The pitch is simple: these are the cars that do everything, the Gary Sobers, Kapil Devs and Freddie Flintoffs of the automotive world. 

Go extraordinarily fast? It’s a given. Make you appear suitably plutocratic wherever you turn up? Natch. Keep you endlessly entertained on any empty road? Just look at them. Carry you, your family and your luggage in hushed comfort and true luxury any damn place you want to go? I’m surprised you had to ask. 

But a pitch is one thing, reality quite another. We can see why you might think (and their creators suggest) that if any car can come close to being all things to all people, a Porsche Panamera or Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door might fit the bill better than any other. But the question here is not just to decide which gets closest, but whether either – or indeed any car – can be truly satisfactory in such disparate regards. Trying to be all things to all owners is the brief from hell, and as sure a recipe as exists for ending up with egg on you face. 

Press fleet availability means the Porsche and Mercedes seen here are close but not direct rivals, although today this actually helps because it allows us to answer another question, of which more in a minute. 

One thing both cars absolutely share besides their monstrously powerful twin-turbo V8 engines is stupidly long names. The Porsche is a Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, the Benz an even more befuddling Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4MATIC+ 4-Door Coupé. But there are clues in these titles: the Porsche is the full-fat Panamera in both the literal and figurative senses of the word – ‘Hybrid’ signifying a 671bhp, electrically boosted power output and a staggering kerb weight of 2400kg, exactly 300kg more than the same car without the hybrid system. 

That 2100kg, incidentally, is the same weight claimed for the AMG. An ‘S’ model not being available, this poor thing has to slum it with merely 577bhp, not the 631bhp that would otherwise have been at our disposal. Yet even in such denuded form, it still posts a fractionally quicker 0-62mph time and a marginally higher top speed than the Porsche, as if such issues really matter. Any car weighing more than two tonnes that will nevertheless hit 62mph in three and a half seconds or less really is astoundingly fast. 

Before options, Porsche will charge you £139,297 for the Panamera, over £20,000 more than it wants for the non-hybridised version of the same car, which is a scant 0.3sec slower than the hybrid’s 3.5sec to 62mph. So you’re really going to want what the hybrid brings that the regular Turbo doesn’t, including through-the-floor CO2 figures with associated tax breaks, a claimed 31 miles of all-electric running (nearer to 20 in normal use) and possible congestion charge exemptions and so on. 

The Benz is less expensive at £121,350, although if you wanted to go the whole hog and get the 631bhp S, with its active engine mounts, rear electronic differential and assorted luxury additions, that knocks the price up to £135,550 and the 0-62mph time down by 0.2sec to a McLaren F1-matching 3.2sec. Finally, both cars are available with a choice of two or three rear seats. 

We start in the Panamera. You sit snug and low in a superb driving position which tells you that, for all its heft and gadgets, Porsche still wants you to think of this as a sports car. TFT screens bound the horizons, bewildering you with the information assault they mount. There’s some learning to do here, but once done it’s surprisingly intuitive, even if it still takes twice the time to perform certain simple tasks than it would with buttons and switches. 

If anything, the AMG is more sumptuous still. Its interior is more stylised (your eyes are drawn to those gorgeous turbine air vents), although its feel is more applied than designed in, as the Porsche’s is. You sit a little higher in seats that are a little firmer. Here, too, are endless expanses of screens, which are more attractive to me than those in the Porsche and more configurable but less easy to use, especially via a control pad rather than a wheel. The amount of available information is huge, surely more than any owner could need or want. If you ever wish to reconnect with your inner Luddite, there is no shortage of opportunity in either car. 

In the back there is no contest: the Porsche is just better. Indeed, having a BMW M5 along for the ride allowed the Panamera to show there is little or nothing to lose in either leg or headroom to a large executive saloon. Four six-footers would be happy to travel unlimited distances in here. The Mercedes is not cramped in the back, indeed its rear quarters are probably more in line with what you might expect from a car calling itself a four-door coupé, but there’s a little less room everywhere and if the person in the front seat has his or her seat as low as possible, it will be hard to slide your feet underneath. The cars’ respective shapes suggest the Porsche would have the bigger boot, too, and it does, although by less than I had expected: 520 litres versus 460 for the Merc. 

The drive over to the mountain road in the Porsche is informative. It rides well and, as importantly, like a Porsche: firm but never harsh. Out here, running with the traffic on all manner of roads save urban, it’s doubtful the hybrid is doing anything for the fuel consumption. I reckon it would be an unusually careful long-distance driver who got a genuine 25mpg from it. The lighter, less powerful Mercedes would do better, but not by much. 

And then we’re at our desired location, into Sport Plus mode and away. As we all know, weight is the enemy of all automotive engineering but there is a still a sense of occasion and a certain undeniable majesty to see how the powertrain picks up two and half tonnes of Panamera and Frankel combined, and flings us forward. First time out, I defy you not to laugh. There’s so much torque everywhere that the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission seems almost redundant. 

Yet everywhere you go, that mass goes too, and you are aware of it all the time. It numbs the steering in corners and challenges the dampers over crests. Grip is provided by four stupendously large contact patches, but this is not a car for chucking or even gently lobbing into corners. It needs to be guided, managed on a slow in, fast out basis, which makes it sound like a 911. But it’s not: on that road there were times it felt a little cumbersome and heavily reliant on its dustbin-lid brakes, whose incredible stopping power was in no way matched by its poor pedal feel. 

What, then, to expect of the Mercedes? Given how AMG has laboured to find the handling sweet spot in the more comfortable versions of its far lighter, more sporting and bespoke two-seat GT Coupé, possibly not that much. And yet, in reality, the car confounds expectations. 

First, even before you get to the corners, it’s even quicker than the Porsche. The difference is not great, but it’s there. It sounds better, too, at least inside. Outside I’m told the Panamera was in spectacular voice with its optional sports exhausts, but inside the AMG’s soundtrack is sharper and more exciting. And if its nine-speed gearbox – an automatic rather than a dual-clutch but with a wet clutch in place of a torque converter – is any slower than the Porsche’s ZF unit, I couldn’t spot it. 

But the real difference comes in the corners. I’m sure the Porsche’s case would have been improved had it been fitted with optional four-wheel steering (on the AMG it’s standard in the UK), but I can’t see it clawing back more than a little of the ground it loses here. The Mercedes feels better in every regard: more intimate, communicative and entertaining, while inspiring more confidence. And in cars this fast, vast and heavy, confidence is crucial. So accurate is its steering, so keen is its nose to sniff out an apex, so fluent is its damping, at times you could mistake it for a genuine sports car, which seems a ludicrous thing to write about a four-door car weighing so much. But I can report only as I find. 

The drive home gave time to ponder its other appeals. Is it as quiet and comfortable as the Porsche? Probably a touch noisier despite the Panamera’s fatter footprints, but maybe a tad more compliant with the dampers in their softest settings. But it doesn’t matter because both are unreasonably good in both regards. 

There is, then, a clear case for either car, and what’s curious is how each now trespasses on the other’s traditional territory. You’d expect a Mercedes to have more room for people and luggage and offer the better ergonomics, but it doesn’t. Likewise, you’d expect the Porsche to be the obvious driver’s choice, but it’s not. I expect the Panamera’s case would have been better served by the cheaper, lighter, barely slower standard Turbo, but enough to vanquish the Mercedes? I wouldn’t rule it out, but it is a little hard to see. 

Don’t let that detract from what AMG has achieved here: unless tax concessions and practicality are numbers one and two on your priority list (and you’re prepared to pay a substantial sum for them), the Mercedes is the better car. To answer the question posed at the start, it is an immense all-rounder, superb in many regards, deficient in none. In short, it is a clear and worthy winner.  

BMW M5 Competition

So here’s a question: why would you spend another £25,000 even buying the Benz (let alone the Porsche) when a BMW M5 Competition is just as quick, lighter still and has a bigger boot than either? 

Style is clearly a factor: the AMG and Panamera don’t look like close relatives of everyday family saloons (even if, beneath the skin, the Merc has significant amounts of E-Class architecture). Their interiors are more luxurious, their sense of occasion more palpable. 

But out there on the road? Well, the BMW is not short of pace, it too has four-wheel drive and, like the AMG, can even be rear-drive only for the pleasure of the drift merchants. And yet I couldn’t get it configured the way I wanted for that road, the damping proving too soft in Comfort but too busy in Sport, let alone Sport Plus, and I expect that’s down to the Competition suspension mods. I’m sure they work brilliantly on the track to which no one will ever take theirs, but they are far less convincing on roads such as this. 

In the end, the M5 Competition poses some good questions of these two but fails to make them look like expensive indulgences by comparison. Had we a standard – and less expensive – M5 with us, those questions might have been not only interesting but likely properly awkward, too.

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo review

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe review​

Top 10 best grand tourers 2019​

Lando Norris isn’t like most teenagers. Ask him a question and you’ll receive a thought-out, considered answer, delivered with an eloquence that belies his age – until you get the 19-year-old onto the right topic, that is. Ask him to recall the first time he drove a Formula 1 car and his eyes light up with glee. 

“It’s mind-blowing,” he says. “You see it on TV, but it always looks so easy. People just do not realise how hard it is, how quickly things come at you. You just don’t feel like you’ll stop accelerating, you’re going ‘woooah, this doesn’t stop’. Then suddenly you have this massive brake, and the car stops suddenly. Your mind has to take a second to keep up with what’s just happened, then you turn, accelerate and it all happens again. It’s quite insane.” 

Norris, of course, isn’t like most teenagers. Most teenagers can only dream of driving an F1 car. Norris gets to race one – for the storied McLaren team. When he started the Australian Grand Prix, Norris became the fourth-youngest driver to take part in an F1 race and the youngest-ever Brit, breaking the record set by the then-20-year-old Jenson Button in 2000. 

Not that Somerset-born Norris is bothered by that bit of British F1 history. “It’s not something I’ve tended to think about, it’s just something that comes with it,” he says, with a nonchalant shrug that suggests racing in F1 at the age of 19 is barely noteworthy. “It’s an achievement, and I’ve got to be proud of it. But my aim is not to be the youngest British F1 driver: it’s to win races and championships.” 

Still, Norris admits his rapid rise is a touch surreal. “It’s not long ago I was getting up at stupid o’clock to watch the Australian Grand Prix, thinking ‘one day I want to do that’,” he says. “Then you think how far away it is – and suddenly, I’m here. At the same time, I think of it gradually. I’ve taken my time to go through karting and the junior categories.” 

‘Gradually’ is a relative concept here. Norris started karting in 2008, with his career culminating when he won the world championship in 2014. That year he also made his car-racing debut in the Ginetta Junior series. 

Norris switched to single-seaters in 2015, racing in MSA Formula (now Formula 4). He won the title. 

The following year he raced in two pan-European Formula Renault 2.0 championships and the New Zealand-based Toyota Racing Series. He won all three titles. 

In 2017 Norris stepped up to the Formula 3 European Championship. He won that title too. 

Last season, Norris jumped into Formula 2. He won his first race but finished second to fellow grand prix rookie George Russell in the final standings. That one still rankles a bit. 

“It didn’t quite go as well as I wanted it to,” says Norris, with a pained look that suggests he’d spent the year toiling deep in the pack rather than finishing as runner-up in F1’s top feeder category against a field of grand prix aspirants. 

“I’m annoyed, because I’d loved to have won it, and have it on my record. But I’ve got to realise I made mistakes that cost a win, or a podium, or a bunch of points. But I know the areas I made mistakes in, and I’ve got to make sure they don’t happen again. I still enjoyed it, and that’s the main thing.” 

The fact Norris found himself so high up the single-seater ladder before encountering some adversity – a relative term, in this instance – is incredible. Norris insists there’s no secret. “I’ve always been able to have good people around me who have put me in the right direction and with the right team,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate to do quite a bit of testing as well: even if I haven’t been able to test in the car we wanted to race in the next year, I’ve been able to drive something similar.” 

It’s worth acknowledging that Norris’s ability to race with some of the best teams – including junior single-seater powerhouses Carlin and Josef Kaufmann Racing – and conduct plentiful testing is aided by family wealth. But while you can find many well-funded drivers plying their trade on F1’s nursery slopes, you won’t find many with Norris’s stellar track record. These days, most junior categories have restrictive regulations that help ensure a level playing field. You don’t win as much as Norris has without incredible natural talent. 

It was that natural talent that brought Norris to the attention of McLaren, who signed him as a junior driver in February 2017. 

That deal, he says, was the first time he really began to believe he could reach F1. “I never knew,” he says. “Even in F2, I never went ‘I’ve got this, 100%, I can do this’. You always have a bit of doubt. But the biggest thing was joining McLaren, and my first test in Hungary.” Which brings us back to where we started, in August 2017, when a then-17-year-old Norris had his first McLaren outing at the Hungaroring. 

Norris says the step from F2 to F1 was “massive, the biggest between any category by far”. It’s one he handled well, though: he ended up second-quickest on that first day. And, with further test runs, he began to adjust to the speed. 

“It still felt very quick at the end of that test,” he says. “Then you have a couple of weeks off, and in the next test it feels a bit more normal, you don’t feel you’re hanging on quite so much. Your mind just gets used to it. But even now, it still feels quick.” 

With one season of F2 banked and given his young age, Norris might have expected McLaren to suggest he spend a second year honing his skills in the category. Instead, with Fernando Alonso moving on and the team deciding not to retain Stoffel Vandoorne, the talent Norris had demonstrated persuaded the team to give him a race seat. He rewarded that faith in Australia, qualifying eighth – ahead of experienced team-mate Carlos Sainz – and battling for points before finishing 12th.

Then second time out, in Bahrain, Norris scored his first F1 points, rising from ninth on the grid to finish strongly in sixth – McLaren’s best result in more than a year. Remarkable.

The most recent race in China didn't go quite so well, as he was taken out of the race in a first-lap clash that wasn't his fault. It was a reminder that expectations have to be tempered in F1 despite the impressive start to his career at the top of the sport.

“I’m not going to win,” he says of this year. “It is something I’ve had to, not adjust to, but realise. I have new targets. 

“I’ll still win races – not in terms of finishing first, but in terms of winning our targets. A win for us, after realising what we can do, could be finishing in the top six. Each race is going to be different; it’s about knowing what you can achieve in every one. In the past few years, a win for me has been first place, but it’s also been about achieving everything I could from a race. A win is not just a position, it’s about how you achieve a goal.” 

There have been plentiful comparisons between Norris and the last British rookie to race for McLaren, a certain Lewis Hamilton. It’s an uneven parallel: when Hamilton had his F1 debut in 2007 McLaren was one of the sport’s powerhouses, but it has spent the past few years in the doldrums. Thankfully, the signs are that McLaren has made a step forward this year, and Norris can set his goals on regular points finishes. 

A better comparison for Norris as a McLaren rookie would be Vandoorne. He arrived at the team in 2017 as a hotly tipped prospect but was unable to show his skills in the machinery given to him. He’s now racing in Formula E. 

“The guys at McLaren are working very hard to not allow that to happen again,” says Norris. “They know what I can do, and I know what they can do. It’s not going to be overnight that we’re amazing, it’ll take a few years. Hopefully I’m still with McLaren then to go and do better things.” 

Norris has time on his side, thanks to his dizzying rise. And his distinctly non-teenage maturity will stand him in good stead. “I still need to work hard and improve as a driver,” he says. “I’m not good enough to go out and do everything perfectly. I’m not the best I’m going to be right now.” 

F1’s teenage talents

Lando Norris was 19 years, four months and four days old when he started the Australian Grand Prix, becoming the 12th teenager to start a Formula 1 race. Those 11 other drivers provide Norris with some promising examples – and cautionary tales. 

The most notable are four-time champion Sebastian Vettel (19 years, 11 months and 14 days old when he made his debut) and double champ Fernando Alonso (19y7m3d) – the man Norris has replaced at McLaren.

In 2015, Max Verstappen (17y5m13d) became the youngest driver yet to start an F1 race. He took the first of his five wins (so far) in Spain in 2016, aged 18 years, 7 months and 15 days. The Dutchman helped spark a youth movement, with two more teenage debutants – Lance Stroll (18y4m25d) and Daniil Kvyat (19y10m18d) – competing this year. Esteban Ocon (19y11m11d) is now reserve driver at Mercedes.

But for every Verstappen or Vettel, there’s an Esteban Tuero (19y10m14d), last seen in Argentinian touring cars, or Jaime Alguersuari (19y4m3d), now enjoying life as a DJ. 

There are also cases of unfulfilled potential. Chris Amon (19y10m20d) started 96 races and is regarded as one of the greatest drivers never to win one. Ricardo Rodriguez (19y6m27d) showed much promise on his debut in 1961, but the Mexican was killed in a non-championship race in 1962, before he had a chance to realise his prodigious talent.

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Toyota’s umpteenth incarnation of the Corolla is now on sale, mainly in Hybrid form. It’s billed as having an ‘e-CVT’, which at first had our news antennae all a-quiver.

In fact, e-CVT is simply another marketing moniker for essentially the same hybrid driveline concept Toyota came up with in the 1990s for the first Prius and has stuck with ever since. Originally called the Toyota Hybrid System (THS), it then also became Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), giving a nod to the fact that it was also used by Lexus and even sold to a couple of other car makers. 

Swapping cogs, gear changing, shifting: whatever your favourite expression, gearboxes and cars go together like sticky toffee pudding and custard – unless it’s a CVT. Some drivers loathe the way a CVT’s soaring engine revs are disconnected from the car’s rate of acceleration – known as the ‘rubber band effect’. 

The CVT was made famous by DAF when it launched the first production version, the Variomatic, in 1958. Instead of a complex box of cogs, it consisted of two pulleys of continuously variable diameter, connected by a belt. To give the lowest ratio (like first in a manual), the engine-driven pulley is at its smallest diameter and the second pulley, driving the wheels, at its largest. 

As speed increases the engine-driven pulley gets bigger and the drive pulley smaller, increasing the ratio – so the car speeds-up. Controlled not by a computer but by a vacuum, it continuously and automatically adjusts for hills and harder acceleration or cruising. The design has been used by many manufacturers over the years, including Audi, Ford and Fiat. 

CVTs are not all alike, though. Although Toyota offers a CVT in the new Corolla (but not in the UK), its hybrid drive e-CVT is nothing like the original Variomatic and there’s no belt. Instead, it consists of two electric motor-generators (MG1 and MG2) connected to a planetary gearbox. The whole caboodle has the engine at one end and the driven wheels at the other. 

Planetary gear sets exist aplenty inside conventional automatics. The compact package consists of a sun, planets and an enclosing ring gear and resemble a desk toy of the solar system. There are only a few components, but making the drive take different routes through the mini solar system allows the two motor-generators to perform different roles. 

MG1 can start the engine and at other times act as a generator to charge the hybrid battery. MG2 can act as a drive motor on its own or with the engine and also a generator to perform a regenerative braking role. MG1 can also apply small amounts of torque to the gear set to control the balance between the engine and electric drive from MG2, and there are many more combinations. The system allows electric-only drive by decoupling the engine (without the need for a clutch), and it’s small and compact. 

So not all CVTs are what they seem. This latest one is clever and mega-efficient, and it’s not surprising the basic idea has endured for more than 20 years.

Reverse engineering

Bosch’s electronically controlled version of the original CVT remains mechanically simple. Despite CVTs being scorned by some, Dutch rallycross star Jan de Rooy dominated with his DAF 55 and 555s in the 1970s. DAFs were banished to their own category in the annual Dutch backwards racing championship (yes, really, it used to be a thing) because CVTs enabled them to drive as fast in reverse as forwards. 

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As the all-new Griffith inches closer (deliveries should start next year), interest in its forebear remains strong. Not as strong as it was when news of the new model first broke, though.

Then, values of the old Griff stiffened quickly as people made the connection, only to soften slightly as its successor’s launch date was pushed back. Add winter’s usual chilling effect on convertible prices and now is probably your last chance to snare an old Griff for sensible money before the new model, costing from around £90,000, hoves into view once more. 

All that said, these days you’ll be lucky to find a decent runner much below £15,000, while good, refurbished cars start at around £20,000. The best nudge £35,000, while the very best, lowest-mileage and cleanest last-of-the-line SEs go all the way to £50,000. The good news is that a good Griff, lovingly maintained and refreshed with essential new parts, should one day be worth more than you paid for it. 

The Griffith was launched in 1991 with a 240bhp 4.0-litre Rover V8 under the bonnet. Power went to the rear wheels via a five-speed Rover LT77 gearbox and a GKN limited-slip differential. The electrical system was by Lucas and lifted straight out of the Range Rover, and that, if you were wondering, is why there’s so much wiring stuffed in with the battery, located in the passenger bulkhead. You’ll also find the ECU, fuse box and heater pipes in there. It’s not a place for the faint-hearted. 

The Griffith’s glassfibre body is mounted on a spaceframe chassis with outriggers that extend from the backbone of the car. Mud and debris flicked up by the wheels stick to these and in time they rot through, although it happens from above, which can be hard to spot. Replacing the outriggers, without removing the body, costs up to £2000. 

In 1992, a 4.3 V8 making 280bhp became available, and around 25 of them were produced with big-valve cylinder heads. These were very torquey and, because they just preceded the 1993 law that required a catalytic converter to be fitted to all new petrol cars, gloriously vocal. 

After a brief suspension in production, in 1993 the Griffith re-emerged with the engine it should have had from the start: a 5.0-litre V8 with 340bhp. It powered the model to the very end, which came in 2002 heralded by the special-edition SE. Some ride on 16in wheels, where most Griffs sit on 15s at the front and 16s behind. The gearbox in 5.0 Griffiths is a Borg Warner T5. You can tell it from the Rover ’box because reverse is to the right and back, where on the Rover it’s to the left and forward. Reverse often spins, so to avoid it crunching, select first then reverse. 

The engines are generally tough and reliable. It’s electrical gremlins, tired dampers and bushes and chassis corrosion that spoil things. Keeping on top of them should keep you busy at weekends, but the rewards will be incalculable.

How to get one in your garage

An expert’s view

David Hothersall, TVRCC:“I’ve had my 1998 Griffith 500 for 13 years. I bought it with 19,000 miles and today it’s showing 83,000. It’s my daily driver and has mostly been trouble-free. If there had been any serious problems, there’s enough support out there to build a new one. In fact, there are at least three TVR businesses operating from the old Bristol Avenue factory. The Griffith isn’t complicated but, given its torque-to-weight ratio, you have to respect it.” 

Buyer beware… 

■ Engine: Listen for camchain rattles: they last about 100,000 miles; camshafts can need replacing at 50k. Expect oil leaks from rocker cover gaskets and sump cover. Early 5.0s had crank issues. Check oil pressure and also engine temperature since the radiator can become blocked and the fan can seize. Check exhaust condition and for smoke from the manifolds. 

■ Transmission: Five-speed gearboxes are tough, but check the fluid has been changed at intervals; on the later T5, check reverse doesn’t crunch. Early GKN diff is noisy; later Salisbury units leak oil. 

■ Suspension and steering: Push the car down at each corner to check for any bouncing. Check the condition of the ball joints. Check tyres for uneven wear: wheel alignment issues can be hard to resolve if crash-related. 

■ Electrics: Check the ECU, battery and Lucas wiring loom in the front passenger bulkhead are watertight and neatly stowed. Try all the electrics; the body flexes and can chafe wires, and earthing issues are common. 

■ Chassis: Check the outriggers that extend from the centre section to the sills, and from which steel sections run at right angles front to back. They collect mud and debris and rot from the top. The seat belt anchors are located on them, so corrosion can compromise safety. Poke underseal with a screwdriver to check it’s not masking rotting steel. 

■ Body: Check the body for ripples, cracks and overspray. Inspect the windscreen base for water tightness. Also worth knowing The TVR Car Club (tvr-car-club.co.uk) is a good place to start your Griffith adventure. Find your local group and pay them a visit for buying and owning advice, as well as information on the whereabouts of good Griffs for sale. 

How much to spend 

£17,000-£22,999: Includes a 1995-reg 500 with specialist service history and an engine overhaul at 58,000 miles, plus major new peripherals replaced since. 

£23,000- £27,999: More 500s, including a 2001 car with 65,000 miles and more than £8000 spent on it, for £25,990. 

£28,000-£31,999: Includes a 1993 500 with 68,000 miles and a power steering conversion for £29,000. 

£32,000-£50,000: Mix of late 500s in top condition. Includes rare 2001-reg SE with 40k miles for £32,500 and a mint 1999 car with 20k miles for £33,950.

One we found

TVR Griffith 500, 1997, 62,000 miles, £20,500: A tidy car refurbished by a specialist and with a good service history. Had new outriggers fitted in 2011 with a further £3000 spent recently on fixing oil leaks, and fitting a new clutch and differential, engine mounts and suspension bushes.

Read more

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TVR factory construction delayed by EU rules​

TVR Griffith - revisiting an all-time classic British sports car​

Porsche’s own hybrid 911 is in the works, though a good while off yet. But the engineering might of Stuttgart has been beaten to the punch by Vonnen, a firm based in California’s Silicon Valley turning its hand to electrifying 911s.

Chuck Moreland, CEO of Vonnen, says about the idea: “it was a case of us sitting around talking amongst ourselves and thought, hey, wouldn't it be great if... And then we started exploring different ideas of how you might hybridise an existing 911 platform.” 

That was three years ago, a proof of concept using a 996 as a basis underlined that it was possible. Moreland expands: “This is a C2, and what we did was we took a C4 transaxle, which has a yoke to drive the front, we put a motor in the tunnel and instead of taking torque out, we drove torque back into the transaxle to drive the rear wheels. It worked.”

That might have proved it would work, but there was more to come. The proof of concept motor didn’t take advantage of the gear reduction capabilities, so they took a second look. Moreland said: “Okay, cost be damned, what if we wanted to make this thing rip? What would we do?" And so we went back to the drawing board and this is what we dreamed up.”   

The result is the Vonnen Shadow Drive, a performance hybrid system that adds performance to any 911. To achieve that it squeezes an electric Motor Generator Unit between the flat-six engine and the gearbox, much like Porsche will eventually do with its 992. It replaces the flywheel, that electric motor also removing the need for the starter motor. It’s a tight fit, being around 25mm in depth, shifting the gearbox forward by the same amount - and requiring a 25mm shorter prop to the front if it’s fitted to a Carrera 4 or Turbo model. 

The batteries powering it are placed under the boot floor, and while Vonnen is currently quiet about the capacity and chemistry, it’s enough for the motor generator unit to deliver a 148bhp and 150lb.ft boost to the car’s overall output depending on the driving mode selected. There’s additional cooling circuits for the motor generator unit and the inverter supplying it, independent of the internal combustion engine’s cooling as they all operate at different temperatures. The system’s weight is around 95kg, but net it’s around 77kg due to the removal of the flywheel and the starter motor.

The electronic control of the flat-six is completely unchanged, too, the Vonnen Shadow Drive’s control unit only reading CAN bus data regarding the throttle position, to allow it to add its electric boost when required. The PDK here gets a re-flash, to counter the slippage from the clutches would otherwise occur but otherwise the car doesn’t know the Vonnen Shadow Drive is there. 

The system can be entirely off, with no electrical assistance at all, while the Street mode adds 90lb.ft of torgue when the accelerator is between 40-60%. Sport mode adds 80lb.ft between 65-95% throttle and an Overboost mode adds the full 150lb.ft at the same rate as in Sport mode.

The system is hugely flexible, too, Moreland says that it can conceivably be fitted to any 911, manual or PDK, standard or tuned, naturally aspirated or turbocharged right back to 1965, though earlier cars would need some additional microswitches and sensors to monitor inputs. 

It’ll fit in the Boxster and Cayman, too. Along with the 991 PDK 3.4 Carrera it’s fitted in here, Vonnen is currently applying it to a GT3 for further development. The cost presently is $75,000, which is huge, but it’s pioneering tech, which adds big performance without having any detrimental effect on emissions. Here, in California, and, increasingly, worldwide, that’s hugely significant.   

Driving Vonnen’s Porsche 911 hybrid

Forget hybrid tech for economy or brief electric-only urban motoring, the Vonnen Shadow Drive is for performance. There’s nothing inside to highlight it’s fitted - if you ignore the power inverter located under the rear window, Vonnen saying it could be positioned out of sight if customers prefer. 

There’s a smartphone attached to the dash, too, which is nothing unusual today, only it’s running an app showing the status of the batteries, motor and the boost it’s delivering. 

Switched to off the system does almost nothing, save starting the standard 350hp 3.4-litre flat-six engine and operating the stop-start system in traffic. Switch to Street and the changes are subtle at first, the need for the 40% and above throttle meaning you can drive around it. Where it really aids is flexibility in bigger gears, allowing you to be lazy with the gearbox, the motor generator unit adding that 90lb.ft at low revs, increasing tractability in traffic. On faster roads it’s more apparent, yet the electrically charged performance seems subtly applied. That is, until you glance at the speedometer. 

It’s deceptively quick, it so linear and progressive in its delivery that you’ll find yourself carrying way more speed than you think. Near silent, too; there’s only a slight, not unwelcome, electronic pitch audible above the ordinary sounds you’d associate with the 911’s boxer engine. In Sport and Overboost modes the greater performance is more obvious, though there remains subtlety to the way it operates that’s counter to usual performance upgrade compromises.

With the electric motor working it’s supplemental. The Shadow Drive moniker is an apt description, enhancing without taking away from the standard car’s engagement, there being no obvious regeneration, the engine braking remaining all but identical. It’s clever, arguably a bit too clever at times; it might benefit from an earlier electrical application in Street mode to allow you’d feel the motor’s effect earlier. 

The development is ongoing though, and Vonnen admits there’s opportunity for changes, it all in the system coding and application. What’s undeniable is the potential, something this Silicon Valley firm has been quick to realise in leaving Porsche to play catch-up.     

Kyle Fortune   

Read more:

New 992-series Porsche 911: mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions detailed

Porsche 911 2019 review

Porsche is developing a fully electric 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman that will be launched by 2022 – and is considering offering them alongside mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the current cars. 

The next generations of the two-door roadster and coupé sports cars have for some time been thought to be among a range of future pure-electric models set to be spearheaded by the upcoming four-door Taycan and the Taycan Sports Turismo. However, Porsche chairman Oliver Blume has indicated that hybrid powertrains are also being considered. 

“We have prototypes of the 718 running in electric now, and a hybrid prototype is being built,” he said. “If you look to the next generation of those cars it is possible, although it is not yet clear whether it would be plug-in hybrid or hybrid.” 

The decision to pursue both hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the 718 Boxster and Cayman alongside the forthcoming electric models is understood to have been taken after an internal engineering study revealed that lithium ion battery technology is not yet sufficiently advanced to enable pure-electric versions to offer more than 186 miles of range without significant changes to the existing mid-engine platform architecture. 

Porsche is now pursuing a plan that could see pure-electric Boxster and Cayman variants using the company’s new PPE architecture offered alongside updated versions of today’s models featuring hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains. 

The plan would mirror the move taken by Porsche with the next-generation Macan, which will continue to be produced on its existing MLB platform with new hybrid drivetrains while offering the choice of a pure-electric variant based on the PPE architecture. 

Speaking about Porsche’s plan for the second-generation Macan, Blume said: “For at least two to three years we will have both. At that point, we can decide whether to upgrade the combustion engines to the new Euro 7 standard or go full electric. The pace that countries are changing is different – China wants electric now, Russia is in less of a hurry, for instance.” 

The new mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains intended for the 718 models are developments of those already engineered for the larger 911, according to sources. The electrification measures are among changes designed to allow Porsche’s existing combustion engines to meet the upcoming EU7 emissions standards.

However, while the hybrid systems scheduled to appear on the facelifted version of the eighth-generation 911 early next decade are based around Porsche’s horizontally opposed six-cylinder petrol engine, those being earmarked for the new 718 Boxster and Cayman are set to use the smaller-capacity flat four engine introduced by Porsche in 2016. 

Both units feature a 48V electrical system and disc-shaped electric motor integrated into a modified version of the existing Boxster and Cayman’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. 

The mild-hybrid system has been conceived to provide an electric boost to the petrol engine for added performance potential and increased efficiency, albeit without the ability to provide an electric-only driving mode. The plug-in hybrid also provides electric boosting but has been built around a battery of sufficient capacity to offer extended pure-electric running. 

Porsche’s plan to give the 718 Boxster and its fixed-roof Cayman sibling electric power originated from the 2011 Boxster E project. That machine featured a 121bhp electric motor with a range of 106 miles, although EV technology has moved on substantially since then. 

More recently in 2017, Porsche developed the one-off Cayman e-volution. It had a claimed 0-62mph acceleration time of 3.3sec, a 120mph top speed and a range of 120 miles on a 38kWh lithium ion battery. 

Despite the impressive performance credentials of the Cayman e-volution, concerns about its limited range led Porsche to pursue the development of solid-state batteries – both for future pure-electric versions of the 718 Boxster and Cayman as well as for an electric hypercar that is expected to appear in 2025 as a spiritual successor to the 918 Spyder. 

Porsche insiders citing studies carried out by parent company Volkswagen say they anticipate a rapid evolution of lithium ion cells for an improved energy-to-weight ratio in the next generation of batteries. Estimates are that cell energy density both by volume and weight will increase by 25% from 2019 to 2025. 

By 2025 they also expect the adoption of solid-state batteries to bring a further increase of 25%. This would allow Porsche to pack more energy in the same space with no additional weight penalty. 

A £76 million investment by Volkswagen in QuantumScape has given Porsche access to the latest developments in solid-state battery technology.

Read more

Volkswagen aims for solid-state battery production by 2025​

Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo: new EV estate hits the 'Ring​

2019 Porsche Taycan: new official pics and details​

In this week's round up of automotive gossip, we take a look at BMW's plans for future electric models, Jaguar's subtle interior ethos and more.

BMW’s theory of EV-olution 

The BMW i3 could spawn multiple successors rather than a single new car, says product management boss Peter Henrich. “Do we need one specific successor to bring the i3’s spirit and technology into multiple other vehicles?” Henrich said. “That is what we will be thinking about.” 

Volkwagen’s coal goal

Volkswagen says it will convert its two power stations in Wolfsburg – which supply five factories and the local town – from coal to gas over the next three years. The £350 million scheme will use ‘combined-cycle’ gas and steam turbines to create electricity and heat, reducing CO2 by about 60%.

Jag keeps it simple

Jaguar’s interior design will never stray into flamboyance, according to design boss Ian Callum. “Everything should be there for a purpose,” he said at the recent launch of the revised XE. “Some of the flourishes adorning the cabins of our rivals go too far – at least for a Jaguar. Beauty is about something being easy on the eye. It’s about good taste.” 

Power paradox

Seat CEO Luca de Meo sees the current state of public electric car charging as a chicken and egg situation, but is confident governments and automakers will align eventually. “The infrastructure leaders are waiting for us to prove electric cars work, and we are saying we don’t have the infrastructure we can’t sell enough cars. We know there will be a market for them, we will sell cars that need to be charged.”

Read more

Bolder looks, classier cabin, more tech for 2019 Jaguar XE​

Updated BMW i3 gets longer range​

Seat to add six electrified models by 2021 after record 2018​

Received a very nice question from Gus about how to run a multi-car garage. There are a lot of Autocar contributors and readers who are bonkers enough to entertain all the fun and games involved when looking after more than one motor. After all, you can only drive one at a time, but then again, it’s always handy to have a spare. 

This isn’t a flippant answer situation. There is plenty to be said when it comes to multiple motors – except I don’t want to bore you with all the procedural bits. Let’s have fun trying to buy something small, something medium, something large and something sporty. 

The beauty of this is that it’s your garage and you can have whatever you please between the walls, or on the drive. Let’s set a realistic budget of £5000, which, because there are no other pressing bills, your other half says you can blow on your four-wheeled dreams. 

Okay, small. A characterful one for bobbing about and doing hardly any miles to the gallon. A Daihatsu Charade would be a hoot. A little cube of joy with a raucous 1.0-litre engine. A 2004 example, which is still £30 to tax and has air-con that isn’t a sunroof, is yours for £795. Plus it delivers 58.9mpg. If everything else goes askew, here’s your daily driver. 

Medium-size mile-muncher? The great thing is that a middle-order executive with a posh badge would work, even if a Ford Mondeo is the obvious answer. Instead, how about a Jaguar S-Type with the V8 engine and, even more convincingly, a full MOT and an outrageously reasonable mileage? Really well looked after and all for just £695. 

A 4x4 can be an inappropriate buy but, in our case, it counts as large. Best go for a square slab of wonderfulness that isn’t a Defender. No, a 1990s Jeep Cherokee is a tackily constructed expression of the original SUV culture. The great thing is that you can get a 1995 2.5 TD Sport for under £1000 now. Not all of them are in great nick, but one of your vehicles always turns into a project anyway. 

How about one car that doesn’t need to pay that pesky car tax? It might even go up in value. A Lada Vaz 2101 from 1972 rather took my eye. Needs a bit of meddling (but not that much) and it’s £1200. Seemed tidy enough and suddenly I’ve only spent £3690, not bought a real sports car and I already have two that need some attention. 

Well, that didn’t go quite as I planned it, but do you know what? That is mostly how car collections, even the modest ones, come about. 

What we almost bought this week

Ford Cortina 1.6 L: Could you resist a mint Cortina Mk5 from a time when saloons ruled the roost and SUVs were things Americans drove? It’s the base L spec, the staple of 1980s sales reps and in 1981, when this one was registered, Britain’s best-selling new car. We love its orange paint and contrasting beige cloth interior. It’s got a new MOT with no advisories. 

Tales from Ruppert’s garage

Mini Cooper, mileage - 102,618: The Mini Cooper is a fully functioning, small noisy car from more than half a century ago. When I remind myself of this, or just drive the thing like it’s the last time I will be allowed to, I don’t mind paying out £824.62 to make it better. That included a lot of small parts, from hoses to studs and clips, plus a colossal amount of labour. Oh, and rather a lot of petrol, as well as all the usual fluids. Totally worth it.

Reader’s ride

Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI: Robert Carr invites us to take a closer look at what he describes as his cheap ride. 

“I needed a five-door runaround for driving around town, going to the tip, taking the parents out,” he says. “Bought this Golf 1.9 diesel from a friend’s sister in July last year. It came with full VW history, a recent service, 12 months’ MOT, 130,000 miles and two mature owners. I lobbed some second-hand winter tyres on the steels that came with the car, then bought these alloys for £40 from a friendly breaker. Bought a set of Bosch wiper blades to see properly. Cost £700 in all. I’ve done 5000 trouble-free miles since.”

Readers’ questions

Question: My wife’s choice of new car is between a Mini Countryman Cooper Sport auto and a Mercedes-Benz GLA Urban Edition  auto. The Mercedes is bigger but has no sat-nav, which the Mini has. Advice, please. James Wilson, Devon

Answer: The GLA will be replaced next year by an all-new model, while the Countryman is relatively fresh (it was launched in 2017). Don’t worry about the GLA’s lack of integrated sat-nav – it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can run your phone’s maps on it. The GLA is quicker than the Mini but not as fun to drive. Both aren’t especially comfortable but the Mini is roomier and more practical. It gets our vote. John Evans

Question: Is it worth paying to have my nearly new car’s paint protected with a sealer? The car salesman is very insistent. Karen Pitchford, via email

Answer: If properly applied, it probably is. That’s a big ‘if’, though, since you’ll never know for sure. It doesn’t help that the stuff is insanely expensive and thrust at customers by salesmen on a commission. Suspicions aroused, we assume it’s quack medicine and wave it away. Without it, our advice is to avoid parking under trees, remove bird droppings when they land and wash and polish the car from time to time. John Evans

Read more

Opinion: What's the best three car garage?​

Preserving the paint on a Ferrari F40​

Matt Prior: Are cars becoming less practical?​

Tesla CEO Elon Musk yesterday laid out another series of ambitious targets while hosting a Tesla Autonomy Investor Day. 

These included more details of a plan to profitability for the American electric vehicle (EV) maker during a period of additional financial turmoil. There is concern within Wall Street that demand for Teslas has slowed after an initial global rush this year, while short-term problems such as arranging successful deliveries globally has proved to be a sticking point.

Musk forecasted that the company will become “extremely cashflow-positive” once it has established a network of “autonomous robotaxis”, beginning next year. He admitted that Tesla “won’t have regulatory approval everywhere” to run such a network but said he was “confident we will have at least regulatory approval somewhere, literally next year”.

Acknowledging criticism of Tesla sometimes failing to deliver on its promises, Musk said: “All these things, I said we’d do them. We did it. We’re going to do the robotaxi things too. The only criticism – it’s a fair one – sometimes they’re not on time”. 

The reference may be to Musk’s frequent optimism for the advent of full autonomy, which appears to have been pushed back. Last month, Tesla started shipping cars that are said to be capable of fully autonomous driving, thanks to new hardware designed in-house. 

By the end of 2019, Tesla will reportedly have a wireless software update for that system ready, with a target to ensure the system is “safe” by the middle of 2020. Musk promised analysts back in January that the Full Self-Driving system would be granted for permission towards the end of this year. He added yesterday: "probably two years from now, we will make a car with no steering wheel or pedals".

If regulators can be successfully convinced of the system’s safety, permission to launch an autonomous taxi service could be granted for the end of 2020.

The taxi fleet will be largely made up of customers cars, with Tesla aiming to rent them out to users of a ride-hailing smartphone app. However, it’s expected that a number of new models will need to be brought in if the platform increases in scale during that time.

During yesterday's event, Musk also said that Tesla plans in the near future to allow an “aggressive mode” for the Autopilot system that will introduce a “slight chance of a fender bender”, claiming this is "the only way to navigate Los Angeles traffic". 

Read more:

FCA and Tesla agree deal to beat EU emissions regulations

Tesla prices changes again as Standard Range Model S axed 

Saloon showdown: 2019 Tesla Model 3 vs new BMW 3 Series

London-based EV start-up Siticars has unveiled a two-seater microcar aimed at drivers living in the new Ultra Low Emission Zone.

The Me, available in pick up, box van and passenger car forms, boasts a top speed of 48.5mph and claimed range of 93 miles from its 10bhp 72V electric motor. 

It is not dissimilar to the Reva G-Wiz, an electric vehicle on sale during the noughties, which was widely criticised for poor safety. This is, in part, to the fact that quadricycles - of which both the G-Wiz and Me are defined - are not liable to the same stringent EuroNCAP tests as heavier, more powerful cars.

Siticars says that, although the Me is “fully approved for use on UK roads by DVLA and has full EU certificates of compliance”, it is ineligible to be driven on motorways due to its top speed.

While the G-Wiz was on sale during the early days of electric vehicles, there are now a plethora of zero-emission cars on sale, all of which are exempt from new charges favouring low-emission vehicles, such as London’s Congestion Charge and the recently introduced Ultra Low Emissions Zone.

Siticars said the benefit of the 518kg Me over such cars includes its ability to park “in less than half of the space required for traditional cars”. A company spokesperson said that parking 90 degrees to the kerb would allow up to three to park in one space. 

The similarly sized Renault Twizy is cheaper, starting at £6,690, but features a tandem-style two-seat layout, as opposed to the Me’s side-by-side format, and does not include batteries, which have to be leased from the company. The Me can be ordered online from May for between £7999 and £12,000 according to specified battery choice and bodystyle.

The Me, measuring just 2245mm x 1290mmm, can be equipped with 10kWh lithium batteries that can be charged from a domestic 13amp 3-pin wall socket in 4-6 hours. 

A less expensive lead acid battery option yields a charging time of between 6-8 hours. An optional portable charger is available with the Me, enabling overnight charging for users with no off-street parking. 

The company says it is currently shipping 50 units per month, but is capable of producing 20 times that number. 

The Me is available only in the UK, with air conditioning, LED running lights, a rear parking camera, electrically assisted rear door, Bluetooth and panoramic roof fitted at standard.

Read more

James Ruppert: the best ULEZ-beaters for urban families

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone: what you need to know​

James Ruppert: second-hand cars that get you into the ULEZ zone​

Tesla boss Elon Musk has admitted that making money from selling electric cars is tough. But in the past few years Tesla has made millions by getting rival car firms to pay it for a surprisingly valuable commodity: nothing. 

In the US, several states require car firms to produce a certain number of zero-emission cars, or face fines. But firms can buy EV ‘credits’ from other car makers, and because Tesla only makes electric cars, it has a huge number of those credits. In one financial quarter last year it made more than $190 million (£164 million) – more than two-thirds of its profit in that quarter – selling such credits to rivals.

Tesla has now found a way to turn nothing into profit with its European arm, through a new deal with the FCA Group, which owns Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep and Maserati. In this case, the ‘nothing’ FCA is paying “hundreds of millions” of pounds to access is the 0g/km of CO2 emitted by Tesla’s EVs.

By 2021, the EU will require the average CO2 emissions of a manufacturer’s new car fleet to be 95g/km or under (adjusted for each firm based on average fleet weight and some credits earned), down from the previous 130g/km fleet-average target. The penalties for failing to hit those targets are fines of €95 (£82) per vehicle per g/km over the 95g/km limit. 

FCA and Tesla have agreed to group their European fleets together in a ‘pool’, which the EU counts as a single entity when determining the average emissions of their new car fleet. FCA is in effect buying the right to use Tesla’s EVs to reduce its average CO2 emissions. 

According to industry analysts Jato Dynamics, FCA sold 961,000 units in the EU last year, with a fleet average of 125.3g/km. Assuming no change in those figures, FCA’s 2021 target will be 89.8g/km, meaning the firm faces a potential fine of £2.8 billion. 

Tesla only sold 29,000 units in the EU last year, but because cars that emit under 50g/km are rewarded with extra ‘super credits’, it’s enough to reduce the combined FCA/Tesla fleet average to 121.6g/km. While their 2021 target would rise to 91.6g/km (because of a higher average fleet weight), the potential penalty is reduced to £2.25 billion – a saving of more than £500m. 

Felipe Munoz, an automotive industry analyst at Jato, notes that a lot depends on how much FCA is paying Tesla – and he adds that the 2018 figures don’t account for “the big impact” the Model 3is having on Tesla’s position in Europe. “As it sells more cars, it will have a bigger impact in any pool,” he says. By 2021 the Tesla deal is likely to save FCA even more money. 

FCA has also begun an electrification programme, with Jeep and Alfa Romeo plug-in hybrids and an electric Fiat 500 due next year. This deal will help to bridge the gap until those models are selling. 

Munoz notes that FCA isn’t the only one facing massive EU CO2 emissions fines, saying many “are not prepared” for the 2021 targets. Jato cites both the PSA and Volkswagen Groups as being particularly at risk of massive fines. Meanwhile, Toyota and Mazda have also agreed to pool their fleets, as have PSA’s brands. 

He adds: “By the time EVs become a real alternative to the internal combustion engine, it might be too late for the car makers, and many of them will have to look for solutions such as the FCA-Tesla pool.” 

Munoz does note that while the deal works for FCA now, “they are at the end feeding a competitor, making it stronger and more threatening.”

Read more

Government's approach to emissions is counter-productive​

FCA and Tesla agree deal to beat EU emissions regulations​

Elon Musk claims Tesla will have robotaxis on roads by 2020

Aston Martin has pulled the wraps off the fastest convertible in its history: the new DBS Superleggera Volante.

Capable of hitting 211mph – identical to the hard-top DBS– the British firm’s newest addition is available to order now, priced from £247,500. That headline figure is £22,500 more than the coupé, but Aston claims the “extra level of sensory overload that only an open-top super-GT can deliver” justifies the premium.

The roof itself is the most advanced soft-top the firm has ever produced, with eight layers of insulation and the ability to fully open it in 14sec – from inside the car or externally via the remote. The mechanism is said to have been put through more than 100,000 cycles in development in everywhere from Nevada’s Death Valley to the Arctic Circle. 

The roof compresses to a claimed class-leading height of 26cm in the boot, maximising available luggage space. The soft-top itself is available in eight exterior colours, with six interior headliners available to order.

Despite the identical top speed, DBS Superleggera Volante weighs a not inconsiderable 170kg more than the coupé, at 1863kg, which marginally affects acceleration. Aston claims a 0-62mph time two-tenths slower (3.6sec) and a 0-100mph time three-tenths slower (6.7sec) than the coupé’s. 

The twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 produces an identical 715bhp and 664lb ft of torque to the coupé, too. Official fuel economy is reduced from the 22.9mpg of the coupé to 20.1mpg under the new WLTP testing regime. 

Aside from the roof, the rest of the Volante’s exterior is broadly identical to the coupé’s. However, Aston has lightly revised the car’s rear profile – in particular the 'Aeroblade' surfaces of the rear deck – to compensate for any aerodynamic losses from the soft-top. As a result, it produces 177kg of downforce at its peak – a mere 3kg less than the coupé.

Read more

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera review

All-electric Aston Martin Rapide E revealed with more than 600bhp

Virtual insanity: Driving Aston Martin's Valkyrie simulator​

Tesla has announced a series of upgrades for its Model S saloon and Model X SUV, including a range improvement of more than 10% for Long Range models. 

The American EV maker claims to have substantially upgraded the drive unit fitted to both cars, introducing the “optimised permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor” from the Model 3, and using silicon carbide in the unit’s electronics. Redesigned gearing, new bearings and improved cooling and lubrication boost all-round motor efficiency. 

The secret tech behind the Tesla Model 3

The result is a claimed EPA cycle range of 370 miles for the top-spec Model S and 325 miles for the equivalent Model X. This is apparently achieved without any changes to the 100kWh battery pack in both cars. 

At the same time, Tesla claims to have improved power and torque “significantly” without quoting specific figures. Charging times have come down, too, with both cars capable of achieving 200kW on the latest ‘V3’ Superchargers and 145kW on the more common ‘V2’ Superchargers. 

The upgrades extend beyond the powertrain, however, with both cars receiving a fully adaptive damping system for the air suspension. Developed in-house, it’s claimed to constantly adapt to the road surface and driver behaviour, while bringing the cars lower to the ground when cruising to optimise aerodynamics. 

More minor changes include new wheel bearings and new tyre designs for certain variants claimed to boost steering feel, ride quality and range. By way of recompense to those who purchased a Model S or X before the updates, the firm is offering a free Ludicrous Mode upgrade to existing owners buying a new Performance model. 

In an unusual move, the company has backtracked on its relatively recent decision to axe Standard Range variants by reintroducing them on both models. 

The updated Teslas are entering production at the firm’s factory in Fremont, California, this week, with online ordering open now. A Tesla UK spokesperson claimed that any of the new models ordered would be subject to a similar delivery wait time as the outgoing variants. 

Read more

Elon Musk claims Tesla will have robotaxis on roads by 2020

Analysis: why FCA Group is paying Tesla

Tesla Model S review

Bizarre Mercedes-Benz prototypes, believed to be chassis mules for the next-generation SL, have been spotted - a week after AMG boss Tobias Moers told Autocar that SL prototype would hit the roads this year.

The prototypes show an E-Class saloon with a significant chunk removed from the wheelbase and body. The length and detailing of this chopped mule strongly suggests it is a test bed for the new shared sports car platform.

Moers confirmed last week that the SL, which will launch by 2021, will be “aligned” with the next AMG GT. Both cars will share a new aluminium-intensive platform, known internally as the Modular Sports Architecture (MSA), in an attempt to increase the economies of scale and overall profitability of two of Mercedes’ most exclusive model lines.

Autocar first scooped the new SL last October, but only recently has Moers gone on the record to confirm AMG's development of the new model. 

“We’re bringing back the historic DNA of the SL," he said. "It's far sportier [this time round]. It will have a perfect compromise between driving dynamics and comfort because it’s still kind of a cruiser too.”

This is the first time AMG has overseen development of any SL across its previous seven generations.

Moers said: “Handing over SL to AMG as the performance and sports car brand is great. There’s lots of responsibility behind that, and I’m really honoured.”

He also confirmed that the eight-generation SL would be offered only as a roadster, like its predecessor.

Autocar has previously reported that the model will receive a traditional fabric hood in place of the folding hard-top arrangement that has been used for the past two incarnations of the SL.

Overall, the SL will be revived as a lighter, faster and more engaging model, which is why AMG has been tasked with heading up the project.

SL and GT sharing

As well as sharing a common platform structure, the two upmarket Mercedes sports cars are expected to share axle assemblies, suspension, steering systems, 48V electric architecture and hybrid drivetrains, among other components, in a move to cut costs and boost production efficiency. The new SL and GT will be built alongside each other at Mercedes’ plant in Sindelfingen, Germany.

Early plans to base a successor to today’s smaller SLC off the same underpinnings have been abandoned following a recent decision not to replace the junior Mercedes roadster due to dwindling sales.

Early prototypes of the new SL were spied testing on track with the new platform underneath a shortened S-Class Coupé body. They give away little about the car’s mechanical set-up, which is rumoured to run a transaxle arrangement with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox integrated within the rear axle assembly, like on the GT. However, the overall dimensions of the engineering mules suggest the production version will be slightly larger than the existing SL, which is 4630mm long, 1870mm wide and 1310mm tall.

The adoption of the MSA platform is claimed to have had a positive effect on the styling of the new SL, whose proportions are said to be more in keeping with earlier incarnations of the classic roadster than the current model, which shares a platform with saloon models such as the C-Class, E-Class, CLS and S-Class.

A Mercedes source told Autocar that the new SL receives a longer bonnet and more rearward-positioned cabin. “The new platform has given us more freedom,” the source said. “There’s more distance between the front axle and the front firewall. This gives it more traditional proportions.”

The decision to replace the folding hard-top of today’s SL with a more compact fabric hood is also said to have provided greater scope in the styling of the rear of the new model. “It’s much more shapely, especially at the rear, because it is no longer dictated in height and width for the packaging of the hard-top roof,” the source added.

In a further departure from today’s model, it is also expected that Mercedes will provide the 2020 SL with a 2+2 seating layout. Autocar has been told that AMG is keen to give the new SL the same sort of practicality as the Porsche 911, with a set of rear seats capable of accommodating adults for short journeys or, alternatively, luggage as an extension of its boot.

SL to get hybrid line-up

Mercedes plans to offer the SL with a limited range of hybridised in-line six-cylinder and V8 petrol engines in a line-up that’s likely to include both standard and AMG models.

The range is understood to start with an SL450 EQ Boost model running a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder developing around 365bhp, along with an added 22bhp in combination with an integrated starter motor.

Further up will be the SL53, which will run a more powerful AMG-tuned version of the SL450 EQ Boost’s mild-hybrid drivetrain with around 430bhp and added 22bhp through electric assistance.

Among the V8-powered models will be the SL500 EQ Boost. It is due to receive a turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with a similar power output to the SL53, but significantly more torque. Topping the range will be the SL63. It is likely to offered in two states of tune, with the most powerful model running a turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 capable of in excess of 600bhp and more than 30bhp of electric boost. It is unclear if Mercedes will continue with the V12-powered SL, although, given the potential output of the SL63, it would seem unlikely.

All engines for the new SL will come as standard with Mercedes’ nine-speed automatic gearbox, with the AMG variants set to adopt the Speedshift electronics package for faster shift times. Suggestions are that Mercedes could offer 4Matic four-wheel drive alongside standard rear-wheel drive, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Despite the SL’s market repositioning, it won’t completely abandon the luxury focus, so expect the interior to be almost as opulent as Mercedes’ other high-end models. It will be more driver-focused than cars such as the S-Class Coupé, but there could still be plenty of the brand’s latest driver assist systems drafted in, including its semi-autonomous Drive Pilot function.

Additional reporting by Rachel Burgess

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Anyone who has restored, or even just tinkered with, a classic car will know that things rarely run smoothly. Not great when you’re the one with oil and an expensive repair bill on your hands, but there’s a certain vicarious thrill in watching other people face the pain – and pleasure – of turning rust into gold.

Say hello to Flipping Bangers on free-to-air channel BLAZE®, in which a pair of passionate petrol-heads buy and restore down-at-heel classics with their own money, then have to sell them for double the money in to turn a modest profit. 

And don’t think they’ve got all the time in the world to fettle their budding pride and joy with tender loving care. The second the car enters their workshop they’re up against it, as it is placed on an internet auction.

Let’s badger the bodgers

The secret to the show is the stripped back reality and the genuine chemistry between designer, engineer and boat builder Will Trickett (the one with the mad sideburns), and respected car and travel photographer Gus Gregory.

“The hook is, it’s real,” says Gus. “There’s no background army doing the cars up. Will and I do the job properly, and there are definitely moments where you can spend a long time doing something before you know if it’s working.” As Will adds: “It’s very seat of the pants. When it goes wrong, it goes wrong – and we’re the ones who have to sort it out.”

The relationship between the pair can be likened to experienced expert and enthusiastic amateur. “Will is a trained engineer,” points out Gus. “So, I’m sure he rolls his eyes when I’m looking something up on the internet.” But both share a passion for turning maligned cars into something special. “The thing that drives us both is the determination to do the best job we can,” says Will. 

Will and Gus lament how modern cars lack scope for tinkering. “The Audi A2 was the first car I remember with a plastic cover on the engine and holes for oil and water,” says Gus. “Today’s manufacturers don’t want you looking under the bonnet. There’s no gain in getting people into car maintenance” 

But Flipping Bangers isn’t only for experienced enthusiasts. “There’s always going to be a diehard audience,” says Will. “The key is bringing on youngsters or newbies – the sort of people who don’t realise their 1980s Ford Escort is a classic, and probably think it’s just a pile of junk. But old cars are still cool.”

After a successful first outing, Flipping Bangers is back for a second 10-episode run – starting this Friday 26th April at 9pm on BLAZE®. So we asked Will and Gus to pick their must-watch moments from series two.

Episode 1 - MGB (26th April): Things start with a bang. Will and Gus spot a good-looking car, but soon spot problems that require a major rethink. “The classic tale of a classic car,” says Gus. “It looks like a bargain. Once you start poking round, it’s a world of pain. Apart from the engine and gearbox, everything was wrong with it.”

Episode 3 – Austin Maestro MG (10th May): Gus and Will want a classic British sportscar, but settle for something more modest. The end results are something to see. “The Maestro was a much maligned car by the motoring press and the public,” says Gus. “But I think they’re great cars, and this turned out to be something special.”

Episode 4 – Suzuki SJ (17th May): Will and Gus head off the beaten track with a budget 4x4. Off-road means ‘mud’, and a major clean of the Suzuki exposes a host of other issues, but the results live up to the ambition. “With the Suzuki, we managed to do exactly what we’d planned,” says Will. “And we had a great day off-roading in it.”

Episode 5 – Morris Minor (24th May): Like the MGB, Will and Gus face a world of welding woes and a race against the clock, budget and enthusiasm with this iconic classic. “Welding saps time, but it also saps you of energy,” says Gus. “It can be exhausting cutting and grinding.” The Morris may be a trial of love, but the results are worth seeing.

Episode 6 – Skoda Estelle (31st May): “I love Skodas,” says Will. “When I was young, everyone took the mickey out of them, but we managed to find a good example.” The build isn’t without its problems – thanks to some ‘Eastern Bloc’ fuel issues. But some innovative thinking on the exterior gives it a new lease of life.

Episode 8 – Volkswagen Beetle (14th June): As you’d expect with a motoring icon, good cheap examples are hard to find. Gus and Will find a project car at a budget-friendly £1000, but it hasn’t been well maintained. “The VW Beetle was difficult,” says Will. “We had one plan with great intentions, and then had to change it.” The question is, will they be forced to sell it as spare parts, or be able to pull off something spectacular?

Episode 10 – SAAB 99 (28th June): The perfect car for the perfect finale – a classic bit of Scandi-car. “The Saab was very difficult to know what to do with, because it was at the end of its days,” says Gus. “But we genuinely gave that car a new lease of life.”

Episodes of Flipping Bangers air at 9pm every Friday on free-to-air channel BLAZE®, starting on 26th April. BLAZE® is available on Freeview 63, Freesat 162, Sky 565 and Virgin Media 216. Find out more at www.blaze.tv

Ford has agreed a deal with Rivian to develop a new model on the fast-rising electric vehicle (EV) maker's platform - and take a minority stake in the firm.

Rivian is currently developing its R1T pick-up truck and R1S seat-seat SUV, which will both be built on a bespoke 'skateboard’ chassis that was designed to be modular, so it can be used for a wide range of machines.

The new strategic partnership, in which Ford has taken around $500 million (£386 million) equity investment in Rivian, will result in engineers from the two American companies working together to develop a battery EV for Ford.

There are no details yet on the type of vehicle the firms will work on, although it will be “all-new”. In the US, Ford has shifted its focus to pick-ups and SUVs, and it's currently developing an electric version of its hugely popular F-150.

Ford boss Jim Hackett said the partnership with Rivian “brings a fresh approach” to Ford's development of EVs and that the fledgling firm “can benefit from Ford’s industrial expertise and resources”.

Rivian founder RJ Scaringe called the deal a “key milestone in our drive to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility”.

Rivian will remain an independent company. Ford is just the latest major investor the firm has secured; it had already raised £894.5m, including £544 million from online retailing giant Amazon, announced at the Los Angeles motor show.

The deal is also the latest in a number of partnerships that Ford has secured as part of its global restructuring. It recently agreed a deal to work with Volkswagen to develop a range of vehicles, including vans and mid-size pick-ups, and has talked about building vehicles using the German conglomerate's MEB platform for EVs.

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