Retro Honda Civic, Integra and Accord Type R driven: which one wins?

September 17, 2022

Affordable Honda Type-Rs: which should you buy?

Excitement is building for the new Honda Civic Type R. Arriving in early 2023, it boasts a 330hp 2.0-litre turbo engine, a proper manual gearbox and the customary huge rear spoiler. However, as we’ll see, you don’t need the best part of £40,000 – UK prices haven’t been announced yet – to enjoy some Type R magic.

Honda’s red ‘R’ badge first became famous in the early 1990s, when the Japanese company launched a Type R version of its NSX supercar in Japan.

This sold in relatively small numbers, never officially made it to the UK and costs serious money if you can find one. So it’s the later, more affordable models we’ve focused on here.

These Type Rs are tuned-up versions of conventional cars: the Civic hatchback, Accord saloon and Integra coupe. All became performance car icons in their own right, with a cult following among car enthusiasts.

We drive all three hot Hondas back-to-back and come to a (fairly) definitive conclusion about which you should buy.

What is VTEC?

Before we get to the cars, a quick word about VTEC. You’ve probably heard the term – Honda aficionados refer to VTEC so frequently that it’s become an internet meme. If you’re not familiar, it stands for ‘Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control’.

Sounds complicated… and it kind of is. The camshaft in a car’s engine turns, pushing lobes (called cams) against valves, causing them to open and close, allowing air into the combustion chambers. Essentially, VTEC means a camshaft has two different sizes of cams: small ones for pottering around with maximum efficiency, and large ones for more air and extra performance.

As the revs climb, oil flows through the rocker shaft, sliding a pin that locks the low-RPM rocker arms to the higher-RPM rocker arms, meaning the valves open further and for a longer period of time. This results in a turbo-like effect for the engine, but only at high revs.

The advantage of VTEC is two distinct characters for the same engine. At low revs, it will drive like an eminently sensible car, providing good fuel economy. Increase the revs, though, and it goes berserk. The disadvantage is you have to work the engine hard to benefit from the best performance. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing…

Honda Civic Type R

The 2001-2005 Honda Civic Type R – internal codename ‘EP3’ – has arguably survived the boy racer stage and matured into a modern classic. Indeed, with prices from around £5,000, it’s already on an upward curve – the best cars are now beyond £10,000.

If you’re looking for a hot hatch that holds its value, the EP3 seems a good bet. And besides, once you’ve experienced the K20A2 naturally-aspirated VTEC engine hitting 8,000rpm, you won’t care about the money.

Before I get to that stage, I have to battle with London traffic. Yes, although I’m spending a day driving Type Rs, my base is close to the Hertfordshire town of Watford. And in stop-start slog, it’s difficult to see what all the fuss is about. The ride is firm, yet the engine doesn’t feel particularly eager.

I like the dash-mounted gear change, which feels slick and actually makes sense when you get used to it. Moving your hand the short distance from the steering wheel to the lever can save crucial tenths of a second. Ahem.

Eventually I reach countryside – with surprisingly empty B-roads – and pile on the revs. They build, with VTEC kicking in around 6,000rpm, and the car surges forward. It’s fun, admittedly, but not quite the excitement I expected – not helped, of course, by quickly catching up with other cars.

Part of the problem is the Civic packs ‘just’ 200hp, hitting its peak at 7,400rpm. And in a world of 300hp+ turbocharged hot hatchbacks, having to work hard to eke out two thirds of that doesn’t feel so thrilling.

Sure, the joy of driving a car like this isn’t all about power. But the EP3 doesn’t have a particularly sophisticated chassis, while the steering feels pretty lifeless. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh: its looks are growing on me, and the interior – with its figure-hugging Recaro seats – isn’t as dire as an old Japanese car might be.

Honda is also a byword for reliability, of course, so a Civic Type R should be painless to own. It’s just not the one for me.

Honda Integra Type R

When I was growing up, all the magazines lauded the ‘DC2’ Integra Type-R as the best-handling front-wheel-drive car ever. I was quite excited about finally driving one even if, after a go in the Civic, I was a tad worried about meeting a hero.

Fortunately, right from the start, it feels much more exciting than the EP3. It’s old-school, with a low driving position and a noisy, revvy engine. There’s little in the way of soundproofing here.

Sure, driving one every day might get tiring. It’s bumpy and, like the Civic, you have to use all of the rev range to extract the best from the engine. Weighing just 1,200kg, it’s plenty quick enough – hitting 62mph in 6.7 seconds.

Although it wouldn’t hold a candle to modern hot hatches in a straight-line drag race, the Integra Type R will be be more fun (and probably quicker) on twisty roads.

The interior is basic, although buoyed by the bright red Recaro seats. Visibility is good, and everything is in the right place; there’s no awkward offset for the pedals, and the gear change is precise and easy to find.

Today, you’ll need to pay north of £15,000 for a good DC2. It sold in small numbers and many have been crashed or modified over the years, while owners are keeping hold of good examples.

Find a good one, though, and you won’t be disappointed. Few cars feel this raw and exciting.

Honda Accord Type R

So we’ve had excitement, time to come down to earth with some nice, sensible family wheels. Right? Not quite.

While the Accord might look rather sensible, with its slightly drab yet well executed cabin, this very definitely isn’t a typical Ford Mondeo rival. As soon as the cam profile shifts, it surges forward eagerly, while sounding better in the process than either the Civic or even the Integra.

Yes, all these cars have the magic of VTEC, but it shines brightest in the 212hp 2.2-litre H22A7 engine that powers the Accord.

Maybe it’s the surprise element, but the Accord pips the Integra as the car I most want to take home from this trio. Its hydraulic power steering is a joy, and while the car doesn’t feel as playful as the other Hondas featured here, it’s extremely planted.

Its front limited-slip differential means you can tuck the nose in and pretend you’re not driving a relatively large front-wheel-drive saloon.

Not only is the Accord Type R exciting, it’s also half the price of an Integra – and likely to have led an easier life. Budget £10,000 for a minter.

Combine the Accord’s lower price with its everyday usability and this is definitely where my retro Type R money would go.

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‘A car like no other’ – new Ferrari Purosangue SUV revealed in full

Tim Pitt

September 14, 2022

You can put your fingers in your ears, shout ‘LA LA LA’ and pretend it isn’t happening, but Ferrari has finally launched an SUV. What on earth would Enzo say? We’ll come to that, but first let’s go for a guided tour – led by CEO Benedetto Vigna and his team at Ferrari’s Centro Stile design studio in Maranello. One thing quickly becomes clear: this is no ordinary SUV.

Indeed, according to Vigna, the Purosangue isn’t an SUV at all. He describes it as “a car like no other” and a “genuine game-changer” that creates an entirely new market segment. Inevitably, it will invite comparisons with the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX, but the Ferrari will be more exclusive and more expensive.

Prices start from €390,000 (circa. £338,000) in Italy, with the first right-hand-drive UK deliveries due in summer 2023.

Back to the old school

If you were expecting a twin-turbo V8 or some kind of plug-in hybrid, prepare for a shock. The Purosangue’s USP is an old-school naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12. Marketing boss Enrico Galliera says interest in the car “exploded” when the engine was announced: “the level of demand was like for our limited-series cars”.

Serving up 725hp at a heady 7,750rpm, it rockets the Purosangue to 62mph in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 193mph.

Importantly for a car of this type (i.e. umm, not an SUV), there’s also a muscular 528lb ft of torque at 6,250rpm, with 80 percent of that oomph available from just 2,100rpm. A dual-clutch transaxle gearbox drives all four wheels via seven “quick-fire” ratios and an overdrive-style eighth gear.

Ready to go FAST

Lift the front-hinged bonnet and you see the Purosangue is effectively mid-engined, with its V12 squeezed up against the bulkhead for near-perfect 49:51 percent weight distribution. Even so, with a ride height of 185mm and portly kerb weight of 2,180kg (Ferrari also quotes a minimum dry weight of 2,033kg), the laws of physics must be tackled head-on. And that’s the job of Ferrari Active Suspension Technology – or ‘FAST’ for short. We wonder if they came up with the name or the acronym first…

While most SUV rivals use air suspension to quash pitch, dive and roll, Ferrari’s head of vehicle dynamics, Stefano Varisco, says “air springs are too slow to deliver this kind of performance”. Instead, the Purosangue rides on coilover dampers with 48-volt electric actuators. The system was co-developed with Canadian motorsport specialist Multimatic, which builds the current Ford GT supercar.

FAST removes the need for anti-roll bars, explains Varisco, and helps the Ferrari behave “100 percent like a sports car”. It’s backed up by the eighth iteration of Maranello’s drift-tastic Side Slip Control, torque vectoring on the front axle, a rear e-differential and traction control optimised for low-grip surfaces.

If you really must risk those forged alloy wheels off-road (22 inches at the front and 23s at the rear – the biggest ever fitted to a production Ferrari), an optional lift kit provides 30mm of added ground clearance.

‘Elegant and sensual curves’

We must wait a few months to discover what the Purosangue is like to drive, but chief of product development Gianmaria Fulgenzi promises “an unprecedented range of abilities”. Describing a “sports car with comfort and versatility”, he extols the “never-ending acceleration” of the V12 and “maximum harmonics” from the quad-tailpipe exhaust. “It has a GT soundtrack at low rpm that increases to a pure Ferrari sound.” Could it unseat the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT as our favourite road-focused SUV? Don’t bet against it.

For now, the Purosangue certainly has an aesthetic advantage over the car from Stuttgart. Design boss Flavio Manzoni admits that styling an entirely new kind of Ferrari was “quite tough”, but the end result, to our eyes, borders on the beautiful.

He walks us around its “elegant and sensual curves”, highlighting how the tapered, berlinetta body has “the feeling of a crouching feline”. When you consider how ostentatious and ugly many coupe-style SUVs look, Manzoni has done an exceptional job.

Four doors, four seats

You climb aboard via what Ferrari calls ‘Welcome Doors’, which part in the middle like those on a Rolls-Royce. The rear-hinged back doors open via a fingertip toggle that recalls the classic 308, while all doors have an electric soft-close function. Even though the Purosangue retains a B-pillar – “We needed to retain it for body rigidity,” says Manzoni – the ‘fully open’ side view looks spectacular.

Inside, you find a digital-first dashboard inspired by the SF90 Stradale and shaped into two wraparound cockpits for the driver and front passenger. Quality is excellent (the days of Ferrari borrowing parts-bin Fiat switchgear are long gone) and some of the materials are genuinely innovative. The Purosangue we sat in, for instance, had carbon fibre trim inlaid with strands of copper, plus a floor covering made from the same bulletproof fabric as military uniforms.

All four adult-sized seats are individually adjustable and the boot swallows a practical 473 litres of luggage. You can also enjoy Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless phone charging and a Burmester surround-sound audio system. However, Ferrari stops short of offering a five-seat option or a tow bar – this is a thoroughbred, remember? On that note, spot the long shift paddles and F1-style manettino on the steering wheel, which has five drive modes: Wet, Comfort, Sport, Race and ESC-Off. Leave the labrador at home before you sample the latter…

A new kind of Ferrari

So, what would Enzo say? Would the late founder of Ferrari be rolling his eyes behind his trademark dark glasses? I’m not so sure. Enzo was a pragmatist, after all, who saw road cars as a way to fund his racing exploits. And the 1980 Pinin concept proves he certainly considered a Ferrari with four doors.

Whatever the truth, with production limited to 20 percent of Ferrari’s overall sales volume (around 2,220 cars a year), the Purosangue is likely to be a sell-out success. Just don’t call it an SUV.

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Snake bite! Shelby Cobra makes official UK comeback

John Redfern

September 12, 2022

Fans of fast American cars will be able to celebrate the 100th birthday of motoring legend Carroll Shelby next year.

London-based Clive Sutton is the UK’s only official distributor for Shelby American, and plans to offer the widest ever range of Shelby products for 2023.

Orders are now being taken for the latest Shelby-tuned vehicles, including GT500 Ford Mustangs, Super Snake Ford F-150 pickup trucks and multiple versions of the iconic Shelby Cobra.

Better than a birthday cake

The late Carroll Shelby was born on 11 January 1923, and founded his eponymous performance brand in 1963. Fittingly, what would have been Carroll’s 100th birthday is also the 60th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra.

Clive Sutton will offer CSX7000 and CSX8000 Shelby Cobra Continuation models via its showroom in St John’s Wood. These are exact and official replicas of the MkII Shelby Cobra 289 race cars that won the 1965 FIA World Championship.

Priced between £270,000 and £400,000, each Cobra Continuation model is entered into the official Shelby vehicle register.

Superformance replica versions of the Cobra are also available from Clive Sutton. These can be ordered in right- or left-hand drive, and combine ferocious modern performance with classic Cobra styling. Buyers can opt for a fuel-injected 560hp Roush V8 engine, along with a five-speed manual gearbox and disc brakes.

Choose modern or classic

Prices for the Superformance replicas start at £128,950 for a Mk2 Slab Side model, increasing to £135,000 for a Mk3 Cobra.

More modern performance can be found in the latest Shelby GT500 Mustang. With a 700hp supercharged 5.2-litre V8, the muscle car accelerates from 0-60mph in less than four seconds.

For those wanting a pickup truck with extra bite, the Super Snake F-150 offers over 750hp from its supercharged 5.0-litre V8.

Company founder Clive Sutton said: “Carroll Shelby was an inspiration to me in my youth. The power, performance, and style he brought to racing and motor cars in the 1950s and 1960s captivated me, as it did many of our customers.

“Offering a spectrum of performance-focused Shelby models from modern-day GT500s to the Continuation Shelby Cobras and Superformance replicas is a privilege that we can’t wait to share with our customers in Shelby’s 100thyear.”

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Hypercars and high society: Salon Prive show returns this week

Tim Pitt

August 29, 2022

The UK’s most high-society car show returns this week. Taking place from Wednesday 31 August to Sunday 4 September, Salon Privé brings together hundreds of blue-chip classics and supercars on the lawns of Blenheim Palace.

If you like your chrome and carbon fibre with a side-order of champagne, it’s the place to be (and be seen). Here are a few of the highlights from the five-day event.

Electric dreams

Among the debuts at Salon Privé 2022 is the Deus Vayanne electric hypercar. Styled by Italdesign and developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, only 99 examples of the 2,200hp twin-motor EV – claimed to offer ‘comfort, practical storage and daily usability’ will be made.

Showgoers will also be first to witness the Engler Desat, a ride-on ‘Superquad’ that ‘delivers the tactility and visceral involvement of a superbike with the raw speed and drama of a hypercar’. With a 5.2-litre V10 engine – presumably sourced from Audi or Lamborghini – it sounds exciting and terrifying in equal measure.

If you’d prefer something more sedate, Salon Privé also promises an array of rare classics. A highlight is the three-car ‘French Revolution’ from Citroen, which comprises the SM Espace concept, a four-wheel-drive 2CV Sahara and a flagship DS 23 Pallas IE.

Vive la revolution

The unique SM was first displayed at the Paris Motor Show in 1971 and has a T-bar roof with slats that retract to allow open-air motoring. Polished alloy wheel covers and a dashboard swathed in green leather enhance its retro-chic appeal.

Bentley is also showing off the family jewels with EXP4, the last of its 3-Litre Experimental cars from the 1920s.

Originally used to prove the viability of four-wheel braking, EXP4 later raced at Brooklands – reaching 92mph on the steep banking of the Surrey circuit. Today, the car has been restored to 1930s racing spec, and is a hot tip for glory in the concours d’elegance.

Live on the drive

After the concours parades and judging on Wednesday and Thursday, Salon Privé hosts a Ladies’ Day on Friday, then a private event for car clubs only event on Saturday.

It concludes with a less formal Classic and Supercar day on Sunday (tickets cost from £50), with rally cars in action ‘live on the drive’ in the hill sprint.

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Aston Martin fights back with two drop-top V12 supercars

John Redfern

August 24, 2022

Two Aston Martin roadsters will spearhead the marque’s latest new-model offensive, following a glitzy reveal in California.

As part of the prestigious Monterey Car Week, Aston launched a new V12 Vantage Roadster and the exotic DBR22.

First to be announced was the V12 Vantage Roadster, which becomes the first open-top Vantage to use the 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. An output of 700hp also makes it the most powerful Vantage Roadster yet.

Ad-vantage Roadster

Aston has worked hard to prevent the Roadster gaining too much weight over the equivalent V12 Vantage coupe. This includes the use of carbon fibre for numerous body panels, and even an exhaust made from 1mm-thick stainless steel.

There are no doubts about performance, with the V12 Vantage Roadster able to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 3.5 seconds. Top speed is bang-on 200mph.

Only 249 examples will be made and, perhaps inevitably, Aston Martin has already sold them all.

The sky’s the limit

The Aston Martin DBR22 will be even rarer, with just 24 cars planned. Inspired by the DBR1 and DB3S racers of the 1950s, the chopped-windscreen DBR22 is a strictly open affair.

The car celebrates the 10th anniversary of Q by Aston Martin, the company’s bespoke division – responsible for creating unique and personalised models.

Selected Q customers will be invited to purchase a DBR22 and, of course, tailor it to their exact specification. This includes custom paint finishes, bespoke exterior graphics and an endless range of interior finishes.

Purebred Aston Martin

Powering the DBR22 is the same 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12, this time with 715hp. This allows the car to hit 62mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 198mph.

Aston Martin has used novel production techniques for the car, including 3D-printing the rear subframe. Carbon fibre elements are used inside the front grille, replacing the chrome strakes typically found there.

Marek Reichman, chief designer at Aston Martin, said: “We set our design systems to ‘hyper-drive’, pushing the exploration of formalism further and endeavouring to express a future in the here today. Where could we go with the surfaces, proportion and form? Combining this approach with advanced process, technology and materials, we’ve effectively modernised our racing bloodline and created a new pedigree.

“DBR22 is a hot-blooded, purebred Aston Martin sports car full of speed, agility and spirit, and a machine that we think will be the basis of many of tomorrow’s icons”.

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How to save money when buying a new car

Julie Sinclair

August 20, 2022

Buying a new car can be an expensive business. Your mission is to get as much car for as little cash as possible.

Thankfully, there are many ways you can save, meaning you can drive home in a shiny new car for less.

Follow these tips to learn the tricks of the trade – and help you save money on your next car. Good luck!

Downsize what you’re buying

The best way to save money is to ensure the car you want is also the car you need. Is a Mercedes E-Class really necessary, or could you get just as much enjoyment, comfort and convenience from the smaller C-Class? Is a Volkswagen Golf a must-have, or could you live with a Polo and save a mint?

Smaller cars don’t only have more modest price tags. They also tend to be lighter and use more efficient engines, so you’ll spend fewer pounds at the pumps. If that doesn’t convince you, just think how much easier it’ll be to park if you live in town (or manoeuvre around those country lanes if you don’t).

You won’t necessarily have to forgo luxuries either. A modern Polo can come with pretty much all the toys the big E-Class offers – just tick the right boxes on the order form. Think long and hard about exactly why you want that bigger, more expensive car.

Buy an outgoing model

Look closely at the cars you are considering. Cars at different phases in their life cycles will be subject to different deals.

Could you save money by buying a car that’s near the end of its production life? Absolutely, because dealers will offer the biggest discounts on a model that is set to be replaced, or even just updated. Keep an eye on what cars are due out and when.

Consider a pre-registered car

Another way that car dealers manage to hit sales targets is to buy unsold stock themselves, then register the cars in the dealer’s name. An interested buyer would then effectively become the second owner, which could impact slightly on the future resale price.

You’ll also lose a small portion of your warranty, as the clock starts ticking on the manufacturer’s guarantee the moment the car is registered.

However, if you’re prepared to stomach these minor inconveniences, you could save thousands on the list price of what is technically a used car, but effectively still brand-new – and with just a few miles on the clock.

Don’t be too picky

If you’re hoping to bag a bargain, it’s worth relaxing any wish-list you have about your dream car’s final specification. A pre-registered car, for example, is one you’ll be buying off the shelf, and will therefore already be specified with options by the dealer. Many franchises have car parks full of unregistered stock, which they’ll be keen to shift.

So while you may have wanted gold metallic paint and a sunroof, would you turn down a blue version without the skylight? You could save serious money – and buying an existing car means you drive away sooner, too.

Haggle over extras

You can also use the absence of equipment as a great haggling point. If it doesn’t have cruise control, could that be a deal-breaker? As far as your salesman is concerned, it should be. Get them to lop money off at the last hurdle, to get the sale over the line.

Similarly, you can barter for service and care packages, as well as dealer-fit extras. A set of floor mats, a boot liner or a European car kit are actually incredibly useful, and their cost can otherwise really add up.

So, ask the dealer to throw a few of these accessories in with the car. It’s an easy concession for them to make, if they want to seal the deal. And it leaves you feeling slightly smug about your negotiation skills.

Buy at the end of the month

All dealers have sales targets. They’re usually incentivised to sell a certain number of cars each month, and those deadlines tend to come at month-end.

If you’re prepared to time your new-car shopping until a day or two beforehand, staff could be more open to negotiating a discount, in order to get that vital last-minute sale.

Shop around

Don’t assume that all franchised dealers will price their new cars exactly the same. Sometimes it’s worth travelling beyond your local area for a better deal.

For instance, larger, out-of-town forecourts are likely to have a more stock floating around, which makes it easier to save money with a bargain.

Use online car brokers

If you really can’t stand the thought of haggling, let someone else do it for you. Online car brokers are meant to be experts in negotiating on your behalf.

In reality, it’s the promise of attracting lots of new customers to dealers that enables the broker to get rock-bottom rates. But both you and the broker can benefit.

Research the best finance deals

PCP, hire purchase, leasing – the range of car finance options can seem a bit daunting. If you’re not buying your car the old-fashioned way (i.e. outright), it’s a realm of unknowns but potential savings. Pay attention to interest rates. Look at deposit contributions. Is a certain marque offering a good deal on a scrappage scheme?

Play your cards close to your chest and keep your budget to yourself. Give the salesman a ballpark figure and make them work for a rock-bottom price.

Franchised dealers are likely to offer the lowest PCP rates – many even offer zero percent deals – as the credit is usually supplied by the finance arm of the car manufacturer.

Independent dealers outsource their credit contracts to banks and supermarkets, whose rates tend to be higher. In both cases, the bigger your deposit, and the better your credit rating, the more competitive the finance rate will be.

Don’t forget to compare the PCP cost with a simple bank loan, too. While the rates may be higher, the car is yours from the outset, with no restrictions on mileage or wear and tear to worry about.

Haggle on your trade-in

Sentiment is a great weapon in a car buyer’s arsenal if you are trading a car in. “I can’t let it go for that”. “It’s worth more to me”. Both expressions that could persuade the dealer to give you more for yours, or make you pay less for theirs. Research your car’s value, then push for more.

You could also consider selling your car privately first, as that’s likely to get you the best price. You can then use the extra cash for the deposit on your new car.

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Rodin FZero is ‘the fastest car around a track, without exception’

John Redfern

August 14, 2022

New Zealand’s Rodin Cars has unveiled an extreme new hypercar, due to enter production in 2023.

Called the FZero, the 1,176hp V10-engined hybrid is intended to offer unbeatable performance around a race track.

Rodin has no plans to race the FZero, however. With no compromises to make it road-legal, this is the ultimate track-day toy for its owners. We’re promised an ‘intense driving experience… aligned with being behind the wheel of a modern Formula One car’.

Magic from Middle Earth

The FZero certainly looks radical, its aero-sculpted styling somewhere between the Batmobile and a Can-Am racer. A comparison with the latter seems apt, given that New Zealand’s most famous motorsport hero, Bruce McLaren, found fame in the Can-Am series.

The single-seat FZero is built around a carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The use of lightweight materials results in the Kiwi hypercar tipping the scales at less than 700kg. By way of contrast, the gigantic rear wing and flat floor can see it generate 4,000kg of downforce.

Rodin’s pièce de résistance is the FZero’s engine. This combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V10 with a hybrid electric motor, resulting in that near-1,200hp output, plus 757lb ft of torque.

The engine is built in collaboration with UK-based Neil Brown Engineering, and revs to a heady 10,000rpm.

Pushing the laws of physics

A bespoke eight-speed gearbox has been developed by Ricardo UK, and adds just 66kg to the FZero’s weight. Carbon-ceramic brake discs with titanium callipers offer regenerative braking for the hybrid system.

Only 27 cars will be made, with each customer able to tailor the handling of their FZero to their particular driving style. Rodin owners will gain access to the company’s numerous test-tracks, located on New Zealand’s picturesque South Island.

David Dicker, founder of Rodin Cars, said: “The Rodin FZero is the physical representation of the ultimate heights in vehicle performance. Without the restrictions of building to a set of rules, we are able to make the car lighter, more powerful, and produce significantly more downforce.

“The only real restrictions we face are the laws of physics, and we have even pushed those to the absolute limit.”

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Lamborghini CEO speaks: “We’ve had our best six months ever”

Tim Pitt

August 2, 2022

Lamborghini has announced record half-year results, with operating profit up 69.6 percent to £356 million on a turnover of £1.12 billion.

The Italian supercar manufacturer earned more profit in the first six months of 2022 than in the whole of 2021.

Speaking exclusively to Motoring Research, Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann hailed the company’s “best six months ever”, attributing its performance to a better product mix, favourable euro-to-dollar exchange rate and the high proportion of Lamborghini customers – more than 50 percent – who opted for extra-cost customisation.

New models coming soon

A total of 5,090 cars were delivered by the end of June, an increase of 4.9 percent over the same period last year. The US remained Lamborghini’s biggest market, with 1,521 new cars sold. The UK is in fourth place, behind China and Germany, with 440 raging bulls finding owners.

The Urus “super SUV” accounts for 61 percent of sales, with typical waiting times now at 18 months – longer for the exotic Huracan STO.

On the day we spoke to Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese had just built the final example of its flagship Aventador. That car’s successor – which retains a naturally aspirated V12 engine, but adds plug-in hybrid technology – arrives in 2023.

The CEO also promises two new derivatives of the Urus in the coming months, plus the off-road-ready Huracan Sterrato supercar this December.

Pressing fast-forward

Despite the success of the ‘reborn’ Countach LPI 800-4 (which sold out all 112 examples at £2 million each), Winkelmann says Lamborghini won’t pursue any further retro-themed remakes: “Our history is very important and you have to have rear-view mirrors, but they should not be too big. In general, we have to look forward and be innovative.”

For Lamborghini, looking forward means a focus on hybridisation, followed by the company’s first fully electric car in 2028.

Winkelmann says this will be a “fourth model line”, sitting alongside the Urus and two supercars (the as-yet-unnamed replacements for the Huracan and Aventador). Fingers crossed for a sleek and luxurious super-GT inspired by the classic Espada…

Future for e-fuels in doubt

On the question of synthetic e-fuels, Winkelmann seems more reticent. “I wish this is something we could fulfil, perhaps by going racing first [as Porsche has done with its Supercup series]. But if the EU bans petrol and diesel engines from 2035, and potentially for companies of our size from 2036, it will not be credible. The world’s megacities are making their own, even stricter, rules on emissions, too.”

Whatever happens next for Lamborghini, it advances from a position of strength. For a company sold to Audi in 1998 for just £90 million, that’s a remarkable turnaround.

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Maserati reveals wild track-only version of MC20 supercar

John Redfern

July 27, 2022

Maserati has announced a special version of its MC20 mid-engined supercar, designed solely for use on a racetrack.

Codenamed Project24, the car is said to ‘raise the brand’s unlimited performance to a new level of adrenaline’.

Production of the Project24 will be strictly limited, with Maserati set to build just 62 examples. The cars will not be road-legal.

Less weight, more power

The regular Maserati MC20 has a carbon fibre chassis, so is already an effective starting point for an extreme track car. However, Project24 will be much lighter than the road car.

Maserati predicts it will tip the scales at just 1,250kg: a 250kg reduction versus the MC20. Aiding this will be all-new carbon fibre bodywork, including a huge adjustable rear wing, along with front and side windows made from plastic.

More power from the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 will ensure the Project24 is notably quicker than the MC20, too. New turbochargers raise its output from 630hp to a mighty 740hp.

A motorsport-spec six-speed sequential gearbox sends power to the rear wheels, with slick tyres fitted for maximum grip. Carbon-ceramic brakes should ensure the track tearaway stops as well as it goes.

Bringing a friend is optional

On the inside, the Project24 very much resembles a racing car. A full FIA-standard roll cage is fitted, along with a motorsport fuel tank and fire extinguisher system.

One racing bucket seat is standard, although buyers can specify an optional passenger seat. Six-point harnesses are included, plus a carbon fibre steering wheel with a built-in display screen. Systems to monitor driver performance and record your lap times can be found on the options list.

Each of the 62 buyers will be invited to take part in a range of bespoke activities. These will include exclusive track-day events, with a focus on helping drivers get the most out of their cars.

Maserati previously undertook a similar project with the MC12 Versione Corse supercar. Launched in 2006, 12 examples were sold at a cost of €1 million (£840,000) each. Prices for the Project24 have yet to be announced.

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What to do if you fill your car with the wrong fuel

Gavin Braithwaite-Smith

July 23, 2022

Filling your car with the wrong type of fuel sounds like a silly mistake – the kind of problem that happens to someone else. According to the RAC, though, it happens every three minutes in the UK – inconveniencing around 150,000 drivers every year.

It’s surprisingly easy to do, especially putting petrol in a diesel car. That’s because a petrol pump nozzle fits into most diesel car filler caps.

It’s not impossible to put diesel in a petrol-engined car. However, the diesel nozzle is larger than the majority of petrol filler necks, making this mistake far less common.

In either case, if you realise you have filled up with the wrong fuel, the main thing to remember is: do not start the engine.

The severity of the problem will depend on how much incorrect fuel you have put in the tank – and whether you’ve put petrol in a diesel car or diesel in a petrol car. Let’s examine each scenario in turn.

Putting petrol in a diesel car

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Around 95 percent of wrong fuel mistakes occur when petrol is poured into a diesel tank. Sadly, running a petrol car with diesel fuel causes more damage, so your wallet is likely to take a hit. Not to mention your pride.

Again, whatever you do, do not start the engine.

Do not even switch on your ignition, as this could kick-start the fuel pump, circulating the mixed fuel around the engine.

In a diesel car, the diesel acts as a lubricant, whereas petrol acts as a solvent, causing damage to the fuel system. Without lubrication, the fuel pump will create internal friction, with the high-pressure injectors also affected.

A replacement common-rail injector system could set you back thousands of pounds – potentially more than the value of the car.

As soon as you notice your mistake, click off the fuel filler pump and stop fuelling. If you’ve added a small amount of petrol to a diesel tank, you could get away with filling the rest of the tank with diesel.

That’s because a mix of five percent petrol and 95 percent diesel is unlikely to damage the fuel system and engine.

Better to be safe than sorry, mind, so inform the staff at the filling station counter, who will either put a cone behind your car to warn other motorists that the pump is closed, or arrange for the car to be pushed away. You might need to turn the ignition key from ‘lock’ to ‘accessory’ to release the steering lock.

Next, call your breakdown provider or one of the misfuelling companies listed on the internet. Alternatively, if you have taken out misfuelling insurance cover, get in touch with your insurance provider, which will arrange for the draining and removal of the contaminated fuel.

Insurance cover is unlikely to be provided by your standard policy. Research by GoCompare found that just nine percent of comprehensive policies covered the cost of draining and cleaning the tank. A further three percent of the policies would provide cover as an optional extra.

Whether you’ve contacted a breakdown company, a misfuelling expert or your insurance provider, wait with your car for help to arrive. Cleaning and flushing the system should take anything from 30 minutes to an hour, and may set you back around £200.

Once the system has been drained of petrol, the tank will need filling with diesel and priming to remove any air from the system.

In the worst case scenario – say you’ve started the engine or have driven the car before noticing a problem – you may have to be towed to a nearby garage for further investigation and repairs. This could mean a total bill running into thousands of pounds.

Putting diesel in a petrol car

Filling a petrol car with diesel is a less serious mistake – and the damage isn’t as severe – but you should follow the same steps.

If you start the engine, the spark plugs and fuel system will be coated in diesel, leading to a misfire and smoke from the exhaust, before the car grinds to a halt. Alternatively, the engine will fail to start or just stop.

Again, don’t start the engine – simply call for help and follow the instructions outlined above.

The good news is that the damage won’t be serious and no lasting damage will be caused.

How to prevent misfuelling

Most misfuelling errors occur after a lapse in concentration or after a motorist has switched from one type of car to another. Always double check the nozzle before filling up.

If you drive a diesel car, consider buying a misfuel prevention device, such as a Fuel Angel. It replaces the existing filler cap and prevents a petrol nozzle from fitting into a diesel filler neck.

They cost £45, which is far cheaper than the cost of flushing the system or more expensive repairs.

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