Tag: topgear.com

Hairpin, we have a problem. I’m halfway up the Hardknott Pass and the Countryman has just experienced lift-off. No, I’ve not slipped the surly bonds of earth – swift though the JCW Countryman is, it’s no SLS – but I have managed to lift a wheel in the air, which entirely foxes the traction control temporarily.…

“Technology alone does not create luxury,” said Hyundai Big Boss Euisun Chung, “and design alone does not define luxury. The value of innovation lies in… improving people’s lives.” The luxury division of Hyundai intends to do just that with the Genesis GV90: a car with [checks notes] rear-opening doors, a roll cage, front seats that…

Big Formula One news alert: Max Verstappen has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Red Bull until the end of the 2030 season. The news comes after rumours Verstappen’s people had held talks with McLaren over a potential switch for the 2027 season. It also follows Verstappen’s own threats to quit F1…

Gunther Werks is a California-based remasteriser of the Porsche 911 – specifically the 993-generation – and has in the past remasterised many fine Porsche 993-generation 911s. Here is its latest, and against the tidal wave of horsepower unleashed in California last week, this is a welcome relief. Because it bears *only* 455bhp from its engine.…

$3,662,500 (RM Sotheby’s) In case you’d lost track of your Chiron versions a few special editions ago, the Sport was the more driver-focused version of the son-of-Veyron: think stiffer suspension, more responsive steering and the like. 60 or so were built, and this one’s been a California car from new, having first been bought at…

Eleven generations of Honda Civic have bred six different iterations of Civic Type R. Each and every one uses a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder VTEC, and since the second-gen, EP3 ‘Breadvan’ that VTEC has been identified by a K20 engine code (see also the Ariel Atom).  But it’s the latest and greatest FL5 Civic we’ve picked here;…

What is it? A collaboration between German tuner Brabus and French electric bikemaker DAB, offering a three-bike range. They make an impression. Why are we interested? Because the bikes are fun, well-designed and it’s got the Brabus effect. So you get a cool looking electric bike that actually works. How much is it? Three versions:…

How many Volvos were present at last month’s Festival of the Unexceptional? I lost count, to be honest. FOTU is an exceptional event, ironically, an unapologetic celebration of the sorts of cars that wouldn’t usually get within a country mile of a traditional automotive concours. There’s a big nostalgic kick, of course, and it’s a…

Thought the current Hyundai Tucson looked a little bit dramatic for a mid-size crossover? Well, just get a look at the next one. Yep, what you’re seeing above is the boxy new fifth generation Tucson, and Hyundai said it’s been completely redesigned using its ‘Art of Steel’ philosophy. Certainly looks strong. It’s much more SUV-like…

Ollie Kew: “This is the right side of innovative. Handsome, even” I might have to join BMW’s designers in their witness protection programme for this, but I like it. Could’ve been a whole Luce worse. Cover the badges and it looks like a BMW. There’s a tasteful amount of historic nods without going retro or…