Blog posts
Citroën XM This heir to the DS and SM offers a lot of Citroën for the money, but they’re complex, so buy carefully. Words RICHARD DREDGE Photography JOHN COLLEY Buy a space-age Citroën XM for £3k to £10k Buying Guide How to buy a cool Citroën XM before the prices rise like its suspension What to payYou can still find running XMs around £2k, although these tend to be unloved 2.0 cars. For a reliable, sorted car, budget at least £3k.Traditionally, diesels commanded more, with the best 2.
With modern vehicles becoming increasingly homogenised, Evans ponders on the need to preserve 20th century car culture so future generations can appreciate how distinctive it is. I was having a conversation with a friend and owner of a restoration shop the other day and the topic turned to new cars. He asked what I would buy if I was in the market for a car. In the past that wasn’t usually a difficult question, but this time I really had to think about it.
The Jaguar XK8 X100 might be the most affordable here, but it’s still one of the best. Cheap thrillsWith summer finally here, there’s never been a better time to buy a convertible. We look at five of Jaguar’s finest from the last four decades that are also affordable There’s a certain irony that the cheapest car on our list is the one that, thanks to its soft, swooping lines and oval grille, looks the most like the famous E-type. But then, that was always the point of the car.
The forgotten hot hatch concept that packed a monster 450bhp 336kW punch FORGOTTEN FAST CARSA manufacturer’s image is important and it is something Volvo has struggled with. On one hand it is a brand renowned for its safety prowess, with endless jokes about the cars and people who buy them. Alternatively, there’s a slightly demented side to the Swedish stalwart that loves to go racing and create spicy road-going performance cars.
Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsas don’t come up for sale too often. The situation is even rarer in the case of chassis no.0222, which won its class at Le Mans in 1965. Yet you can now buy yourself one of 24 perfect copies of it. Second time luckyThis is ‘Car Zero’, the prototype, the first realisation of the reborn Bizzarrini marque’s 5300GT Corsa Revival.
Good news if you already own a Volvo 240 or 260, but bad news if you're hoping to buy one. That's because values of these boxiest of classics have been increasing steadily over the past few years, to the point that they've proved to be a tidy investment for anybody who got in on the action a little while ago. MARKET INSIGHT Volvo 200 SeriesKevin Price is the man with his finger on the pulse; he founded the Volvo Enthusiasts' Club (volvoenthusiastsclub.co.
I put it to you that the Proton Savvy has aged rather well for a budget car launched in 2005. You’ll notice that I’ve chosen images of the postfacelift Savvy for my defence of the Malaysian city car; the 2007 revamp tidied up the tailgate and improved the grille. I’d like to draw your attention to the central exhaust, flared arches, clamshell bonnet, kink along the window line and snazzy yellow dials as reasons to appreciate the Savvy.
As sure as night follows day and cream follows jam*, it was inevitable that the Aston Martin Cygnet would appear in the issue following the Frazer Tickford Metro. Concluding his review of the luxo Metro, Richard Heseltine said: “There is something appealing about a small car with big car luxuries and the Frazer Tickford is both of those things and more. It isn’t as though the idea was lost on Aston Martin Lagonda, either. Think of it as the forerunner of the Cygnet. And then stop thinking.
If a GT4 is too track oriented for your tastes, but a Cayman S is a little too soft, then the 981 Cayman GTS is the perfect in-between, combining huge comfort with a sharper chassis... TECH: BUYING Porsche Cayman GTS 981C What to be aware of when on the hunt.
From hero to zero and back again – the Capri spent years as the butt of many a joke, but Ford’s humble fastback has enjoyed a significant resurgence. Few cars can demonstrate the lure of nostalgia quite like the Ford Capri. Although the not quickest or most dynamic of coupes, the lovable fastback has joined several of its contemporary Blue Oval stablemates in being hot property among enthusiasts – with prices to match.
Democratic motoring is something that Fiat has always done well. Low prices, easy maintenance, practical packaging, logical design – Fiat consistently delivers. But a company in Germany has found a way to make the current-model Fiat 500 even more democratic, by exploiting a local legal loophole that allows it to be driven by 16-year olds and older people who don’t have a modern driving licence.
There's no shortage of perfectionists in the classic car world, but Mark Suddaby went further than most to realise his dream. Mark Suddaby is clearly a sucker for punishment. Not only did he go to Hell and back to create his ideal Lotus Esprit, but having incorporated lots of mods throughout the restoration of his magnificent 1979 Series 2, he takes it to lots of shows where he has to endure abuse from the purists who gather at such meets, seemingly just to try to deflate owners.
I don’t know a soul who isn’t enamoured by the thought of owning a large Citroën, even though most are usually rather inhibited to take the plunge. The CX, released in 1974 and replacing the seemingly irreplaceable DS, is one such machine. Styled by the incomparable Robert Opron for a company on the verge of bankruptcy with monumental illusions of grandeur, Citroën created the car for sale worldwide and in doing so, brought all the political ravages of the day crashing down upon its dreams.
This month we examine the issues surrounding Piezo Injectors on BMW's N43, N53 and N54 engines. Words & Photography: Andrew Everett Ahot topic at the moment is that of the infamous Siemens VDO Piezo injectors fitted to direct injection BMW engines (and others) since late 2007 – these will be the four-cylinder N43 1.6 and 2.0 engines, the six-cylinder N53 and the N54 twin turbo six that arrived in late-2006 as the first proper direct injection BMW engines.
You’ve likely heard about Porsche’s investment in eFuels – here’s how the company expects it to work After more than a century, the internal combustion engine is on a countdown timer, and so are fossil fuels. Electrification is touted at the future for vehicles, but where does that leave your beloved flat six? Fear not, for Porsche is fighting your cause, and investing heavily in a practical solution that means your 911 can be used well into the future. The solution is eFuel, or synthetic fuel.