Tuning

Very little beats that news car smell or the benefits that come with buying a car brand new. We ask Dave Raybould whether the novelty, or that smell, ever wears off.

Very little beats that news car smell or the benefits that come with buying a car brand new. We ask Dave Raybould whether the novelty, or that smell, ever wears off.

Taking on an ultra-rare, water-cooled VW as a project can soon turn into a tricky task as Steve Holden found out with this stunning 1978 Mk1 Derby.

By day Jake Nelson works on military vehicles. It makes sense that his Berg-kitted 330bhp 1.8T powered Mk1 looks as hard as nails. You’d be brave to wage war against this one…

Taut, honed and refined, this hardcore Comp is an M2 turned up to 11.

Sliding through the mist like an ephemeral assassin, this sublime M4 effortlessly blends minimalist style and the perfect selection of personal touches for maximum impact.

Do estate cars make good drift cars? For Jack Cockburn, the boxy chic of the Touring is a great way to surprise people.

Having had the chance to buy back the E30 from his teenage years, the owner of this stunning machine embarked on a four-year project to turn it into the classic 3 Series of his dreams.

Fine attention to detail, incredible levels of patience and a determination to make his E21 as perfect as possible means that this much-loved BMWis one of the nicest examples of its kind in Eastern Europe.

It may have taken the best part of 20 years to finish, but Neil Shore’s Mk1 XR2 turbo is an incredible creation built from pure determination — and a love of Fiestas.

This one-off special might look like a pre-war racing car but it was made in the late 2010s and is based on the running gear of a 1959 XK150.

Eye candy comes in curious hues, especially when it’s channelling the early 1970s. This Viper Green 911 SC Outlaw reminds us of no one else but Kermit the Frog. We splashed out on a visit to PIE Performance to check out the amphibian...

What sort of Mini does a contemporary car design professional love best? His first Mini, of course… but Paul Marsh had a clear idea of what looks good and what doesn’t when it came to building his own dream Mini.

Going fast comes down to a simple mathematical equation. When translated into automotive lingo, one part of that formula usually means that a reduction in weight will have a comparable reduction in the force required to accelerate or decelerate. For acceleration you add in additional horsepower, however, the way to get that balance usually means that at some point you need to introduce some weight reduction and start hacking away on a car.

HP Tuners have taken a stock Mk7.5 Golf R and — with a little help from its friends — have created their take on hot hatch heaven!