The Renault 4L is a French icon, and had one of the longest production runs of any car in the world.
Made between 1961 and 1992, more than eight million examples were sold in more than 100 countries.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic 4L, Renault has helped build a concept version that can actually fly…
Swapping wheels for propellers
Built in collaboration with radical retail brand TheArsenale, the AIR4 is said to be a ‘modern reinterpretation’ of the original Renault 4.
The bodywork of the concept is made entirely from carbon fibre. Access to the cabin is through the body shell hinging open, with a simple cockpit and storage space inside.
Four twin-blade propellers are used for propulsion, with lithium-ion battery packs providing the power. Weighing just 380kg, the AIR4 can reach an altitude of 700 metres. During level flight, it can achieve nearly 60mph.
An eternal cultural icon
Like the original, the AIR4 has been entirely designed and produced in France. For Patrice Meignan, CEO and Founder of TheArsenale, the AIR4 has been a passion project.
“I have dedicated my life to the passion for mobility and I continually explore all aspects of the moving world,” says Meignan.
He added: “After 25 years of forward-looking research, we believe that the icons of car culture are eternal, whether on earth or in the air. For 60 years, the Renault 4 has been driven by ordinary people who make it extraordinary. It is a car that symbolises adventure: simple, practical, useful and as modern as it is retro.”
The AIR4 is set to go on display in Renault’s flagship Paris store until the end of the year. It will then travel to Miami, New York, and finally Macau.
Life is full of disappointments. Like discovering an absence of Creme Egg Twisted sweets in a box of Heroes. Or arriving at a pub with locked doors after a long walk. Or realising that there’s little chance of buying a Copen GR Sport.
In Japan, Toyota Gazoo Racing – the in-house tuning company that brought you the GR Yaris, GR Supra and Yaris GRMN – has turned its attention to the tiny Daihatsu Copen.
The official description is wonderfully Japanese: “A new lightweight feel sports car combining the joy of the open air with the Toyota Gazoo Racing delight of handling at will.“ In other words, Gazoo Racing’s wizards have focused on body rigidity and suspension tuning by adding a front brace, changing the shape of the centre brace and tweaking the spring rate.
Further upgrades include uprated electric power steering, aerodynamic tweaks, BBS alloys and Recaro seats. Basically, the kind of things you’d demand from a lightweight sports car. The intercooled, turbocharged 660cc engine is unchanged, and you have a choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed CVT with paddle-shifters.
Sounds perfect, especially when you consider that it costs the equivalent of £16,500 – about the same as a basic Ford Fiesta. At least, it would be perfect if we could buy one.
‘Handling at will’
But you can’t, because the Copen GR Sport is reserved for the Japanese domestic market. Boo, hiss, etc. No “handling at will” for you, Minasama. Still, at least we’ve got a plentiful supply of affordable, lightweight sports cars to choose from. Only we haven’t. Not today.
Fiat’s Mazda MX-5-based 124 Spider has bitten the dust, leaving the Mazda as the sole flag-bearer for affordable roofless fun. These days you need to keep your top on to enjoy maximum thrills, although the Alpine A110 – the current king of the lightweights – costs upwards of £48,000.
Even the Lotus Elise – the former benchmark for cheap(ish) thrills – will set you back at least £45,000 in run-out Final Edition guise. A lightweight gem for a heavyweight price.
Cast your mind back to the turn of the century. You were spoilt for choice: Alfa Romeo Spider, BMW Z3, Caterham 21, Fiat Barchetta, Honda S2000, Lotus Elise, Mazda MX-5, MGF and Porsche Boxster were just some of the sports cars bugging you for your millennium pound.
Meanwhile, the Ford Puma was acting like an appetiser for the main course – serving up front-wheel-drive delights to prepare drivers for the joy of rear-wheel-drive heaven. How many Ford Puma owners spent time on the nursery slopes before tackling the black runs offered by the preeminent sports car manufacturers?
Million-dollar paperweights
Where are the affordable sports cars of 2021? Hardly a week goes by without a carmaker unveiling another unattainable and inaccessible hypercar that you can’t afford, can’t buy and can’t drive. Million-dollar paperweights destined for air-conditioned basements and the auction catalogues of 2031.
We’ve allowed this to happen. By falling at the heels of crossovers and SUVs, we’ve sent sports cars spiralling into oblivion, rendering them uneconomically unviable for many manufacturers. We’re lucky that Renault had the guts to launch the Alpine A110, but where’s the Copen GR Sport equivalent for the UK market?
Saying you can have fun in a small SUV is like saying you can enjoy telephone hold music. Both are there to serve a purpose, but you wouldn’t want to spend longer than you have to enduring them. The Copen GR Sport looks like fun even when it’s standing still.
“Toyota Gazoo Racing will continue to make efforts to create attractive cars for car fans through dialogues with customers, utilising the voices of many car enthusiasts to create ever-better cars,” says Toyota.
Bring it over here, Toyota. We’re ready for your ‘ever-better cars‘.
The pure electricSkoda Enyaq has been named Scottish Car of the Year 2021, one of four gongs picked up by the Czech brand at the latest awards.
The Octavia also collected a hat-trick of awards, being named best family hatchback, best plug-in hybrid and best estate. It is the first time a single car has won three category prizes in the Scottish Car of the Year Awards.
“Skoda had an amazing run,” said Jack McKeown, president of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, which runs the awards.
“The Enyaq saw off some tough competition to be crowned Scottish Car of the Year. Its styling, practicality and value were all factors, but it was the way it made switching from petrol to electric feel so easy that most impressed us.”
Speaking at the awards, Skoda UK head of marketing Kirsten Stagg said: “Electrification presents us with an incredible opportunity.
“As a brand, we have become known for delivering a high quality ownership experience without the premium price tag.
“We want to continue that as we transition into electric cars.”
Scotland’s cars of the year 2021
Other victors in the 2021 awards include the Dacia Sandero, which was named best small car, and its crossover-style sibling, the Sandero Stepway, which took the best small SUV prize.
The Hyundai Tucson was best family SUV and the Kia Sorento took large SUV honours – with premium Kia-Hyundai sister brand Genesis winning best luxury SUV with its GV80.
The BMW 4 Series was best executive car, the Mazda MX-30 took best EV for less than £35,000, the Suzuki Swace was the best hybrid and the SsangYong Rexton was voted best 4×4.
Ineos claimed its first major car awards gong with the Grenadier winning the design and innovation prize.
“Every one of our category winners is a superb vehicle in its own right,” said Jack McKeown, “and even being shortlisted for a SCOTY award is an impressive accomplishment for any manufacturer.”
Lamborghini will “celebrate the internal combustion engine” before all its cars become plug-in hybrids from 2024.
Francesco Cresci, the brand’s director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, also revealed that two new models are due next year – and hinted at another limited-run hypercar to follow the recent £2 million (and sold-out) Countach.
With the replacement for the ageing Aventador pushed back to 2023, one of the new arrivals is likely to be a faster, more focused version of the Urus. The V8-engined ‘super-SUV’ accounts for 50-60 percent of sales and has hugely bolstered Lamborghini’s bottom line.
“We built 200 cars a year, on average, for the first 40 years of this company,” Cresci explains. “For 2021, we’re on-track to make around 7,500.”
Bring the noise
A fully electric car will come “closer to 2030”, following a £1.5 billion investment, as Lamborghini aims to “become a symbol of human progression”.
However, Cresci is upfront about the challenges ahead. “Sound is more of the main characteristics of a Lamborghini. You can make EVs sound different, of course, but we want to retain the emotion of driving.”
In fact, Lamborghini hasn’t given up on howling V10s and V12s just yet. Like Porsche – also part of the Volkswagen Group ‒ the company is researching synthetic fuels. Also known as e-fuels, these are made from green hydrogen and carbon captured from the atmosphere. They could, potentially, offer the supercar another lease of life.
A four-car range
Cresci also confirmed a ‘fourth model’ is in development, which will sit apart from the Urus, Huracan and Aventador. Persistent rumours point to a sleek saloon in the mould of the 2008 Estoque concept (and indeed the Porsche Taycan).
Although he wouldn’t be drawn, Cresci he did highlight the 1968 Espada – arguably the first four-seat supercar – alongside the Miura, Countach and LM002 as one of Lamborghini’s “most iconic models”.
British motorists are turning to electric vehicles in ever-greater numbers but the rapid growth of EVs is under threat from a below-par charging infrastructure warns the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Speaking at the organisation’s 104th Annual Dinner, SMMT president Dr George Gillespie said there are already more than 115 zero emission capable vehicles on sale in the UK and the industry “has inspired the public to buy these exciting vehicles in numbers never seen before.
“But here is the twist. It is so frustrating to find broken chargers, blocked chargers, multiple apps, confusing payment schemes.
“This is quickly going to turn a lot of people off electric vehicles and all our work in developing these fantastic vehicles will be wasted.”
The warning was delivered to a guest list that included automotive industry executives, media, and other stakeholder representatives – including government.
Plans – and mandates?
The SMMT is calling for long-term strategies to address the challenges faced by the UK automotive industry, with a particularly focus on upping the pace of EV charging infrastructure.
“As electric vehicle sales race ahead,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes, “on-street charging infrastructure is increasing slowly.
“We look to government to create the conditions – maybe mandate the conditions – to accelerate the infrastructure across the country, as we need others to match our speed.”
The SMMT says more plug-in electric cars will be sold in 2021 than in the entire previous decade, and a third of British-built cars are now electrified.
Automotive manufacturing, it adds, is Britain’s most valuable export, with around 155,000 people employed in “highly skilled, well-paid jobs across the country.
Frank Stephenson makes even an introductory Zoom chat feel like a long-overdue reunion. Sharp and switched-on, yet brimming with endless anecdotes (many of which I can’t print here), the 61-year-old car designer is an ideal interviewee. As viewers of his YouTube channel will know, he doesn’t shy from strong opinion either.
Starting with the spoiler on the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Frank’s design CV includes the BMW X5, modern Mini and Fiat 500, McLaren P1 and many more. Here, he talks about his career so far, what inspires him and some of his favourite cars. And he explains where BMW design has gone “wrong, wrong, wrong…”
Tell us about your childhood. You were very well-travelled…
I grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, with my American father and Spanish mother. That sounds exotic to some people, but it was just normal for me. Horses and donkeys were far more important than cars. I attended an English-speaking school from the age of six, then we moved to Istanbul, Turkey, when I was 11.
We relocated again to Madrid, Spain, for my last year of high school, when I started racing motorcycles. I won the Spanish motocross championship twice, then joined a factory team. It was lots of fun, but I wasn’t making enough money to leave home. So, at the age of 22, I applied to university in California to study car design.
The course took four gruelling years, working seven days a week with no social life. It was like a marathon; the moment you stopped, you lost momentum. But when I graduated, I was ready to hit the ground running.
What made you decide to become a car designer?
One single moment that changed my life forever. On the 19th of March 1969, I was walking hand-in-hand with my father through Casablanca when we saw a Jaguar E-Type. It was an early Fixed Head Coupe, and I was transfixed. My father had to drag me away.
That car still has an emotional impact for me today. Some people are transported by smells or listening to music; for me it’s all visual. I see an E-Type and I’m back in Morocco in a flash.
You began your career at Ford, designing the spoiler for the Escort RS Cosworth. Quite the calling card…
That was the first project I got my teeth into. Ford had approached me during my university course, so I already had a job lined up. I moved to Cologne, which was in West Germany at the time, and started work in the wind tunnel.
The Cosworth was unusual because it used an Escort body on the platform of another car [the Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4]. It needed lots of rear downforce for racing, and this was before the age of diffusers on production cars. But I had the freedom to think outside the box.
Inspired by the Red Baron and his Fokker DR.1 tri-wing plane, I designed a triple-layer spoiler. It looked crazy and worked brilliantly in terms of aerodynamics. You couldn’t see much out of the back window, but that wasn’t the point. The three-tier wing could have become iconic, but it fell victim to Ford cost-cutting.
You then moved to BMW and designed the original X5. Did you foresee how SUVs would transform the car market?
I don’t think anyone knew what effect the X5 would have. BMW called it an SAV – a ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’ – because it reinvented the SUV as we knew it.
The brief was to design a BMW based on the Land Rover [Range Rover L322] platform that could be used for anything, from the school run to visiting the opera. It combined the sportiness BMW was known for with the comfort of a 7 Series, plus off-road ability that wasn’t far off a Land Rover.
Female drivers in particular loved the ‘command driving position’, which was up high for great visibility. What started as a niche quickly became mainstream. The X5 really opened up the market.
Was it hard seeing Chris Bangle rip up the rulebook at BMW?
I remember Chris Bangle walking into the design studio in 1993, dressed in a neon blue suit and cowboy boots. He just yelled: “Hey guys, how y’all doing? I’m your new boss!”. We asked him if he’d ever designed anything and he mentioned a car coming soon called the Fiat Coupe. Nobody knew who he was at the time.
Chris wanted to take BMW design in a different direction, although his ideas kept being shot down at first. It was only when Dr Pischetsrieder took over as chairman that the ‘flame surfacing’ revolution began. I was actually more focused on the Mini project at that point.
Domagoj Dukec, BMW’s current head of design, says shock-value is more important than beauty. What’s your take?
That sounds like a good excuse for a bad design. The 4 Series has shocked alright, but this is shock for its own sake. BMWs are about understated elegance.
You have to consider what a car is meant to do. In a ‘haute couture’ hypercar, shock is a valid reaction, but not for a 4 Series. I’ve heard it was designed that way for the Chinese market. So why do the rest of us have to suffer?
Just slapping a licence plate across the front like a band-aid… how much less refined can a BMW be? It completely turns me off. I find it hard to believe that somebody stood back and said: “Yep, let’s build it”. Were they in a beer garden at the time?
Two of your most celebrated designs are the Mini of 2000 and Fiat 500 of 2007. How do you reimagine an icon?
The Mini took a long time, but was one of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on. BMW was determined to get it right. The key objective was to handle it like a British brand, not a German one. It needed to be classless and almost timeless, like the 1959 original.
We had less than a year to design and launch the 500 – its mission was to turn around the company. Fortunately, Fiat had this lovable icon in its past, and it still existed in Italian minds as part of their heritage. We capitalised on the evolutionary approach taken with the Mini, then offered plenty of customisation on top. It still looks just as fresh today.
You joined McLaren in 2008 and helped shape the brand from scratch. Was that challenging – or liberating?
It was both. I could do anything, but what I did had to be right. A Ferrari has to look like a Ferrari, right? The MP4-12C didn’t need to look like a McLaren.
Having been a Formula One constructor, McLaren wasn’t known for making beautiful cars. I took a ‘fit for purpose’ approach to the design, shrink-wrapping the skin around the components like an F1 car, for minimum visual mass. It created a design language for the brand.
What’s easier to design, a supermini or a supercar?
It’s doesn’t matter what kind of car you’re designing, the challenge is to make it emotionally and immediately desirable. Nobody has to buy your product, after all: there are enough choices on the market. So if you want your car to be ‘The One’, it needs to be love at first sight.
You need to be conscious of cost, of course. But ultimately you want to make each detail as good as possible – let somebody else put a price on it. That’s not the designer’s job.
What are your three favourite car designs ever?
I’ll go for three cars from three different eras. From the Art Deco period, the Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Coupe. It’s one of the most beautiful cars in history – just gorgeous.
Then from the 1960s, when car designers were true artists and sculptors, I’ll choose the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. It has a lot of innovation in the glass area. And it’s tight, tiny and perfectly proportioned.
Finally, from the modern age, one of my own: the McLaren P1. We weren’t sure about the design at first, but it still looks good in the wild.
What is your daily-driver, and do you own any of the cars you designed?
My wife owns a Fiat 500 cabriolet, but I have a Land Rover Freelander. It’s like an old pair of blue jeans – I just throw the dogs in the back and don’t worry about getting it dirty.
For fun, I’ve got a Ducati – a highly modified 1198S with a carbon rear spring, aero wings and everything replaced. Much as I love cars, I feel more awake and alive on a motorcycle.
Postscript: the AUTOBEST Think Tank
Since our interview, Frank has begun working with AUTOBEST, the independent organisation behind the Best Buy Car of Europe awards.
A total of 32 journalist jurors, including our very own Richard Aucock, select an overall winner each year, with 2022’s finalists including the Dacia Spring, Toyota Yaris Cross and Vauxhall Mokka-e.
Frank’s role is to lead a new initiative: the Think Tank. Dan Vardie, AUTOBEST founder and chairman, said: “Through this, we will more deeply explore the future of mobility, giving people better visibility and understanding of what is going to happen in the coming years”.
It’s the latest step in a project that began three years ago, when Nico wrapped his own Mini in fairy lights and showed it off in Bracknell.
When Covid stopped many Christmas displays in 2020, Nico decided to step up his efforts – which have continued, now with the support of Mini UK, in 2021.
“I just knew last year I had an opportunity to cheer people up and also to raise funds for the MS Trust and Duchenne UK,” said Nico.
“In 2019, I was asked to take the Festive Mini to surprise an incredible young boy, Marcus Rooks, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
“When I saw his face light up, I realised that I had created something truly special.”
By switching to a Mini Electric, Nico says all his trips are now environmentally friendly, and special app-controlled twinkly lights “with their amazing customisable animations really give the car a bit of extra magic”.
Mini UK director David George said the firm was “humbled to be a part of Nico’s fundraising project.
“It’s a wonderful idea that will bring people together, make them smile, and also raise funds for some amazing charities.”
A Festive Mini 2021 tour website is now live for those who want to visit one of Nico’s stops.
Remember coupe cabriolets? After decades of being little more than a footnote in the big book of automotive history, the open-or-shut car enjoyed 20 years of relative success after the start of the millennium.
Now, without so much of a farewell note left on the table in the hallway, the coupe cabriolet – or CC, if we’re being familiar – has all but disappeared, rendered obsolete by the buying public.
For the CC, this is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but the sound of a failed roof mechanism and the unmistakable stench of a damp footwell. When it comes to taking your top off, soft beats hard.
Despite the likes of the Mercedes-AMG SL and BMW 4 Series returning to soft-tops, the hard-top convertible isn’t entirely dead. The Mazda MX-5 RF, for example, is the closest you can get to a factory-built MX-5 coupe, while the Ferrari F8 Spider caters for those with a bigger budget.
But the boom years are most certainly over, with the pages of Auto Trader littered with examples of cars that promised endless hours of sunshine, bragging rights over your next-door neighbour and the theatre of roof origami. Like the hideous rump required to house a complicated roof, the coupe cabriolet’s glory days are behind it.
Georges Paulin: pulling teeth, raising the roof
It all started in 1934 when Parisian dentist Georges Paulin designed and patented the world’s first automatic retractable hard-top. Using Peugeot platforms, Paulin worked with coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout to create the 301, 401 and 601 Eclipse. Following initial disinterest in the technology, Peugeot used Paulin’s invention to build the 402 Eclipse.
Factors then conspired against the coupe cabriolet. The technology was too expensive, while the breakout of war meant car manufacturers were preoccupied with more important matters. Aside from the Chrysler Thunderbolt of 1941, the technology remained dormant until 1957, when Ford had another stab at popularising the concept.
Recognising that Peugeot had got there first, Ford marketed the Fairlane 500 Skyliner as the ‘world’s only hide-away hard-top’.
‘Here’s the car the motoring public has dreamed of for years… the car many automotive experts said would never be mass-produced. Now, Ford has made this “miracle” a reality. It’s another first from Ford, the company that brought you low-cost V8 power and created such automotive classics as the Thunderbird,’ proclaimed the brochure.
With just a touch of a button, the Skyliner could be transformed from a large American coupe into a sizeable American convertible, with the process taking less than a minute. If the rear deck looks enormous, that’s because it was. The Skyliner was a full three inches longer than the standard Fairlane 500, which was hardly lacking in length.
It was complicated, yes – 610 feet of wiring, three electric motors, eight circuit breakers, 10 relays and 10 limit switches – but it was also highly desirable. Ford sold around 20,000 in the first year, with production continuing until 1959.
Winter-proof in 25 seconds
Invented by the French and developed by the Americans, it was left to the Germans to take the folding hard-top to the masses. The Mercedes-Benz SLK of 1996 laid the foundations for a swathe of coupe cabriolets to hit the market in the new millennium.
Parent company Daimler’s attempts at claim a world-first were dashed, with the official line reading: ‘Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to revive this type of roof, which harked back to an earlier era. When the SLK appeared as a production model in 1996 (R170), its roof was such a hit that several competitors subsequently brought out versions of their own.’
The SLK stemmed from two 1994 concepts: the SLK I and SLK II. The latter, unveiled at the Paris motor show, featured an electro-hydraulic ‘Vario roof’, transforming the oh-so-pretty SLK ‘from a convertible into a winter-proof – or vice versa – in just 25 seconds’.
By the time it was replaced by the R171 in early 2004, 308,000 had been produced, but its legacy was more far-reaching. Put simply, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Georges Paulin have a lot to answer for.
In 2000, the SLK had one direct rival: the new Peugeot 206 CC. But while the SLK would set you back at least £28,000, the topless Pug was available for about half that price. It also looked pert and pretty, which isn’t something you can say about the majority of coupe cabriolets.
Its replacement, the 207 CC was about aesthetically pleasing as a cold sore, while the larger 308 CC is a definite ‘swipe left’ affair. For cars supposedly majoring on kerb appeal and style, the likes of the Mitsubishi Colt CZC, Nissan Micra CC and Renault Megane CC look about as glamorous as a fresher student after a ‘pound a pint’ night in Newcastle.
There are exceptions to the rule. The Volkswagen Eos, for example, looks like a bespoke build, rather than something based on an existing hatchback. Dare we suggest that it looks more desirable than the equivalent Golf, which was sold alongside the Eos for a while?
Then there’s the Pininfarina-designed and built Ford Focus CC. At the front, the Focus ST styling gives it a sense of purpose, although the rear end makes the Focus saloon look like a pin-up model. It’s that roof mechanism, you see. It needs somewhere to go.
Which brings us on to the inherent problems with the coupe cabriolet: some sacrifices are required. Taking styling out of the equation – beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all – life with a CC often means living with cramped rear seats, a small boot, stodgy dynamics, lacklustre performance and the feeling that one day, just maybe, the roof mechanism might leave you high and dry. Or, worse still, low and wet.
Ford will point to the fact that the Focus CC offered 248 litres of space with the roof down and a massive 534 litres with the roof up, but given the fact that 50 percent of CC buyers were families, 248 litres wouldn’t the swallow the requirements for a weekend away, let alone the annual holiday.
The ultimate mating ritual?
It’s not all bad news. There’s no denying that these transformers are high on theatre. Only a peacock loitering in a National Trust car park is able to put on a display to rival a CC. Shrinking violets need not apply.
Then there’s an issue of security. It must be nice to return from a night at the opera without the prospect of a screwdriver through your soft top. And, away from bragging about meaningless 0-60mph times, how joyous to be able to compare the time it takes to raise or lower the roof.
But theatrics and security simply weren’t enough for the buying public, who were unable to look beyond the Kardashian-rivalling rears. The older they get, the less desirable they will become (much like Kim?), with buyers and dealers deterred by the complexity roof mechanisms. Did somebody mention French electrics and warranty claims?
There are also the concerns about getting wet. Consult a used car guide for a coupe cabriolet, and you’ll be greeted with more tales of unwanted leaks than an emergency plumbers hotline.
When the current obsession with SUVs and crossovers is finally consigned to the history books, maybe we’ll see the second coming of the CC. Until that day, we’ll have to watch as they spiral into banger territory, teetering on the edge of oblivion.
Georges Paulin was a very talented man but had he foreseen the horrors of the Colt CZC, the Micra CC and the back of the Focus CC, he might have stuck to pulling teeth. Pass the forceps.
The first RML Short Wheelbase retro supercar is due to hit the road next month, before full production of the British-built GT starts in spring 2022.
A total of 30 cars will be made, priced at around £1.3 million each.
This is the first own-brand car from RML Group, the engineering firm behind many of Aston Martin’s Le Mans racers, plus some very specialist road cars. Highlights from its back-catalogue include the Nissan Juke R and record-breaking NIO EP9 electric hypercar.
A ‘reimagined’ classic in the mould of a Singer 911, the Short Wheelbase is styled to resemble a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, but borrows its 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 from a 550 Maranello (1996-2002).
With 485 prancing horses and less than 1,600kg to shift, expect 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 185mph-plus.
Each Short Wheelbase is based around the central chassis of a 550 Maranello and retains that car’s identity for registration purposes. However, many components are bespoke: designed and hand-made in Wellingborough by a 60-strong team.
Their focus has been to enhance an analogue driving experience with modern comforts. The car’s cabin, for example, combines an open-gate manual gearshift with cupholders and a pop-up touchscreen.
The carbon fibre composite body for ‘Car Zero’ is now complete and ready for paint, after which the engine, wiring, brake lines and interior trim will be added.
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) has been used to fine-tune the beautiful, Ferrari-inspired shape and will soon be bolstered by real-world road testing.
Michael Mallock, chief executive of RML Group and a former British GT and GT4 driver, will be on-hand to offer feedback. He promises “an emotional experience for all the right reasons”.
Look out for a review of the RML Short Wheelbase on Motoring Research in late February.
Adding a private number plate to your car is a popular way to make it stand out from the crowd.
The DVLA’s online tool for assigning a private plate is simple and quick to use, once you understand the jargon.
Our guide explains just how easily you can add this finishing touch to your car.
Which documents do I need to assign a number plate?
Before using the DVLA online tool via the Gov.UK website, you will need the following:
A V778 Retention Document – issued if a private number plate has previously been used on another car OR
A V750 Certificate of Entitlement – issued for a brand new unused private number plate
One of these documents should be given to you when you buy a private plate, or place an existing number plate onto retention.
You will also need:
The current registration of the car you want to add the private number plate to
The 11-digit document reference number from the V5C (logbook) of the car you want to add the number plate to
The postcode of the registered keeper of the car, as shown on the V5C
This should allow you to complete all the relevant sections of the online form.
How much does it cost to assign a number plate?
Assigning a private number plate online is a free process. However, taking a private number plate off a vehicle (putting it onto retention) does incur a charge of £80.
In order to assign a private number plate to a new car, it needs to be placed on retention first. Retention rights last for up to 10 years.
How easy is it to assign a number plate online?
The process of assigning a private plate is very straightforward, providing you have the correct documents to hand. Be sure to check the eligibility requirements before starting the process.
Using the Gov.UK website, you will be prompted to enter the relevant reference numbers and details.
The online tool is only available from 7am to 7pm, plus there is also a Welsh language version.
How quick is the DVLA online form?
Unless there are any additional checks flagged up, the private number plate will be assigned to your car instantly. This will include updating relevant records for VED (road tax), too.
It means that as soon as you submit your request online, the number plate for your car will be changed.
Should you provide the DVLA with your email address, an Electronic Number Plate Authorisation Certificate (eV948 or eV948/2) will be sent to you immediately.
The registered keeper of the car will also receive a new V5C logbook, which should be delivered within a few days.
How do I get new number plates made?
Such an instant change means you need to be prepared to replace the physical number plates on your car before you drive it.
If you have had the private plate assigned to another car before, you may still have physical plates. If so, you can simply replace the old plates from your car with these.
Should you need new number plates made from scratch, you can use the eV948 or eV948/2 sent to you by email. This is typically only valid for a few days, so be ready to go and get new plates made soon.
You should use a registered number plate provider to ensure your new plates meet the correct legal standards. Registered providers will need to see proof of your identity, along with proof of your entitlement to the number plate. Check with your chosen provider which documents they accept in advance.
Can I still use paper forms to assign a number plate?
The DVLA will still accept submissions to assign a number plate by post, using the V750 or V778 form. You will also need to send the vehicle’s V5C (logbook) or green ‘new keeper’ slip with a completed V62 form.
Submitting documents by post is likely to take longer than assigning a number plate online.
Can I assign a number plate to a financed or leased car?
Finance providers for cars bought via Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or Personal Contract Hire (PCH) may have rules around adding a private plate. However, most should allow it.
Your finance documents will specify any particular rules. You will need to contact your finance provider once a plate has been assigned.
Cars supplied on a lease deal will require permission from the lease provider before a number plate can be assigned. As the lease company is the registered keeper, you will need to liaise with them to have the plate added. Finance providers may charge an administration fee for this process.
You will need to put your private plate onto retention before your lease deal ends. This should be done around eight weeks before returning your car.
Who should I tell when I assign a number plate?
Assigning a private number plate to your car also requires you to inform others of the change.
Your car insurance provider should be the first contact you make, ensuring your policy is updated. Many insurance companies will allow you to notify them of the change online, or you may need to telephone them. Some insurance companies will charge an administration fee to cover the change.
Make sure you also update car park passes or parking season tickets with your car’s new number plate.
