials to the buying public.

The sight of this almost silent concept car driving around the circuit in Marrakesh is thrilling: an automotive glimpse of tomorrow.

Not that everything about the vehicle revolves around cold, hard technology. There is a nod to artisanal heritage, including leather seats finished by the feather specialist Maison Lemarié, which has ensured that the interior has a touch of Parisian air.

Bonnefont says that he has set out three main goals for this concept car: “To create space for designers to flourish and express themselves, for the design to signpost changing technology in cars, and to make a statement for the brand.”

He would need only to drive one lap of the circuit — and to see the children, adults and indeed race marshals scrambling for their phones to take pictures of the car — to know that he is well on his way to achieving them.

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

DS E-Tense GT revealed at Geneva, hints at BMW i8 rival

The post Driving the extraordinary, asymmetrical DS X E-Tense electric concept car appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Praise has come not least from The Times and The Sunday Times, with two trophies going to the British marque at our inaugural Motor Awards, in October.

The deserved winner of Sports Car of the Year 2018 went to the Aston Martin Vantage. We called it “the most accomplished Aston yet”, highlighting its beauty, soul-stirring driving experience and cutting edge technology.

And in his recent review, Jeremy Clarkson called it a “tremendous car”, adding that, “For sheer excitement the Aston is a match for the Porsche 911. And it’ll get you to your destination way faster because people like Astons. They let you out of junctions in a way that just doesn’t happen when you’re in a Porsche.”

Because we can’t get enough, we sent Luxx magazine’s motoring editor David Green out for a late-night tour of London in the Vantage, to explain in his words what makes it such a pleasure.

Green’s highlights include the muscle car noise from the 503bhp 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine, and sublime balance from the chassis. He notes its near-200mph top speed but says, “It’s not about statistics, it’s about the feel behind the wheel … this really is a true sports car.”

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

The post Here’s what makes the Aston Martin Vantage our Sports Car of the Year appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

No wonder, then, that it’s taken McLaren a quarter of a century to build a replacement. Yes, there was the P1, but that isn’t considered the true descendent… behold, the McLaren Speedtail, with its central driving position.

The Speedtail blends a 1,035bhp (approx.) hybrid powertrain with an elegant wind tunnel-honed shape to achieve a claimed 250mph top speed, making it McLaren’s fastest car to date.

Despite the car’s outrageous performance, Mclaren claims it’s not designed for ultimate lap times. Instead, the Speedtail has genuine grand tourer credentials.

Watch Luxx Magazine’s David Green in an exclusive oreview of McLaren’s incredible “Hyper-GT”, and check out the McLaren Speedtail’s key stats below.

McLaren Speedtail price and specifications

• Price £1.75m plus taxes; all sold out
• Engine V8, twin-turbo, petrol, plus electric motor
• Power 1,035bhp (estimated)
• Top speed 250mph (estimated)
• 0-186mph 12.8sec (estimated)
• Weight 1,430kg (dry)

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

The post Video: Meet the 250mph McLaren Speedtail, the F1’s true successor appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

That means our awards are not just a reflection of the best critically-acclaimed cars of the year but also those most-loved by the people who actually buy them.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 200,000 votes cast, and the winning vehicles are a fine-looking bunch, too, as you can see from the image above. Well done, you.

Not all the winners were selected by the public: our experts decided on the British-built Car of the Year, Luxury Car of the Year and Motoring Personality of the Year. We selected the overall Sunday Times Car of the Year, of course, and a certain Jeremy Clarkson named his favourite car of the year. Clarkson tells us in his own words why he chose it in this weekend’s The Sunday Times, so be sure to pick up a copy or register for online access here.

But you don’t have to subscribe to the Sunday Times for a list of the winners, and the reasons they deserve their accolades – find our Motor Awards 2018 victors below, and click on the following link to see our photo gallery from the event itself.

Gallery: Stars join Sunday Times Driving at glittering Motor Awards 2018

The winners

Click to find out why it won

The Sunday Times Car of the Year 2018

Jaguar I-PACE

Chosen by Expert panel

Tesla may have got into the aspirational pure-electric car game first but Jaguar stole a march on its long-established premium car maker rivals by introducing its first long-distance premium EV while they were looking the other way.

The I-PACE is a truly groundbreaking car, not just for Jaguar but for the car industry as a whole, and Jaguar’s head start over Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche could prove to be significant. As drivers turn their backs on diesel and switch to the benefits that the new generation of electric cars bring – no local emissions, the convenience of charging at home, lower running costs and less tax to pay – beating rivals to market and establishing yourself as a leader in the field is likely to be valuable.

The I-PACE offers a driving range of up to 292 miles, is faster-accelerating than nearly all other Jaguars and has an intelligent interior that drags the company’s cars into the digital age. A desirable, fun-to-drive high quality car that has shown the world that electric vehicles really are the future, not just niche products for Silicon Valley cultists and eco-warriors.

For more info and images, read our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• Alpine A110
• Ford Focus
• Range Rover Velar
• Volvo XC40
• Ford Fiesta ST

Clarkson’s Car of the Year 2018

Lamborghini Huracán Performante

Chosen by Jeremy Clarkson

It was a close-run thing: Jeremy Clarkson tells us he very, very nearly chose one of the other cars on the shortlist below as his car of the year. But in the end, he had to give the award to the Lamborghini Huracán Performante.

It only has a shade more power than the standard Huracán but the Performante’s 630bhp means it is far from lacking when it comes face-stretching acceleration. Combined with more lightweight materials and a massive increase in downforce, it circulated the 13-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 6 minutes and 51.01 seconds — a time that stunned pretty much everyone.

No wonder some people didn’t believe Lamborghini; as Clarkson notes, “It’s like claiming you’ve dived deeper than a US Virginia-class submarine using nothing but a bucket and a length of hoover pipe.”

Read Clarkson’s argument in full in this weekend’s Sunday Times Magazine, available in print, online, on tablet or on mobile devices.

For more info and images, read Clarkson’s original review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Alpina B5
• Audi RS 4
• BMW 530d Touring
• Bugatti Chiron
• Citroën C3 Aircross
• Hyundai i30 N
• McLaren Senna
• Range Rover Velar
• VW up! GTI

Adventure Car of the Year 2018

Mercedes-AMG G 63

Chosen by Reader vote

Fans of the G 63 call it the G-Rex, because the growling V8-powered 4×4 towers over Qashqais and Evoques and is all-but unstoppable on any terrain; its ability off-road is the stuff of legend.

Not many are sold each year but Mercedes has continued to develop the G-class – long after Land Rover ditched its ageing Defender – because it’s a halo car, proving Mercedes is not just a world-leader in swish saloons and circuit-destroying sports cars, but also the king of the luxury off-roader. And it’s not the “how many” but the “who” that counts: the G 63 just happens to be the darling of wealthy celebrities with millions of Instagram followers.

The latest-generation car still looks like a dinosaur from the outside, albeit pimped, but the interior is bang up to date, with Mercedes’ digital displays, adjustable driving modes and four-wheel drive hardware that can be customised to the terrain at the touch of a button.

For more info and images, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• Citroen C3 Aircross
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Suzuki Jimny
• Land Rover Discovery

SUV/ Crossover of the Year 2018

Range Rover Velar

Chosen by Reader vote

Land Rover jostles for space in an area of the car market that has become increasingly crowded. Every car maker under the sun wants to sell drivers a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). It’s the most popular type of car in Europe, and demand in America and China is growing strongly.

As well as a high-up seating position and bags of space, owners increasingly want their car to look good and hug the road — hence Land Rover introducing the Range Rover Velar. It’s not the first SUV to look like a coupé but ask around and the majority of drivers will agree this is the most handsome, and the one they’d most like to park outside their home.

Inside, it could have been designed by Jonathan Ive, with clean, uninterrupted lines and a dashboard resembling a giant touchpad.

That’s all very nice and aspirational, but importantly the Velar sacrifices none of the off-road ability you’d expect of a full-blooded Land Rover. We know, because we drove one to the top of a mountain in Norway (click the link below to watch the video) and survived to tell the tale.

For more info, video and images, find our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• Skoda Kodiaq
• Vovo XC40
• Mazda CX-5
• SEAT Arona
• Peugeot 5008

Family Car of the Year 2018

Volvo V60

Chosen by Reader vote

In the not too dim and distant past, children would rather duck below the window line of their parents’ Volvo estate than be seen arriving at the school gates in such a dowdy car. Today, Volvos attract envious glances.

Compared with an Audi A4 Avant or BMW 3 Series, the V60 estate has curves in all the right places. The interior is equally stylish. Volvos were always practical cars, but in a lumpy way, including big buttons for glove-fingered drivers that appeared to have been designed by someone from Fisher-Price. Practical, yes. Desirable, no. The new V60 is both.

The digital instrumentation and touchscreen infotainment system give it a Scandi-chic vibe and there’s plenty of clever storage, including underfloor cubby holes and adjustable boot dividers to stop the Waitrose shop spilling all over the place.

Jeremy Clarkson is no fan of the D4 diesel engine but choose the muscly 246bhp T5 petrol powerplant and it’s a different story.  By the end of the year, plug-in hybrid models join the V60 range, giving owners – and their children – something else to feel slightly smug about.

For a video review of the Volvo V60, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• BMW 5 Series Touring
• Ford Focus
• Skoda Superb estate
• Jaguar XF Sportbrake

City/Small Car of the Year 2018 presented by Virgin Radio

MINI 5dr Hatch

Chosen by Reader vote

A small car could be someone’s first car, or a family’s second car. Some people buy them because they’re frugal, others want something that’s a whole heap of fun. They should be petite and wieldy enough to slot first time into a parking bay, but never feel fragile or out of their depth in the outside lane of a motorway. And they need to cut a dash but not break the bank. The Mini 5-door hatchback fulfils all these requirements, and more besides.

Of all the small cars on the road, the Mini is arguably the most recognisable. Its face still harks back to the cheeky Mini of the Flower Power era, and the feeling of it being a free spirit is still there when you take to the road, but in other respects this is a thoroughly grown-up small car.

There’s room for back seat passengers and the boot is now capable of holding more than a spare can of oil. It’s why it enjoys such loyal support from owners and why it deserves to be crowned the small car of the year.

Also shortlisted:

• Ford Fiesta
• Kia Picanto
• Suzuki Swift
• VW Polo

Commuter Car of the Year 2018 presented by talkSPORT

Volkswagen Golf GTE

Chosen by Reader vote

The length of the average round commute for Britain’s drivers is just under 17 miles. The electric motor that assists the petrol engine in the Volkswagen Golf GTE is able to drive the car on battery power alone for 28 miles. For those who want to turn their back on diesel, such numbers make a compelling case for the GTE as a good car for commuters.

However, there’s more to Volkswagen’s popular plug-in hybrid than that. First and foremost, it’s a Golf, so it has near-universal appeal, with a timeless and classless image.

Next is the onboard technology. Volkswagen’s infotainment system is the envy of almost every other manufacturer and syncs seamlessly with a smartphone — something drivers care more about these days than whether or not a car corners like a thoroughbred.

Then there’s the powertrain. You might expect to encounter a few teething problems with such new technology, but the 1.4-litre petrol engine, 8.7kWh battery and electric motor and six-speed automatic gearbox work in harmony.

Fuel economy varies massively, depending on how you drive it. An average between 50 and 80mpg is realistic on a long run but if your commute is easily within 28 miles, and you can charge at home and work, you could get by without needing a drop of fuel for hundreds of miles.

The downside (there always is one)? Volkswagen says it can’t build them fast enough to keep up with demand from drivers who want to ditch diesel, and the company has paused taking orders until next year. VW doesn’t even have any in its media or marketing fleets, which is why we had to borrow one from Zipcar, the car-sharing club, for our photoshoot.

For more info and images, read our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• Audi A4
• BMW 530e (PHEV)
• Mercedes C-Class
• Nissan Leaf

Best-designed Car of the Year 2018

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

Chosen by Reader vote

When Aston’s design team set out to create the DBS Superleggera, they worked to a four-word brief: create a “brute in a suit”.

The sports car has what one Aston Martin designer refers to as “an Incredible Hulk stretch” under the skin, and Britain’s drivers like what they see, apparently: you voted it the best-designed car of the year.

For the uninitiated, the DBS Superleggera is the flagship of Aston Martin’s current range. It is conceived to be a super Gran Turismo, a car capable of cruising in luxury from London to Monaco for the Grand Prix weekend but also lapping a circuit with tyre-shredding might.

Its rippling bodywork is made, in places, from carbon fibre to help manage the large car’s mass, and it is built around much of the DB11, its smaller sibling. Beneath a bonnet the size of Surrey is a 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 engine that generates 715bhp, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 211mph. Truly monstrous.

For a video review of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• Bentley Continental GT
• Ferrari Portofino
• Lexus LC
• Volvo S90

Car Tech of the Year 2018

BMW wireless charging mat

Chosen by Reader vote

Every car manufacturer knows that over the next two decades, the glory days of the combustion engine will wane. Slowly but surely – and in silence – an electric car revolution is gathering pace, and BMW is among the frontrunners.

Its i3 and i8 electric cars have displayed ingenuity and innovation but both have a bugbear – for their batteries to be charged, they have to be plugged in. Fortunately, the days of handling dirty cables and wondering whether plugging in an electric car in heavy rain is such a good idea are almost over. BMW’s Wireless Charging System promises to make charging an electric car easier than filling a conventional car with fuel.

Drivers need simply to park over an inductive charging mat and leave technology to do the rest. It effectively operates in the same way that inductive chargers are used for electric toothbrushes and smartphones.

Video cameras guide the driver to park in the correct position over the charging plate. Charging begins once the car is switched off, and owners can check on progress using a smartphone app.

BMW is the first major car maker to bring the system to market. In the shift to electric cars, it won’t be the last.

For more info, images and video, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• Audi side impact detection system
• Nissan xStorage
• VW Trailer Assist
• Volvo Amazon Key delivery

Green Car of the Year 2018

Jaguar I-PACE

Chosen by Reader vote

It seems you’re just as impressed with the I-PACE as we are (see above), as you voted it Green Car of the Year ahead of some very worthy contenders, including the pioneering Nissan Leaf, futuristic BMW i3S, affordable Renault Zoe and versatile Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in.

With its first-ever electric car, Jaguar hasn’t just dipped a toe into zero emission motoring; it has dived in with a perfect front four-and-a-half, Tom Daley-style. Built from the ground-up as an all-electric car, it combines thrilling performance with a reassuringly impressive range of up to 292 miles from its 90kWh battery. It also has a finely-crafted interior featuring quality materials and the very latest technology.

With cars like the I-PACE on sale, from trusted, long-term manufacturers, car buyers aren’t just being convinced of the merits of electric cars; they’re finding they really want to join the electric car revolution.

For more info and images, read our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• BMW i3S
• Nissan Leaf
• Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in
• Renault Zoe

Best Dog-friendly Car of the Year 2018

Land Rover Discovery

Chosen by Reader vote

The days of dogs living outdoors and being thrown scraps at breakfast and dinner time are long gone. Man’s best friend now demands a tailor-made bed with a memory foam topper, organic food that will keep its coat shiny and joints healthy and monthly pampering sessions at the grooming salon. And they won’t ride in any old car, either.

Whether being whisked from Chelsea to the Cotswolds, or just taken to their favourite footpath, dogs need room to stretch out and the Discovery has an impressive 1,137-litres of room, enough to accommodate his n’ her carry cages for a pair of Labradogs.

That’s not all, dog lovers. Open the automatic tailgate and you’ll find switches to raise or lower the second and third rows of seats (you can you this via a smartphone app, too), as well as a button to lower the rear suspension, making it easier for Fenton to jump in and out.

There’s even an optional ‘Pet Pack’ that includes a partition to give your pooch some privacy, a quilted loadspace liner, a pet access ramp to help smaller, or older, dogs climb in and out, a spill resistant bowl (yes indeed), and – what the world has been waiting for — a portable pet shower.

For more info and images, read our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• Nissan X-Trail
• Mazda CX-5
• Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer
• Ssangyong Rexton

Sports Car of the Year 2018

Aston Martin Vantage

Chosen by Reader vote

The last Aston Martin Vantage may not have been perfect but it had something that so many sports cars missed sorely: soul. Jeremy Clarkson described it simply as “Wonderful; wonderful; wonderful” but then worried that as the V12 machine approached the end of its 12 years of distinguished service, and driverless cars loomed on the horizon, it would mark the end of an era of great sports cars.

Its Vantage successor keeps the fire alive, with a soul-stirring driving experience. Where the last model was assembled from a parts bin made of crummy bits of Fords and Volvos, this one has technology from Mercedes-Benz. It means that Aston Martin can concentrate on doing what it does best – making beautiful cars that stand the hairs on the back of your neck on end – and leave the tedious (and expensive) job of developing climate control systems, navigation and electronics to someone else.

The result is, some would say, the most accomplished Aston yet. As the company’s best-selling model, that bodes well for the sports car maker’s future.

For a video review of the Aston Martin Vantage, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• Alpine A110
• Ferrari 488 Pista
• Audi RS4
• Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Luxury Car of the Year 2018 in association with LUXX

Bentley Continental GT

Chosen by Expert panel

As a maker of some of the most expensive cars in the world, it won’t come as a surprise to learn that the latest Bentley Continental GT has some luxurious features. The headlamps contain 82 LEDs that light up like Swarovski diamonds, the leather seats are diamond-quilted and the burr walnut dashboard panelling conceals a section that rotates to become a sat nav map, spins again to display three analogue dials and once more to show just a clock.

The cabin feel as sumptuously appointed as the Princess Grace Suite at the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo. It’s a similar story under the bonnet. The 6-litre, twin-turbo, W12-powered machine is capable of covering ground at a considerable rate yet unlike many sports cars, you’ll arrive feeling as relaxed as when the journey started.

A plug-in hybrid model is in the pipeline but for now, as a last hurrah for petrol-powered cars, the regular W12 GT is a heck of a way to travel.

For more info and images, click here.

Also shortlisted:

• Ferrari Portofino
• Rolls-Royce Cullinan
• Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
• Range Rover SV Coupé
• Maserati Levante

Motoring Personality of the Year 2018

Jeremy Clarkson

Chosen by Expert panel

We know what you’re thinking. OK, Jeremy Clarkson does write for the Sunday Times but he’s also, without doubt, the best-known motoring journalist and presenter… in the world.

His witty, no-holds-barred car reviews reached a consistently high standard this year — “It’s called the Urus, which I thought was an embarrassing genitourinary problem” — and his work on the first two series of Amazon’s The Grand Tour has been some of his best yet.

Clarkson has never been one to shy away from controversy but as presenter of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire anniversary specials earlier this year proved, he’s an incredibly likeable and engaging TV presence, whatever he turns his talents to.

What’s more, his 7m+ Twitter followers are never short of engaging updates as he tours the world and tears down trolls. We simply couldn’t recognise anyone else this year. #sorrynotsorry

For more Jeremy Clarkson, click here. To read his latest reviews, visit thesundaytimes.co.uk

British-built Car of the Year 2018

Nissan Qashqai

Chosen by Reader vote

The Qashqai has proved a big hit for Nissan in Europe, and some part of its success in this country can be attributed to it being built right in the UK. Families like the crossover SUV for its blend of affordability, practicality, technology and, for many, the fact that by choosing the Qashqai they are supporting jobs on their doorstep.

The car is built around the clock at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, and its two lines churn out more than half a million cars a year.

It briefly dominated the news agenda, in 2016, after the Prime Minister, Theresa May, met with Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chief executive, to give reassurances about trading conditions after Britain exits the EU. The result was the announcement that the future, third-generation Qashqai would be built in Britain.

The Qashqai, its Sunderland plant and associated Nissan facilities in the UK are estimated to have generated £4bn in capital investment, while the Japanese car maker estimates it spends an additional £3bn a year in the British economy, through suppliers, services and wages. Of more significance to Britain’s drivers, who are likely more concerned about getting a value-for-money car that best meets their needs, the Qashqai is simply a jolly good family car.

For more info and images, read our review in full here.

Also shortlisted:

• McLaren Senna
• MINI Hatch
• Aston Martin Vantage
• Honda Civic Type R
• Rolls-Royce Phantom

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

The post The Sunday Times Motor Awards 2018: The winners appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

The Ferrari 488 GTB and Porsche 911 GT3 RS-rivalling McLaren is based on the 570S, but with the 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine tuned to produce 592bhp — a boost of 30bhp. A massive 100kg has been trimmed from the base car’s already lean kerb weight, while the lengthened “longtail” (hence LT) carbon bodywork adds not just 74mm to the silhouette but significantly increased ground effect, too, with the fixed wing providing extra downforce at the rear.

It’s a remarkable piece of kit, as Luxx Magazine’s David Green found out when he took it for a spin around the Hungaroring, in Hungary. Watch his video review above.

Mclaren 600LT price and specification

• Price £186,000
• Engine 3.8-litre V8, twin-turbo, petrol
• Transmission seven-speed semi-automatic; rear-wheel drive
• Power 592bhp @ 7,500rpm
• Torque 457 lb ft @5,500rpm to 6,500rpm
• Top speed 204mph
• 0-62mph 2.9secs
• Fuel economy 23.2mpg
• CO2 277g/km
• Weight 1,356kg
• Dimensions 4,604mm x 2,095mm x 1,914mm

Tweet to @ST_Driving Follow @ST_Driving

The post Watch the £186,000 McLaren 600LT on track in Hungary appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

The British marque Morgan announced its first electric vehicle, the EV3 (above), at the Geneva Motor Show last year — a coach-built model capable of 100mph and 0-60 in eight seconds. The handmade EV3 Junior, launched this year, can reach up to 10mph, and has a carbon-fibre body, wooden dashboard and hand-stitched leather interior. It comes in sport red, sport green or sport ivory, but for a little extra it can be painted in any colour from Morgan’s range of 40,000 shades.
From £6,662.50+VAT; morgan-motor.co.uk

2 Driving style: LONB classic car-inspired bags

The new luxury leather goods label LONB (Love Or Nothing Baby) makes striking bags with a spirit of Sixties’ insouciance. It has also developed a clip-in leather panel called the Runaway for all your essentials. Transfer this between different bags and packing becomes easy.The designs take their inspiration from classic cars: the interiors are made from Alcantara, a microfibre used on the seats of race cars, and the hardware clips are reminiscent of the type that unhook a vintage soft-top. The styles are engineered to deliver functional performance based on lightweight materials. Definitely one for the road.
The Vagabond, from £1,950 in suede to £26,900 in crocodile; lonb.com

3 Vegan velar: leather alternatives from Range Rover

Recycled plastic may not make you think “luxury interiors”, but for the launch of its fourth Range Rover model, the Velar, Land Rover worked with Kvadrat, a leading textiles manufacturer, to develop a premium alternative to leather. The dapple-grey fabric has suede cloth inserts, with fibres created from plastic bottles crafted into a soft, non-woven material. An advanced coating system means it passes Land Rover’s rigorous tests for durability. Perfect for animal lovers.
From £44,830; landrover.co.uk

4 Come fly with me: Italdesign / Airbus Pop.Up

Fancy taking off to beat your daily commute? Pop.Up, a concept vehicle system designed by Italdesign and Airbus, combines a two-seater carbon-fibre passenger capsule with a ground module and vertical take-off and landing air module. Passengers plan trips via an app that suggests the best option — joining the passenger capsule to either the air or ground module.
airbusgroup.com/popup; italdesign.it

5 View from the top: Ray-Ban Ferrari sunglasses

You may have noticed a new sponsor on Ferrari’s Formula One livery — Ray-Ban. The Ray-Ban Scuderia Ferrari collection echoes the car’s aerodynamic design and materials, incorporating Ferrari red and Modena yellow into nine styles of sunglasses. They have advanced lenses, ultralight carbon fibre and steel. The driver Sebastian Vettel told us: “The quality of the polarised lenses is exceptional and especially good for driving.” His teammate Kimi Räikkönen says: “The glasses have to work wherever you are. That’s what you get with Ray-Ban.”
From £170, ray-ban.com

6 Team orders: Michael Kors McLaren-Honda menswear

Last year the American fashion label Michael Kors joined forces with McLaren-Honda to become the Formula One team’s official lifestyle partner. Now, for 2017, as its official fashion partner, Michael Kors’s growing menswear collection celebrates the style, speed and sophistication associated with the high-octane world of F1, with a number of pieces designed for on-the-road adventures. For example, the versatile 3-in-1 Tech Track jacket can be worn three ways, depending on the weather, and the zip-up black leather jacket is a sleek, comfortable staple that looks good behind the wheel.
michaelkors.co.uk

The post Take six: Luxx’s hottest launches in the motoring world appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.