Questionable expense. Just a brief missive to thank you for an excellent article; surely the best in the past 12 months? The Mk VIIM feature was of particular interest as an identical model was owned by a family friend in the early Sixties (when I was 11) and I would often sit behind the huge steering wheel and pretend to drive. It was in average condition and cost about £250. The modifications made to the car are very sensible but I have to question the expense. Great work.
Thank goodness there are no Jaguar i-Pace-style flourishes in the design of the new Range Rover (as requested by Gavin Green in the December issue). Nor has there been an attempt to make it more friendly. BMW has tried and failed in doing this to the two last editions of the X5.
We owned an original, followed by the second iteration, but were driven away from the brand by the clumsy evolution of the more recent designs. I had never considered a Range Rover but having driven a Sport and Vogue back to back was utterly charmed by the integrity of the latter and purchased a standard car with standard fenestration, wheels and tyres. Unreliability fears have been unfounded and the capability of our ‘holdall’ has been an eye-opener.
Although can I be the only Range Rover fan that doesn’t need the standard-wheelbase version to be longer than the last? This growth may tempt existing owners to hold on to their cars until the Velar reaches similar proportions to the older, full-fat Range Rovers.
Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming, the number of challenges facing American vehicle owners in this country, from the introduction of E10 petrol (petrol with 10% ethanol content, designed to lower carbon emissions) to the rollout of smart motorways.
Of course, in truth, there’s often more brouhaha and drama around these things than is probably necessary. For those afraid of the arrival of E10 fuel there are additives and the availability (for now) of petrol with no ethanol in it (Esso Synergy Supreme) or only 5% (many of the premium/non-regular fuels). Long term it’s possible to convert engines that are currently not suitable for E10 with new hoses and so on.
Smart motorways? That’s slightly more problematic, although I have noticed that I prefer to travel on these at times I know will be quieter – just as well most American car shows are on a Sunday morning, small blessings and all that! I think the long and short of it is, as American vehicle owners, we haven’t, by the nature of our cars or trucks, chosen the easiest vehicles and as such we’re used to having to go the extra mile in the pursuit of that ownership. But boy, is it worth it when you get behind that wheel, turn that key, hear that rumble and drop the lever into ‘D’ and hit the road!
This month we’ve got our usual smorgasbord of vehicles; some may raise a few eyebrows, like the 1950 Ford whose owner thinks it may have a little too much patina, or the six-pot full-size Pontiac that epitomises the ‘same, but different’ ethos of Canadian cars. Everyone raves about the late-Sixties/early-Seventies Mopars, but what happened afterwards? We rediscover the forgotten Mopars of the mid-Seventies/early- Eighties and find out if they really were as bad as common folklore makes out (no!).
Following on from the success of its Bentayga Hybrid, Bentley has announced the new Flying Spur Hybrid, which features a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine mated to a 134bhp electric motor for a combined 536bhp. Joining non-electrified V8 and W12 models in the Flying Spur range, the new plug-in hybrid uses a 14.1kWh battery to offer a projected EV range of more than 25 miles. The V6 develops 150bhp per litre (more than the V8) courtesy of centralised injectors and spark plugs, while the electric motor alone produces some 295lb.ft. of torque, which Bentley says “minimises any perceived delay often associated with turbocharger lag”. A 0-60mph (0-100km/h) time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 177mph means the Hybrid closely matches the performance of the standard V8 Flying Spur. Claimed to be Bentley’s most efficient road car yet, with a combined petrol-electric range of more than 435 miles between fill-ups, the Flying Spur Hybrid features unique badging, an EV drive mode selector and four oval exhaust exits. The infotainment system is also equipped with a selection of hybrid-specific connected services, including advanced recent trip data, remote charging activation and cabin pre-conditioning. The infotainment screen can also be used to show a real-time energy flow diagram, as well as a charge duration indicator and efficiency statistics. Customer deliveries of the Flying Spur Hybrid will begin later this year, with prices likely to start at around the £145,000 mark.
Questionable expense. Just a brief missive to thank you for an excellent article; surely the best in the past 12 months? The Mk VIIM feature was of particular interest as an identical model was owned by a family friend in the early Sixties (when I was 11) and I would often sit behind the huge steering wheel and pretend to drive. It was in average condition and cost about £250. The modifications made to the car are very sensible but I have to question the expense. Great work.
Ve cool good grief. You’ve even managed to make the impact bumper look good. Witchcraft. It’s the only explanation.
Roll on Velar Mk5
Thank goodness there are no Jaguar i-Pace-style flourishes in the design of the new Range Rover (as requested by Gavin Green in the December issue). Nor has there been an attempt to make it more friendly. BMW has tried and failed in doing this to the two last editions of the X5.
We owned an original, followed by the second iteration, but were driven away from the brand by the clumsy evolution of the more recent designs. I had never considered a Range Rover but having driven a Sport and Vogue back to back was utterly charmed by the integrity of the latter and purchased a standard car with standard fenestration, wheels and tyres. Unreliability fears have been unfounded and the capability of our ‘holdall’ has been an eye-opener.
Although can I be the only Range Rover fan that doesn’t need the standard-wheelbase version to be longer than the last? This growth may tempt existing owners to hold on to their cars until the Velar reaches similar proportions to the older, full-fat Range Rovers.
So many things the Range Rover could have been
Reasons to be cheerful...
Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming, the number of challenges facing American vehicle owners in this country, from the introduction of E10 petrol (petrol with 10% ethanol content, designed to lower carbon emissions) to the rollout of smart motorways.
Of course, in truth, there’s often more brouhaha and drama around these things than is probably necessary. For those afraid of the arrival of E10 fuel there are additives and the availability (for now) of petrol with no ethanol in it (Esso Synergy Supreme) or only 5% (many of the premium/non-regular fuels). Long term it’s possible to convert engines that are currently not suitable for E10 with new hoses and so on.
Smart motorways? That’s slightly more problematic, although I have noticed that I prefer to travel on these at times I know will be quieter – just as well most American car shows are on a Sunday morning, small blessings and all that! I think the long and short of it is, as American vehicle owners, we haven’t, by the nature of our cars or trucks, chosen the easiest vehicles and as such we’re used to having to go the extra mile in the pursuit of that ownership. But boy, is it worth it when you get behind that wheel, turn that key, hear that rumble and drop the lever into ‘D’ and hit the road!
This month we’ve got our usual smorgasbord of vehicles; some may raise a few eyebrows, like the 1950 Ford whose owner thinks it may have a little too much patina, or the six-pot full-size Pontiac that epitomises the ‘same, but different’ ethos of Canadian cars. Everyone raves about the late-Sixties/early-Seventies Mopars, but what happened afterwards? We rediscover the forgotten Mopars of the mid-Seventies/early- Eighties and find out if they really were as bad as common folklore makes out (no!).
I forgot about «Thunderball» I's been a long time since I've seen an old James Bond movie.
PLUG-IN FLYING SPUR
Following on from the success of its Bentayga Hybrid, Bentley has announced the new Flying Spur Hybrid, which features a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine mated to a 134bhp electric motor for a combined 536bhp. Joining non-electrified V8 and W12 models in the Flying Spur range, the new plug-in hybrid uses a 14.1kWh battery to offer a projected EV range of more than 25 miles. The V6 develops 150bhp per litre (more than the V8) courtesy of centralised injectors and spark plugs, while the electric motor alone produces some 295lb.ft. of torque, which Bentley says “minimises any perceived delay often associated with turbocharger lag”. A 0-60mph (0-100km/h) time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 177mph means the Hybrid closely matches the performance of the standard V8 Flying Spur. Claimed to be Bentley’s most efficient road car yet, with a combined petrol-electric range of more than 435 miles between fill-ups, the Flying Spur Hybrid features unique badging, an EV drive mode selector and four oval exhaust exits. The infotainment system is also equipped with a selection of hybrid-specific connected services, including advanced recent trip data, remote charging activation and cabin pre-conditioning. The infotainment screen can also be used to show a real-time energy flow diagram, as well as a charge duration indicator and efficiency statistics. Customer deliveries of the Flying Spur Hybrid will begin later this year, with prices likely to start at around the £145,000 mark.