Autocar July 18, 2018

PORSCHE HAS MASTERED the art, and subtle evolution, of the 911 formula with a successful derivative strategy, tweaking the recipe each time to consistently make cars greater than the sum of their parts. This week, we road test the very latest 911: the GT2 RS (p30). The brief of the GT2 RS was simple, yet also the most challenging placed upon a 911: to turn it from a sports car into a supercar. We’re used to anything that passes through the hallowed engineering halls of Porsche’s GT division emerging with game-changing status but, alas, with the GT2 RS, it is one 911 derivative too far, stretching it in a direction it’s uncomfortable going in. Yet that the GT2 RS exists at all is worthy of huge celebration, as is Porsche’s…

“This model is probably the key to Tesla fully establishing itself in the longer term as a global car maker” Tesla is likely to build a “compact” electric car “within the next five years”, according to mercurial company boss Elon Musk. Although the company is still struggling to get fully on top of production of its Model 3, this late-2022 rival to Volkswagen’s upcoming ID is probably the key to Tesla fully establishing itself over the longer term as a global car manufacturer. The compact Tesla is scheduled to be made in the new Shanghai facility announced by the company last week, alongside the forthcoming Model Y crossover. The factory’s production capacity of 500,000 cars per year suggests that Tesla expects the two models to have significant market potential. Tesla…

TRACTOR UNIT 2019 Pre-orders for the lorry are already open. It is claimed to have a 600-mile range and costs $180,000 (about £136k). MODEL Y 2020 Based on the underpinnings of the Model 3, the Model Y will be a smaller SUV sibling for the Model X. PICK-UP 2020 Tapping into Tesla’s home market, the pickup is expected to rival the Ford F150 and be based on the Model X. ROADSTER 2020 The sports car will become Tesla’s halo car. Musk reckons it will be capable of 0-60mph in just 1.9sec. COMPACT CAR 2022 VW ID rival will be Tesla’s most affordable car yet, especially if Tesla can keep its battery-cost advantages.…

Although Elon Musk can look to 2020 and believe with some confidence that Tesla could have two significant technological leads over the mainstream EV opposition, his company clearly does not have a lead when it comes to mass production of vehicles. Certainly, there is time between now and then for Tesla to look and learn and to tap into the automotive establishment about that. Whether Tesla can afford this time is a different matter. Production of the Model 3 remains a significant hurdle for the company and it has promised to launch a Tesla Semi HGV and the Model Y compact crossover in the next few years. A compact Tesla EV made in China and sold at a discount to the European competition is a very attractive proposition, but getting…

The eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette will switch to a mid-engined layout for the first time in the model’s history. Recent photographs of a test mule confirm years of rumours that the next generation of America’s sports car, due on sale in late 2019, will undergo the most radical change in the car’s 65-year history. In a further break with tradition, the new Corvette, known by its C8 model code, will be sold alongside a version of the current car. Sources inside General Motors, which owns the Chevrolet brand, indicate that we can expect a slightly revised version of the existing C7 as an entry-level alternative. Although the C8 will carry a price premium over its front-engined sibling, it will be sold at a price that significantly undercuts the junior supercars offered…

C1, 1953-1962 The Corvette was launched after a positive response to what was meant to be a motor-show concept. It originally had an inline six-cylinder engine; the first V8 was offered from 1955. C2, 1963-1967 GM mulled using Chevrolet Corvair’s rear-mounted engine, but ultimately stuck with a conventional layout. The C2 gained independent rear suspension and all-round disc brakes. C3, 1968-1982 The longest-lived Corvette straddled America’s ‘Malaise era’ of power-sapping emissions control, meaning outputs fell throughout its life. The nadir was the 1982 5.0-litre with just 178bhp. C4, 1983-1996 The C4’s wedgy shape was pinned to thousands of bedroom walls and Lotus got involved with the creation of the range-topping ZR1, which had 370bhp thanks to an overhead camshaft engine. C5, 1997-2004 With a rear-mounted transaxle transmission, the C5 featured…