CAR UK August 2021

So, in the words of Steven Gerrard, we go again; strapping in for the latest instalment of the defining automotive rivalry of the modern age – McLaren versus Ferrari. (And isn’t the timing wonderful? Yes, a football tournament with actual fans, flying plastic beakers and genuine roars in time with that delicious through-ball is a timely reminder of just how good life is when we can get together. But this carries an even stronger nostalgia hit, no? Three Lions? Pah. Senna and Prost in the gravel-trap dust; Ron Dennis’s ‘We are not amused’ face; Gordon Murray’s Fl making early-’90s Ferrari look lazy; head 12C versus heart 458 Italia; and of course Pi versus LaFerrari. Woof.) The Battle Royale this time around is of the V6 hybrids, though the opening clash is…

So, in the words of Steven Gerrard, we go again; strapping in for the latest instalment of the defining automotive rivalry of the modern age – McLaren versus Ferrari. (And isn’t the timing wonderful? Yes, a football tournament with actual fans, flying plastic beakers and genuine roars in time with that delicious through-ball is a timely reminder of just how good life is when we can get together. But this carries an even stronger nostalgia hit, no? Three Lions? Pah. Senna and Prost in the gravel-trap dust; Ron Dennis’s ‘We are not amused’ face; Gordon Murray’s Fl making early-’90s Ferrari look lazy; head 12C versus heart 458 Italia; and of course Pi versus LaFerrari. Woof.) The Battle Royale this time around is of the V6 hybrids, though the opening clash…

CARS, PEOPLE, SCOOPS, MOTORSPORT, ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR Hands up: we got it wrong. It happens. However well connected you may be, however good your sources (and in most every other regard, from the engine’s detail engineering to the design, the Dino-free badging to the electric-only range, we nailed it), mistakes happen. Earlier in the year our four-page scoop story on Ferrari’s V6 plug-in hybrid supercar made mention of a 700bhp system total. The truth is an astonishing 819bhp, or more than 100bhp beyond the twin-turbo V8 F8 Tributo. That alone is your first clue that this car matters: that Maranello is only too aware of its ‘epoch-making importance’. It has built hybrids before, of course, but where the LaFerrari and SF90 e-boosted known quantities (the V12 and twin-turbo V8…

► Porsche, Bugatti and Rimac are going to get a lot closer with a new joint venture in the autumn of 2021. The plan is to embed Bugatti into a still-to-be-founded IPO-funded Croatian company of which Rimac holds a 55 per cent majority and Porsche 45 per cent. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume sums it up: ‘It’s a perfect match. We’re about to bundle Bugatti’s hypercar expertise and Rimac’s innovation. Porsche also has a vested interest in the outcome of this co-operation – after all, the 918 Spyder may one day get a replacement.’ ► Under the new structure, Porsche effectively takes over all Bugatti responsibilities. Bugatti’s main assets are its global sales and service network, the cult status of its second-to-none products and the iconic brand image. Rimac’s prime strength is…

CARS, PEOPLE, SCOOPS, MOTORSPORT, ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR Hands up: we got it wrong. It happens. However well connected you may be, however good your sources (and in most every other regard, from the engine’s detail engineering to the design, the Dino-free badging to the electric-only range, we nailed it), mistakes happen. Earlier in the year our four-page scoop story on Ferrari’s V6 plug-in hybrid supercar made mention of a 700bhp system total. The truth is an astonishing 819bhp, or more than 100bhp beyond the twin-turbo V8 F8 Tributo. That alone is your first clue that this car matters: that Maranello is only too aware of its ‘epoch-making importance’. It has built hybrids before, of course, but where the LaFerrari and SF90 e-boosted known quantities (the V12…

1 PUT IT ALL ON BLUE Two things had to happen for Alpine to survive: make an SUV, and make an electric car. This new crossover does both, as Group Renault, led by Luca de Meo for a year now, puts all of its performance car chips into Alpine. 2 A BIG TOY BOX Given the growing importance of EVs in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, it makes sense that Alpine has confirmed the new SUV will use the same CMF-EV powertrain as the Nissan Ariya and the upcoming production version of the Renault Megane E-Vision. And as all of the group’s sporty eggs now go in the Alpine basket, expect this newcomer to have more power on offer than either. 3 RATHER SPORTING Alpine says it’ll ‘benefit from F1’s technology and expertise’ thanks to the de…