New issue out now: all you need to know about the Red Bull RB17

Where do you stand on the Red Bull RB17? Since its Goodwood debut there appears to be two distinct camps forming: those who start vibrating at the mere mention of it, and those who shrug their shoulders and couldn’t care less.

“Yeah, but making a track only hypercar is easy,” they’ll say. Clearly, if you’re a big F1 fan and Adrian Newey disciple, it’s a wonderfully tantalising prospect – the greatest F1 engineer ever channelling his mind into something totally new, ostensibly a billionaire’s track toy, but also an engineering exercise in not just raw speed, but entertainment.

And who better to explain it all than the man himself? Yep, in this month’s Top Gear magazine we’ve been speaking to Newey about his ultimate hypercar. You’ll need to buy the magazine for the full story, but Newey talks about the generous two-seater cabin that compromises the aero package a bit, but is important so you can share the terror/fun with a friend or your other half.

He also made the decision to switch from a twin-turbo V8 and 4WD, to a much lairier 15,000rpm Cosworth V10 wreaking havoc with just the rear tyres. He knows that by including an active suspension setup he’s taking the car places even F1 isn’t allowed to tread, and charging £5m for it is ridiculous but elevates it beyond any track specials that have come before. He may come across as a deadpan genius, but he’s aware the RB17 needs to work as well on a Top Trumps card as it does on the track.

And that’s not all we’ve got this month. There’s also our first drive of the Koenigsegg Chimera – a one-off mashup of Agera RS, Jesko and CC850. Plus, we take the path least trodden to Pikes Peak in a Mustang Mach-E Rally and delve into the science behind the new Audi A6 Avant – the most aerodynamic car Audi has ever made.

There’s also a big head-to-head test between the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C63 S, the new Lotus Emeya meets its company founder’s JPS-liveried light aircraft, and an Ineos Grenadier joins the Top Gear Garage ahead of a long-term test.

You can click these blue words to buy the new issue of Top Gear magazine and have it delivered direct to your door. Or perhaps you’d like even more from TG? You can start a subscription today and get six issues for just £19.99. Bargain. Click here to take advantage.