Quick: what’s the current fastest front-wheel drive car around the Nürburgring?
If you’ve been keeping up with your motoring news, you’ll know that Honda’s latest Civic Type R has smashed that particular record. Following its recent unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show, a pre-production model lapped the famous German circuit in a time of 7 minutes 43.8 seconds (7 seconds faster than the previous Type R), knocking Volkswagen’s GTI Clubsport off its perch.
The Swedish town of Arjeplog is a small settlement in the Lapland province, home to a small population that swells each winter when the world’s top automakers descend to test their latest inventions. Among the brands battling the ice and snow in Arjeplog this past winter was Hyundai, testing the latest addition to its i30 range, though you might be puzzled when you learn that Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC driver, was behind the wheel.
Toyota’s GT86 remains one of the best cars I’ve ever driven – front engined with rear wheel drive and sharp handling, resulting in a sports car that’s very fun to drive.
Some critics, however, have complained that the performance from the 2.0L boxer engine is somewhat sluggish – a recent review in the Telegraph described its 0-100km/h time of 7.7 seconds as “slow compared to its price tag.”
The Goodwood Festival of speed is nirvana for petrolheads, an oasis in a world full of speed vans and city cars, where trivialities such as fuel efficiency and boot space are discarded and horsepower, thundering engines and burning rubber reign supreme.
Last weekend I had the chance to take in two days at the Goodwood, located on part of the 12,000 acre Goodwood Estate managed by the Earl of March in Sussex. The festival, which has been held every summer since 1993, has been described as the ‘world’s largest automotive garden party’, featuring over 600 cars and motorcycles across the weekend in a celebration of the history of motoring and motorsport. Each year a sculpture, created by Gerry Judah, is placed outside Goodwood House, commemorating a different automaker every year. For 2016, BMW was chosen in the year of its centenary. The arching sculpture, rising 40m into the air, illustrated BMW’s sporting success throughout the years, featuring Gordon Murray’s Brabham-BMW BT52, the Le Mans-winning V12 LMR and a 328 Mille Miglia Roadster.
Continue reading “Full Throttle – The Goodwood Festival of Speed”
Attention Silverstone Classic fans, we have some good news – the iconic AMC Javelin will be racing at this summer’s Classic.
A crowd favourite back in the 1970s, the 6.4L muscle car competed in the Saloon Car Championship and the Special Saloons series, with several top ten finishes and pole position in two Special Saloon races in Silverstone in 1972. Owner and racer David Howe bought the Mustang and Camaro rival in early 1971 from a US serviceman who had been posted to the UK, having witnessed the success enjoyed by muscle cars in saloon car racing.
The Hard Shoulder 