Developing new cars on the kind of budget that a German company would spend on a new dashboard has long been a speciality of the British motor industry. Many of these machines bomb, usually brought down by underfunded development programmes guaranteed to produce roulette wheel reliability, but some succeed despite such saddlings. One of the more famous is the Land Rover Discovery, which began life in 1989 as a reclothed, cost-reduced Range Rover designed to sit between the ageing Defender and a Range Rover enjoying ever more success as it was pushed upmarket. You didn’t need to look underneath the Discovery to see the similarities with the Range Rover. It shared the same windscreen and distinctively slim A-pillars, the same front door glass and much of its inner structure. But to avoid producing a vehicle of almost identical silhouette, the Discovery’s designers added a stepped roof – the raised rear section carrying slender lengths of glazing angled towards the sky. The tailgate was one piece and side-hinged rather than being split like the Range Rover’s, and most striking of all once you’d climbed inside was an unusual interior finished entirely in shades of pale blue. This was the work of Conran Design, which was asked to develop an interior suitable for a vehicle bought as a lifestyle accessory. Slender storage racks were mounted above the windscreen, stretchable overhead nets provided carriers for pith helmets and water bottles, and a massive panic handle confronted the front seat passenger. Even before you’d turned the key, it felt like you were having an adventure. There was even a small lifestyle accessory stowed within this big, four-wheeled lifestyle accessory – a detachable carry-bag made from the seat upholstery clipping to the Discovery’s centre console. The Sonar Blue interior and an impractical three-door body only lightly limited the 1989 Discovery’s success, Land Rover’s latest being decidedly more glamorous than the Shogun and Trooper offered by Mitsubishi and Isuzu. It was better off road than either of these nevertheless accomplished Japanese competitors too. The engine choice was either Land Rover’s new direct-injection 200Tdi diesel or the 3.5-litre Rover V8 that had started life 28 years earlier as a General Motors Buick engine in the US. Most buyers chose the diesel: its modest 111bhp was buttressed by a more promising 195lb ft of torque, all of this appearing at a helpfully low 1800rpm. And once you get over the mild shock of hearing what sounds like a truck engine setting Land Rover’s very first production Discovery all aquiver, it’s this stout pulling power that draws you along in pleasingly languid style. You have to work at it – the 200Tdi’s torque peak being more pointy than flat – but once momentum is gathered, the Discovery bowls and rolls along with comfortable authority. The roll comes when you shuffle the wheel of a low-geared steering system that’s remarkably cumbersome at manoeuvring speeds, but quickens at speed, when big movements produce big roll. But it doesn’t take long to compensate for this, nor the fact that you must stir the clunkily glutinous gearlever repeatedly to maintain a pace in cut-and-thrust conditions. None of which matters after a while: the airiness of this Disco, the way you look down from it towards the road below, its lightly heaving gait and the light snortings of its 2.5 four-pot diesel prove strangely restful. And no other car, now or then, provides the same in-cabin ambience of an original Discovery. It’s not just the Sonar Blue hues either – it’s the airiness of the vast cabin, the feeling that you’re viewing the proceedings from a gallery and the robustly wrought details (that grab handle and the low-range gearlever knob among them), all contriving to make it feel adventurously different. Such impressions are as keenly felt in the rear. The sheer height of the rear compartment, the surface area of glass and the comfortable commodious rear bench make this a great machine for the long distances that it conjures in your mind’s eye. This was a cost-compromised car – any 1980s Rover nerd (who, me?) is able to expose the origins of its door handles, instruments, switchgear and tail-lights (Maestro van for the last, if you must know) – but it was one capable of taking its buyers, and makers, towards excitingly fresh
Origin: Land Rover Discovery: driving the original 30 years on
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: show report and gallery
They said it would be different for 2019, and it was. Since the Goodwood Festival of Speed began its relentless climb 26 years ago towards today’s status as Europe’s — possibly the world’s — greatest motoring and motorsport festival, this event has faced many calls to keep new interest coming without damaging a much-loved formula – to refresh as well as reassure. The Duke of Richmond and his henchmen usually manage it; this year, they managed it big-time. The major addition was a big arena where the Cathedral Paddock used to be, a new venue for all manner of drifting demos, motorcycle action and stunt driving. The noise and crowds made it obvious that this was an important element the festival had previously lacked – and the spectacular, unruly and deafening appearance of drift cars on the main track, several times a day, advertised their presence. The main track action – from rumbling antiques to tyre-smoking racers, from rally cars to new(ish)-spec Formula 1 cars – was more or less non-stop, including on a streaming wet Sunday morning and early afternoon. Goodwood doesn’t stop for anyone. All the stalwart attractions were there, but there was expansion and improvement for most, such as the First Glance Paddock, whose roll-call of new models has become as important as that of the Supercar Paddock, and an improved, expanded Future Lab to show off our connected, electrified future, much of it being designed in the UK. However, it was the extraordinary roll-call of new car models that really took centre stage this year. Aston Martin had pride of place as the event’s headline sponsor, feted via a typically gigantic Gerry Judah central sculpture that hefted a DBR1 60ft into the air to commemorate the marque’s Goodwood race debut 70 years ago. The place was practically poulticed with new Astons — the Rapide AMR, the electric Rapide E, numerous Zagato variants and, best of all, the mighty £250,000 DBS Superleggera Volante. Other supercar brands were everywhere, Ferrari very prominent with the P80/C track special. Other debuts ideal for the Goodwood scene were Radical’s new road-going Rapture and the rare, harder-core BAC Mono R. Mercedes-AMG had a new, 415bhp A45, Mini was there with its new British-built electric car and Ford had the Puma compact crossover (in which it’s investing much hope) plus the very surprising Ranger Raptor pick-up truck. Mark Webber appeared on the hill in a lightly disguised Porsche Taycan and Honda demonstrated its tiny e prototype at the other end of the electric scale. But carrying the EV gauntlet was the astounding Volkswagen ID R, which broke the hillclimb record that had stood for two decades in near-silence. Of course, there were plenty of anniversaries beyond Aston Martin’s. Goodwood honoured the career of Michael Schumacher by running several of his most successful F1 single-seaters on the hill – and producing team leaders of the time, Jean Todt and Luca di Montezemolo, to lend gravitas. Jackie Stewart’s career was also celebrated, with the champion driving several championship-winning single-seaters himself and watching while others were paraded. A fleet of Pagani Zondas and Huayras was on hand, because it’s now 20 years since the first. And Citroën drew attention to its centenary with the very different, very Citroën 19_19 concept for a comfortable electric touring car. There was much, much more. More stuff than ever that was spectacular and new. Under the circumstances, it was next-to-impossible to choose a star of this remarkable British motor show (which is what it has become), but maybe the new De Tomaso company, now under Hong Kong ownership, aced it with the magnificent-looking P72. For sheer old-school beauty, the De Tomaso stood out from a packed field simply because of a wonderfully balanced, beautifully curvaceous shape considerably at odds with a surrounding field of supercar shapes that seemed chiseled and brutal. It all served to prove, as so many things did over this extraordinary weekend, that cars are still loveable, amazing and awe-inspiring in every form imaginable. If the Goodwood Festival of Speed has one abiding mantra that has so far lasted 26 years, this is it. All our posts and social highlights can be found on the Autocar Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds, where we’ve kept all three updated throughout the weekend. All the cars revealed at Goodwood 2019 One of the biggest reasons so many people come to Goodwood every year? The huge list of new models on show, either on static display or being driven flat out up the hillclimb. Here’s a list of everything revealed so far, as well as what’s due to make an appearance across the weekend: Airspeeder flying car Developed by Australian start-up Alauda Racing, the Airspeeder is a vision of what the world’s first flying car race series could look like. The Mk. II Speeder is performing its first public display flights at the Goodwood Aerodrome, while the company’s new
Origin: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: show report and gallery
BMW creates an El Camino for too-rich snobs
Have you been looking at buying a Honda Ridgeline but find it just a tad too mainstream? Do you think piloting a Chevy Avalanche is something only the proles would do?Then this is your lucky day.BMW has a solution for you in the form of a one-off X7 Pick-up.The German automaker just revealed the Pick-up project, complete with a curiously placed dash in the word pickup in its name, ahead of this years BMW Motorrad Days, the 19th soire celebrating all things bearing a blue-and-white propeller badge.A unique conversion performed by BMW Group vocational trainees, it fuses the drive technology of the 340-horsepower X7 xDrive40i with the frightening innovative concept of a five-seater luxury unibodied pick-up.A handcrafted loading area is said to boast a fine polished-wood finish, a styling feature not seen on a pickup since the late and unlamented Lincoln Blackwood.The rig also features a height-adjustable two-level air suspension, meaning its rear should not droop with sadness when you fill that wood-lined bed with bags of manure.Naturally, the luxury concept vehicle does not have anything so common in its cargo area in the press photos, with its creators instead opting to load up a dandy BMW F 850 GS motorcycle.Hauler take note: the bed measures just 47 with the tailgate closed, and a maximum of 66 with the gate open. For comparison, the Ridgelines tailgate-up bed measure is 54.Within just ten months, the twelve trainees from different occupational sectors within BMW created this concept and turned it into a fully functional, road-legal automobile. The trainees were free to decide on conception and implementation but had to forgo the additional expert assistance normally provided in concept car construction.In this, the trainees should be very proud of their creation, as it seems to definitely not be a hacked up cut-and-shut job. The BMW X7 Pick-up premieres on July 5 at the BMW Motorrad
Origin: BMW creates an El Camino for too-rich snobs
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead The popular SUV leads both the outright sales chart and Q1 2019 figures Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV remains the best-selling electric vehicle in the UK, and tops the 2019 figures too despite being pushed hard by BMW’s 530e. According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT), Q1 2019 saw 1,602 Outlander PHEVs registered, compared to 1,550 BMW 530e registrations in the first three months of the year. In third place was BMW’s i3 – the combined figure for pure-electric, REX, i3, & i3s – with almost 1,000 units sold in Q1 2019. Three pure-electric models in the shape of the Jaguar I-Pace, Nissan Leaf, and Renault Zoe took positions 4-6 in the table, followed by PHEVs from the Mini Countryman Cooper S E, Range Rover Sport P400e, and Range Rover P400e rounding out the top 10. Looking at total sales, the 40,590 Outlander PHEVs on the road continues the SUVs long-running reign as the best-selling plug-in model in the UK. It’s a run that has stretched back four years to Q1 2015, the first set of figures from the DfT showing the Mitsubishi had overtaken the previous incumbent – Nissan’s Leaf. The Leaf continues in second spot overall, and the best-selling pure-electric model in the list, with 25,491 registrations by the end of March 2019. The DfT’s figures are always published a quarter behind where we are currently, so remain the latest set of figures open to evaluation. BMW’s 330e remains in third spot with more than 13,700 units, ahead of the i3 on almost 13,000 registrations, and the Mercedes Benz C 350e with more than 10,000 on the road. Fast movers in the sales table include the BMW 530e, which having only started seeing sales registered in Q1 2017, is now positioned in 7th spot outright just two years later on almost 9,750 units. Mini’s Countryman Cooper S E has also climbed quickly, in 11th place in the table with more than 3,800 units, despite no figures for it from the DfT until Q2 2017. Jaguar’s I-Pace has sold almost 1,700 units by the end of Q1 2019, despite only seeing three models registered in Q1 2018 – its first appearance on the table. JLR stablemate, the Range Rover P400e has identical sales figures, having only been on sale from Q4 2017. The identically powered Range Rover Sport is less than 20 units behind its larger Land Rover sibling, having gone on sale at the same time, with the two PHEVs split only by the VW e-Golf, which is one unit behind the I-Pace and Range Rover P400e on 1,679. It has been on sale since Q3 2014 though. The range-extended LEVC TX black cab continues to perform strongly in a short space of time, with almost 1,550 registered since Q4 2017, and unsurprisingly, Hyundai’s Kona Electric has almost 450 registrations, having only seen its first units appear in Q3 2018’s figures. Looking forward, Audi’s e-tron pure-electric SUV sold 63 units in Q1 2019, despite not having been on sale for the whole three months, so it will be interesting to see how well that does in the next quarter’s figures. The Kia e-Niro will likely have a few units on its figures too, and the Kona Electric & I-Pace are expected to continue their rapid growth. At a manufacturer level, BMW leads the way, with almost 46,000 units, a combined total from a large number of vehicles – the 225xe, 330e, 530e, 740e, i3, i8, and X5 40e. By contrast, Mitsubishi is in second place with more than 40,500 units, predominantly thanks to the Outlander PHEV and a couple of hundred i-MiEVs. Third is Nissan, just shy of 29,000 units thanks mainly to the Leaf, though with almost 3,500 e-NV200’s supporting that figure. VW is in fourth with a mixture of models – e-Golf, e-up!, Golf GTE, and Passat GTE – followed by Tesla’s all-electric line-up of Model S and Model X – plus a few Roadsters for good measure. It’s worth remembering that Tesla’s Model 3 has only just arrived in the UK, and therefore won’t appear in any significant number until Q3 2019’s figures. Looking at manufacturing groups, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is dominant in the UK market in terms of electric cars, with more than 79,500 units built up primarily from the Outlander PHEV, Leaf, and Renault Zoe. The BMW Group is second on a little under 50,000 units, with Mini’s Countryman Cooper S E added to those sales from BMW, and the VW Group is third on over 20,000 units, adding in Audi and Porsche figures to VW’s sales. In total, there are just over 200,000 electric vehicles on the DfT’s Q1 2019 figures, of which 68% are PHEVs and 32% pure-EVs. Almost 120 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are included in the total.
Origin: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead
New 2020 Toyota Yaris seen testing with mini-Corolla design
Toyota will renew its ageing Yaris next year to bring the supermini into line with the rest of its range, and new Nürburgring spy shots give a revealing glimpse of the final design. Sporting a similar attention-drawing ‘disguise’ as the recently launched Supra, the 2020 Yaris can be seen to adopt the wider, squatter stance of the latest Corolla. Swollen wheel arches seem to give it much more visual aggression than the eight-year-old outgoing car, and the profile looks to be less top-heavy, too. That’s a clear indication of the car’s TNGA platform architecture – modular underpinnings that are also shared with the Corolla, Camry and C-HR. Another prototype with a different camo and wheel design was spotted at the ‘Ring at the same time, suggesting the Japanese firm is trialling two different chassis set-ups. It is likely that the one in the red camo is a GR Sport variant, Toyota’s new trim designation for models with a sportier tune to bridge the gap between mainstream variants and the full-fat GRMN flagship. Also on test was a hybrid variant, determined because of the legally mandated yellow sticker that must be installed on all electrified test vehicles. Toyota’s UK sales are overwhelmingly biased towards hybrid models, so a petrol-electric variant should continue to be the volume seller. It’s possible that the 2020 Yaris will also come with a straight petrol version, however, more suited to sporting variants. If the brand’s latest range additions are anything to go by, expect significant dynamic improvements afforded by the TNGA platform, plus a big improvement in interior quality and technology. Reports suggest this year’s Tokyo motor show in October will be the location for a new Yaris’s unveiling, although the Japanese domestic market version is expected to be different. The full European debut should be in early 2020, with sales to follow soon
Origin: New 2020 Toyota Yaris seen testing with mini-Corolla design
Used car buying guide: Mercedes-Benz R-Class
One of Mercedes’ barmier ideas, the R63 L AMG was a 510bhp, four-wheel drive MPV, estate and saloon rolled into one with a top speed electronically limited to 155mph and a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.6sec. It cost £74,115 and slurped unleaded at the rate of 17mpg. They rarely come up for sale in the UK (few found homes here), but look across the pond to the US, the supersized R-Class’s natural home, and there are plenty at around $40,000 (£31,000) plus, if you fancy importing one, shipping and taxes on top. Not that you need, or should, go to that trouble because you may just find its saner alternative, the R500, buried deep in the UK’s sales ads, as we have. The 2006-registered car has done 105,000 miles and is up for £4490. Its 5.0-litre V8 produces 302bhp, cracks 0-62mph in 7.0sec and ‘sips’ fuel at the rate of 20mpg. But why prattle on about these utterly irrelevant versions? Because as an unsexy beast, the R-Class could use a bit of excitement. It’s just a monster estate, after all. Or is it? In fact, it’s also a properly spacious six-seat people-carrier (there were five and seven-seat configurations, too) with individual seats for all. Four-wheel drive and air suspension were optional and a seven-speed automatic gearbox was standard. It was launched in 2006 in standard and long-wheelbase (almost a foot longer) forms, with power from a couple of petrol engines, including the aforementioned 5.0-litre V8, and, more pertinently, a 3.0-litre V6 diesel producing 221bhp and badged 320 CDI. This engine dominates the classifieds but, like the diesel motors that followed it, it has its problems, as we outline below. The R63 followed and then came the 187bhp R280 CDI, a more frugal version of the 320 CDI. In 2009, the 280 was renamed the 300 CDI (rear-wheel drive only) and then, with the facelift in 2010, the 320 morphed into the 265bhp 350 CDI 4Matic (four-wheel drive). It can do 0-62mph in 7.6sec – not far off the R500 and swifter through the gears with it. The petrol engines, meanwhile, went the way of all things. The facelift brought a refreshed nose, BlueEfficiency engine technologies (you need to keep an eye on the AdBlue tank) and extra kit. At the same time, the model became a seven-seater only. Throughout the R-Class’s life, the standard specification was generous (brake assist, climate and cruise control, and automatic headlights and windscreen wipers). SE trim brought powered leather seats and Sport laid it on with 19in alloy wheels, Alcantara sports seats and bits of aluminium here and there. Today, it’s the trim to have. There’s no escaping the fact that a used R-Class looks like a bit of a dinosaur, in more ways than one, but that’s why it’s also such great value. Find a facelifted, 2009-reg 350 CDI 4Matic with full service history and 90,000 miles for around £7000 and you’ll have a family taxi like no other. How to get one in your garage An expert’s view Martin Lalor, director, RPL Automotive: “We have around 12 R-Class cars through the workshop each year so it’s not that common. However, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, codenamed OM642 and used in the 280, 320 and 350 CDIs and many other Mercedes models, has a number of well-known problems (see below). On all Mercedes of its generation, we are replacing more steel brake lines as rust takes a hold. Those issues aside, we’ve found the R-Class to be reliable. It’s big, but not much more so than an ML and a lot more usable. The long-wheelbase version is a genuine seven-seater.” Buyer beware… ■ Engine: On the 3.0-litre V6 diesels, the electric motor driving the inlet port swirl flaps can give trouble. The engine warning light and limp home mode may be the first you’ll know of it. The oil cooler sits in the middle of the engine and its gaskets go hard, causing oil leaks between it and the block (expensive to fix). Extended engine cranking on start-up may be tired glow plugs. Look for heavy carbon deposits around the injectors (called ‘Black Death’). Listen for timing chain rattles from cold. The R350 petrol can suffer failed balancer shaft sprockets at around 60k miles. ■ Transmission: The seven-speed automatic gearbox requires regular fluid changes to stay sweet. A tired ’box will often stick in second or shift sluggishly. ■ Brakes and suspension: Broken springs and, if fitted, leaking air suspension bellows are common. (The car will sit awkwardly.) Listen for knocking from the front, suggesting worn anti-roll bar links. Check the steel brake lines for rust, discs for heavy lipping and pads for thickness. ■ Electrics: Expect some electrical issues, not least with the radio and instrument cluster. ■ Body: Check for bubbling around the rear wheel arches and for heavy corrosion of the rear subframes. ■ Interior: Ensure the air-con system works and the seats recline and fold. Also worth knowing V6 diesel engines from 2010 have reformulated seals in the oil cooler designed to address an oil
Origin: Used car buying guide: Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Behind the scenes at the BTCC’s mobile technical centre
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s tightly controlled technical regulations are a key reason it regularly produces such exciting racing – and ensuring its ultra-competitive teams play by those rules is a tough job. The BTCC has a small group of technical experts at each race to make sure that happens. This year, they’ve got a new home: the TOCA Technical Centre, a newly finished truck unit that travels to every race with all the equipment needed to run a BTCC race weekend. That includes all of the technical kit, the BTCC’s bespoke signage, event branding and even photographer Jakob Ebrey’s stepladder. Once the equipment is set up, the truck effectively becomes the technical team’s mobile command unit, where they can analyse data and samples in order to police the rules. The mammoth truck replaces two smaller vehicles and has, technical director Peter Riches says, taken the championship “to the next level”. For example, it has an in-built radio unit and mast, used to run the communications network. Previously, that unit had to be assembled on top of the tallest building at each circuit. At a cost of around £250,000, the Hopkins Motorsport-prepared unit has been fitted with state-of-the-art kit, including Getrac laptops and tablets. It means Riches, his son Sam and Phil Danbury, both BTCC technical commissioners, and their team instantly have the information they need – and the evidence that makes winning arguments with teams easier. Here’s what goes on inside it. In-car footage Every car has an on-board CCTV camera so that stewards can rule on any incidents and footage saved to memory cards is downloaded and collected here. ITV is also provided with the footage when needed. Logistics and communication A vast amount of paperwork, such as technical bulletins, is produced on race weekends and Josie is the key assistant who sorts most of it. She also performs other vital roles, such as co-ordinating the reverse grid draw for the final race. Main room Peter, Sam and Phil are based in the main office, where they can use two TVs to check timing, footage and technical data, which can be synced from any of the Getrac laptops. This is also where team bosses are summoned to explain themselves to the scrutineers. If you’re summoned here, you’re likely in trouble. Fuel analysis Carless supplies a single control fuel for the whole BTCC package. Samples are taken from cars at random and checked against a chemical ‘map’ to ensure the right fuel is being used. The system has an accuracy of 99.95%. Head injury research Emily and Lauren, students from the University of Bolton’s National Centre for Motorsport Engineering, are working on an FIA head injury research project, using acceleration data from chips in drivers’ radio earpieces. Engine data BTCC cars use on-board Cosworth electronic systems. All the data gathered, including revs, gears and overboost levels, is saved to a memory card and then downloaded by a Cosworth engineer. The system detects and highlights results that require further investigation. Spot checks During practice and qualifying, the technical team set up at the start of the pit lane and perform random spot checks – and, despite rumours, the checks genuinely are random – on cars. It’s all controlled by ‘Sam’s Tardis’, the name given to the station where Sam Riches is based. He controls the lights that signal to pitting cars whether they have to stop for checks. As cars enter the pit, a scanner detects RFID chips in their tyres, ensuring they match the sets assigned to them. Those pulled over then have their ride height checked before being weighed, with the results instantly available on Sam’s tablet. During practice, the teams are ‘advised’ of any failures and allowed to carry on, but those found to have broken the rules in qualifying have their times stripped. The tools used mix high-tech with pure ingenuity: the flat scales cost around £15,000 a set, while ride height is checked with a specially modified paint
Origin: Behind the scenes at the BTCC’s mobile technical centre
You can buy this Audi R8 LMS GT2 to go racing
Audi R8 LMS GT2Audi The Stphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) is hosting its inaugural race series next year, and Audi has already built a race car to compete in their GT2 class.Its called the R8 LMS GT2, and yes thats quite a mouthful, but its also quite a car.Audi starts with the latest road-going version of its R8 supercar, throws away anything that makes it too heavy, then adds a few horsepower and some downforce.The race car makes 630 horsepower from its 5.2-litre V10 powerplant, a small bump over the 612 offered in the street car. What really makes this vehicle a track weapon, however, is the weight savings.Most of the interior has been thrown out, and whats left has been replaced with carbon-fibre substitutes. The diet has resulted in a dry weight of 1,350 kilograms, a healthy weight to power ratio of 2.1 kg/hp. The whole shebang ends up being 100 kg lighter than Audis GT4-spec counterpart. Audi says the vehicle has more in common with the R8 Spyder than the coupe, despite the race car being a hard-top. This is likely to give the vehicle a lower centre of gravity, and allow the use of lighter weight materials for the hard top.Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, a redesigned splitter and a rear diffuser round out the changes that make the car more sticky.It also has the best tires ever, which take on the highlighter yellow colour scheme and create a cool strobe effect that make them look like a computer graphic from the 1980s.If you want to race one, its going to cost you 338,000 euros before taxes, or about half a million Canadian dollars. Deliveries will begin before the end of next
Origin: You can buy this Audi R8 LMS GT2 to go racing
VW ID R takes all-time Goodwood hillclimb record – with video
Volkswagen has smashed the outright hillclimb record at Goodwood Festival of Speed with the 671bhp ID R electric racer. Driver Romain Dumas initially took the record on the second day of the event, setting a time of 41.18 seconds in a practice session, before going even faster a day later with a 39.90 in the timed shootout. All the news from the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed The previous record for the Sussex course had stood since 1999, when Heidfeld set a time of 41.18 seconds at the wheel of McLaren MP4/13 F1 car – a pace so far ahead of anything else that Formula One cars were subsequently banned from making timed runs. With one day of the 2019 Festival remaining, there’s every chance Dumas will get another chance to go even faster, although a chance of rain may prevent further improvements. He joked after breaking the record for a second time, saying “if we stay one more week, it’s possible we could find a few more tenths.” The ID R came to Goodwood fresh from its record breaking efforts at the Nurburgring, where it set the fastest lap ever for an electric car with a time of 6min 05.336secs The 671bhp ID R broke the outright record at the Pikes Peak hill climb last year, but needed heavy modifications to cope with the 12.9-mile Nordschleife’s long straights and fast corners. They included a new F1-inspired aerodynamics package, which added a new rear wing, redesigned front splitter and drag reduction system (DRS) which, when deployed, reduces downforce by as much as 20%. Changes to the energy management system help the car reach its top speed faster, while using less energy from its twin lithium-ion battery packs. Driver Dumas, who has won the Nurburgring 24-hour race four times dethroned the Nio EP9 electric hypercar by more than 40 seconds. The EP9 set the previous record for fastest EV around the ‘Ring in 2017 with a time of 6:45.90. Volkswagen also teamed up with free-to-play racing simulator RaceRoom to let players digitally compete with its real-world record attempt. A virtual version of the ID R was created using data from the original car, with VW Motorsport engineers helping to create a realistic driving experience. “The ID. R’s mission to be the spearhead of the fully electric ID. product family from Volkswagen continues in full force,” Volkswagen’s Motorsport Director Sven Smeets, said. “Once again, this time in 2019, the ID. R will demonstrate the great potential of electric drive, combining emissions-free technology with true
Origin: VW ID R takes all-time Goodwood hillclimb record – with video
Chevrolet Corvette: iconic sports car meets Britain’s country lanes
This is going to be a most pleasant day. I have been tasked with the challenge of driving from the Brooklands motor museum in Weybridge to Brighton without using a motorway and preferably not using a dual carriageway. “Is it still possible,” asked the editor, “to enjoy driving on Britain’s congested roads?” It most certainly is. A couple of weeks ago, I joined some friends on a navigational rally around the Surrey hills followed by a pleasant lunch. It helped that I was driving an Alpine A110, but it would have been a wonderful day out in a Morris Minor. It’s going to help a great deal that today we are driving a brand new Corvette Grand Sport. The car has been loaned by Ian Allan Motors of Virginia Water who, as you have probably seen from their advertisements in the print version of Autocar, are the sole UK supplier of Corvettes and Camaros. More to the point, the Corvette is about to be replaced by a new mid-engined C8 model and only a handful of EU type-approved cars are left. Allan has taken the immensely bold step of buying up 60 Corvettes and Camaros so that UK enthusiasts won’t go short. Including, on a temporary basis at least, this one. So let’s get cracking. Lovely weather but a few showers forecasted. Kevin Hurl at Ian Allan Motors had a red Grand Sport coupé lined up for us but someone bought it last week so he’s registered another Grand Sport from his secret stash. It’s red, it’s automatic and it’s a convertible. And he doesn’t want it back for several days. Goodwin is in his element. Not only did I grow up in Surrey but I was a motorbike courier based in Guildford for a year, so the Brooklands to Brighton route is right in my manor. I’m certainly not going to mess about with the car’s sat-nav and I probably won’t bother with the paper map that I’ve brought along. Our managing editor, Damien Smith, told me about a trip he’d done from Surrey to Williams’ headquarters near Wantage that inspired this feature. “I only,” he boasted proudly, “used a very short bit of dual carriageway.” I shall do better than that. I’m determined to not use an inch. By the time we’ve collected the Corvette and got to Brooklands, we are in the middle of what I call ‘the 10 o’clock sweet spot’. Van drivers are still loading up and mummies have dropped the kids off at school and have now put the X5 away and decamped to the coffee shop. And if you think I’m being sexist, come to Weybridge. The Corvette Grand Sport is wide, but the standard Stingray is actually two inches narrower than a Jaguar F-Type. Unlike the C6 model that we ran for one long-term test many years ago, it has straight edges on the top of its front wings so that it’s not too difficult to place on the road. Just as well because my route has taken us directly to some very narrow roads. We’ve crossed the A3 at Cobham and have run virtually parallel to it through the village of Ockham and then past the old Tyrrell Formula 1 factory. It’s now the home of an Italian cake decorations company. The buildings are as they were and even the old woodshed where Ken started it all is kept in perfect condition. Hard to imagine that a world championship-winning team was run from this small yard. Past another local motoring landmark, Bell Colvill, the Lotus dealers in East Horsley. Bobby Bell and Martin Colvill often used to have one of their classics in the showroom – a GT40 or BRM P160, perhaps – so this is another one of my regular haunts. I also went for a job in their service department in the 1980s but fortunately didn’t get it. We’re now on the route of the Olympic cycling road race and it’s surprising that we’re not surrounded by retired men in Lycra. You get a view right across to London from the high ground up here, including the Shard. The entry-level Corvette is the Stingray, and like this Grand Sport it’s powered by a naturally aspirated version of the classic Chevrolet small-block pushrod V8 that produces 466bhp. The most powerful ’Vette is the Z06, which uses a 659bhp supercharged version of the same engine. More money, more weight and a few tenths knocked off the 0-60mph time, with a top speed of 193mph against our car’s 180mph. All meaningless figures. What matters is the emotional appeal of cars like this and the sense of occasion. We’re now in the chocolate-box village of Shere, busy as usual with ramblers. A pub called The William Bray has the builders in and here we have another connection with Tyrrell: the landlord used to be ex-Tyrrell driver Julian Bailey. I once saw a band play here that had Eddie Jordan on the drums. We’re on single-track lanes here, cut into the Surrey hills with steep banks and passing places. In a big car like the Corvette, you simply have to think ahead and be relaxed, happy to give way. I had a massive moment on these roads in a Beetle when I was a teenager. The brakes went and I had to use the handbrake and bounce the car off the earth embankments to try to slow it down. Past
Origin: Chevrolet Corvette: iconic sports car meets Britain’s country lanes
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