Motorsport specialist Prodrive will bring many of its greatest rally and racing cars from the past 40 years to Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.

Some of the cars will be driven up the famous Goodwood Hill – and several will be reunited with famous drivers, including rally car aces Sebastien Loeb and Ari Vatanen.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Loeb will drive the Prodrive Hunter T1 for the first time since the Dakar Rally this year. Ari Vatanen and David Richards will pair up in one of the Mk2 Ford Escorts that helped them win their World Rally title 40 years ago.

Aston Martin Racing works driver Marco Sorensen will drive the number 95 Vantage GTE in which he and Nicki Thiim won the FIA WEC GTE drivers’ title last year.

And Jimmy McRae will get behind the wheel of his brother Colin McRae’s 1996 Rally Catalunya-winning Impreza Group A.

“The Festival of Speed is one of the motorsport events of the year that I really look forward to,” said Prodrive chairman, David Richards. 

“The paddock has a unique atmosphere where fans can get close to their heroes and have the opportunity to see so much motorsport history race up the hill. We’ll be joining the action with a number of our cars that represent Prodrive’s successes over the four decades.” 

The full list of Prodrive cars appearing at the event is:

1981 Ford Escort RS1800 MkII (driven by Vatanen/Richards)

1986 Metro 6R4 (static display).

1995 Subaru Impreza Group A (static display)

1996 Subaru Impreza Group A (driven by Jimmy McRae).

2000 Subaru Impreza WRC (driven by David Lapworth – Prodrive technical director)

2020 Aston Martin Vantage GTE (driven by Marco Sorensen)

2021 Prodrive Hunter T1 (driven by Sebastien Loeb).

2004 BAR Honda F1 (static display)

2003/4 Ford Falcon V8 Supercar (static display)

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Just over half of the UK’s 11 million garages are not used to park cars, new research shows.

According to a survey, 53 percent of drivers have never put their car in their garage, with only 40 percent doing so on a regular basis. Eight percent use their garage for parking on an occasional basis.

Conversely, 70 percent said they usually put their car on the drive, while 18 percent leave their car in the street, said the RAC poll.

The main reason given for not parking in garages is that they have too much already stored inside them. This is the case for 68 percent of drivers with garages that they don’t park inside.

Among the items most commonly kept in UK garages are DIY tools and materials (90 percent), gardening tools and garden furniture (74 percent), bicycles and scooters (55 percent), wellington boots and shoes (36 percent), and camping equipment (24 percent).

House and garage

The RAC says more than eight in 10 drivers (83 percent) use their garage as a place to store additional stuff. Nearly half (47 percent) use it as a workshop or DIY space, nine percent as a home gym or exercise space, while eight percent say they have converted theirs into another room.

“Our findings show the vast majority of UK garages aren’t used for the purpose they were intended. At best, 40 percent of those with garages park their cars in them on a regular basis,” said RAC spokesman Simon Williams.

“It seems most garages are nothing more than additional storage, perhaps because many houses don’t have enough easily accessible space to store lots of household items. But in fairness to many people with garages, some just aren’t big enough to get a modern car in. And then there are some that you can drive into, but are then too small to comfortably get in and out of your car.”

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Labour warns of EV ‘two-tier transport’ risk

Britain only has 15 percent of the electric car chargepoints needed to meet net zero and there is the risk of a ‘two-tier transport’ system with those who cannot charge or afford EVs being locked out, warns Labour.

Chargepoint access across Britain is patchy, with those in the North and the Midlands facing far more challenges in living with an electric car than London or the South.

This is due to the “serious disparity” in the number of charging pints.

EV drivers are four times more likely to find a charging point in London than in Yorkshire.

Currently, there are just under 23,000 public charging points across the UK – compared to the 150,000 required by 2025 according to the Committee on Climate Change.

What’s more, Labour says the controversial decision to cut plug-in car grants risks pricing some families out of future car ownership.

Labour says it would offer long-term interest-free loads to those on low and middle incomes to buy new and used electric cars.

It would also trial a national scrappage scheme.  

‘Baked in unfairness’

“It’s right to be setting 2030 as the phase-out date for new petrol and diesel cars,” said Labour shadow business secretary Ed Miliband, “but government is just not providing the support, strategy and leadership to make this transition.

“Government rhetoric is simply not matched by action and delivery.”

Mr Miliband warned the failure to roll out charging points across the UK – coupled with the cut in plug-in car grants – “risks baking in unfairness in our country as we move towards a zero-emission future”.

He called on the government to step up support for new gigafactories, help those on lower and middle incomes afford EVs and ensure charging points roll out across the country.

Labour would part-finance three new, additional gigafactories by 2025 and treat chargepoint delivery as a national infrastructure project led by the government.

Ed Miliband will be among the speakers at today’s SMMT International Automotive Summit in London. Motoring Research is attending the event and will report throughout the day.  

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The Welsh government has suspended future road building projects as part of a bid to reduce pollution.

An external panel will review all proposed schemes going forwards.

Money saved from not building new roads will instead be used to upgrade existing roads, including creating new cycle and bus lanes, and infrastructure for sustainable transport.

Explaining the rationale behind the new policy, deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters, told the Welsh parliament: “Since 1990, Welsh emissions have fallen by 31 percent. But to reach our statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, we need to do much more.

“In the next 10 years, we are going to need to more than double all the cuts we have managed over the last 30 years if we are going to keep temperature rises within safe limits. That means changes in all parts of our lives. Transport makes up some 17 percent of our total emissions and so must play its part.”

Waters added: “We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.”

However, Waters also said the government may be open to building new roads that could improve air quality or provide access to new industrial estates.

Sophie Howe, the future generations commissioner for Wales, welcomed the decision: “Wales has for too long been prioritising cars over people. I’m hopeful that this new decision signals more of the radical action that will be taken by the Welsh government’s new climate change ministry.

“An overreliance on the car has led to increased noise, poorer air quality, time wasted in traffic and an unacceptable burden on communities living near our most congested roads, often in areas where fewer people drive a car.”

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Aston Martin has unveiled the Valkyrie AMR Pro, a track-only version of its hypercar which is based on development work carried out for an axed Le Mans project.

Aston Martin claims the AMR Pro can lap the 8.5-mile Le Mans 24 Hours circuit in 3mins 20secs – that’s as quick as the projected times for the LMP1 cars that will contest this year’s event.

Although the design of the AMR Pro takes inspiration from the mothballed project to contest the famous endurance race, Aston Martin said it was able to push the envelope of development yet further as the car does not need to meet any regulations.

For instance, the wheelbase has been extended by 380mm and the chassis track by 96mm at the front and 115mm at the back, while the aerodynamic package extends of the car by 260mm.

Aston Martin said the AMR Pro can offer more than twice the downforce of the road car.

The AMR Pro uses the road car’s 6.5-litre Cosworth V12 engine, although to save weight and improve performance, the hybrid system has been removed and the engine now revs to 11,000rom. By the time production begins, the unit should be able to produce 1,000hp.

A 40-car production run is planned, with all cars being produced in left-hand drive, and the first deliveries are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of this year.

Pricing has not been announced.

“The entire Aston Martin Valkyrie programme has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering,” said Tobias Moers, Aston Martin CEO.

“As an expression of the passion and expertise that can be found within Aston Martin and its closest technical partners, Valkyrie AMR Pro is a project beyond compare, a true ‘no rules’ track-only version.

“The Valkyrie AMR Pro is testament to Aston Martin’s commitment to pure performance and this performance DNA will be evident in our future product portfolio. Nothing else looks like it, nothing else sounds like it, and I am absolutely certain nothing else will drive like it.”

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A build-your-own racing car kit inspired by the Alfa Romeo 158 has been revealed this week.

The 158 was raced by Juan-Manuel Fangio in the 1950s and won 47 of the 54 races it entered. That made it one of the most successful grand prix racers ever – and genuine examples sell for millions.

If you don’t have seven figures in your bank account, however, the vehicle seen here is perhaps the closest you’ll get to owning the legendary car. Called the Tipo184, it is priced from £16,700 plus VAT.

The catch? You have to build it yourself, which takes around 150 hours – although the option to have one built for you is available – and underneath the bodywork is a second-generation Mazda MX-5. Which you also have to source yourself.

TV’s Ant Anstead on board

The Tipo184 is the brainchild of engineering company Dowsetts – which is part-owned by TV presenter Ant Anstead – and an official British Racing & Sports Car Club series will run from next year. The firm claims it is one of the most affordable single-seat racing series in the world. 

This isn’t a track-only car, either. IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) is possible and Dowsetts Classic Cars ‘will support the builder wishing to get IVA compliance with a Tipo Road Kit at a later date’, a spokesman told Motoring Research.

“The Tipo184 provides those looking to enter into race car ownership with an affordable and fun option and the Dowsetts team is looking forward to the Tipo184 taking its place amongst some of the finest vehicles in motoring history,” said Jeremy McNamara, CEO of Dowsetts Classic Cars.

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