Autocar magazine 12 July: on sale now
This week in Autocar...
Britain's baby Porsche 911, 400bhp Prodrive P25 driven and behind the scenes at Goodwood
This week in Autocar, we offer details on Britain's baby Porsche 911, drive the ultimate Prodrive-reworked Subaru Impreza and dive behind the scenes at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
*News*
The stunning Caterham Project V headlines the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the British firm's vision of an electric sports coupe that the marque could put into production by 2026 - we offer all you need to know.
Renault's design chief Gilles Vidal has employed car makers to embrace a global trend towards minimalism, using fewer, less complex and lighter materials to create more striking vehicles.
Over at Alfa Romeo, a long-awaited replacement for the GTV coupe could arrive as soon as 2026, after the Italian brand's chief designer confirmed that design work is continuing behind the scenes - the results should be very striking.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin has unveiled a new supercar heavily inspired by the one-off Victor, equipped with a thunderous 750bhp V12 and a six-speed manual gearbox.
*Reviews*
The Lotus Eletre is a big, heavy, ultra-powerful electric SUV that seemingly violates every principle on which Lotus was built. But does that matter? Matt Prior finds out.
The Tesla Model S has been given a 1020bhp performance boost with the Plaid edition, and while it matches the 0-62mph time of the Bugatti Veyron, how does it perform as an executive car for families?
Alpina is waving goodbye to the G30 BMW 5 Series with its most powerful creation yet - the 625bhp B5 GT. Does this brutish barge from Buchloe serve as a fitting tribute to one of the greatest all-rounders of our time?
We're also driving the recently-revised Mercedes GLC Coupe, Volkswagen Passat and, for road test 5632, we're in the new BMW M2.
*Features*
Prodrive has extensively reworked the iconic Subaru Impreza 22b with its new P25 - it's a 400bhp, £552,000 tribute to one of the 1990s' finest performance cars. Steve Cropley finds out if it's a fitting tribute.
John Evans takes a closer look at the fastest motorsport you've never heard of - tether cars. With speeds of 200mph reached and cornering forces totalling 90g, this is one of the most extreme ways of getting a performance kick.
We're going behind the scenes at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to find out how the organisers prepare for one of the world's biggest global events, attracting over 200,000 visitors.
*Opinion*
Matt Prior takes a look at the businesses making cars as different as possible, from Kamm to Pininfarina, and how the levels of car personalisation will often reflect the individual customer's wealth.
Steve Cropley gets invited to join a colourful three-car convoy of Riversimple Rasas in Brighton, visits BMW UK's headquarters to find out more about the firm's attitude to hydrogen development, and why he's sold on the Prodrive P25.
*Used*
The Volvo V40 stars as this week's cult hero, with John Evans exploring its features and credibility as a used purchase.