Travel | Motorsport | Driving | Collectables
We know several Porsche Cayman GT4 owners. Without exception,, they are of the traditional Porsche owning breed. While they have an eye for investment and they care for their cars, they are first and foremost drivers, not polishers. Their GT4’s will be for driving, not posing. We talk to driver coach Mike Marot about his
In theory I should be a fully signed up chain smoker, a two packs a day man with a gravelly, action film voice-over tone. Born in the sixties when pretty much everyone smoked, in a family of parents and grandparents who all lit up regularly. Many of whom had actually been told it was good
Ok, it has to be said. I’ve been quiet long enough. At first, I thought it was just me. My love of lightweight classic Porsche 911’s was clouding my judgement. But as I spoke to others, I realised I was not alone. I’m talking about RAUH- Welt Begriff and those horrible cartoon Porsches. In the
Here’s a couple of laps of the iconic Donington Park circuit from summer 2015 alongside Andy McKenna. The race is the two driver Guards Trophy, part of the HSCC calendar. The car is the pretty Elva Mk7, powered by a Lotus Twin Cam. Owned by Robi Bernberg and co – driven by Andy McKenna, this
Across the decades of Porsche 911 production, we’ve seen many changes in technology and style. And not just in the cars themselves, but in the ways of marketing. Today’s ‘always on’ social media channels, apps and streaming videos are used by Porsche in a very powerful way to promote the brand. But as a kid
It’s early, before 9:00am, but even in late September, the heat of the day is making itself felt in Catalonia. I’m in Sitges, just south of Barcelona in Spain, tracking down a circuit I’d heard mention of on occasion, but had never really been able to find out much about. While Sitges may be more
A recent article on the highly regarded Road and Track Magazine’s website proved popular. Writing about the practice of track instruction and driver coaching from the passenger seat and titled ‘The Unnacceptable Danger of Track Day Instruction’ it talks about the practice of race track driver coaches delivering instruction from the passenger seat when on
I recall to this day the very first time I saw a GPA Formula One helmet. Watching Formula One on TV at home, the cars forming up on the grid and Villeneuve climbing into his Ferrari. His mechanic offered up his crash helmet. Flameproof balaclava in place, Gilles seemed to open it up into two
The Dynamic Mode including Active Exhaust of the Jaguar F Type S stays set when you switch off the engine. Unlike many other cars with these options, your settings remain as you left them when you return. The owners handbook says that it remains that way for eight hours. It’s 6.00 am, the neat alloy
A pause down the phone line from McKenna. That’s rare, as he’s never normally short of something to say. “It was pretty emotional. Plus that car is unique, it’s the first time I’ve ever had a concern about a car’s value. It was fantastic.” If you’re a true Jim Clark fan, you’re not going to
Brumos have been in the Porsche business since 1959, both as certified dealers and one time South Eastern USA Porsche distributor in Jacksonville, Florida and also in motorsport as Brumos Racing. Their heritage is almost as impressive as the factory itself and the Brumos Porsche YouTube channel is a great one to subscribe to. Their
It makes a great headline but it’s also the bold claim made by P51 Mustang designer. A few years ago now, in 1999 I was privileged to attend a talk by Lee Atwood, designer of the North American P51 Mustang. Despite being an elderly man at that point, he had traveled to the UK from
It’s back in 2004, the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Rain is falling in those annoying short showers that just stop the track from drying completely. Tricky conditions, the sort of thing that sends cars into the wall of bales if they drop a wheel onto the wet grass. A day for the lesser talented to
I guess that ever since I was around five years old, I’ve been ‘into’ cars, especially old ones. Across the years I’ve driven many, many cars, so this is a strange admission for anyone in my position to make. It may not be wise to be saying so, but the truth is that until recently,
This TV ad was made back in 2007, but it’s still one of our favourites. A superb cross section of racing cars through the ages, shot in location across the world and presented in chronological order throughout the advert. Spot how many you recognise and also how mny of the locations are familiar too. And
It’s been a while. A while since I drove an early, well sorted, lightweight 911. I seem to have spent to much of my time recently in 996 and 997 Turbos. Brutal power of course, with the thrill of the on-boost whoosh throwing you at the horizon as if you’d just left the deck of
I first saw this car towards the end of 2011. I was visiting Specialist Cars of Malton, based in Yorkshire, UK, on the pretext of another car photo shoot. Owner John Hawkins gestures, “Here, let me show you this”, heading to a side door. Anyone knowing John will be aware that you should be very
OK here’s some interesting numbers. 2,000 rpm, 8th gear (yes, 8th), 95 mph, 41mpg.That’s the complete recipe for pan-European progress in the Jaguar XF Sportbrake 3.0 turbo diesel. I’m impressed and the more I drive it, the more I’m smitten. Not just by it’s looks, as I think it’a one of the best looking sports-estate
Anyone with a passion for aviation will have head the tale of the Royal Air Force ground technician who accidentally took off in an English Electric Lightning after an error on what was supposed to be a ground engine run. It’s a story I’ve heard recounted at various times across the years, but this is
As the bright blue car burbled it’s way into the distance, the exhaust was still set as I left it, popping and crackling in Dynamic Mode, the carbon blade rear wing slowly getting smaller, my driving licence heaved a sigh of relief in my wallet. My Shell points card, of course, was sad to see
As I mentioned in the first part of our Lexus RX450h review, Twenty Minutes In post, I’d forgotten the unique feel of Lexus build quality. Even today, with the intense competition chasing the quality mantra very hard indeed, it has an ambience unlike other luxury brands. The combination of technology, soft compliant ride and that
I’ve been fortunate enough to be trusted with the keys to many different cars over the years. From Ferrari 288 GTO to Porsche 959, but I’ve never driven a hybrid. So the next ten days will be interesting as the Lexus RX450h arrived today. We’ll be writing a full Lexus RX450h review next month, but
This rather nifty and cost effective packet landed through the mail yesterday. There is an awful lot of smoke and mirrors right now about the latest legal requirements for carrying breathalysers when driving in France and coupled with our previous experiences with the Gendarmes, we thought it appropriate to comment on the laws as we
There’s a solid white painted line on the pitlane exit at Spa Francorchamps. Cross at your peril we’re told in the driver’s briefing and indeed, you’re acutely aware that you don’t want to. Just out of sight over your left shoulder is the exit from La Source hairpin. Quite a broad exit. In theory there’s
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