Evo August 2021

THE USED CAR WORMHOLE IS THE EVO READER’S nemesis. Calculating the hours spent – no, not wasted – clicking and flicking through the classifieds is a number no one needs to know anything about other than it was all time very well spent. Dreaming, fantasising, scheming and then borrowing someone’s fag packet to work the man maths out on is a pastime far more productive than, say, watching Extreme E wreak havoc across some of the most fragile landscapes on Earth in order to raise awareness of just how fragile these landscapes are. Used car purchases are also more emotive than new ones. Actually, that’s not strictly true because buying new is still special for some, but it’s becoming a faceless transaction, one devoid of emotion, lacking the anticipation expected when buying…

NOPE, I’M NOT SOLD ON THE WING. Or the wheel design, and neither the mix of gloss carbon, satin paint and matt stripes, or those modish diamondcut wheels. Oops, did I say that out loud? Sorry. Unintentional. These things are entirely subjective, of course. You may feel differently, and you’re entirely free to do so. But ‘F1 Edition’ – really? The obvious conclusion is that this is a special edition timed to coincide with Seb and Lance’s weekend wheels turning green. As manufacturers struggle to shift expensive new high-performance cars, every opportunity has to be capitalised upon to shift more metal. Actually, while your cynicism might point you in that direction, the above really is not the case; I can only encourage you to read on, because this is one special…

YOU’VE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT the Portofino, what with the F8 arriving, the 296 GTB (see page 30) soon to join it, the Roma doing a strong impression of an Italian Aston Martin, and the launch of the 1000-horsepower SF90. But the Portofino is still integral to Ferrari, still a lynchpin in the journey for those who have promised themselves a car from Maranello one day. It remains the model that opens the door to a brand. Rival firms wish they could have a slither of its success. And now it’s gained the Modificata treatment in the form of a rather considerable Roma-inspired reworking. With the Roma being based on the Portofino’s platform it was only a matter of time before the open-top car received the technical upgrades that the coupe has…

WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG? FOR ALL THE brilliance of the FK8 Civic Type R, there has always been one sizeable stumbling block preventing many from signing up to monthly payments for one of the most accomplished hot hatches of this generation. Cartoonish in proportion and aesthetically offensive to many, the sizeable aerodynamic device fixed to its tailgate rarely escaped mention when it came to this fifth iteration of the Civic Type R. It seems that what worked for Ford and the Escort RS Cosworth in 1992 found few fans on a Honda in 2017. evo was torn over it too, pouring praise and lavishing plaudits on the Civic every time we drove it, revelling in its mesmerising chassis, left short of breath by its turbocharged four-cylinder engine, beguiled by its six-speed…

THIS IS THE 296 GTB, FERRARI’S LATEST mid-engined supercar, with a brand new plug-in V6 powertrain, compact aluminium chassis and a fresh new look. Don’t mistake the first Ferrari V6 road car in decades for a junior Dino-style entry-level model, though, because with a combined power output of 819bhp and a price point expected to be the thick end of £230,000 when it reaches customers in March 2022, it’s anything but. With a key mantra to be the most engaging and enjoyable Ferrari to drive, it doesn’t have to chase ultimate top speed or acceleration times in the same way as its SF90 hybrid big brother. It also differs from the more expensive SF90 by having its drivetrain power the rear wheels only, doing without an electrically driven front axle, thus…

THERE HAVE BEEN A PLETHORA OF new Aston Martins in recent years, and there have also been some products that stretch the brand into entirely new areas – the speed boat, the motorcycle – but here’s one that doesn’t feature an engine or even move under its own power. It’s a sim rig, or a gaming rig, or however you want to describe the apparatus of virtual driving, a hobby/sport/training tool that understandably has grown massively in popularity over the past 18 months. If you can’t drive or race for real, then this is probably the next best thing. The C01 is a genuine carbonfibre monocoque that’s the work of Curv Racing Simulators, a business run by Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner, which keeps the link to the brand strong.…