Autocar June 05, 2019

THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP’S actions in cheating diesel emission tests shouldn’t be forgotten – or forgiven. The firm, and many of its former management team, rightly paid a heavy price for their actions. Yet despite that, and at a time when many car makers are facing major struggles or looking at mergers (see FCA-Renault, p20), the VW Group remains a giant. Much of the responsibility for that is down to Herbert Diess and his decisive, clear actions. In the aftermath of Dieselgate, when many firms would be focused purely on crisis management, Diess boldly abandoned much of VW’s long-term product plan and diverted vast resources to develop the electric MEB platform. When the first car on that architecture, the ID 3, launches later this year, it will spearhead a hugely ambitious electrification programme…

“The 652bhp 3.9-litre is extremely light and small for a V12. It’s also high-revving, redlining at 12,100rpm” Legendary designer Gordon Murray, who created the trailblazing McLaren F1, has unveiled an all-new £2.5 million three-seat ultra-lightweight hypercar that, he believes, will beat all rivals – including the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG One – for “purity, sense of purpose and ground-breaking technology” when it appears in 2022. The car will be made in a batch of 100 units over one year by Murray’s own manufacturing company, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA). It will feature revolutionary ‘fan car’ technology to generate aerodynamic downforce and improve cornering grip. The system is similar to one pioneered by Murray in the controversial 1978 Brabham BT46B Formula 1 car, which won its only grand prix before being withdrawn from…

How do you relate the T.50 to the McLaren F1 you designed? “It’s fair to call T.50 today’s equivalent of the F1. That was certainly our intention. Of course, it’s very different because the materials and technologies available today are so much better than they were. I look at the toolbox we’ve got at our disposal now and it excites me more than ever.” Does your different approach with the T.50 mean you don’t think much of current hypercars? “Not true. I’ve driven them all and many are brilliant. Most are amazingly capable. But they’re nearly all heavy, which is something you can disguise at times but which really tells when you’re talking driver involvement. You simply feel the weight. Heavy cars don’t get the hairs on the back of your neck rising…

THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP’S actions in cheating diesel emission tests shouldn’t be forgotten – or forgiven. The firm, and many of its former management team, rightly paid a heavy price for their actions. Yet despite that, and at a time when many car makers are facing major struggles or looking at mergers (see FCA-Renault, p20), the VW Group remains a giant. Much of the responsibility for that is down to Herbert Diess and his decisive, clear actions. In the aftermath of Dieselgate, when many firms would be focused purely on crisis management, Diess boldly abandoned much of VW’s long-term product plan and diverted vast resources to develop the electric MEB platform. When the first car on that architecture, the ID 3, launches later this year, it will spearhead a hugely ambitious…

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale – the brand’s fastest-accelerating and most technically advanced road car to date – has been revealed as the first in a series of electrified Ferraris. Described as a “milestone in Ferrari’s history” by company CEO Louis Camilleri, the new flagship model is the first series -production plug-in hybrid Ferrari, with more expected. It is the second of five new models to be presented this year in an “unprecedented” product rollout. The SF90 name is taken from the firm’s latest Formula 1 car, and in turn references the 90 years since Scuderia Ferrari was founded. Unlike the earlier LaFerrari hypercar, which also used a hybrid powertrain, the SF90’s production is only limited to the amount Ferrari can sell. No price has been revealed at the time of going to…

“The 652bhp 3.9-litre is extremely light and small for a V12. It’s also high-revving, redlining at 12,100rpm” Legendary designer Gordon Murray, who created the trailblazing McLaren F1, has unveiled an all-new £2.5 million three-seat ultra-lightweight hypercar that, he believes, will beat all rivals – including the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG One – for “purity, sense of purpose and ground-breaking technology” when it appears in 2022. The car will be made in a batch of 100 units over one year by Murray’s own manufacturing company, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA). It will feature revolutionary ‘fan car’ technology to generate aerodynamic downforce and improve cornering grip. The system is similar to one pioneered by Murray in the controversial 1978 Brabham BT46B Formula 1 car, which won its only grand prix before being…