The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a big car event in the UK where automakers and racing teams show off cars. It includes a hillclimb and lots of special vehicles you don’t normally see.
Formula E is a racing series where the cars are fully electric. Electric race cars are usually much quieter than gas-powered race cars, which is why it went past silently.
A flat eight-cylinder engine has eight cylinders arranged in two sides that sit opposite each other. Because it sits low in the car, it can help the car feel more balanced and stable when driving.
“Revs” means the engine is spinning faster, like raising the RPM. When they “give it some revs,” they briefly rev the engine to hear it and show how it sounds.
The Hennessey Venom F5 is a very rare, very high-performance supercar. The host brings it up to illustrate how extreme today’s cars can be, especially when it comes to power and driving feel.
The Gordon Murray Automotive T33 is a new, performance-focused supercar. The host is saying this is the first time it’s being shown publicly, so it’s a big moment for fans.
“Battery cars” means cars that run on electricity stored in a battery. You charge them, and they don’t use gasoline like a typical car.
Person
Carl Gotham
Carl Gotham is a person the host mentions as being involved with the MG studio. The host is basically saying he’s part of the team and has experience from Coventry.
A bullbar is a heavy-duty guard that bolts onto the front of a car or SUV. People use it to help protect the front of the vehicle if something hits it.
A “five poster” is a type of bullbar built with multiple vertical steel supports. The idea is to make the front guard strong, while still keeping things like the radiator protected.
The radiator helps keep the engine from overheating by cooling the hot fluid that circulates through the engine. If it gets hit and damaged, the car can overheat fast.
Term
crash software
Crash software is the car’s computer logic for safety systems during an accident. It helps decide what safety features should activate, and the speaker suggests bullbars can affect that.
Airbags are safety cushions that pop out during a crash to help protect you. The speaker is saying that big front structures can interfere with newer crash safety design.
Term
anchor it into the chassis
They mount the bullbar to the car’s main frame, not just the outer bumper. That way, if you hit something, the force is spread out instead of damaging the front end.
Tough Australia is a website the hosts mention for buying vehicle protection parts like bullbars. It’s basically a shopping source for this kind of gear.
The Ford Ranger Raptor is a tougher, off-road-oriented pickup truck from Ford. It’s built for rough conditions, and the conversation ties it to the kinds of front protection people fit in Australia.
Ferrari is a famous Italian brand that makes high-end sports cars. The host is saying they still like the idea of Ferrari, but it doesn’t really work for their situation.
The Porsche 911 is Porsche’s famous sports car with a long history. The hosts are comparing it to a Bentley SUV as two very different kinds of cars to own.
The MGB is a classic British sports car from MG, famous for its simple, lightweight roadster layout and huge enthusiast following. In this segment it’s mentioned as something they saw at the event, and the hosts agree it looks great—reflecting the car’s enduring visual appeal.
“Sharknose” is a nickname for a race car front end that looks long and pointy, kind of like a shark’s snout. People use it to describe the car’s shape and aerodynamics, not a specific mechanical part.
Damon Hill is a famous Formula 1 race driver. He won the F1 championship in the 1990s and later became well-known as a commentator, and the hosts are linking him to a Williams car here.
Person
Alan Jones Williams
Alan Jones is a famous former Formula 1 driver who won the World Championship. The hosts are likely saying the car they’re looking at is a Williams tied to his racing era.
The Ferrari 308 GTB is an older Ferrari sports car with an engine in the middle. It’s well-known among car fans because it’s a true Ferrari that still feels special to drive.
Term
shooting
Here, “shooting” is being used as part of a car body-style name. A “shooting brake” blends the sporty look of a coupe with the space of a wagon.
The Audi A2 is a small Audi hatchback that was designed to be lighter and more efficient than many cars of its time. It’s also the kind of car people sometimes work on themselves.
Nomex is a special heat-resistant fabric used in racing gear. It’s designed to help protect people if there’s fire or extreme heat, even though it can be uncomfortable in hot weather.
Place
Goodwood Fessel at speed
Goodwood is a well-known motorsport venue in the UK. They’re talking about being able to see the track from where the show is happening during a big driving event.
“Super Sports” here means a specific type of early, high-performance Bentley race car. The speaker is also implying only a small number of the original ones were built.
Le Mans is a very famous long-distance race in France that lasts 24 hours. Winning there is a big deal because the cars have to stay fast and reliable for a whole day.
Torcal is the name of a new electric car that Bentley is getting ready to launch. They’re saying people have already reacted positively to the name and early look.
“Design DNA” just means the signature look that makes a Bentley a Bentley. They’re saying the new car will keep those recognizable design features, even if the style has been updated.
Concept
EV third
They’re saying the car should feel like a Bentley first, be a great car to drive second, and be electric third. In other words, the electric part matters, but it’s not the only thing they want you to notice.
Term
visitor experience
“Visitor experience” refers to how a brand organizes tours and access for people to experience the company’s facilities. In this segment, Bentley’s headquarters access is described as changing from being limited to existing or prospective customers to a broader programme.
A camouflage prototype is a test car that’s disguised so people can’t tell exactly what it will look like when it’s finished. Companies do this while they’re still developing and testing new cars.
A development drive is when engineers take a test car out to check how it behaves in normal driving. It helps them confirm the car’s systems and changes work before production.
A restomod is basically a classic car that’s been updated with newer technology. The host is saying this isn’t that kind of “update an old car” approach.
The Maserati MC20 is a modern supercar with its engine mounted in the middle. The hosts are saying the new car they’re discussing is effectively based on the MC20.
The carbon-fiber tub is the main structural body section that the driver and passengers sit inside. Carbon fiber is strong and light, so it helps the car feel more rigid and responsive.
These are the fancy doors that open upward like wings. The host is saying you might hear them called different names, but they’re the same basic door style.
The MC20 is a high-performance sports car made by Maserati. It has its engine in the middle and is built to feel quick and responsive when you drive. The talk about the rear subframe is about the parts that support the back of the car and help it handle properly.
The rear subframe is like a strong metal base that holds the back suspension and related parts. If it’s reinforced, the car can feel tighter and more stable, especially when cornering or accelerating.
Cross braces are extra metal supports that connect sections of the car’s structure. They help the body resist twisting, which can make the handling feel more precise.
A mid-engine coupe has the engine closer to the middle of the car. That helps the car balance better, so it can feel more agile in corners than a similar car with the engine farther forward.
A saloon car is basically what many people call a sedan. The point here is that a sedan’s layout is different from a mid-engine coupe, so the suspension and structure need different tuning.
Horsepower is a number that tells you how strong the engine is. Higher horsepower usually means the car can accelerate more quickly, all else equal.
Term
a ton and a half
This is basically the car’s weight. Heavier cars usually need more power to feel quick, while lighter cars can feel more responsive.
Term
Park electrification
This means more cars in a lineup are becoming electric (or more electric). The speaker is saying some supercars are getting complicated or tech-heavy compared with older-style cars.
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a smaller luxury car meant for everyday driving. It’s designed to be more affordable than bigger Mercedes models, which is why people mention its price. It typically focuses on comfort, convenience, and modern features.
The BMW i8 is a sports car that uses both electricity and fuel to move. It’s designed to be different from typical sports cars, which is why people call it niche. The hybrid system helps it combine electric driving with a gasoline engine.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a pickup truck that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It can feel very quick because electric motors provide strong power right away. The hill-climb comment is about how well it can drive under load.
The Ford GT is a very expensive, high-speed sports car made in small numbers. It’s built to be fast and exciting, and that rarity is part of why people talk about it. Because there aren’t many of them, the price can be extremely high.
The Honda NSX-R is a more hardcore, track-style version of the Honda NSX. Because it’s limited and aimed at enthusiasts, it tends to be very expensive today.
The Porsche Macan is Porsche’s smaller SUV. It’s often seen as the “regular” way to get into Porsche ownership compared with the super-rare, super-expensive cars.
The Porsche 917 is one of the most famous race cars Porsche ever built. It’s so iconic that people use it as a benchmark for something extremely rare and extremely valuable.
This is referring to Stellantis, a big car company that owns multiple brands. The speaker is saying some of the company leadership didn’t know about the project at first, then approved it.
Bottega is described here as a niche division within the Alfa Romeo/Maserati ecosystem. The idea is to produce very limited “few off” or one-off cars—essentially small-batch or bespoke builds for enthusiasts.
A “one-off” car means there’s only one of that exact car. It’s basically a custom build instead of something many people can buy.
Car
Alfa Romeo T-33 Stradale
The Alfa Romeo T-33 Stradale is an old, very rare Alfa built for racing. It’s famous for being lightweight and for having a small V8 engine—people often talk about the engine size (like 2.2 liters) when describing it.
Misfiring is when the engine doesn’t ignite fuel in one or more cylinders the way it should. That can make the car feel jerky and lose power, especially when you’re trying to accelerate out of a turn.
“2.2” here is likely the engine size, meaning the engine is around 2.2 liters. Bigger or smaller engine size affects how the car feels when you press the gas.
Horsepower is a way to describe how much “work” the engine can do. Higher horsepower usually means the car can accelerate more strongly, though gearing and weight also matter.
Term
240 something horsepower
Horsepower numbers can differ depending on how they were measured or which version of the car is being discussed. That’s why you might see different horsepower claims for the same model.
The Jaguar C-Type is another famous Jaguar race car from the 1950s. It was built for long-distance races like Le Mans, and it’s part of the same “Jaguar racing” story as the D-Type.
The Jaguar E-Type is a very famous sports car from the 1960s. It’s known for its beautiful design and for being a “dream car” for a lot of enthusiasts.
This is a special Maserati meant to feel more like a race car than a normal road car. The name “Stradale” usually means it’s the street version of a more track-oriented idea.
This just means a GT3 that you can open up like a convertible, using a fabric roof. It’s still meant to drive like a very sporty GT3, but with the top down capability.
They’re talking about a competition that picks the best “driver’s car” in Britain. The idea is to choose cars that are fun and satisfying to drive, not just fast on paper.
A handling day is a structured test session focused on how cars behave dynamically—steering, balance, grip, and driver feedback—rather than just acceleration or braking in isolation. Here, it’s used as the hosts’ internal evaluation event before they decide what to take forward for the next 12 months.
The Renault 5 is an older small car model from Renault. It’s remembered because it was practical and popular, and people still talk about it today. The episode is likely looking back at its history and why it mattered.
Pierre Gasly is a professional race driver in Formula 1. He drives for Alpine, and he earns points when he finishes races in certain positions. More points and podium finishes usually mean he’s doing better and moving up the standings.
Career points are the total points a Formula 1 driver has earned over their whole F1 career. You get points for finishing in the right positions in each race. Reaching 500 points is a way to show how much success the driver has had overall.
A podium finish is when a driver places in the top three in a race. It’s a big deal because it usually means the car was fast and the driver executed well. The hosts are using it to describe how often Gasly has been among the very best.
Alpine is the racing team Pierre Gasly drives for in Formula 1. The team builds and develops the car, so when the team improves, the driver often performs better too. The hosts are saying Alpine’s car and results are trending upward.
Place
Goodwood Pebble Beach Road Racing Club
It’s a motorsport event brand tied to Goodwood and Pebble Beach. Think of it as a themed racing/enthusiast program that takes over parts of the Festival of Speed area.
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Hello, and welcome to the 201st episode of the My Week in Cars podcast. Steve, we had
an anniversary last week, the 200th episode of this pod, and completely forgot about it.
I completely forgot about it. Sorry. This pod is brought to you in association with
Anderson, our sponsors. Visit Anderson-EV.com for more details of their design-focused premium
car chargers. It is the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and I was lining up for a car to
go past that we were here in the background, but it was an old Formula E car, so it went
past completely silently. We'll talk Festival of Speed this week, won't we?
Do you want to talk about where we are?
Where are we, Steve?
Well, here we are in our little interesting little pod, which is a soundproof thing that's
been imported from Bentley's crew factory, and it's been repurposed at Goodwood as a
pod studio, and here we are among the first users of it. I'm told by the guys outside
that we were the first to want to use it, so I'm feeling rather proud of that. It's
a hell of a good idea, isn't it?
Because how many hundred times have we been in places like this and thought it's impossible
to talk to anyone? So it's really worked out fine, isn't it?
Yeah, it's good. Hopefully the sound quality is okay, and that it's pretty quiet. There
is a bit of drum and bass in the background, and at some point a Formula One car will go
past making some racket, but I think we'll find out.
Yeah, we will. I'm looking forward to it.
This week, so we're going to talk Festival of Speed this week, and because there are
some new cars here, is it the British motor show these days, effectively?
I think so. Not entirely. I think there's still a bit of a thread where people are,
whereas everything used to get launched in one place, manufacturers are still inclined
occasionally to have separate events, aren't they, for big things, but it is absolutely
as close as you get, and deservedly so, I think.
So, on video already, and in the magazine that's out now, and on the website and the
socials, you can find details of some of the new car launches, which include things like
the Roof B8, where they've developed a flat eight-cylinder engine.
Sounding okay, isn't it?
Sounds all right, doesn't it?
Are they running out here? I believe that I think that's a little bit of press risk.
Yeah, and they're doing some stuff over the weekend, they're firing up the engine in
the pits to give it some revs, but I think it's nice to hear it for real. I don't love
engines being revved unless they've got a load on them.
I just think they just, it's not right. Actually, somebody said you're not supposed to do it
either because of the way, the speed with which things can rev up and down is not good
for it.
Yeah, I agree, but it doesn't, it seems a bit fatuous somehow.
And there's also things like the Hennessy Venom F5, which is the world's most powerful
manual car these days. T33, Gordon Murray Automotive T33, Spyder gets its first public
showing here. We saw it in the studio a little while ago. And a lot more besides, which you
can find.
The one that I'm interested in is this MG GO. Is it called the little...
The little one?
Yeah, the Renault 5-sized MG.
Does that preview the MG2? Is that right?
Yes, the discussion is whether it'll be the MG2, but it's a... I mean, I think so. Our
news bloke seems to think so. But it's just the arrival of small, capable battery cars,
I see as a positive, especially. Just a good opportunity for this country.
Do you know much about it?
Not really, just a size, but designed here. And the usual MG studio, sort of in opposite
Madame Tussauds in London, by Carl Gotham and his team, you know, a bloke who learned
his trade in Coventry. So, you know, good thing.
Yeah. And, well, there's loads. Visit the website, read the magazine, buy a magazine.
Mobs.
Buy a magazine, that's what I say. Shall we talk our columns a bit as well?
Yeah, let's go for it.
The most important thing for me, mate, is I haven't seen you for about two weeks.
No, it's been so strange. I'll tell you what, Matthew. Because, you know, three years of
this now, it's kind of, it's part of my life. And also, I was sitting in my, just, I wasn't
been in Australia for a family event for 10 days or something. And I arrived home and
I'm sitting in my dining room where we normally make this pod. And I thought, well, where
is he, you know?
Like me coming home and the cat has gone to my neighbour for a few days.
Oh, of course, yeah.
Yeah, that is where, that is his go-to holiday, if I'm, well, he's there now, because I'm
here. Yeah, there is a certain, you come in and you go, well, where, where, where, where
what's going on?
Well, of course, we make these things even more at your place, don't we?
Because, you know, you live more conveniently than I do.
Yeah.
So, I've enjoyed your columns since you've been away, because you're the kind of person
who files them wherever you are, wherever you are. Don't miss a week, much like me.
Yeah, so there's stuff to, there's stuff to talk about.
I always thought Australians called them Roobars, but they don't.
They still call them Bullbars.
Well, opinions vary.
Right. But Roos are only part of it, you see, that's the thing.
These days, there's lots to hit out there, I discovered.
I was with a very good friend of mine, a bloke I've known since he was one.
And since I was one, and he, he has a pretty extensive life going back and forth
to see his mates and sheepstations and things.
And the big things that you can hit at the moment are Roos, emus,
both of whom are fantastically stupid because they run the wrong way.
They also erupt out of the half light at early morning or evening.
The other problem is things called galas, which are these parrot like creatures
that sit in a gutter alongside a road and they wait until you're
about 20 yards away and then they all erupt and they'll 60 of them will fly.
And instead of flying off the road, they fly towards the road.
So there's this big sort of thing you can hit eight of them, you know.
Oh, my goodness. It's a horrible mess.
Is it are they are they considered a menace?
Do Australians use the phrase flaming galar or not?
There is actually a because I've heard it on, you know, Australian soaps.
But I don't know whether they were just hammering it up for an international audience.
Well, I think it still exists.
So being called a galar, everybody absolutely knows what that means.
You know, complete idiot.
It's just it's it's a there are certain English equivalents, you know.
Yeah, I suppose the thing is, is that we over here run risks of hitting deer,
but they tend to be relatively small.
I mean, they do do some damage, don't they?
Yeah, they can you can have a pheasant because they're dimwitted.
But yeah, but they do, you know, very little.
But at the time, you've got birds the size of emus.
Yeah. Well, the big problem with both roos and emus is that
the body mass is, you know, if you sit in the car,
you're about what, three to four feet off the floor, a meter and a bit.
And that's where the body mass is.
So if you pile into this creature, horrible,
it, you know, in extremists, it can join you in the car and you're better.
That's not to the level. Subopt. Subopt.
Yeah. And so.
You really need the big problem, I said to Paul, you know,
well, why don't people just go a bit slower?
And he said, well, the trouble is it's a long way from X to Y or A to B.
And you just you're allowed 110 K 70 miles an hour.
And you just can't tolerate driving at 55 because it's such a bleeding long way.
So you just you just get on with it and keep your eyes peeled and hope for the best.
Yeah. And of course, a bullbar.
I spent an hour or two touring my hometown with Paul.
He just took me on a tour of bullbars and there's they come in all shapes and sizes.
But the, you know, the premium 24 karat bullbar is a thing called a five poster,
which has got five vertical pieces of steel and some some horizontal bits.
But there's it also has a mesh across it so that nothing can get to your radiator.
The big problem is a radiator.
Apparently, he says bullbars are not about looking after your lovely coach built
panels. They're about being able to drive home.
Yeah, because if if I presume even a galar, if you hit a speed,
could hold your radiator and then you're stuffed.
Yeah, you know, you and as he eloquently put it,
that there isn't a flatbed truck half an hour away.
Yeah, yeah. So no, it was a bit of an education.
I mean, I was brought up with all this.
But when I was leaving Australia, the bullbar was more or less finished
because crash software and and airbags and and all that stuff
was just coming into cars.
And this was not consistent with putting a great big structure in front of the car.
It wasn't legal.
But now you can get the bullbar manufacturers can
can change your software so that the bullbar is compatible with that.
Got you with the software.
And also they tend to run in in the biggest ones.
They'll run some bars along the side of the car and anchor it into the
anchor them into the chassis halfway down.
I see the impact is spread.
Yeah, because otherwise, if if you have this unsupported thing
and hit something hard with it, the whole lot comes back into the
into the grill of your car.
So it's actually a bit of an art form.
There was a there's a rather excellent website called Tough Australia,
to you, Double F Australia, which and there's a huge selection of these things.
Yeah, it's quite a quite an art form now.
Yeah, should we talk on a vaguely related thing?
Because it was developed in Australia, the Ford Ranger Raptor.
Oh, yes. And yours, which is going to be replaced.
Yeah, well, I ran it for a month or two and then you bought it.
I bought it. And very sadly, it was stolen a few weeks ago
from my house very stupidly.
I failed to
up, you know, use all the protections I might have done.
You can bet my house is pretty damn well protected now.
Yeah. But the car disappeared.
It was recovered in Wales.
But the the condition of it is still a concern.
So what I've decided to do is just let it go and take the money.
And I might buy another one or I might.
It's actually quite an interesting position to be in,
because the payoff is 45 grand.
We have this Alpine, roughly worth 35 grand.
We could consolidate the two and buy something excitingly expensive.
You know, if, if, you know, if we're really feeling balmy about it.
Angela's always like the my Mrs always loved the idea of a Bentley.
You know, you could buy a reasonably cheap one.
Early Bentayga or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I still like the idea of Ferrari, although Ferrari's don't.
Go down that far, really.
The 34 eights and things do.
But yeah, that's interesting, isn't it?
You'd be into a sphere of car where it's quite, it's quite old, isn't it?
Like, yes. Yeah. Does that appeal?
No, because not so much because.
The thing we enjoy is driving and I just don't want to have a car that.
Where every time I do a couple of hundred miles, I sort of think,
oh, well, that's another few grand.
You know, I think Porsche is it comes down to Bentayga versus 911.
OK. I think that's in my head. Yeah.
I haven't actually discussed this in extensively with the steering committee.
So we'll have to see what comes out of it.
Is Angela a listener?
Not usually.
So she'll have no idea that the short list at the moment is.
Well, no, there has been a discussion, but not.
Nothing concluded, but as you know, Greg, you know, you and the Moog,
there's there's a.
There's a whole interesting phase, isn't there, in between having the idea
and talking to you, talking about it with your missus and making the decision
and actually doing it.
And I tend to enjoy it.
I think we'll we'll we'll probably take till the autumn to do something.
Yeah, it's a nice phase.
I do like that phase of thinking about thinking about cars.
Yeah, thinking about cars.
And the thing is what quite often happens is that somebody else comes up
with an idea that you haven't thought of.
You know, my sons may well say, well, how about such a touch?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
So we'll see what we do.
But the Alpine or not the Alpine, whether or not to keep the Alpine
is the the sort of proposition has changed because we've we've bought
this.
Perto two or 51 point nine rally car.
Oh, of course.
And that will be a really good thing for the stuff we do track days,
hillclubs for which the Alpine currently does a job.
Yeah. And it and it has done a good job.
But yeah, but the two or five will be better.
Yeah.
So it could be spared, but it slightly depends on the Mrs.
because she has loved the car.
And if she says, I can't face my life without the Alpine,
then we'll think again or maybe that, you know, the the thing I badly
don't want is for this 45 grand to go into a new kitchen or something.
Well, it could, it could disappear if you're not careful.
Yeah, you've got to be going on the roof or something.
Yeah, I think you just have to watch out for that sort of thing.
You do. Absolutely right.
Yeah.
I drew. Oh, no, let's talk when you got back.
One of the first things you saw was an MGB.
Yeah.
They do look great, don't they?
Oh, mate, we, you know, what horrible condition you're in when
you've just done a long old flight to 25 hours or something.
I mean, you've done so many lately.
Yeah, I spoke to somebody the other week, actually an Australian journalist
called Steve Pizzatti, who I don't know if you know, he's a nice fellow.
He was in the UK for a couple of weeks because he's developed a piece
of software called Torbos, which helps people on driving tours go exactly
in the right place.
Yeah. Anyway, he said, oh, I'm going to be in Oxford.
Are you free?
Yeah, that would be, I mean, sometimes I hate the internet, but isn't it
fantastic for that sort of thing where somebody from 12,000 miles away
just says, I'm going to be next door.
Do you want to go for a pizza?
Anyway, I think he said, actually, that one of the nice things you can't,
rather than the back-to-back flights or do one to Perth and then another,
and then have to go another eight or whatever.
He said, actually, if you go to, like, Malaysia or somewhere like,
or sort of not quite far east, but nearly, and stay overnight and then have
two sort of daytime flights, you find it much less tiring than,
this is a niche conversation, I realize, for those who commute to Australia.
But he said, you know, actually, spread it out a little bit and spend some
time sleeping somewhere and have daytime flights.
It was much nicer.
No, he's right about that.
This was a bit of a, this was sort of something we just wanted out of the way.
But it was.
So you feel a bit ropey when you come back anyway.
So we were leaving the airport and feeling a bit ropey.
And then just out of nowhere, appeared this, this bloke in an MG,
lovely MGV, you know, a really nice ivory car.
And he was obviously a, you know, a pilot.
God, there's something.
I know, if you think we're distracted, listen, it's because there is a Ferrari.
Sharknose.
Yes, the thing that has just gone up the hill.
And it's just coming back down as they do it, good wood, back into the paddocks.
So some, and then a rather more modern formula one.
That's not a formula one, is it?
No, that is not a formula one.
That is.
Great radio this thing.
Something looking like.
Oh, it's Damon Hills.
David Hills lead.
I know if it's Damon Hill, but it must be, mustn't it, surely?
And he's in a, is he in a Mansel Williams?
He's certainly in a Williams.
Certainly in a Williams.
Oh, that's so cool.
Lovely size.
It's an amazing place.
This isn't it?
It is amazing.
I mean, this, this, this location we're in, where, where we've got a elevated.
Oh, there's a Alan Jones Williams.
Bloody hell.
This must be the best place in the entire venue to watch from.
Yeah.
What a collection.
Yeah.
We're just on the approach, if you've been too good with it, we're just on the approach
to Molcom, which is the left-hander near where the commentary booth is based.
And it's where in the driver notes, it says, if you wait until you've seen Molcom, it's
too late to break for it.
So please don't do that because this is an exhibition and falling off is not good for
anybody because it delays the event and people get very cross.
Also, you know, a few tens of grand, if not hundreds of grand with damage to some of these
cars as well.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
It's a beautiful collection, gosh.
Gosh.
But those are early Ferrari's, gosh.
Too much.
It's so small and delicate and everything, aren't they?
Yeah.
I mean, I could see why, who, who, what was it, who wrote, if you ever,
was it you, if you ever had the opportunity to buy a Ferrari and you don't?
You need shooting.
You need shooting.
It was, it was Gavin Green.
Okay.
I mean, I was on that cast for buying a, I was going to buy either a 911 or a Ferrari
308 GTB and the cars were there, presented and he said to me that, you know, anybody
that can buy a Ferrari and doesn't need shooting, which is a, you know, and I must say that
it caused me to do it and it was a good decision.
It was.
Yeah.
I mean, it was, it wasn't really a keeper because for the reasons I talked about, it's
not, it's hard to have a car like that and just, just use it casually, which is what
I tend to do with cars I have.
Yeah.
And, but I'm glad I did it.
I need to write a column for Felix Page, our deputy editor, because you know, you have
the YI Love on the back page.
Yeah.
He's, I've been commissioned to do one on, I think he's phrased it Backyard Mechanics.
Oh.
Which is working on your own stuff.
And I think, I can't remember where I saw this video or meme or, or philosophical quote
or whatever.
It's like, if you don't have loads of money in it, but you want nice stuff, you just
have to learn to fix and do things and, and build things yourself.
Yeah.
And I'm, I sort of get that because it, I got a bit of work done on the Audi A2, which
I could have done myself and I should have done myself.
And it was done very well and very professionally and they were very kind with the bill.
They said, we won't charge you for all of it because it's a 500 pound A2.
So I've knocked off some of the hours.
Yeah.
But basically it's, you know, it's, it's knocking on to ground that I spent on that car, which,
which has been done brilliantly by very nice people.
But I should have, you know, it just, it's just the case of, yeah, of having that sort
of thing.
I think it's, it's nice having a lot of stuff, but it kind of works best if you can, if you
can do it.
But any Ferrari would be difficult and a new, particularly a new one would be non impossible,
I suppose.
I think so.
Yeah.
We were lucky with that car.
We only had one small problem with a weeping coolant pipe, which was pretty easily fixed.
But after three, I had a three years and 20,000 miles.
And I think that was, it was a good time to sell it, especially since I sold it for
a profit.
Yeah.
Should we hear from the man from Bentley, who's going to talk to us about, well, he's
going to introduce where we are for a bit better than we will.
And then we're going to talk, I think what I particularly want to ask him about is some
of the heritage stuff, because you will be able to go and see some old Bentley's rather
more easily than you can now.
And of course this is a little piece of Bentley that we're sitting in.
Yes, exactly.
So here is Mike.
Well, I'm delighted to say that Steve and I are joined by Mike Sayer from Bentley.
Hello, Mike.
Hello, Matt.
How are you?
All right.
Thank you.
You?
A little warm, but I'll take it for where we are.
Yeah.
Not as warm as you were earlier today?
Yes.
Three layer Nomex is not the fashion choice that makes sense when it's 30 degrees outside.
No.
Here we are.
We should have said that.
Shouldn't we?
We're overlooking the track at Goodwood Fessel at speed.
And Mike was driving around in a 29 Bentley, was it?
26.
100 years old this year.
A little super sports, one of the 18 original super sports, but since fitted with a four
and a half litre engine.
So it goes like stinking.
The engine.
You were telling me the engine that won Le Mans.
Exactly.
Yeah.
The very four and a half litre that won Le Mans in 1928 and founded its way into this little
car in the 1930s.
It was raced 40 times by its owner, Kit Baker Carr, and it's been lent to us over the summer
by a very generous and passionate owner.
Wow.
There's stuff to tell us about recent developments at Crew.
Are they not?
Yes.
Yes.
We've been very busy.
The big news from Crew before the event was the official naming of our upcoming EV, which
has just been announced as the new Torcal, really positive response both from the media
and from the customers that have seen the car already.
So we're feeling good about it.
That name announcement kicks off a couple of months of work as we slowly show you more
and more of the car and then we will launch it to the world on the 23rd of September.
How will you do that?
Well, we've got a huge party planned in London for it.
So there'll be a couple of days of activity culminating in a live reveal.
And before then, we've got customer previews, we've got media previews.
I'd love to invite you both to Crew to come and see the car properly and then starts the
really hard work once it's live and we've shown the world.
We have got to work to find prospects and you bring new people to the brand,
showcase it to our current customers as well and so far that process is going extremely well.
What can you tell us about the actual format of the car?
The thing we're all impatient to know is how big, how high?
So I can't tell you much yet.
You'll find more details as we go over the next few weeks and months.
It's five metres long, so it's slightly smaller than a Bentayga,
slightly different set of attributes to a Bentayga as well.
The way that we've designed the car and the way that the car's been engineered is
it's very much a Bentley first, so you're not going to see it and go,
that doesn't look like a Bentley, it's going to be recognisably a Bentley,
admittedly with design DNA that's been evolved.
So it's a Bentley first, it's a great car second and it's an EV third
and that philosophy we think is what's driven this initially very positive reaction
to the car to the people that we've shown it to.
Is there stuff happening at HQ which allows the public more access to
classic stuff here or to stuff the factory and so on?
Absolutely, yeah, so we've just launched a new programme.
Previously headquarters was in terms of becoming a visitor to Bentley,
you had to either be an existing customer or someone that was about to become a customer.
My old boss and your old friend Wayne Bruce is now director of Visitor Experience at Bentley,
has done some really fantastic work launching a new programme that allows people
to pay up a very small amount of money to come to headquarters,
see our main welcome building where we've got modern cars on display,
we have some heritage cars on display including the eight pre-war crown jewels
of the heritage collection.
So they can come and have a tour of that whole facility be immersed in that sort of welcome point.
Is it going to curated tour isn't it?
Exactly, fully curated tour with some refreshments as well
and he's working on a wider factory tour programme as well
so the ability for people to pay to come and have a full factory tour experience around the campus.
That's cool because I think Steve and I, you must have done it as well Steve,
we've had the full factory tours really interesting because there's the stuff of putting cars together
in the way that people might have seen but when you can go around
and see people sowing steering wheel fabrics on and letters and stuff like that,
that's the really interesting bit.
Yeah and the great thing about the campus in crew is it's not just all the handcraftsmanship
that people half expect, they don't expect to see how deep it goes
but the thing that most people don't realise is that everything that is Bentley is in crew
so it's yes it's where the cars are built but it's also where they're designed
and where they're developed engineered so as you walk around the factory
you could see a camouflage prototype drive past you that's going out for a development drive
because we've got a thousand engineers there so it's an eye-opening experience.
Yeah, bro.
Amazing.
The thing we failed to do was to talk about what your actual position is
but my understanding as well as being our touchstone at Bentley,
you're responsible for and have put together a rather wonderful Bentley classic collection
and tell us about that, where were they all, why have you chosen the cars,
you've got, how big are they all?
This is dangerous Steve because I can talk about this for about an hour uninterrupted,
I'll try not to.
So yeah, my day job is I'm head of product communications
so I look after the communications around the model range globally
but my side hustle is being head of the heritage collection.
Absolutely.
Full Pride and Joy sort of project.
My team and I inherited it five years ago
and when we started the previous philosophy for the heritage collection
was we can have some cars but they should be kept pristine,
never driven, put on display as sort of bookmarks of chapters of Bentley.
When we started we said no, I and we don't agree with that philosophy
so when we started there were only nine usable road legal cars in the collection.
We set four rules which we took to the board to get approved
one of which was every single car we own has to be drivable,
has to be usable, road legal if it's a road car
and the other rule was every part of the Bentley story had to be told
we couldn't just leave big gaps because of, you know, being owned by road cars.
So five years later we have 52 cars in the collection
42 road cars and 10 race cars
all 42 road cars are road legal, ready to run
and all 10 race cars are ready to take to a track and operate.
What sort of investment has that must have been a considerable investment?
I'm not going to give you numbers Steve, all I will tell you is
the first thing we did was we had some assets that we didn't need anymore that we sold
so we generated some money to start with
and we used that money to then restore some cars, buy some new cars
and build some spaces in which to keep them
because previously these cars were somewhere on site, somewhere in warehouses around crew
the third rule, I mentioned there were four rules, the third rule was that
every single car had to be kept on campus, on display
so even when it's not busy doing something it's on display and therefore doing a job
so if you come to the Bentley now I can walk you around three heritage places
and you'll see every single car in the collection.
Oh so they're kind of scattered around the site, not scattered but in different places?
Yeah so the pre-war cars, the ones that I mentioned, they're in CW1
in our reception building so they're the crown jewels, they're really valuable cars
when you then come into the main factory you can do a time warp
because we have a space which is the nominal home of every part of the collection that was built in crew
so 1946 to present day
and then we've just opened a third space which we call our specials and sports garage
which is where we've got some of the more exciting things
so the Le Mans cars, GT3s, Pikes Peak cars
Jeremy Clarkson's MFB car from the Grand Tour
Her Majesty the Queens, Walsani WB and a few other special things
This is an interesting comparison
Well they're currently parked next to each other actually, they've been a strange twist
And would they be part of a tour or a visit as if the public come
they'll be at some point, they'll be able to see all of those
Absolutely, so one of the happy challenges we have is utilizing the heritage cars
and sending them out on events and driving them and utilizing them
while also making sure that the displays are full of cars
because it would be disappointing for someone to come into crew expecting to see heritage cars
and the garage is half full because everything's busy
So that's a lovely problem to have but any time we get asked for a car
if we can do it, if we can resource it, we'll send it on a mission
Super, Bill, Mike, thanks very much for your time
It's my pleasure, thank you so much for helping me
Thanks to Ben Lee and Mike
We'll take a short break to tell you that this pod is sponsored by Anderson
Visit Anderson-EV.com
They do design focus to premium home chargers
Shall I talk?
Have you been in the archive? I have been in the archive
You've been away haven't you, so you haven't wanted to go in for the other day
If you go to themagazineshop.com
You can subscribe to this mag
In the show notes is a special offer
Six issues in the magazine for six pounds I think
But with a subscription you get access to the digital archive
And I was looking I think in specifically in the 1970s
Oh yeah, I'll tell you why
Because it was the Alpha 33 Stradale
The new version of which I drove the other day
Which is an X million pound limited edition supercar
They're making 33 of them
Actually they've made 34 because one's a prototype
Which is what I drove
But of course that is not a Resto mod
And it's not a retro because it's an all new car
And it's not a retro and it's a new car
With slightly classic inspired styling
From the original Alpha 33 Stradale
Which was a road car based off of a moderately successful-ish racing car
What engines in there?
The new one
It is effectively Maserati MC20
Oh so proper car
Yes, but it's an MC20
Which is Maserati's 2 seat mid-engine supercar
They take the carbon fibre tub from the convertible version of that
Because it's been strengthened over the coupe
And then they put a roof on it
So it's stiffer in the first instance
And then it gets an aluminium cross braced roof
Because it's got dihedral slash butterfly doors
Whatever you want to call them
Which arc over 90 degrees right into the roof
And it's got glass in the roof
That you can change the amount of tint on
So it can feel really bright and airy
It's got the MC20 engine and transmission
But the rear subframe has been strengthened
As well as it's got cross braces
Was it convincing Alpha?
Yeah, but that MC20 was
Depending on who you ask
If you ask people at Alpha
Some of them say yeah
It was kind of always meant to be an Alpha in the first place
And then Maserati were given that platform to boost them
And other people from Maserati say
No that's not true
That sounds quite Italian
Yes, but it is a
So it drives
And it's got suspension from the Alpha GT-A
The Julia GT-A slash GT-AM
Which has been re-tweaked for the
It's got a wider track
And it's been tweaked for the fact
That this is a mid-engine coupe not a saloon car
And it drives MC20 adjacent
I suppose, moved on a bit
I like the MC20 anyway
Good car
I remember your story
You really liked that car
Yeah, I think it's a nice, honest, straightforward
It's only got only
It's got 630 horsepower
And weighs about a ton and a half
So many supercars have got
Park electrification
Power going here, there, everywhere
This is just a very straightforward, honest
Old-fashioned in some ways
Not, I don't mean old-fashioned
But old-school maybe
Simplified somehow
Just a very straight proposition
That I liked a lot
And in the Alpha I think it works
It drives really nicely
And it's beautifully done
Beautifully done
Glad to hear
A colleague there, we said
Who else could do a car that costs
We think 2, somewhere between 2 and 3 million pounds
But also sell
Whatever the cheapest, Alfa is the junior
Or something like 29,015 pounds
Is there anybody who has such a broad
Spread of that in the car industry?
I don't
Not at the moment, is there?
No, I don't think so
Not at all
And I don't know if there ever
I suppose the Mercedes-AMG1
Was 2.5 million pounds, wasn't it?
And they sell the
They sell an A-class at under 30
Or around 30
Yeah, how far up the pole of BMW has gone
No, we're near that, haven't we?
I don't think so
No, I think so
You know, about the olden days
The M1s and things
Yeah, but I don't think since then
What's the most expensive?
I suppose the most niche car
They've done since is the i8, is it?
i8, yeah
I was talking to a bloke
That we both know
Who's just bought an i8
What a great car he says
It's a bargain
I think he paid 38 or something
Seems like a lot of car, doesn't it?
It does, they're so interesting
There's so much to say about them
Braves as well, such a brilliant piece of bravery
Sorry, I...
No, you're right
I messed you up
No, not at all
I must say I look at them
And think, wouldn't that be a cool thing to have?
I don't know what
It'd be interesting to continue
To follow the journey
And find out how much it costs to look after
Yeah, he's got a...
He's apparently located a specialist
That he's really pleased with
And this guy is one of the people that you can...
Who rings you up and has a conversation with you
Before changing everything
Which is, of course, what you need
Yeah, but I mean, it shouldn't rock
Because it's a...
It's a composite
Yeah
Car for the most part
And then a lot of the mechanicals
Because it's a mini-engine, isn't it, in fact?
Yeah, I think he said
There's only really two things to do
One is to make sure that
The...
Cam belt is...
Well up to speed and...
Watch out for soft
Struts that open the doors
Oh, really?
And apart from that, they're pretty bulletproof
Yeah
Lightning McQueen has just pulled off the hill
It went up pretty slowly
I wonder what it is, but it's got...
I wonder what it is underneath
Because it looks like Lightning McQueen
Off of cars, but...
I mean...
Right down to the eyeballs and the windscreen
So I don't know quite...
I suppose it must be one of my glass
Or the most of a camera or something
But that's...
There's always something to see here, isn't there?
I'm so...
Conflicted about the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Because...
We've been so many times
That you sort of know...
That the sort of shock is expected
And I often think that I could do with a...
You know, a year's break or something
But I've never taken a year's break
Came to the first one
Yeah
I remember standing on some hay bales that...
Were rather...
Poorly located as it turned out
Because, you know, as soon as...
I think Frankel was there as well
And shortly after we stepped off
Somebody hit him
Oh, really?
Lucky escape
Yeah, I...
I didn't come to the first one
I think I came to the second one
And I would have been...
From the first one, 93 or 94
Maybe early 90s
And I've been...
I did miss one a couple of years ago
Because I used to do some commentary
Oh, you did, of course you did
On the Supercar runs
And then I had to miss a year
Because my lad had an ice hockey tournament
In Hull, I think
So I said, I can't...
Really sorry, can't do it
Anyway, never done it since
So they must have taken events
Go from the opportunity
Oh, crikey, we don't have to ask Pryor anymore
It was a massive stipend
Yeah, so who else could sell
A 3 million quid car plus a 30,000 pound car?
I was just trying to think
I mean, is Ford in there?
Yeah, I think so
I think so
Because they kind of have
They've did a...
I mean, I know the Ford GT is only
In VertiCom as sort of 4,500,000
The most recent one
But they've also...
They did a...
And I now made like 1,300 of those, I think
But they also did a track only special version of it
And they only made like 50
And I think they were a million pounds
And they sold those
So, yeah, I think they could do it
And it strikes me that
Mercedes BMW Audi could do it
Toyota
I thought Toyota Honda
Probably could
Honda would be an interesting Honda, wouldn't it?
They have a...
I can't put a face to a really, really expensive Honda
No, I mean, an NSX-R was expensive
And they go for a lot more money now
But it wasn't millions, was it?
No
I don't think...
But I reckon they could
Yeah
Where's the cheapest Porsche?
That's probably a bog standard Macan or something like that
Oh, yeah, it's probably too...
It was too much for me to think that they were part of it
But they could sell anything
Whatever they liked
Whatever they liked, if they made, I don't know
10 modern road going 917s
Yeah
And said, well, they're 10 million pounds each
Sorry, they'd sell those, wouldn't they?
Of course, they would
Well, it's always frustrating for us
Because whenever somebody like that announces a project like that
By the time they get around to telling us about it
They'll say, oh, and they're all sold
Yeah, so this Alpha
Alpha, they hadn't signed off the project
And they hadn't...
Some of the bosses at Stalantis didn't really know about it
So they did a sketch
A few sketches
And then they found a group of enthusiasts and owners
And people with big collections that also love Alfa Romeo
And they went to them and they said
Would you buy one of these if we made it?
All we've got is three sketches so far
And they found, you know, there's 50 people still on a waiting list
Just in case anybody cancels it
And, yeah, they went, yeah, I'll buy one of those
I'd pay X for one of those if you made a 33
So then they went to the bosses and said, how about it?
And the bosses went, well, yeah, all right
Go for it, if that's...
And they've since established a thing called Bottega
Which is a niche thing that is for both Alfa Romeo and Maserati
And the idea is that they will make few off or one-off cars
Through this little division that they've got
Oh, God
Oh, yeah
Actually...
I've driven a T-33 up this very track
What?
You know, in the olden days
Alfa Romeo used to...
They had this big collection
And they used to arrive with 20 cars and stick them in the pits
And they would allow dunderheads like us to get in them
You know, just wearing the pajamas and hoping for the best
And a car that I had to go in was a T-33 Stradale
And it was...
I mean, it was misfiring and all that
I was embarrassed because I got...
I was...
The car ahead of Nick Mason in something extremely fast
And he pretty much caught me on the line
Because it wouldn't accelerate out of the bloody bends
But it was nevertheless a T-33 Stradale
I mean, that's something, isn't it?
Sounded good
No, but it did
Was it small 2.2 or 2.2 or something?
Small, isn't it?
2 and a bit, I think
But a magnificent V8
Refter 9, or is it 10?
Yeah, 2 and a 8
Rest of something
Long way up
It wasn't doing it
But...
This is why I had to look up in the archive the other day
And I think it was...
Because I read online somewhere
270 horsepower at 9 or something
But then actually from the AutoCast story
In 60...
5, 60, 60...
667
It said 240 something horsepower
At 9.5 or whatever it is
9.8
There were some amazing days
But sort of 15, 20 years ago
You know, you could borrow a D-Type
I've done the D-Type, the C-Type
Yeah, I've driven a D-Type up here
And an E-Type
Type 44
The noiseiest thing I've ever driven in my life
But really good fun
Yeah
Really good fun
Like a big bathtub, that was, wasn't it?
For some reason, you couldn't sit down in it
You seemed to...
Sort of perched on top of it
Yeah, it did feel a bit perilous
It's funny, isn't it?
Some cars I can't remember driving at all
And then some cars I drove for perhaps
3 minutes, 15 years ago
And I can remember every single bit of it
Every single bit, yeah
Yeah, I came to the...
I don't know, yeah, one of the first ones
And it was rather quieter
And rather more casual back
Back in the day, wasn't it?
Yeah, and people were not so concerned
About the fate of their
Ridiculous million-pound cars
Yeah, as we speak
I think we're into the supercar run
Slash first glance
Yeah
Which is sort of our area of expertise
I think that's a Maserati GT2 Stradale
Is my guess on that one?
Oh, and the red flag is out
Somebody broken down or somebody had a...
Cressed further up
Oh, cracking, yes
We'll find out as we go on
Anyway, that was the commercial break
To tell you about the archive
But also the Alpha 33 story
Is in the magazine right now
Oh, good
Today
Brilliant
I haven't seen the rag today
I was...
I was in...
Oh, and...
Yeah, I was in four days from now
So I haven't even seen any proofs
Because I've been buried in the holidays
Because you've been buried in it
Mate, what I'm impressed by
Is you landed what, Monday afternoon?
Yeah
And you were back in the office on...
Tuesday
You were back working on Tuesday
Well, the thing that I find anyway
Is that...
As long as you...
As long as you've only been away a little while
You can pretty much resume
Where you were
I mean, sleep a bit longer
But I'm just glad it's over
But it was nice to go there
And see my mates and see the old hometown
But I'm glad to be back
Let's do a couple more things
I've written subscriber extra this week
Which I haven't told you about
But I've said in the mag
I've based it on something you told me to write yesterday
Because we arrived at Goodwood yesterday morning
And I said, oh, I've got to write a subscriber extra
And you said to me, I'll write about driving the Morgan
At midnight
Yeah
Well, that was such a...
You just told me off the cuff about this
A few...
What, a week ago?
Probably two weeks ago
Two and a half weeks ago, I think
And it was such an evocative thing
I just want to hear more about it
Well, about five minutes after you spoke to me
An email landed from a reader called Cliff
And I've written about the Porsche GT3 SC
Which is a soft-top GT3
And then I wrote a column about what each 911 does
And I think I referred to the GT3
As the world's best driver's car at the moment
Which I think it...
I mean, I was being a bit glib
But you could make a case
And he said, isn't it a bit harsh for that?
Isn't it a bit too...
Because, you know, fair enough, he's had one
Which, you know, he knows from where he speaks
He's like, I found it too hard, really
For stuff that you would want to do
In more everyday driving
So what's your criteria for a great driver's car?
Is it something that puts you off...
Because if a car puts you off driving it
Because it's too harsh, if it's too focused
Is that then a good driver's car?
And I...
That's a fair question
Yeah, I think it is, isn't it?
Yeah
But I sort of thought, well, the thing about a GT
I would discount
Everyday slash daily driving
Out of what makes a great driver's car
But if there is something about it
That means you don't want to drive it regularly
Then, yeah, that is fair
But I think you said to me yesterday
Sometimes what is important
Is to actually go and drive the car
Just for the sake of driving a car
Not because you're going anywhere else
Not because you're doing anything else
Which is what I did
Just like, well, it's late
And it's beautiful weather
And the Morgan is outside
And I just want to go and drive it
How far did you drive?
Oh, not far, man
Only, like, 45 minutes around
Some of the lanes and the roads
But at that time of night
It's quiet
And the Mog's not very fast
Or anything anyway
So it's not, you know
You're not going anywhere to brag
The daylight's out of it
It's just fine
It was just fine
And the weather was just perfect for it
And to think that, you know
The Morgan is not
Using it more than I think
Than I thought I would
But it's not a practical car
It's not an everyday car in any sense
But I don't think that should
Count against it as the idea
Of being a driver's car, if you know what I mean
No, I agree
And I feel it's kind of the same
About a GT3, 911
Yeah
Yeah, it's perhaps you need
You know, if you're in the bracket
You need one of them
And something a bit more
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, something you can drive
There's a time
Yeah
And then when we run Britain's best
Driver's Car Contest
I go into it thinking
Which we do every autumn
Our big sort of, you know
Handling day, as we call it
I sort of, one of my criteria
Is thinking, right
Which of these would I take away
For the next 12 months
If I also had
I don't know
A five series wagon
Keeping it around
For the daily stuff
Which I would enjoy now and again
As well, you know
It would not be unpleasant
But for just the times
When you want to go
Okay, I'm now going for a drive
Which of those would it
Yeah
Would it be
I think that's why the GT3 ends up
Yeah
So often, being out there
Isn't it great
The way we get
You know, the feedback we get
From readers, you know
You make a comment like that
And on comes a bloke
Who's had it
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I think he's had 15 porches
Really?
By the way, hello Cliff
If you're listening
I don't know if you're reading
And listening or just one or the other
Stay close to us, Cliff
We want to know
Yeah, quite
Yeah, quite
But I think it is a fair
I think it is a fair point
Really
So, yeah
What's next, Cliff?
Are you here all weekend
Or are you
I've got one more job tomorrow
Talking to an executive type
Mm-hmm
And then I am going back
To the Shires
Where I'm going to find some shade
And sit under it
Oh, very nice
And, you know
Talk to the missus
And drink a lot of water
Yeah
It's interesting looking out here
To see how well people
Who are supposed to be wilting
In the hot weather
Are actually coping with it
Perfectly well
Perfectly well
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I mean, there's a way of doing it
Isn't there?
Shade, water
Mm-hmm
Proper hat
Yeah
Yeah
But anyway
It's a lot better than
Some of the good woods
We've been to over the years
Where you're up to your ankles
In mud
It does seem to
There is a
Sometimes a one or the other
Sort of trend
Yeah, yeah
It's a little bit like that
Yeah
Yeah, I spoke
So that interview
You're doing tomorrow
Will be online
In a couple of weeks
Well, it'll be
It'll be on this part
It'll just be part of the pod
Yeah
Are we going to run it as a
Stand alone as a bonus
Pod at the weekend
Or are we doing it as a
Well, you're the arbiter, mate
You work
But I think
I think it should be a bonus
Myself
I like talking to you
To be honest
Yeah, same
Same
And I spoke to
Alejandro Misonaro
Who's the
Head of designer
Alfa Romeo
For half an hour
While I was on
The 33 job
So that will make
Another bonus pod
In the next week
Or so
Good interview, you said
Yeah, really good
Yeah, really good
Really interesting, Blake
And I was going to stop
At one point
And then he carried on
On a sort of theme
That I'd already mentioned
So we did another
Seven or eight minutes
Which is really, really cool
So we talk
Everything from
Where it stems from
We interviewed Julian Thompson
Who's advanced design at GM
And I think at some point
He said that
He thought designer
ought to be challenging
And then I put that
To Ian Callum
When we did a live interview
And he disagreed vehemently
And I've been intrigued
About that concept ever since
How Julian's advanced design
So his audience is
People within General Motors
And they may be expected
To be challenged, really
Whereas, you know
Most designers are designing
For the public
Yeah, they need to
Get past the boss
Yeah, so it's
He's very much fixed
On the market
Yeah, so anyway
We talked about that
We talked about
The new alpha thing
Of making few off-cars
And colours and design
In general
Well, my interview tomorrow
Is with Laurence Bandanaka
Who's the Renault group
Fantastic bloke
Renault group design chief
Who can tell us
The story of the Renault 5
And 20 years of Renault
Is leading up to it
And I'm really looking forward
To talking to her
He's a very interesting guy
I really like him
As you know
You've met him plenty of times
And of course
You should mention that
Yeah, because it's just occurred to me
Yesterday, you and I
Spoke to who?
Well, Pierre Gasly
I suppose you would keep
Calling him the lead
Alpine Formula 1 driver
Yeah, I think you'd call it that
Wouldn't you?
Yeah, on his occasion
He racked up some points the other day
Which takes him to 500
Career points in total
He's got
What, half a dozen podium finishes
And a win to his name
And Alpine are getting better and better
I think he's pretty confident
He was a good guy with me
So we spoke to him
On the Alpine stage live
At the show yesterday
How long did that go?
About half an hour?
Yeah, it seemed a bit
Well, maybe, yeah
We had a bit of a break
For some fireworks
To celebrate
I think it was America's
250th anniversary
And there's also an announcement here about
There's a tie-in between
The Festival of Speed
And
Yeah, there's gonna be a
And Pebble Beach stuff, isn't there?
Goodwood Pebble Beach Road Racing Club
Okay
So the GRRC is spreading across the area
Oh, interesting
Yeah, interesting
Which is very logical
Yeah
And imagine, you know
Not a little bit profitable
Yeah, so we've got interviews with
Pierre Gasly
Lawrence Vantanacker
Alejandro Mesenaro
I mean, we have great people to talk to
Who do?
We do
We get spoiled, I mean
It's ridiculous
The name of the mic, you know
The mic today
Yeah
He's
Mr. Bentley, really
Yeah
You know, a very interesting bloke
Yeah
And that brings us to the end of this week's
My Week in Cast
Steve and I will be back
Next Wednesday
And on Saturday
In a couple of days time
We'll have one of these interviews
And then at some point
We've just had a few weeks of flux
Where our diaries have been in different places
But we'll just, we'll get back to
Apart every Saturday as well
Yeah, I think it's
I can see normality
Looking me in the face
I'm so looking forward to it
Yeah, I sort of can
But also
I saw her
He never can
Well, somebody said the other day
They said, having those weeks
Where I think it's just one of those weeks
And then I remember
Every week is just one of those weeks
And it's
I mean, it's great, isn't it?
It is great
There's nothing
Yeah
It's absurd
I've just, you know
But I mean, I was still
I always think, you know
After the Goodwood Festival speed
I don't know
Things regularise a little bit
Yeah, lots of places
Shut down in August completely, don't they?
Italy shuts down completely
For a start
Yeah, generally pretty
Not much
So we'll fill
We'll fill some of the drive section
With some
Slightly more niche drives as well
I drove a little Ram pickups the other day
Which I can't remember if I mentioned on this
Did I mention on the pod?
No, I don't think so
Oh, okay, good
Yeah, good
Yeah
They're apparently doing well
I saw a reading a story in automotive news
And they said that Ram
Was a big plus for Stenance
Interesting
Yeah
Probably decent margins on those
For them in America
Yeah, I bet there's decent margins on those
Yeah
Anyway, all of that to come in the next few weeks
So stay with us during the summer
And thanks, mate
See you soon
See you next week
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About this episode
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the hosts describe their soundproof Bentley pod studio and the odd moment an older Formula E car “went past completely silently.” They bounce between on-site debuts like the “Roof B8” flat eight and the first public showing of the Gordon Murray Automotive T33 Spyder, plus MG’s small EV preview. Later, the conversation turns to Australian road hazards—“Bullbars” for roos, emus and “galas”—and how modern crash tech affects fitting them. The Bentley segment also spotlights the upcoming Torcal EV and Crewe heritage collection rules.
In this week's Autocar Podcast, My Week In Cars, our hosts Steve Cropley and Matt Prior are at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, talking new model launches, Bentley's heritage and factory tours (we hear from head of the Heritage Collection Mike Sayer), the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, and much more besides.
We also dive into the Autocar archive. For details of a subscription special offer which includes archive access and gives you SIX issues of Autocar for just £6, click here.
