The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a compact luxury sedan/coupe-style car known for its sporty look and entry-level Mercedes positioning. In this awards-style discussion, it’s mentioned as one of the “best saloon car” picks.
The Dacia Duster is an affordable SUV. It’s designed to give you SUV space and usefulness without costing as much as many other SUVs. The podcast calls it a strong value option.
The Kia PV5 is a large vehicle that the speaker is interested in. They haven’t driven it yet, but they’re considering it based on how it fits their needs. The podcast mentions it as a top option among bigger cars.
The Kia EV2 is an electric car from Kia. The speaker says they like the smaller EV idea, but they haven’t had much time driving it. The podcast is basically checking whether they’ve experienced it enough to judge it.
A “tiger nose grille” is Kia’s signature front grille design. It’s the bold shape you see at the front of the car, and the host is saying the lighting can make that design stand out more at night.
Peter Shrayer is a car designer the host mentions as being in charge of design at Kia. The point is that he helped shape the look, and then other people continued that design direction after him.
Audi quattro refers to Audi cars that use all-wheel drive. It’s known for helping the car grip the road better. The podcast mentions it because the speaker is talking about how it will be remembered, including its appearance.
The Audi Q5 is a compact SUV from Audi. It’s designed for everyday driving with room for passengers and luggage, and it can be had with all-wheel drive. The podcast mentions it as a car that’s no longer in the plan.
Term
260,000 miles
“260,000 miles” means the car has been driven a huge distance. The point is that it’s still being kept and used even with that kind of mileage.
MOT is the UK safety check that cars have to pass to stay legal to drive. “MOT prep” means doing any needed work beforehand so it’s more likely to pass.
The Toyota Alphard is a big minivan meant to carry people comfortably. It’s built for space and passenger comfort rather than sporty driving. The podcast mentions it because it has a very distinctive look.
Car
Lexus Toyota Alphard
The Alphard is a big luxury van (an MPV) from the Toyota/Lexus family. The host’s point is that it’s fancy and comfortable, not just practical.
The Renault Twingo is a small car meant for city driving. The host says it’s related in design to the Renault 5, but it uses a simpler rear suspension to keep things cheaper and compact.
The Renault 5 is an older small hatchback. Here, the host uses it as a comparison point for the Twingo’s size and design, and explains that the Twingo’s rear suspension is simpler.
A multi-link rear suspension uses several connected arms to control how the rear wheels move. It can help the tires stay planted for better handling, but it’s usually more expensive and complicated than a simpler setup.
A torsion beam is a simpler type of rear suspension. Instead of many separate links, it uses one beam that flexes to help the wheels move over bumps—usually making the car cheaper and more compact.
The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is a small electric car. It’s based on the Renault 5 design, but it runs on electricity instead of petrol. The podcast calls it a nice, compact car and talks about how it’s set up for EV use.
EV means electric vehicle. It’s a car that runs on electricity from a battery, not gasoline. They’re saying it should cost under £20,000 when it comes.
“Monochrome colours” means the car is mostly one color family, like mostly black/gray/white. The point here is that those plain colors can make a car blend in instead of stand out.
Term
front engine Ferrari
A “front engine Ferrari” is a Ferrari where the engine sits up front. The host is saying that’s the kind of Ferrari they’d want most, even though many Ferraris are known for having the engine more in the middle.
Car
Morgan Supersport
The Morgan Supersport is a small British sports car made by Morgan. In this case, it uses an engine from BMW, and the episode talks a lot about how the exhaust and settings change what it sounds like.
Car
Morgan Supersport 400
The Morgan Supersport 400 is the higher-output version of the Supersport, aimed at adding more punch over the standard Supersport. Here, the hosts quantify it as having about 20% more power and then connect that to the way the car sounds and feels.
Term
BMW 6
The hosts are referring to a BMW inline-six engine. That engine layout has a distinctive sound and smoothness, which is why they think the Morgan Supersport’s engine note feels “special.”
A sports exhaust is an exhaust setup tuned to make the car sound different (usually louder and more “alive”). It can also help the engine breathe a bit better, and that’s part of why the hosts are talking about the Supersport’s sound.
A catalyst is part of the exhaust that cleans up the gases coming out of the engine. “Race spec” here suggests it’s designed to work better with a performance exhaust while still keeping the car legal for emissions and noise rules.
Mufflers are the parts of the exhaust that make the car quieter. Removing one usually makes the exhaust louder and can make the engine sound more noticeable.
Drive-by noise regulations are the legal limits for how loud a car is allowed to be when it passes by during an official test. The hosts are saying the car’s exhaust changes still stay within the law.
“Sport Plus” is a button or mode that makes the car behave more aggressively. In this case, the hosts say it changes the exhaust behavior so you get more dramatic sounds, including pops and burbles.
A burble is the distinctive “popping” or “chugging” sound some cars make when you lift off the throttle. The episode says the Supersport 400 does this in its sportier mode.
Fuel injectors are how the engine delivers fuel. When they’re high-pressure, they can make the engine run more precisely, and the episode says that at low speed you can hear a subtle ticking sound from that system.
Buying power just means how much money people have available to spend. In this discussion, it’s about whether older buyers have more ability to buy sports cars than younger ones.
A three-wheeler is a vehicle with only three wheels instead of four. The Morgan three-wheeler is a well-known example of this type of car. The podcast mentions that it may take a moment for the tires to grip well.
Car
Morgan three wheeler
The Morgan three wheeler is a quirky three-wheeled car made by Morgan. It has one wheel in front and two in back, and the episode is talking about how the early version didn’t sell well at first—so Morgan changed it to get more attention.
A power slide is when a driver deliberately makes the tires lose grip and the car slides sideways. The driver uses the accelerator to keep it sliding and steer to control the direction. It’s basically a controlled “drift” move.
Term
three wheeled
“Three wheeled” means the vehicle has three wheels instead of four. That affects how it handles compared with a normal car. The host is saying they really like that kind of setup.
A V twin is an engine with two cylinders arranged in a V shape. Because it has only two cylinders, it can feel and sound very different from a typical four-cylinder car. The host is talking about what kind of engine the three-wheeler uses.
The Bugatti Veyron is a very rare, very expensive supercar built for maximum performance. People talk about it because it’s known for being extraordinarily fast. The podcast references it as something the speaker is relieved not to be dealing with.
Your electricity tariff is basically your electricity price plan. Some plans give EV owners extra benefits, like a certain amount of cheap or free charging miles.
A Dodge Charger is a big car from the US that’s built to be fast. People talk about it because it can have powerful engines and a sporty feel. In the podcast, it sounds like the speaker has been driving theirs very aggressively.
“Fast charges” means EV charging that adds battery power quickly. It’s typically what you use at public chargers when you don’t have time to wait for a slow charge.
The Honda Prelude is a Honda coupe that’s known for being fun to drive. In this episode it’s being talked about as the hybrid award winner, and they’re sharing impressions from having tried one.
Place
Thraxton
Thraxton is a track where people go to drive cars more aggressively than on public roads. The host is saying they tested the Prelude there.
The Honda Accord is a normal everyday family car. It’s known for being comfortable and practical, and it’s been around for a long time. The podcast mentions it because the speaker is comparing it to something else they’ve owned or noticed.
A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid car you can charge at home or at a charger. It can drive on electricity for a while, but it also has a gas engine for when the battery runs low.
BYD is a car company that makes a lot of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Here, they’re mentioned because they use their own special name for plug-in hybrids.
Mark Webber is a famous Formula 1 race driver. Here, he’s talking about how racing gets harder as you get older, especially because your eyes don’t react as quickly.
Stirling Moss was one of the greatest race drivers in history. The host is using his quote to say that sometimes the problem isn’t skill—it’s having the confidence to commit.
MINI John Cooper Works is the sporty, performance version of the MINI. It’s the kind of small “hot hatch” that people buy for fun driving, and the hosts are talking about it as a car that could become collectible.
A hot hatchback is a small car (a hatchback) that’s made to drive more aggressively—usually faster and more fun than the regular version. It’s the kind of car enthusiasts look for when they want something compact but sporty.
MINI Cooper S is a sportier version of the regular MINI Cooper. In the episode, they’re saying they swapped from a Cooper S to a different Cooper, and they’re commenting on how the car feels and looks distinct.
The MINI Cooper is the main MINI model. They’re saying they replaced their Cooper S with a Cooper, and that the newer one still has a recognizable, distinctive character.
Person
Charlie Cooper
Charlie Cooper is referenced as the current MINI Cooper representative from the Cooper family. The host ties him to the family’s racing heritage, connecting the Cooper name to the origins of the performance cars and motorsport history.
The “three series” is BMW’s 3 Series model line. They’re saying Alpina got to see BMW’s upcoming 3 Series engineering early, so they could build their own version quickly.
The McLaren F1 is a famous supercar. Here they’re saying BMW helped with the engine, and it took a lot of BMW work to make it work properly for the small production run.
The A-Series is the original engine used in many early Minis. If a Mini is “A-Series powered,” it means it has that older engine, which affects how it sounds and feels.
“Gear whine” is a high-pitched sound you can hear from the gearbox. It usually happens when the gears are working, and some gear designs make it more noticeable than others.
The Ferrari Luce is a Ferrari model name being mentioned in the podcast. The speaker is talking about what cars were available around a certain time period. The discussion is more about timing and lineup than about driving details.
Car
BMW Mini
This is the Mini you know today, made by BMW. The discussion here is about how the newer Minis got bigger, and whether that was a good or bad change.
JCW is Mini’s performance badge—think of it as the “hot-rodded” Mini. It usually means the car is tuned to feel quicker and more aggressive, and here they even mention an electric version.
Place
Shells LeWalt
This sounds like a hill-climb event they took the car to. A hill climb is basically a timed run up a steep course, so it shows how well the car accelerates and handles under load.
A “five star road test” means the car scored the top rating after being driven and judged on how it behaves on the road. The podcast is describing an award they give to cars that earned that top score recently.
They’re saying the road test is really strict—cars have to prove themselves in more than just one situation. That’s why it can be hard for cars to earn the very top rating.
The Mazda MX-5 is a small, lightweight two-seat roadster that’s meant to be fun to drive. Here they’re talking about how it’s been a highly rated “affordable sports car,” and how newer versions are bringing it back into the spotlight.
“Diff” is short for the differential, which sends power to the wheels. If the differential is changed, the car can grip better and feel different when you’re driving hard.
Track days are organized events where you drive your car on a race track. It’s harder on the car than normal driving, so people often choose a more performance-focused model if they plan to go.
Place
Castle Coon
Castle Coon is the track the host has been driving on. They’re using it to explain what kind of corners and driving style make certain cars feel especially good.
Throttle is basically how much you press the gas pedal. More throttle usually means more engine pull, and drivers can use it to help the car grip and turn the way they want.
This is a special version of the Porsche 911 made for drivers who want track performance but still want it to be comfortable enough to use normally. The host is basically saying it’s easy to enjoy right away—people get in, drive it, and instantly “get it.”
A particulate filter is an emissions device that traps tiny soot particles from the exhaust. The host is saying adding one can add weight and slightly change how the car performs.
Crash bars are stronger metal reinforcements meant to protect the car and occupants in a crash. The host is saying they added more of this kind of protection, which made the car heavier.
Gearing is how the car’s transmission is set up to turn the engine’s power into wheel speed. Changing it can help the car stay quick even if it gets heavier.
The Toyota Hilux is a tough pickup truck meant for hard work. Here, they’re talking about a newer version that’s been updated for strength and durability, while still keeping the basic truck layout.
A 48-volt hybrid is a mild-hybrid system that helps the diesel engine with extra electric power. It’s meant to use less fuel and feel smoother, without being a full plug-in electric car.
A battery electric version means the truck is powered by electricity from a battery pack. The host is saying this one doesn’t go as far on a charge because of how the battery has to fit inside the truck’s frame.
The battery size affects how far a fully electric vehicle can drive. The host is saying this Hilux’s battery is relatively small, which is why the range is limited.
Term
Dedeon rear axle
A De Dion rear axle is a special way of connecting the rear wheels. The goal is to reduce the weight that moves with the wheels, which can help ride quality and traction.
A live axle is a traditional rear suspension setup where the axle assembly moves with the wheels. Leaf springs are the older-style springing method; together they can make the ride harsher because more weight moves up and down.
Unsprung mass is the part of the car that bounces with the wheels instead of being cushioned by the suspension. Less unsprung weight usually helps the ride feel smoother over bumps.
A semi-independent rear end is a compromise suspension design. It helps the truck ride better than a fully rigid axle, but it’s not as independent as some cars with fully separate rear suspension.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a tough SUV meant for rough roads and off-road driving. People like it because it’s designed to last and handle difficult conditions. The podcast mentions it because the speaker thinks it would be a good buy.
The Porsche 356 is a famous old Porsche sports car from the early days of the brand. The host is saying Chesil makes replica versions of it, using parts from a Volkswagen Beetle chassis.
A Beetle chassis means the basic frame/underpinnings from a Volkswagen Beetle. The host is saying some replica cars were built using that Beetle foundation.
Voluntary liquidation means the company is closing down on purpose, with a formal legal process. The host is using it to describe why Westfield and Chesil had to stop operating.
Car
Westfield SE
The Westfield SE is a small, lightweight sports car that people often build and use for track days. The host is saying the company wants to keep it feeling like the original, but with some upgrades.
Circuit Meppen is a driving track in Germany. It’s the kind of place where people can go and drive cars on a proper course. Here, it’s where the event is planned for August.
Car
Westfields
Westfield makes small, lightweight sports cars that many people build or buy as kits. They’re popular with enthusiasts and often show up at track days. Here, they’re talking about the kind of cars they’re arranging for people to drive.
Term
EU price hikes
They’re talking about parts getting more expensive because of rules and costs tied to Europe. The idea is that if you can get spares shipped in efficiently, you can avoid those big price jumps. It’s a cost-and-availability concern for enthusiasts.
This is a special approval process for registering unusual cars or modified cars when they’re made in small numbers. Instead of using the normal “this model is approved” paperwork, you get approval for that specific vehicle. The point here is that it can be easier in the UK than in Germany.
The BMW E30 M3 is a classic BMW from the 1980s that’s famous for being fun to drive and having a strong racing background. People still talk about it because it feels sharp and engaging. Here, they’re showing one driving around the track.
The Hyundai i20N is Hyundai’s performance version of the i20. A prototype is an early, test version used to develop and improve the car before it’s sold.
The Alpina D3 is a BMW-based car tuned by Alpina. It’s described here as a great “wagon” choice for long trips because it’s set up to be easy and enjoyable to drive over distance.
The Dodge Journey is a family-sized SUV/crossover. It’s meant to be practical for trips because it has space for passengers and luggage. The podcast mentions it as a good choice for traveling.
LIVE
Hello and welcome to the AutoCard podcast. My week in cars with Pry here, Cropby there.
Hello Stephen.
Hello mate. Welcome to my Gaff. You haven't been here for a while, have you?
I haven't been here for a while mate. No, I haven't been here for a while. I've come
over from the office today where I've been in running through the script for the AutoCard
Awards in partnership with Siemens which we're going to talk about in a bit.
Right.
Meantime, let me tell you this podcast is sponsored by our friends at Anderson, Anderson-ed.com
or just search Anderson, makers of design-focused premium electric car chargers, coming in range
of colors and finishes and model types. Price is starting from £695. They have a concierge
service who will look after you all the way through.
Steve and I are going to be talking our respective AutoCard columns and a bit more besides including
the AutoCard Awards which by the time this podcast is published will have happened but
hasn't happened yet as we've recorded. So we'll have been there by that point.
Shall we talk about some of the winners? So there's car winners aren't there and there's
some people winners as well. But maybe we'll talk car winners today and then by the time we've had
an added to some of the people, we could talk about what they say next week.
Yeah, because we've got quite a good attendance haven't we? Some of the big wigs of European
industry are going to be there and we're going to get a chance to have little sort of mini
interviews with every one of them. So that should be good.
It should be good. Yeah. So it's going to be held at the Royal Artillery Company HQ at the same
time as the London Concourse, isn't it? And then we stay on, we look at some cars, stay on,
have everybody around. Need to rub a chicken? Rub a chicken. I found out what the menu is today.
Actually, I forget. Maybe there's a barata to start but there's some lamb and then
lemon tart follows my favourites. No rubber chicken. It was like it was created for me.
Lamb and lemon tart is up my strata. And some of the best cars include best saloon car, Mercedes
CLA, good car. Yeah, good car. Best value car, that's your Duster.
Good car. These are all good cars. They're all just good cars.
Have you spent much time in a latest gen Duster? Yes, I went to the launch. They had an interesting
British launch. They took over a quarry in Crikey somewhere up there, sort of Derbyshire area.
And so they were pretty keen on demonstrating the 4x4 capabilities, which interested me because
my car is, my old-shaped car is a 4x4. Right. Obviously, no diesel anymore and so on. But just
a better version of the car I have. Just so capable. I love the kind of special design too,
because it still looks like a dachshund. I admire what they've done with that group of cars. I
hope they don't make them too good. That's the only trouble. I don't want them to get flash or
anything. Yeah, it's important that they keep them being the things they are, isn't it? Somehow.
But the thing I did find, in fact, the steering committee was on about this. She was thinking,
hang on a minute. What do you think? Should we buy a new one?
Oh, really? I think it's a bit of a silly idea, frankly, because our 71 plate car is
in rude health and it's worth about eight grand or something, 10 grand. And it can just hang around
here for 15 years, probably. Yeah, because how long did you have the Balingo before it?
19 years. 19 glorious years. Yeah, so, I mean, you might as well just keep, that was the plan,
wasn't it? Keep the duster in that sort of vein. Yeah, really. Yeah. But we just got so keen on
the new duster that we just thought, should we? But not really. Every time I get in the old duster,
I think it's good. Yeah. Yeah. Best large car I haven't driven one, Kia PV5. Have you tried one?
No, I have not, I'm afraid. Good looking thing. Yeah. Unusual looking thing, but good looking
thing, I think. Yeah, they, I'm glad, really, because I think that some of the SUVs have got a
lot of fun. I've had enough of that. Yeah. I like the little one, EV2. EV2? But have I
spent much time in an EV2? Well, I just like to look at it. I think it's, as with all small cars,
it sort of expresses this cheekiness better than most. But I just want, I like the old,
you remember the previous Kia styling in the so-called tiger nose grille? Yes, I liked that.
Yeah. And when that died, I was really sorry. Apparently, they did some sort of tweak that
where the tiger nose was still visible when the lights were on at night or something.
Oh, really? Is that still a bit too subtle for me? Yeah. So, is that still a thing that carries on
now? Well, I'm not sure that I think it was a sort of carryover in the first,
first of the new shape cars. Yeah. Because who was the Peter Shrayer, was the design boss,
was the former Auto Car Award winner, in fact? He was, and then he sort of handed it on to
other people who continued it for a little while and then sort of been the whole idea.
Yeah. Yeah. I think when, oh, no, I'm getting my brands mixed up. I was interviewing somebody
from Hyundai, Nokia. And they, because they were saying that, you know, it doesn't, our cars don't
all have to look the same. The idea is not that they will look like different sizes of the same car.
Yeah. They can have different, and in fact, as Hyundai's do, in fact, they do look like different
things. It's interesting argument, isn't it? Yeah. Because I do like a family look. It's just
that I don't want them to be too slavishly similar. Yeah. Like an Audi SUV, they, I look at someone,
I go, well, it's just, it's one of 357 whatever. But I don't, you know.
I remember getting into terrible trouble with a mate who owned a Q5. And I, it was a sort of
whinging about generic styling. And, you know, I just said to him, the day that car dies, nobody's
going to care. Because it's not, it's not going to, you know, be like a quattro and be remembered
fondly for what it looked like. And, you know, in 30 years time, will we think, think, ah, the
quattro. Yeah. But the Audi Q5 is just a goner. And he was upset about that. He was, wasn't he?
Well, because the car did him well, you see, and he thought, and he thought he'd made an
intelligent choice. And he probably did. But it can't. Yeah. But, but, you know, it's just,
I regret, I just like to think of cars as individuals, you know, look, I mean, the A2,
look at the A2, mate. That is, that is, they're even about to launch something called an A2,
but it's not going to do anything to your A2. Your A2 is always going to be special.
Yeah. Stick another 20 years on it, it'll still be special.
Well, stick another 20 years on it. Hopefully it will still be outside my house.
I was with some people this week, in fact, and I recommended an A2 to somebody. And then somebody
else I think has got one, another journalist has got one, I think he's got like 260,000 miles on it,
or something like that. Paid more for it than I did mine.
Excellent. Yes, I was saying, I don't know if I've said on the, I would have said on the podcast,
I spent some money on it a couple of months ago to get some servicing and MOT prep done.
But I mean, the total of purchase price and maintenance is still nothing.
Yeah, it's still, it's still worth it. It's still, it's still worth it.
Yeah, I would have talked about on this part, the Kia PV5 is a proper MPV, isn't it, in the old
school sense. Yeah, it's boxy and van like, which strikes me that has become
the luxury car again, in a way, because the luxury cars were saloon cars. And then when
they just became airport taxis, people buying luxury cars bought SUVs. And now everybody's
got an SUV. So maybe the MPV is having its day again, just strictly for people who are driven
places. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, that, that crazy Lexus Toyota thing called the Alphard,
you know, that mad thing with the, with the grill, the size of a house. Yeah.
I mean, that's a great machine inside and out. Unbelievable. That's a proper luxury car.
It's an MPV. It is. Yeah, it is not a lass on the list of auto car awards winners.
No, no, sorry, I'm getting sly. Could you buy, they weren't officially
sold here were they asked? No, no, no, that there's a, where I park in London, there's a
underground car park, there's a couple down there. And these two blokes run a business
together. And they always, the cars are always immaculate. And they're always parked,
you know, Bernie style, you know, how he, in a Grand Prix paddock, he made everything
had to be sort of inch perfect. Yeah, they do that. Oh, really? Even though it's an underground
car park where no, none of their clients presumably will see it. Nobody cares except them.
I suppose they know, don't they? Yeah. Sorry, I've got the verbals.
No, that's what we're here for. I quite like going on a car launch. And when they line up,
have you seen sometimes they will have their little measuring sticks to line up all the
cars? Absolutely perfect. Yeah, does look great. Does look good. Especially if there's a bunch
of different cars. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. But I was on a launch yesterday. And they did that thing.
Sorry, I'm talking shop here, reader. You put back into the car park and a guy will stand in
front of the car and go, that'll do. You can leave it there. Yep. I don't want to leave it there.
I want to park it in a space. Because one, I'm not incompetent. But two,
actually, it's a useful part of my testing. I want to know what it's like to reverse it
into that space. How well the mirrors show the sides of the car and how well the screen shows
the angle I'm going to reverse that. And it's, yeah, it's, if anybody from the industry is listening,
anybody vaguely, vaguely involved in the press launch game, just let us park some cars. It's
really fine. We can do it. Well, it's a test of the hack too, isn't it? Well, it is a bit as well,
isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. And I just, yeah, the idea that it's off. No, you can leave it there.
We'll park it. I think no, no, no, no. I can manage. Best small car. I don't think you've
driven it yet. It's a Renault Twingo. No, I've done extensive walk arounds and chats about it.
It's actually an interesting car because it seems to me to be at least as big in size as a Renault
5, isn't it? I mean, it is the same architecture, same platform. Yes. It's got the rear, instead of a
multi-link rear suspension, it's got a torsion beam from a Renault, something else. Sorry, Renault
5 people. It's got a rear axle off of a torsion beam, a cheaper rear axle. But otherwise, yeah,
it's Renault 5 platform. Lovely little car though. Yeah. Catch up. It's inside and out.
Every household needs one in a way. If you've got four or five active people in your house,
all of them would drive. The idea of just having that car outside and it's plugged into the wall
and you just, everybody falls into it when they need to go somewhere is great. Yeah. The only
issue for me would be just living 100 miles from London is the range. Yeah, it's probably not,
especially in winter. I don't think it would be good enough for that. No, it's 160 at this time
of the year. Yeah, I think so. I can't quite remember. It's not massive, but yeah, I was,
I saw... You went on launch, didn't you? Yeah, I went on the launch and I enjoyed the car
very much because it's refined enough. It's composed enough. They've taken a lot of weight out.
They've taken a lot of components out, but they still have kept it
fun and interesting and enjoyable and well finished. That's the thing. It doesn't feel
like a cheap car. They're going to sell it for... So, it's refined, isn't it? Yeah, and it's going
to be less than 20,000 pounds when it arrives here towards the end of this year, which is not
very much for an EV. Slightly wish they'd get on with it, don't you? Yeah, I don't know why so long
because, I mean, they had, I don't know, when left hand drive car, maybe it's a reengineering
for right hand drive, I don't know, but left hookers, they had... Actually, I think,
actually, the left hand drive cars were a little way away. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know why the...
Yeah, I don't know why it's so long. Yeah, I felt strongly enough about the car to wish it was here
quicker because, you know, I think we'll enjoy it. It'll be, you know, another little car to
chuck around. Yeah, that's the nice thing is it feels like a fun, enjoyable, chuckable car.
I did see a post by our friend David Pooke, the engineer, formerly of JLR, who does tweaks for
Alpine's and stuff like that. The range he's getting now from his 290 is so much more than he
was getting in the winter. I mean, we drove one to... Yes. It's D'Arbuscher and Mack. Yeah. No,
no, not in D'Arbuscher. Come here and Mack, didn't we? Took us a while to get home.
And I think, as we've been doing it now, it would be quite different.
Yeah. Oh, indeed. Yeah. I mean, everything went wrong, didn't it? It was cold and there was this
kind of gale blowing straight into us as we tried to forge down the M something, you know,
M1, was it? I don't remember now. Yeah. I also think that Lawrence Vanden Acker, the Renault
design boss, he said, look, we're going to do some launch colours for that car. We've got a green,
because it's LeFrog. There's a yellow, which looks great. There's a red, and maybe there was one
other. And I think somebody without his knowledge at Renault also added a silver and a white to
the range, which he didn't notice until much, much later. And I mean, hang on a minute. Why are
there now these monochrome colours in the range? And so I think somebody must have gone, yeah,
look, we didn't really want to tell you, but we've got to have them. But I think it looks great in
green. White's probably fine. Yeah, I think white is probably okay. I wonder what sort of white on
black bumpers and steel wheels would look like. Because people left those sort of, you know,
basic looking cars, don't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Isn't it weird what, how anonymous colours can make
a car look? I was, this morning, I had to go pick herself up from town, you know, four miles away
from home. And I, she was, you know, she was sort of standing on the pavement waiting for me to show
up and watched, you know, 20 anonymous SUVs go by. And I was nearly the 21st before she realised
it was me, because it was just another one of those fairly dark colours. Yeah. And it's not, I
think it's not just us. I was in America at the end of April for a couple of weeks, and I was on a
train from Long Island into New York, and I looked across a car park. And it was exactly the same
as here. Almost everything in it was gray, black, white, or somewhere in between. So, you know,
some kind of silver or gray, and it's with a few little spots of colour here or there. So, it's
not just a UK or European centric thing, it must just be a trend everywhere. Bad business. I must
look it up, actually, and see what the case is in the States, because maybe it is. I kind of think
that, you know, they are a bit more into individualism and stuff. Yeah, but maybe not. No, clearly
do you know what it is? Or have you? What the award winner is now? Yeah. Oh, excellent. Good.
What would your dream car be? Oh, I think it would be some sort of a front engine Ferrari.
Oh, yeah, fair enough. But it would probably be second hand, you see.
Well, that is the thing. I think that's one of the thoughts behind why, because the road testers
are mostly responsible for the winning cars. Yeah. They asked for other people's contributions too,
don't they? But I think Matt Saunders' road test, as he says, one of the things about a dream car is
it is nice if that is an attainable dream, in a way. You know, if you think to yourself, yeah,
I could. If I just made some good decisions here or there or something happened, you know, maybe I
could, maybe I could. So he's picked, and I'm absolutely behind it, the Morgan Supersport
as the dream car. Yeah. Well, you spent some time in that too, haven't you? Yeah, I drove the 400
the other day. And it was pretty, pretty... I mean, 20% more power than a regular Supersport,
which didn't need 20% more power. But I think they're great.
What's the engine like? When the engine's percolating, because there's BMW 6,
isn't there? Yeah. So presumably, it sounds pretty damn special.
Yeah. Now it's got, so the Supersport 400 has got a sports exhaust,
where it's got a race spec catalyst. And they've taken out one of the mufflers in the exhaust as
well. And it still meets the drive by noise regs, because, you know, the, the cat's clever.
Yeah. And you can put it in a sport plus mode, I think, in which case it all
and burble and stuff appropriately. And yeah, when you wind it up, it really makes a,
it's very smooth. Yeah, it makes a decent racket. And at low revs, have you tried a Supersport?
Yeah. At really low speed, there's, because the injectors are quite high pressure,
you get that really very smooth, but slightly weird ticking noise that I can't, you don't hear
in a normal BMW, because it's silenced by the, you know, the bulkhead and everything else.
But it just makes this like a smooth running sewing machine all the time,
which actually I find quite endearing. Yeah. And yeah, I think, I mean,
I'm biased now, mate, because I'm a Morgan owner. That's the problem.
You're allowed to be. But, but they, I mean, it is phenomenal what they've achieved,
I think over the last few years. I love going to Morgan because it's, it's,
it's full of youngish people. You know, you think of the olden days of Morgan was,
you know, Morgan was a car for old vats that had just retired and all that and were
paid to sit in the two and a half year waiting list. And so it's not like that anymore, is it?
The engineers are young, the designers are young, their intentions are young.
And I, I just, I just think that's fabulous. Yeah. I mean, I am now
an old fart waiting to retire me. No, you're not. And I'm in my fifties now.
So I mean, that well puts me in the Chinese, but, but you know, but people used to say,
ah, the average age of car buyers is 50 something blah, blah, blah of sports car buyers.
I have now become the cliche because I'm a 50 something, you know, I'm very, very early fifties
clearly. But, you know, I wasn't, I wasn't in one at 25. I was, I was. No, no, but that,
that's about buying power, isn't it? Yeah. Mind you, I might have, had they made a super three
when I was 25, because I bought a catering when I was 25. Yeah. Maybe
had they been making them for a while and they had been cheap enough, I might have got,
I might have got something like instead. Yeah. Actually, shall I, I was going to do this
letter in the Q and A the other day, Mario bought a lot. So writes to us as you can,
as you can to auto car at haymarket.com who says love the magazine. Thanks very much.
60 plus year reader, but couldn't let Mr. Price column third paragraph go without mention of the
laugh it gave me, a suggestion that the original Morgan three wheeler took a while to gain much
traction, which I did. I did thank you for that because I did mean it figuratively and literally
at the same time. So, yeah, because they, the Morgan launched its first car was first run about
in 1910. And it didn't sell very well. So they put another seat on it. Yeah. And then, oh,
I talked to this the other day, didn't I? No, it's interesting though, isn't it? I told the listener
this the other day, put another, it was, it didn't get many sales, put a second seat on it,
took it back to a motor show and where it got a bit of attention. And then things took off a bit
from that. Yeah. But you can imagine this one wheel, one footprint, a size, you know,
half the size of your hand trying to put a talk on the floor. I still remember, I think the first
time I saw something like a Morgan three wheeler or a proper three wheeled car with a single wheel
at the back cornering either at a hill climb or on the telly or somewhere and it, you know,
kicking the tail out and doing a sort of, you know, neat sort of 180 power slide round an uphill
head. And the inside wheel on the floor? I can't remember thinking that might have scared me off
a bit. So no, I think it went round just nicely. But I think, yeah, and I think that from that
point onwards, I've always had a soft spot for a three wheeled, correct configuration, three
wheeled car. I should tell you that there was a, when I first arrived in this country to get into
this game, which is a little while ago now, there was a bloke called Jerry someone, I think it might
have been Jerry Carr, whose daily driver was a Morgan three wheeler Ford engine Morgan three
wheeler from the pre war era. And he was seen as a tad eccentric. But but there he was, you know,
so, you know, Morgan's and hacks go but Morgan three wheelers and hacks go back a long way.
Yeah, didn't our friend Andy English have a some kind of three wheeler?
Yes, he had a thing called it wasn't a grinnell, it was, it was another was another car that was
sort of made alongside the Morgan three wheeler. But I think Andy English had a had a hand in
interesting Morgan in you're right, reviving the three wheeler that they introduced in 2012.
Yes, because he wrote the book too. Oh, really? Yeah, I think so. Because wasn't the engineering
work done in the States? And Morgan kind of, I don't want to say licensed it because that's
unfair. But I think they modified it a lot. Yeah, yeah. But that idea that that SN two
liter SNS V twin, that was an American engine wasn't it? Yeah, there was definitely a relationship
between. Yeah, makers of a three wheeler over there. But I think they put their stamp on it
well and truly didn't they? Yeah. But but I'm sure Andy English was involved and we probably
we should know more about it. But he was a real, real ambassador for the three
wheeler with a between out the front of the engine out the front of the front wheels.
Yeah. I got yeah, I got actually I'll look it up and talk about it in another part. I got a
letter from a reader the other day who has a three wheeler rather than a super three. It looks
really great. And he's very pleased with it. Yeah. Anyway, sorry, the dream car is the
Morgan Supersport. Right. I mean, yeah, that's a really imaginative. I did know that, you know,
it's just that my memory fades immediately. But I went to the run through
of the script for this this morning. And if you asked me what the categories were already,
I could I would have forgotten. But I can remember reading that and thinking that Stormy
Matthew Saunders had really made a good decision because it is great. It's a relief for it not
to be in Veyron or something. Yeah, I think so. I agree because
because I don't find those dream cars, they're just unattainable cars that comes under a for me.
No, you are unattainable. Yeah. Best electric car is the Škoda Lrock Škoda as they like to say.
Oh, I had a go in that. In fact, I rode the Bumpf. Yeah. Oh, go on. What are they like? I don't
think I've driven an Lrock. It's just a really nice all rounder. The thing I found was that
it's it's reasonably compact, quite a lot of performance. Well packaged, refined,
nice to steer, rides well. You know, some some of those SUVs can get a bit bouncy and lumpy and
you sit up in the air a bit. And so they sort of echo the sway in the body. But it's just a very nice
friendly car that you feel you could get in and go to Scotland now. And I like that.
So a good choice. How long is an Lrock? Four or a bit, isn't it?
4.4, 4.3? Yeah, it'd be too long for our listener who was after a four meter long car of interest,
wouldn't it? I think it's a size bigger than that. Yeah, we're going to come to
no, we're not going to come to that. We came to that. Actually, we talked
because we're recording this podcast before we're recording Saturday. We're recording this podcast
before we're recording the one that's going out three days ago. So ignore that carry on.
Yes, we have some suggestions on the bonus podcast, which is still available on this channel.
Shall we do a commercial break now? Because we've been talking for 27 minutes to say this
podcast is brought to you in association with our sponsor Anderson. Visit Anderson-ed.com
and see their full range. If you go there, they'll send you a swatch so you can choose
your color and check it out against your building and against your car. They have a concierge
service that will look after you from start to finish. And there is usually some kind of offer
ongoing where if you sign up to an electricity tariff, you get a certain number of free miles of
motoring. My charger has been going flat out. I've had this flow of electric cars. I had
two electric pandas one after another and the various PHEVs and so on. I always try and plug
them in to see what the maximum is. And it just seems to be flat out every day. I would be
unable to, I just do not think I'd be able to do my job to the level I do at the moment without
the thing on the wall. Yeah, I agree because I mean, there are charges near me and there's
quite a few fast charges. But the idea that you can get up in the morning and it's on 100%
makes life much easier because I had to drive to the Peak District in a BMW i4 last week.
It doesn't have the world's longest range. I think it's 230-ish from full, which is not amazing.
But yeah, the fact that I could get out in the morning and it was at 100% and then stopped at
actually a really nice new shopping centre built on an old industrial
woollen mill or something, I don't know, up in the north that they had some really fast
charges. So grabbed a cup of tea and by the time I'd done that and got back to the car and had
enough charge for the umph for the rest of the day. Isn't that a joy? It's quite good. Yeah,
really good. Yeah. Anyway, part two of the AutoCard podcast, my weekend cast, where we're talking
about the 2026 AutoCard Awards held just last night. If you're listening to this on the day
of publication in partnership with Siemens in London and we have been talking about some of
the winners, let's talk about. So we've got a dream car, don't we? We've got to dream. No,
we've got an electric car because we've got a Skoda L-Roc. Best hybrid, it's a Honda Prelude.
Have you tried a Prelude? Yes, I have. I went on a shoot at Thraxton.
Oh, of course you did. The thing that people, I thought it looked exquisite and of course,
Hondas, I just, I don't know, they chime with me. I don't know why, but Hondas are all kinds,
even the motorbikes. You know, I can remember single cylinder 250s that I owned. It somehow
reads across to an accord. It's weird. Yeah, that is true. But this car, this Prelude,
the only thing people didn't quite like was that the styling promises more grunt than there is,
more power than there is. You don't feel quite as quick. But very nice stylish car and lovely to be
in. Yeah. Good interior. What's it meant to look? It's meant to look a glider, isn't it? Is that right?
That it's most like the design? Yeah. And it kind of does, isn't it? I get it. When they explain
it and you go, yeah, I can see what you're getting at. Yeah. And it's just one of those cars that
draws your eye immediately. I like it a lot. And also, I found when I arrived at Thraxton
early and so did another member of our staff and she was just parked in this car and I just
couldn't help thinking how it distinguishes the driver. People look good in it. I noticed this
all day, the various of us drove it. Good car. Yeah. And it's not a sports car, is it? No.
But that's okay. I think that's all right. I've only driven one. Weirdly, I drove a prototype
at Thraxton some time before you drove it. And I didn't drive it on the road and it was
quite an early pre-production thing. And you wouldn't think it was a natural car for a circuit
like Thraxton, but it felt quite agile to me. It felt quite, you know,
turny in the middle. It rotated around its middle quite nicely, I thought.
Made me think of the Yanks many years ago used to have a kind of a class of car which was called
a personal car. It was, you know, it was sort of Mustang-y, but not power, not no performance
to speak of. I mean, it's wrong to say, to suggest that the prelude's got no performance. It goes
fine. But it isn't explosive like some EVs and PH EVs are. Yeah, I think that's okay.
What's your term for P? Do you talk about FEVs or P-HEVs? I tend to go with FEV, which I know is
not right. One of my sons works in the industry and he's, you know, he's forever correcting me and
saying, no, it's P-HEV. Oh, really? Well, the other thing is you go to some manufacturers and
they've got a totally different take on what they should call it. Yeah. What's the...
There's a very cherished BYD expression for plug-in hybrid, isn't it? Yeah, I'll search it up now.
Oh, really? BYD? Plug-in hybrid? It doesn't sort of stand for anything.
Acronym. It's quite odd. Yeah, they call them DMI, dual motor intelligent.
Oh, there you are. It doesn't really mean anything, does it?
Do you know what? Before I'm dead, I want to be as good on the
bleeding keyboard as you are, mate. I'm getting worse. Partly it's the eyes.
Partly it's the eyes. I think a lot of... Mark Webber told me this. Sorry, name drop, clang.
I said, how far... When he was... Well, it still is actually, I think, a Porsche ambassador,
so he appears at events now and again. And I think he would have been probably mid-40s when I
spoke to him. He's a similar age to me, I think. And I said, how fast do you think you'd be now?
Because he'd given up sports car racing. Yeah. And I was admired by drivers who... Well,
any sports people would carry on playing for a long time. I saw Teddy Sheringham play for
Cultuously United. He was 42 or something like that. Fantastic.
And I thought that was great. And I thought, isn't it wonderful when sports people carry on forever?
And I was speaking to Webber about it. And he said, well, the reason I gave it up is because
actually it can just get... I've raced against the fastest people in the world.
And now I might get punted off with... Apologies to fat 50-year-old bankers in...
Yeah. I might get punted off by one, which is no fun whatsoever.
So... And he's like, I've raced against this skill level and that skill level. And sometimes
it just feels dangerous. So I've given it. So I don't do it anymore. I said, how much
slower do you think you'd be now than you were at your Formula One peak? And he's... From memory,
I think he said probably a second and a half. Second to a second and a half a lap. And he said,
it's the eyes, mate. It is the eyes that are the problem. And that's... You get to that middle-aged,
Presby-myopic thing where they just don't focus and refocus quickly enough.
And that is why I now wear very vocals. And don't get on brilliantly with them, I must say.
But they're better than the alternative. I remember Sterling Moss, his version of events was that it
was the confidence. You knew what to do, but you didn't quite have the
gonads to do. Because some drivers, quite others, don't they? Some drivers would say,
I was up against him, but I know he's got a partner and children. So he was never going to
take the risk that I was going to take. And I wonder if that becomes a thing. I don't know.
I suppose it's a factor. There's all sorts of things that lurk in your head that don't
just cause impediments, aren't there? Talking about
athletes going on and on. I was cricket the other day. We were in Tish, Mark Tishoy, our editor,
and I and a few others of us were invited to the Kia Oval. And one of the things we did was to watch
Jimmy Anderson bow. What a treat. And he's 43 or something, and still fantastic.
Phenomenal athlete. He really is, isn't he? He's just about fainted every when he came out,
because he's such a fanboy, honestly. Yeah, because he's not strolling up and spinning it down,
is he? He's still bowling at pace. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, he was well in there. He's a
good fielder too. That was the other thing. Anyway, sorry, it's not about cricket. No,
that's all right. I'm going to the Oval with my brother in a couple of weeks to watch the third
day of, I think probably the second test, I think it is. It might be all over by then,
three days, in the modern scheme of things. Yeah, you need to take a big hat. Yeah, let's talk
about future classics, shall we, at the AutoCars Awards, brought to you in association with
in partnership with Siemens. Future classics going to be a mini John Cooper works, because it is,
as I was reading earlier in the script, I think the only or about to become, if it isn't already,
the only petrol hot, hot, hot hatchback still on sale. Interesting. Is that right? I think that's
right. Yeah. Wow. Isn't that interesting? And I think, also, I think mini's having just bought one.
You know, we've replaced our Cooper S with another one, a Cooper. They are somehow distinctive.
You know, that car that started off distinctive, and it's obviously got more distinctive.
And of course, the Cooper story is a great one. Apparently, somebody who's telling me the other
day that the Cooper, the bloke that is now the BMW's Cooper representative from the Cooper family
is a guy called Charlie Cooper, who is fourth generation of the family that started off with
the rear engine Formula One cars. There was Charlie, who was a Brooklyn's mechanic, who was the father
of John, who was the well-known, best known creator of the cars. Then there was Michael, who
was around for the, for the, a lot of mini Cooper history. Now there's Charlie again.
Oh, interesting. Really interesting dynasty. And it is a nice thing that BMW does,
that it cares about that sort of thing in a way that some companies don't or wouldn't seem to.
I think you do not know what I mean. Whereas, you know, BMW supplies engines to Morgan.
It cannot be worth. No, it's not a profit. It cannot be worth. They're giving them what four,
well, let's think about it, maybe 400 engines a year. Yeah. It can't, it can't really be worth
doing. And their relationship with Alpina for a very long time was very amiable. Well, I mean,
still is effectively, you know, it was very amiable. They used to let Alpina see
engineer and have access to engineering prototypes well in advance, so that they'd
launch a new three series. And then Alpina would go, yeah, here's our version of it,
because we've been looking at it for the past two years and developing it.
And they went to endless trouble with the original McLaren F1.
Yeah. And that was, you know, a magnificent BMW engine, but required a lot of
effort and input from BMW for however many they built, you know.
Yeah. And tremendous sort of appreciation for what Rolls-Royce could and should mean to people.
With no thought that the previous Rolls-Royce people weren't invited or anything like that,
you know, it was very, yeah, I think I like them, mate.
Yeah, me too. Mind you, we have tended to, I mean, isn't it amazing that we've,
they've helped us make the jump between minis that were sort of dopey little A-Series powered cars
with a sort of deafening gear whine and no performance to something entirely different.
I wonder, because there's been, in the past two years, the new Jag,
Ferrari, and also the Ferrari Luce Outrage,
there wasn't really around 99-2000, although I started working on a website in 2000,
there wasn't really the social media like there is now.
I wonder, and people used to put stickers on the back of old minis, didn't they?
Sometimes this is a proper mini and the new one was not considered by everybody as a proper mini.
I wonder what, how they would manage that. I wonder how that would go today.
Yeah, that's very interesting to think, isn't it?
Well, I've completely accepted the mini progression.
Yeah, I think I have.
I was one of those people that said, you know, that the BMW Mini was far too big and,
you know, he said, Goanus wouldn't have approved and all the rest of it.
And now we've owned a few of them and they're, you know, the next time I drive that car,
I know the one out the window here, I know I'll enjoy it.
Because it's, and it is special. It just feels different.
So congratulations to the guys. Their insight is amazing.
Yeah. And we think, anyway, the short of it is we think 25 years from now,
if somebody's going to buy a car from 2025 in 2050, come back to this podcast in 25 years time
and tell us if we're wrong, that people will go, yep, I would have a JCW as a classic.
I had an electric JCW here a few weeks ago. Oh, in fact, I ran it up the hill climb at
Shells LeWalt. Oh, yeah. It was great. I mean, it bounced a bit, but boy,
you know, as long as it had jars, it went like a sort of cat, terrific.
Yeah, I couldn't make that, actually. I was a bit, I hadn't, one, I hadn't picked up the
Morgan by that point, but I just, yeah, shame. I was going to take the A2 and in the end I couldn't
make it, which is real shame because you haven't got time to sleep. No, it's a bit silly at the
moment, but it is silly. Let's talk, well, on the subject of cars that are getting better,
more relevant, whatever the five star road test cars, we give out a little gong at the award
ceremony every year for a car that scored five stars in the road test in the past 12 months.
Sometimes there aren't any because that's how, what's the word I'm looking for?
Pretty unattainable. Yeah, that's how much scrutiny the road test places on a car. This
year there is one, some Mazda MX-5. Isn't that amazing? No, we talked about this the other day,
didn't we? Actually, I think. Forgotten. I can't remember. Maybe I'll talk about it with
Stormwing when I did a Q&A. Because again, I went on the photo shoot with it and I had to go in this
MX-5. Yeah. What a good car that is. It's, and I find it amazing that it's,
it was a, am I right? It was a five star car, then it sort of faded a bit. It was four and a
half when we first road tested a 1.5 litre. Right. And now we've just, it's just come around again.
We're running quite often, we're running two road tests in a week, can't we, sometimes. Yeah.
It's just come around again. They've got a two litre edition called the, what do they call it,
two litre or Moorer edition, I think, or something like. And it's got five stars. Because also,
the road test is, tests the cars in isolation, but also rates them against their competitors
at the time. And I suppose when we tested that car 10 years ago, there would have been a few
small affordable sports cars. Yeah. And now it is the small affordable sports car.
And of course, they've, they've improved the suspension, you know, messed around with the
diff to Stormy's, but Matt is always big on the, on the influence of this new diff they've got,
which, you know, allows you to do anything you like with it. I should really try one.
Mick Lindley writes AutoCart at Haymarket.com to say, further to your MX-5 road test, I was fortunate
enough to buy a Mazda MX-5 1.5 prime line six months ago, mainly because I wanted to enjoy
driving again. Over six months, it has been a total pleasure to own and drive on all roads,
whether you drive slowly or quickly. And yes, I'm enjoying driving again, just for the sake of it.
I bought the 1.5 because for me, it's more suitable for everyday driving and considerably
cheaper, about £8,000. Down the excellent two litre Hurmura. If I was planning to do track days,
I'd have probably gone for the two litre, but my days of track days is over. And I don't need
the additional performance to enjoy the drive world on Mazda, for giving the enthusiast a great
affordable car, no matter which version you go for. Thanks, Nick. Yeah, great. Spot on. Yeah.
But I bet you the 1.5 do fine at a track day. Yeah. I mean, you just have to go at your speed.
This is what I've learned. My advanced age done a few track days recently in Alpine and a couple.
And nobody cares about, you know, how quick or slow you are. Yeah.
But I mean, you are induced in the case of us and our Alpine to try and chew the tail feathers of
bloke's and boxters of it. Yeah, why not? Yeah, of course. But nobody cares. Honestly, I think a
one and a half Mazda MX5 would be great around Castle Coon, which is where I've been recently.
Yeah, because there are places with slightly faster corners and things where you don't necessarily
need a differential to get extra traction and play any games with a throttle.
Or with that kind of just arrive at the corner and turn the wheel. Yeah, you just hold loads of road
speed would be great. Yeah. Let's do best, best manufacturer, Renault. Yeah, well, they're easy
to argue, isn't it? Yeah, very easy to argue. The way they've kind of piled into the small car,
electric small car thing, which is, you know, that can sustain them in the brave new tomorrow.
I think it's terrific. And they're all good. Yeah. And Britain's best drivers car, which was the event
we held last autumn for the best cars launched in the previous 12 months, winner of that Porsche
911 GT3 Touring. Because I mean, just drive. What else is there? Yeah, you just, it's one of those,
everybody gets in, drives it, gets out and goes, well, okay, yep, okay, that's. But it's, isn't
it great? It's sort of supermarket, take it on your holidays, run it in track day. Yeah. And they
launch a new one, it doesn't make any more power than the previous one. Yeah. And actually, I think
they had to put an extra, maybe a petrol particulate filter or something on it. So it reduced the
power, the power, I think just about stayed the same. But they had to put some extra crash bars
in the doors and a bit of extra trim in which was took the weight up. Plus the particulate filter
took the weight up about 20 kilos, I want to say. So they dropped the gearing ever so slightly,
to make sure it was still as fast as it was in a straight line. But it's,
it's that sort of car, they know they don't, they didn't come at it and go, well, we need to give
it another 200 horsepower. They go, it's got 500, that's how much that car should have. It weighs
whatever it does, 13 something, that's how much that car should weigh. And I really like that.
You know, they're not in the mad race of, oh, let's give it another 100 horsepower,
let's give it, I mean, they are with the turbo, but not with the GT3. No. And it's,
I love the way they can all drive. You go over there and, you know, whoever you've happened to
sit in with, you know, if they get anywhere near the Bicyc track, they kind of, they just drive
like they own it. Well, they do it. You know what I mean? It's indeed, yeah. But, I know what you
mean. There's nobody that, nobody genges about, they all, they all hurl the cars around anyway.
And that's the AutoCar Awards next week, next week, we'll bring you some of the news from the,
because the winners will have interesting stuff to say. And we will be hearing from
people like Klaus Selma, the CEO of Skoda, and Julian Thompson, the designer, and
Stefan Winkleman, the CEO of Lamborghini. Those people will be in the room with us on Tuesday.
There will be stories about them in the magazine and online right now. Head to AutoCar.org UK.
Or go to the newsstands or go to themagazineshop.com and pick up a subscription. There is a link in the
show notes for this podcast, which will do you six issues at the magazine for six pounds.
Isn't it amazing how quickly we've arrived at the, I mean, the AutoCar Awards is mid-year event
as is indeed the good with vessel speed. I mean, I feel like it's February and a bit.
And here we are, looking down the barrel of, you know, the high season.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've barely started. I think I've used my motorbike once,
and I've mown the lawn twice. And that's it so far this year. And yeah, it's, it's all, it, what?
It's all the fault of those people that have been launching Ferrari's and McLaren's and all the
area yesterday to drive a Toyota Hilux. And it was, I've never been to Bulgaria. It's, it's so
pretty. Really? Yeah, lovely. I've heard of people buying holiday properties out there. Oh, I can
believe. Yeah, I can believe. And a pretty affordable and quite, well, I don't know if it's
quite or not, but it's sort of away from it. Yeah, because it's a bit smaller than England,
but the population's 6000000 So it's, so there's a lot you could go out in the sticks and
not see many people. And they seem to have a lot of what we would call byways or green lanes.
And that was part of the, one of the reasons that Toyota launched the Hilux there, because
they had a route like, well, this route is 60 kilometers, whatever it is, half of it is on
byways. And really some tough uphill and downhill stretches.
Yeah, really good vehicle. Yeah, it looks a bit less
like it would be suitable to have a machine gun mounted in the back. You know,
yeah, look quite posh these days, but it's, but it, yeah, it's, they call it all new, which is,
you know, the all is doing a bit heavy lifting. It is new, but it's got a revised
version of the existing chassis revised version of the existing body with like 36 extra spot welds.
It's got much deeper sections in the frame. What do they do about engine and diesel still?
Yeah, it's effectively carry over diesel 48 volt hybrid from the previous gen car.
And that's now the only one they offer in the UK. Whereas you could previously get a non hybrid
and a hybrid. Now there's the diesel option. And there is a full battery electric version,
which is it's got quite a short range because it's only 60 kilowatt battery because the battery
has to fit in the chassis rails because otherwise they don't trust, they don't,
they don't want to leave a battery exposed in a car like that. So it's, so it's, so it fits between
the chassis rails. It's got motors front and rear. I think it's only the third car on sale
to have a Dedeon rear axle. Because instead of the live axle with leaf springs, which would be
a lot of unsprung mass, the motor is now attached to the motor and gearbox for the back is attached
to the chassis frame rather than hanging off the suspension makes sense. And then
so it's got a semi independent rear end, which actually improves the ride as well.
But the problem is it's a much heavier car. The payload is down and the towing limit is down.
And the range is quite short, but they're like, look, it's kind of toe in the water thing. And
there are some fleets whose contracts depend on them being able to offer zero emissions vehicles.
So I mean, I don't know, but you know, maybe if you mow lawns for the council,
you have to have as it, maybe you have to have a battery electric vehicle in which case
high lux is your thing. But really think of that as the is the machine that you, you know,
if somebody said to you, right, you've got to choose a vehicle for the rest of your life.
It's got to function efficiently. And, you know, still be doing its job in 40 years time. That would
be the one. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's what I'd buy. That were a land cruiser. And I think I'll
take one of those 40 years, you'd enjoy it as well. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I reckon.
Shall we talk? We've got a few minutes left. Shall we talk your, well, let's cover some,
let's cover some in a minute, which means actually we'll look after them three days again.
Let's talk the sale of Westfield, because that seems relevant to this week.
Oh, yes. Yeah. Well, a bit of a bombshell that the, there were rather depressing news a few weeks
ago that the owners of Westfield and Chesil, Chesil being the business that makes Porsche 356
replicas coin, you know, puts them on, we used to put them on Beetle chassis and Westfield, they
had, you know, struck hard times and had to liquidate the company or put the car into the
company into voluntary liquidation. And the Nigel Trilt, the bloke that was behind all this,
was desperate to find a buyer and he found one. And the news of that has just broken. And it's
somebody who runs a, one of Europe's biggest track day companies based in Eastern Germany,
just over the Dutch border, has this company is called Driving Fun. The bloke behind it is a guy
called Peter Tunissen, a Dutch guy. And they bought Westfield and they're going to start
manufacturing from a factory they conveniently already own, which is on a, on a circuit they've
established for their driving events. It all sounds rather idyllic. And I've had a word to
this guy, Peter Tunissen is extremely realistic bloke. He's a competitor in the Dutch Westfield
Cup. Apparently, for the last 20 or 30 years, there's been a very active Dutch racing series.
60 odd cars can, you know, can show up at the races. And it's a thoroughly good story, I think.
His plan is to keep manufacturing the cars pretty much as made. So the Westfield SE that we all
know and love. But he's got some plans to make improved versions because he feels that the
saving of Westfield is to keep it close to the competition track he'll climb. Sprints, you know,
that all the stuff. I think that's a good idea. Yeah, I think that's good. And he's very realistic
man. He seems to have made an excellent business success. It's a good story. 20 years ago,
he was a student, all his mates went off to university, he didn't. And they were all
driving enthusiasts. So they said to him, all right, well, you know, you can sort out the
track days, mate. And they and they and he finished up running a track day company.
And that led to having a circuit called circuit meppen, which is this place called meppen just
inside the inside it just lower Saxony, they call it just inside the Dutch border. Sorry,
the German border just to and you can go over there and drive around. He has these arrive
and drive Westfields and thoroughly good news. And the plan, I think, is to make loads of spares
and try and make sure they get sent over here so that there isn't ridiculous EU
price hikes and so on. Yeah, because also there are some
local laws differ, don't they, depending on what you're allowed to do to cars and how easy or
difficult it is to register low volume individual vehicle approval, whatever vehicles in the UK
is fairly straightforward, isn't it? But actually, even making small modifications
to cars in Germany can be a problem. Yeah. But he's he's he's just one of these bloke's
excellent guy. He's one of these people that just doesn't seem to see problems well, we'll sort it
out, you know. And he's the plan is to have a big jamboree on this circuit meppen in
August. Oh, good. I've got the date written down here somewhere amongst me.
The circuit meppen, I can tell you, has an Instagram page at circuit meppen, m-e-p-e-n.com,
if you want to have a look at the Instagram page, it's on the site of an old power station.
That's it. Yeah, still got the big cooling towers in place by the looks of it. And then it's got
various different tracks, including M3 videos have there. That's an M3. How good does that sound?
Nice. Anyway, that's that's an E30 BMW M3 going around meppen. Sorry, the did you find the date
mate, because I was distracted? No, I'm just just let me quick have a quick Captain Cook here.
Docs. I wish I was as quick as you this. It looks like they've hosted. Oh, that's in German,
I can't read that C translation. There we go. Here we are. Yeah, apparently the story goes that
there are 16,000 Westfields on them on the road since 1982. 21st to the 23rd of August,
Circuit Meppen. More details at westfieldsportscarsatcircuitmeppen.com. And what he's fervently
hoping is that a, you know, a really large number of local owners will will go over there. It's not
far. You know what, it's not far. The anywhere, anywhere sort of in western edge of Germany,
and I think this every time we do a job out there, and somebody said, you know, I think,
why don't I just fly? Why don't I just drive? Yeah. In fact, even to the, there was a drive
of the Hyundai i20N prototype that the Nurburgring, whatever that would have been five years ago,
five years ago, something like that. And I drove out and because the driving was finished,
at sort of three in the afternoon, and I just started driving home, and everybody else had to
then get on a bus and go to the airport and then wait for the right plane to go home. I reckon
I probably got back before most of them. Yeah. And was much more enjoyable. And there wasn't
the faffery at the other end for you. No. And I think I went and I think I went in an Alpina
D3 as well. So, which is the ideal wagon for making that sort of journey.
Very much the ideal wagon. Yeah. Which brings us pretty much to the end of this week's podcast.
Steve and I were here three days ago with the Q&A, which you can still find on the channel.
This weekend coming, I think you're talking to Peter Armstrong, the new CEO of the BMM,
which is a bit of a sort of mate's chat because I'm a trustee up there. But the thing is,
he's a very interesting bloke in that he will tell you that he's not a car man,
but he is a museum man. So, he's in the process of rethinking this place to make it more,
I suppose, attractive to museum visitors, which is a nice idea. Yeah. He's fresh
from running a Maritime Museum in America. So, he's got a few stories.
Yeah. So, that will be in three days' time. We'll talk a bit more about the awards,
the people at the awards on next week's pod, which we'll cover a bit more on the AutoCars
Awards held this week in partnership with Siemens. In the meantime, thanks for listening.
Thanks to our sponsor Anderson. Visit Anderson-EV.com and see their full range of rather excellent
chargers. Steve and I will be back. Well, Steve, we'll be back in three days' time,
and I'll be back with him this time next week. Cheers, mate. Cheers. Cheers.
About this episode
The AutoCar Awards take center stage, with the hosts setting the scene for the Royal Artillery Company HQ event alongside the London Concourse, plus sponsor and guest mentions. Between awards talk, they compare “best” picks—from the latest Dacia Duster launch and their long-term Duster ownership to EV and hybrid winners like the Škoda L-Roc and Honda Prelude. The show also ranges into practical ownership (MOT prep, EV range), design identity, and why road testers shape award outcomes.
On this week's My Week In Cars podcast, Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talk about the Autocar Awards, taking place the night before this pod is published. We give gongs to cars and gongs to people too, so stay tuned here and over at Autocar for more.
The pair also talk your letters, the BMW M2, Westfield sports cars and more. For details of a special offer which gives you SIX issues of Autocar for just £6 if you click here.
