Fifteen special Bentley Continental GTs are being made to commemorate the Pikes Peak Hillclimb record the company’s staple coupe took back in June.
You’ll have to be a dedicated Bentley and Pikes Peak fan to swallow the color. It borrows the Radium green paint scheme that the record-breaking car wore on its run up the mountain, along with splashes of black front-to-back.
The brake calipers and even the Pirelli P Zero tires get flashes of green, too. Happily, the car itself is also available in black.
A carbon fiber body kit adds some aggression, as do the ‘Mulliner Driving Specification’ 22-inch wheels in black. Optional is the ‘100’ marker on the grille, in the marque’s traditional racing style, to commemorate its centenary.
The green extends to the cabin, too. Green stitching is everywhere, while the outline of the mountain is embroidered on the headrests. The course itself is also outlined on the carbon fiber cabin trim.
“The new Limited Edition Continental GT is distinguished by a number of carefully curated features to honor that outstanding record run,” said Chris Craft of Bentley Motors.
“It reflects Bentley’s spirit of endeavor, one that has been a constant throughout the last 100 years and remains at the beating heart of the company.”
From the Pacific Coast Highway to Pikes Peak, you’d think the Continental GT would be well outside of its cosseting grand touring comfort zone. Still, the 630-horsepower Continental shaved 8.4 seconds off the existing record for the 12.42-mile hill course.
Former ‘King of the Mountain’ Rhys Millen took the Continental up the 156-bend 5,000-ft course in 10 minutes 18.04 seconds. If this unique, rare and special Continental is your flavor, it’s available to order now.
One of the big selling points of the C8 Corvette is its surprisingly low starting price. It sounds too good to be true. But instead of customers feeling the pinch, it’s General Motors.
In America, the new Corvette will open up at the equivalent of around £46,000. This, for what is effectively a mid-engined supercar, with near-on 500hp, a dual-clutch gearbox, a quality cabin and a sophisticated construction. Now, it’s been revealed that those new Vettes that sell for under the equivalent of £61,000, will lose Chevrolet and General Motors money.
This, according to Motor Trend, which discovered the extent of the Corvette’s disappearance into the red via an anonymous source high-up at GM. As a result, the low starting price won’t last beyond 2021. Supposedly, the sweet spot for profit and volume on the new Corvette is on cars optioned between the equivalent of £60,000 and £76,000. Anything over £76,000 (or $100,000) sees a drop-off of buyers given the expense.
So why are Chevrolet and General Motors taking this hit, especially on such an eagerly-anticipated and important car? Well, that’s exactly why. The mid-engined Corvette has been a long time coming, and something of an inevitability.
However, one of the biggest worries about its arrival has been cost. One of the Corvette’s long-standing party pieces has been the value proposition. Take that away, and support and the customer base dissolves. In addition, it then has to face much stiffer criticism, as the price levels the playing field by comparison to rivals that have, in the past, been more tightly buttoned-up.
The Corvette is no stranger to price rises. First-year C7 generation cars were sold at a relative discount, though not to the extent the C8 will be.
Chevrolet’s hopes are pinned on customers inflating the price of their car themselves, by getting pen-happy on the options list. Taking a leaf out of Ferrari’s optional £3,995 carbon fibre book…
3,000 people on waiting list for electric Kia e-Niro
Chevrolet is playing the long game with the C8. There are high-performance variants in the Z06 and ZR1, which can command higher prices. Exactly how much more expensive the base car will become in 2021 remains unknown. According to Motor Trend’s GM insider, the price would have to ‘go through the roof’ to cover costs.
Talk of loss on the Corvette is curious, given the common benchmark against which it’s tested, the Porsche 911. The long-standing German sports car happens to be the most profitable car in the world. The C8 is an all-new ground-up car, however. Porsche benefits from generational development, and a layout that hasn’t changed for near-on 60 years.
When is a mongrel actually a pedigree? When a patchwork quilt of classic Porsche 911 parts is revealed to be an early prototype, a taproot model for future iconic versions, and the former company car of the man in charge.
Far from being a bodge job, this 1974 911 ‘2.7’ is genesis, a one-off, a factory-built hot-rod.
Ordinarily, pre-1975 Porsche 911s came with neither the enormous (and now iconic) ‘Turbo’ ducktail wing, nor a 3.0-litre flat-six engine. But this is no ordinary 1974 911, even beyond its slightly garish Lemon leather interior.
It’s far from being a cut and shut, as Porsche connoisseur and dealer Walter Hoffmann feared in 2008 when he was scouting for projects. He was even prepared to swap in what he believed to be a more authentic 2.7-litre engine once he got the car home.
But no. Any other older 911 with this mish-mash of parts from later cars could rightly be dismissed as such. Hoffmann’s instincts said otherwise of this 74 car.
A little more digging revealed it to be a prototype wearing to-be-productionised parts. The 190hp 3.0-litre engine was a precursor to both the naturally-aspirated 200hp variant that would go into production a year later, as well as the legendary 911 Turbo due at the same time.
It even came fitted with a then- state-of-the-art Bosch K-tronic fuel injection system. This was designed to improve efficiency in the face of the oil crisis. Likewise, as above, that wing must have looked out of place in 1974. A year before anyone had seen a Turbo badge on the rump of a 911.
A Porsche prototype is quite a cool thing on its own, even if it’s a mule the research and development department accidentally sold. This car, however, had a bit more time at the top of the tree.
See, it was the company car of the first person without Porsche in their name to take charge of the sports car manufacturer. From July 1974 to January 1976, it was in regular use by Dr Ernst Fuhrmann, the first chairman of the executive board of Porsche. Yes, the same Fuhrmann of the famous ‘Fuhrmann’ 356 engines. The man behind the powerplant of Porsche’s breakout racer and sports car.
Once in charge at Porsche in 1976, he would go on to press for the development of the 924 and 928 transaxle models, and as a result was even accused of wanting to ‘bury’ the 911. Are these ideas the product of time Fuhrmann spent escaping in his 911? The pedigree mongrel of a patchwork 911? To by a fly on the headliner. We’ll never know just how significant this car really is.
First look at mystery Maserati supercar: due in 2020
Last year, Volkswagen announced that it has partnered with Tesco and Pod Point to install more than 2,400 electric car charging bays.
Fast forward 12 months and shoppers will find 7 kW electric car charging points at 100 Tesco stores across the UK.
The charging points are free for shoppers – and they’re not just for Volkswagens. All electric car owners are able to use the free chargers.
Volkswagen visited Tesco in Potters Bar in the new ID.3 electric car – the first time the model has been seen in the UK since its debut in Frankfurt.
Research shows that the average Brit spends 50 minutes a week in a supermarket, although this is likely to be longer in the period leading up to Christmas.
Based on the 50-minute average, Tesco shoppers could get around 22.5 miles of free charging. Over the course of a year, this works out at 1,170 miles.
Breaking down barriers
Geraldine Ingham, head of marketing at Volkswagen UK, said: “This fantastic partnership with Tesco and Pod Point makes choosing an electric car even more attractive, allowing people to charge for free, all while going about their daily business.
“And the best bit is that this is not just for Volkswagens – the chargers are designed for any electric car owner to take advantage of.
“We are really pleased to help break down any remaining barriers to opting for an electric car.”
Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK and ROI, added: “We’re now well on our way to achieving our ambition of installing more than 2,400 EV charging bays across 600 Tesco stores.
“Providing customers with charging points offers them a sustainable choice and giving them the opportunity to charge their car for free while they shop is another little help to make their lives easier.”
Three battery sizes are available at launch offering between 205 and 340 miles of electric range. Prices will start from £27,000, but the top-end first edition cars are available from £35,000.
In other news, our Tim Pitt is driving the new eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf today. Come back soon for his first drive thoughts and opinions.
The new British-built Toyota Corolla range will be entirely hybrid from 2020. The 1.2-litre turbocharged engine is being discontinued, while the improved 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrids remain.
New too for the Corolla range are the GR Sport and TREK specifications. The former is, as you might expect, a sporty trim level adding exterior aggression. Larger wheels and sharper styling on the outside are complemented by sporty seats and trim on the inside.
The Touring Sports TREK is a curious trim, with the marque partnering with the well-known bicycle manufacturer. It has an ‘SUV-influenced’ look, which should go down well with adventure types into their mountain biking. That means a 20mm raised ride height to match other rugged styling add-ons.
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In the cabin, there are TREK-branded scuff plates and even wood trim to keep with the out-doorsy feel. Thrown in with the TREK on top of the ‘Design’ equipment level is an electric tailgate with a kick system. Useful if your arms are fully of muddy bikes.
Finally, tech-savvy buyers will be pleased to note that all Corollas from 2020 will come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration as standard.
After six years on sale, the Jaguar F-Type has been facelifted for 2020. Quite literally, given that the F-Type has an all-new face.
This joins a revised engine range and interior updates, for the most comprehensive update to Jaguar’s two-seat sports car since its introduction.
More in line with the other models in the range, the F-Type trades its curvaceous XK-esque lighting for sharp ‘super-slim’ units. The LED ‘Pixel’ headlights are standard on the R and an option everywhere else.
These join the new clamshell that has ‘liquid metal’ surfacing and new air outlets. The grille and lower intakes at the front are a bit more familiar, though also come subtly updated.
At the rear, it’s much more familiar. The razor-like lights the F-Type introduced way back when are now less curvy, and more to I-Pace, E-Pace and updated XE ‘chicane signature’ specification. If you go for the F-Type R, you get nice ‘R’ detailing on the exhaust tips.
“Design the most beautiful sports car, with purity, proportion and presence that’s unmistakably Jaguar: that was the challenge we set ourselves,“ said Julian Thomson, Jaguar Design Director.
“The new F-Type is more dramatic than ever, with even greater clarity of purpose in every line, surface and feature, and embodies true Jaguar design DNA.”
On the inside, again, it’s very much evolution rather than revolution. In terms of design and layout, all remains more or less the same.
However, gone are the analogue dials, replaced by a fully digital 12.3-inch reconfigurable Interactive Driver Display. The standard mode lends itself to the F-Type’s sporting character – a big central tachometer, with a gearshift indicator.
This screen can be configured a variety of different ways, including to display the full map. In the new Touch Pro infotainment system is standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as, as previously reported, over-the-air updates.
A subtle but nice touch – ‘Jaguar Est 1935’ around the glovebox button (see the image below).
2020 Jaguar F-Type – under the bonnet
So what’s changed under the skin? Well, the spec sheet at a distance will reveal that the long-standing supercharged V6 engine has been dropped entirely. The range is comprised now exclusively of V8s and four-cylinders.
Those that had hoped the new JLR straight-six would make its way into the F-Type, we’re sorry for the bad news.
Beginning at the bottom, there is the 300 hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo that we’ve become used to, coming in rear-wheel-drive only.
In terms of V8s, there is a 450 hp and 575 hp version available, the latter of course coming in the R, which is also all-wheel-drive only. The 450 hp variant can be had in either AWD or RWD.
Getting all that power to the ground is an updated version of the quickshift transmission, with learning taken from the monstrous XE Project 8.
Previous F-Types, especially the raucous R, got a reputation for being muscle cars in disguise. Their raspy V8s and lairy power delivery betrayed the car’s dainty looks.
For 2021, Jaguar says it’s ‘comprehensively uprated’ the chassis. New wider 20-inch wheels join adaptive dampers, springs, anti-roll bars and stiffer rear knuckles and ball joints.
As for performance? Spoiler alert, it’s still rapid. The 450 hp V8s get to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, while the R will get there in 3.5 seconds. Top speed is 177 mph for the V8, and an electronically limited 186 mph for the R.
Prices will kick off from £54,060, and you can order now. Of course, expect inevitable silly versions with SV badging to arrive later.
“The new F-Type is the definitive Jaguar sports car and continues to set the benchmark for design purity, driver engagement and reward, and a truly visceral driving experience – it makes every journey extraordinary,” said Alan Volkaerts, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar F-Type.
“Its timeless looks are more assertive than ever, technologies such as the high-definition virtual instrument cluster deepen the driver-focused feel of the interior, while the range of powertrains offers a breadth of choice unrivalled in the segment.
“Enthusiasts will appreciate the new F-Type R’s 575 hp supercharged V8, enhanced chassis and intelligent all-wheel drive system, which deliver truly outstanding performance in all conditions while retaining its inherent tractability and usability.”
Jaguar has tested the revised 2020 F-Type on a challenging 44-corner course including 25 loop-the-loops and three gravity-defying jumps… in 1:64 scale Hot Wheels guise.
The 232-metre Hot Wheels orange course was laid out within the new Jaguar Design Studio, with inspiration seemingly coming from the British firm’s design director himself, Julian Thomson.
“As a designer and huge car enthusiast, Hot Wheels models have been a part of my life since childhood,” said Thomson. “They capture the imagination, make owning the car of your dreams a reality, and give you the first opportunity to actually ‘drive’ a car.
“Seeing such a finely-detailed 1:64 scale model of the new F-Type race around the studio, showcasing every stage in our design process, was a truly unique experience.”
Hot Wheels tour of Jaguar Design
The Hot Wheels track followed a course from a design review of original sketches, across their digitally rendered equivalents, over colour and materials samples, and a clay model, before finishing alongside the real thing.
The course was designed by Official Hot Wheels master track designer Paul Schmid: he calculated the tiny car reached a scale-equivalent speed of 300 mph in the studio.
The Hot Wheels Jaguar F-Type itself was created by a joint team, using actual CAD data from the real thing. Hot Wheels even replicated the car’s new Velocity Blue colour.
The team then ‘camouflaged’ the model car so it could be unwrapped and revealed in a special film.
“We’ve been working with Jaguar for over 40 years,” said Hot Wheels product design senior manager Bryan Benedict, “but this was an opportunity to do something really special with a car that was not yet on sale.
“To go behind the doors of the top-secret Jaguar Design Studio and work with the talented design team to bring this car to life and reveal it on unmistakable orange and blue track was a unique opportunity.”
The new 2021 model year Jaguar F-Type is available to order now. The Hot Wheels Jaguar F-Type launches November 2020.
The Bespoke Design Collective at the Goodwood headquarters of Rolls-Royce have worked with artist Mickalene Thomas to give the winning bidder a unique prize.
Set to make a public debut at the One Thousand Museum in Miami on Wednesday, the final sale will take place later this month.
With the endless design options offered by Rolls-Royce, the Phantom has been subject to bespoke enhancements both inside and out.
The Magma Red exterior hue features a Crystal treatment, which sees actual particles of crystal embedded in the final layer of paint. All five coats of paint are polished by hand, in a process which takes more than five hours.
Inside, the red theme is evident throughout, with the fastidious attention to detail the buyer of a Rolls-Royce would expect. The Arctic White leather upholstery and trim is made from nine hand-picked hides, and finished with Mugello Red highlights and stitching.
Rolls-Royce has also installed a unique Starlight headliner, using 1,600 fibre optic lights to create a constellation pattern running the full length of the interior roof.
Mugello Red highlights feature throughout the interior, picking out details on the dashboard and the steering wheel, too. Special trim has been added to the treadplates, commemorating the 115th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce name.
Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas, noted that “every member of our team is deeply inspired by this world-class commission and equally by the importance of the cause that it was created to support – (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.”
Along with winning the Red Phantom, the winning auction bidder will take home a bespoke artwork by Mickalene Thomas. The New Jersey-born artist will make use of the Phantom as the canvas for the artwork, creating a custom wrap to cover the exterior.
Rolls-Royce will officially unveil the Red Phantom on Wednesday December 4th, during a gala event at the One Thousand Museum. Following this, the online auction sale will be made available by Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s.
Set to be hosted on sothebys.com, the online auction will end on Friday December 13th, 2019, with the winning bidder taking home the bespoke Phantom.
Along with the knowledge they have helped an important charity, which has generated more than $600 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS since 2006.
According to a new report, 87 percent of electric car owners in the UK are men and the overwhelming majority of them are aged 45 to 74.
And that’s a big problem for the electric car industry.
If you’re a middle-aged man and you’re not David Beckham or Paul Rudd, you’re about as relevant as Myspace and as influential as a Corby trouser press salesperson on a nudist beach.
Donning a pair of skinny jeans, shaving your receding hairline and hashtagging the hell out of your Instagram posts just won’t cut it. You’re over the hill and the next stop is retirement.
Of all of which means you’re hardly the hip and happening ambassador the electric car needs. Watching you squint through your reading glasses as you struggle to decipher the instructions for the public charging point isn’t a great advert for the EV.
Anyone below the age of 34 will be returning to the sanctuary of a lengthy PCP deal on an A-Class faster than you can say “optional final balloon payment”.
Camden, locked
The same report suggests that fewer than five percent of electric car owners are aged 25 to 34. Predictably, hardly anyone under the age of 24 is driving a zero emission car.
We shouldn’t be surprised. Most young people are either struggling to pay off their student loan or saving hard for a deposit on a new home. Even with the promise of lower running costs, an electric car is an expensive luxury they can do without, especially in the age of Uber.
Electric car brochures, advertisements and promotional videos are filled with images of youngsters who look like they’ve arrived straight outta Camden Market and spend most of the day supping mochachinos in artisan coffee shops.
In adland, electric car owners dress like catwalk models to charge their vehicles in exotic locations and stare longingly into the middle distance as they contemplate their significant role in saving the planet.
Fewer Keiths, more dragons
The reality is often a middle-aged man called Keith who arrives at a dimly-lit section of a motorway service station to find the charger is blocked by a sales rep eating a Ginsters in an Insignia.
The problem is that it’s only the likes of Keith who can afford to own an electric car. He has the disposal income, the off-street parking and the office car park to make EV ownership a realistic prospect.
For younger drivers who are struggling to make ends meet, live in a second floor apartment and park in a council car park while at work, an EV is less attractive than a compact crossover on a £200 a month PCP deal.
Some joined-up thinking is required. There’s little point incentivising youngsters via cheap PCP deals if the supply can’t keep up with demand and the infrastructure isn’t in place. But nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, so seeing fellow young drivers behind the wheel will be more appealing than the sight of Keith and his reading glasses. Sorry, Keith.
Give an electric car to someone like Emilia Clarke to use for a year and punters will be queuing up like White Walkers at The Wall. Present one to Lily James and you’ll have more baby electric car drivers than you can shake a charging cable at.
Until then, the ‘wrong’ people will continue to drive the electric car industry the wrong way.
Cars have a strong place in popular culture. From movies to TV shows and even music, if you’re in your car with the radio on, there’s a strong chance you’re listening to music that references cars.
But what are the most-referenced car brands in popular music? Carwow has crunched the lyrics to find out what car makes are the most-referenced in popular music. It did so by analysing the words of songs from the top 100 Billboard Hotlist artists of 2018.
Motors and Music: Popular car brands and popular tunes
Carwow found over 1,300 individual mentions across the songs of the Billboard hotlist artists. Of those 100 artists, 87 made mention of specific car brands. But what brands are they singing/rapping/mumbling about? Here’s the top ten…
We begin with the Range Rover – a well-known status symbol. It has 42 mentions in lyrics across the top 100 artists. One that springs to mind is in Closer by The Chainsmokers, though to some older listeners, it might not refer to a Range Rover specifically…
“So baby pull me closer in the back seat of your Rover” – did Alan Partridge write these lyrics? More likely they refer to a Velar or Vogue, rather than a 600 or an 800…
Ford (56) and Honda (74) are curious ones in ninth and eighth. They’re not quite the status symbol marques you might expect. It’s easy to think of cars like the Fiesta, Focus and Civic, rather than the Mustang, GT and NSX.
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Cadillac (93), Rolls-Royce (94) and Ferrari (108) in seventh, sixth and fifth make an awful lot more sense. These are a trio of very differently flavoured, but similarly aspirational brands.
The Escalade truck was hugely popular with rappers in the early 2000s, while Ariana Grande has a song titled Cadillac. Rolls Royce is perhaps the ultimate status symbol. You’ll see why Drake’s lyric “Park the Benz just to ride the Wraith” is ironic by the end of the list.
As for Ferrari, in her song Ferrari, Bebe Rexha claims “I am a Ferrari, pulled off on Mulholland drive”. We recommend the Stelvio pass as an alternative, Bebe, though you might want to swap the Portofino in your video out for a 488 Pista.
An interloper among the exotics on this list is Jeep (113). While it is a bit more utilitarian, it’s also a solid lifestyle brand, with a rugged adventurous image. Crystal Fighters have a song called Boomin’ in your Jeep. There’s even a parody pop song by The Lonely Island called Things in my Jeep.
Now we’re into the big time. Without further delay, the top three are Lamborghini (132), Bentley (170) and Mercedes-Benz (407). What a monster jump that is for Merc, in spite of Drake parking “the Benz just to ride the Wraith”. Bentley’s been enjoying a lot of airtime of late, with R&B superstar Post Malone including the marque in the title of his album.
In fact, Post is a bit of a petrolhead, if his lyrics are anything. He repeatedly mentions G Wagens, “750 Lambos” and even the McLaren 720S. Lamborghini has had some airtime with The Weeknd too, with the R&B artist singing about his “Roadster SV”.
As for what genres talk about cars the most, its rap (49 percent) followed by pop (26 percent) followed by Country (17 percent) followed by R&B (8 percent).
“Cars have long been a status symbol so it’s easy to see why songwriters use them as shorthand for the kind of luxury life successful musicians are living, and the one listeners aspire to,” said Vix Leyton at Carwow.
“In terms of modern charts, artists in hip hop and rap are more likely to flash the cash, making up the top 10, and it’s no surprise to see Kanye West making the list.
“What is interesting is seeing Mercedes Benz, a comparatively affordable and realistically aspirational car in comparison to others on the list, far outranked other manufacturers such as Ferrari or Lamborghini. Prestige is not always something you have to be a millionaire to get, and some brands have a heritage worth more than their price tag.”
One of the big selling points of the C8 Corvette is its surprisingly low starting price. It sounds too good to be true. But instead of customers feeling the pinch, it’s General Motors.
