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Everything you need to know about cars this week: 11 Apr '21
The new Toyota GR 86 lands, plus thoughts on Extreme E's first race weekend
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 PDK vs manual
"Yep, one of the key protagonists of the #savethemanuals movement now offers a paddleshifter. And if it’s anything like the 911 GT3, around half of 718 GT4 buyers will soon tick PDK’s £2,000 options box."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThe GR 86 is the successor to the ace Toyota GT86
"The titchy 2+2 is now powered by a bigger 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated flat-four ‘boxer’ engine rather than the old 2.0-litre unit. However, the GR 86 bucks the trend of cars getting bigger as time passes. It shares exactly the same lithe dimensions as the GT86 (4,265mm long, 1,310mm high, with a wheelbase of 2575mm) and weighs in at 1,270kg – 50kg heavier than the original. But there’s a new aluminium roof and body panels to try and keep a lid on that bloat."
Review: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate
"A massive boot, comfy ride, and all the sophistication you could reasonably need. A true all-round family great"
Advertisement - Page continues belowDriving a Porsche 917-inspired restomod
"The basis is a ’72 or ’73 911 which is stripped raw and remade. So this is no cheap ’n’ cheerful pseudomod, given the prices of early Seventies Porsche 911s. And it’s no Airfix kit of plastic add-ons either – everything on the Rebel cars is metal, from the generously widened steel arches to the aluminium ducktail, bumpers and hood. Everything else is upgraded, or new. Not some fetishistic recreation or period-correct homage, just a simple aggregation of all that Gunderson regards as the good bits."
Ken Block is selling three of his ballistic Fords
"The Gymkhana legend is selling three cars from the Ken Block Collection, namely the 2011 Fiesta ST GYM3, 2013 Fiesta ST RX43 and - arguably the pick of the bunch - his very own 1986 RS200. Allow us to talk you through each of them."
This is the smaller SUV version of the new Hummer EV
"The SUV is perhaps even better looking than the truck thanks to that angular rear canopy and the full-size spare on the back. The standard Infinity Roof remains too with its clever removable panels – made possible by the under-floor battery pack being turned into a structural element on GMC’s Ultium Platform."
Meet the newly updated Mercedes CLS
"Here’s something that might shock you. The Mercedes CLS has been with us 17 years. Yep, the car that founded the coupaloon (or should it be saloupe?) sector is now old enough to learn to drive. Fitting, given it’s packed full of assistance systems that mean it takes much of the work off its driver’s hands."
Advertisement - Page continues belowReview: Audi Q5 Sportback
"Sportback does well to not compromise on practicality, but you’ll pay a premium for the look"
The MG Cyberster is a retro EV with 500 miles of range
"While full details are currently limited, we do know that it will reportedly offer a 0-62mph time of less than three seconds, and a Tesla Roadster-rivalling EV range of 500 miles. Yep, you read that correctly. 500 miles. In an electric car."
Advertisement - Page continues belowShould Toyota build a GR 86 convertible?
"X-Tomi Design has done us a favour by electronically imagining what a GR 86 version would look like via the illustration above. But given past form, this is likely about as real as this car will ever be, if we had to place our bets. Reckon that’s a shame?"
The new DS 9 saloon will start from £40k
"Remember the DS 9? We haven’t heard much from the French carmaker since it was revealed ahead of the ill-fated 2020 Geneva Motor Show, but DS has today announced its new flagship saloon will start at £40,615 when it goes on sale in Britain later this month."
The FV Frangivento Sorpasso is this week’s new supercar
"FV Frangivento is based in Turin and its co-founder and art director Giorgio Pirolo says the Sorpasso was inspired by cars like the Ferrari Dino and the Lamborghini Miura. Hmmm. Don’t assume this is all talk and vapourware though; the first examples will apparently be delivered to their new owners in Monte Carlo and the United Arab Emirates by the end of July. Crikey. "
The Toyota GR 86 is joining Gran Turismo Sport
"While we’ve a few months to wait to have a go in the real world, Gazoo has announced that we’ll be able to get our mitts on the new model – virtually, at least – from this summer onwards in virtual racing game Gran Turismo Sport."
Do you approve of this carbon bodykitted Maserati MC20?
"The Maserati MC20 is a very, very handsome supercar. Fairly restrained in its original form, though, isn’t it? So, if that’s not for you, how about this bodykit from Estonian designer Siim Pärn and New York-based company 7 Designs?"
Top Gear’s guide to driving well: how to double declutch
"You might think that, when you shift back down from fourth to third and blip the throttle, you’re matching the speeds of everything in your drivetrain, but that’s not quite the case – you’re matching the speed of the engine and the gearbox input shaft. It’s still a much better idea than shifting into a lower gear without matching them, but you’ve not… well, synchronised every part of the driveline."
This Seventies Fiat concept is ripe for a reboot
"This is the Fiat 126 Vettura Urbana concept (or ‘city car’ concept, if you translate the Italian… everything sounds better in Italian), revealed in 1976 and designed for Fiat by venerable designer Giovanni Michelotti, who penned lots of nice stuff you haven’t really heard of. His 1961 Alpine A110 was alright, mind. This particular vision of the future was based on the teeny 126 city car, and although small, it wasn’t a toy."
Opinion: Extreme E's approach is unique in world motorsport
"Trust me, I had my doubts as I followed the great Carlos Sainz up a beach with a bin bag swinging from his shoulder, and the PR stunt element of it was transparently obvious. But that’s what PR stunts are about, I suppose. No one thinks a bunch of racing drivers removing plastic from a beach is going to change the world, but it gets people talking."
Opinion: Extreme E brought more questions than answers
"I’ve found the new-fangled all-terrain electric offshoot of Formula E equally fascinating and beguiling since first hearing rumours of it a few years ago. How did it do? Well, it properly pretzelled my brain and left me wanting more. Unfortunately, not more racing – rather, more answers."
Super spiders: Ferrari F8 vs McLaren 720S vs 911 Turbo vs Huracan RWD
"Among us car people, the loss of status outweighs the loss of roof ten times over. It’s a question of perception. Once you realise the world around you is trying to work out if they’ve seen you on Made in Chelsea, you’re lost. But up to that point, away from chi-chi Mediterranean harbours and Mayfair hotels - and driven roof down through the swaying, chirruping countryside on a summer’s day with the sights, sounds and smells filtering in - these cars feel wonderful, multi-dimensional in a way the coupes aren’t. "
