Everything you need to know about cars this week: 29 July 18

"If you’ve ever had a major crash or mechanical failure in your car, it pays to have a sense of humour about it all. It’s the only way to cope. Ken Block fully subscribes to that school of thought, and after his Ford Escort Cosworth rally car burnt to a crisp at the weekend, his Hoonigan team have released candid footage. The caption? 'From rally stage to BBQ real quick. Damn broken gearboxes.'"

Read the full story

"Fifteen million Euros, ladies and gentlemen. Pagani has confirmed that its rare Zonda HP Barchetta special will cost €15m – or a cool £13.4m. However, only three are being made and none are available. Oh cruel, cruel world."

Read the full story

"It went on sale two years ago, but has now been tweaked and preened to make it fit for purpose against the latest Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport et al. Nothing fundamental has changed – the Levante is still based on the Ghibli/Quattroporte platform, but has been mildly facelifted with new bumpers, trims and a new engine."

Read the full review

"The noise. The sheer noise of the thing. Anyone who has ever been privy to a Lexus LFA during, let’s say, a spirited acceleration phase will confirm that a) someone up there really does like us and being human isn’t all that much of a chore, and b) it’s really quite special."

Read the full story

"The AMG C63 is one of the very best cars on sale. It takes a desirable but not especially interesting small Mercedes and creates a truly special vehicle. In fact, slightly awkwardly for AMG, the C63 is actually a better all-round coupe than the AMG GT, a superior fast wagon to any of its SUVs, and gives the bigger E63 a run for its money as a super-saloon. How can that have been allowed to happen?"

Read the full review

"Busy year for Audi. After replacing the A8, A7, A6 and A1, introducing the Q8 and facelifting the TT and A4 – all within the last few months – it’s decided to give us a new Q3, too. And it’s about time. The old one’s been around for ages, and despite a couple of updates along the way, looks and feels its considerable years."

Read the full story

"It's the new Porsche Macan! And just like most Porsche reveals, you'd be forgiven for thinking it might still be the old Porsche Macan. At least from the front..."

Read the full story

"The former boss of Fiat Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, has died in hospital aged 66, following complications from routine surgery."

Read the full story

"This is the new Sky View option for the Bugatti Chiron. And it is, as you can see, a glass roof. Specifically, two 65cm x 44cm panes of glass set into the 261mph hypercar’s roof, either side of the central Bugatti line styling feature. That’s it. No built-in stargazing telescope. Not even an electronic opening mechanism like you get in a VW Up. It’s a glass roof. The world’s fastest glass roof, at that."

Read the full story

"Evocative name, isn’t it? Rather 1930s classic streamliner-sounding, we think. And interestingly for McLaren, it’s not an alphanumeric number-jumble (like 675LT, P1, 720S) and doesn’t reference a great racing driver, like the Senna."

Read the full story

"Facelifted Sportage gains mild hybrid diesel tech, but it’s not enough to radically alter the class landscape"

Read the full review

"Land Rover enhancer Overfinch has made merry with the carbon for its latest modified Range Rover, extolling – without a hint of irony – the virtues of its lightness. Overfinch says: 'The carbon fibre components not only reduce weight, but also allow customers to add unique design flourishes.'"

Read the full story

"Back in April Mercedes unveiled a long-wheelbase A-Class Sedan at the Beijing Motor Show. Because if there’s one thing China likes in a car, it’s rear-legroom. But the rest of the world isn’t bothered, so before putting it on sale elsewhere, Mercedes trimmed 60mm from the wheelbase."

Read the full story

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record. Relax, no-one’s gone quicker than Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Tribute, instead it’s the fastest production car record that’s tumbled again."

Read the full story

"After the main straight, there’s a blind, crested left kink, then a fast, fast fifth gear right. The quickest corner on the track. It wasn’t just that the SVJ was 10mph faster at the apex, it was the confidence I had in the car. That’s the single biggest change."

Read the full story

"Three drivers per car, that’s the norm. Each driver does a designated stint, comes in, swaps, sleeps/eats/rues mistakes/watches timing screens, then hops back out again when their teammates have driven. But what if there was just one human driver behind the wheel in the future, assisted by artificial intelligence?"

Read the full story

"'The normal cycle for car development is around three years,' explains the Supra’s chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. 'But with this project we wanted to make absolutely sure it was right.'"

Read the full story

"The CLK GTR was designed to compete in the FIA GT Championship alongside the Porsche 911 GT1 and McLaren F1 GTR. But to be eligible for the then-new series, manufacturers had to build and sell 25 road-going examples of their race cars. This CLK GTR is number nine of those 25."

Read the full story

"That’s more like it. Meet the one-off Peugeot 308 designed and built by Italian racing team Arduini Corse. It has no tacked on, unofficial name, but it does have more power, and we like it when cars get more power."

Read the full story

"To save you all the pain of digesting these hot weather guides for yourself, Top Gear has diligently read the lot, and duly presents its own guide to Surviving Reasonably Warm Temperatures While Owning A Car."

Read the full story