BRIGHT streaks of sunshine peep in through gaps in the door tops. A faint whiff of EP90 rises from beneath the floor panels, and the elephant hide seat offers little in the way of comfort or support. From under the bonnet, the familiar sound of diesel clatter cuts through the air, reverberating inside the tinny hard top. We’re rolling, and the engine note smooths out to an off-beat thrum. The turbo whistles, the revs climb higher, then a split second later we’re hit by a tidal wave of torque and all hell breaks loose.
Both axles bounce against the salty tarmac as all four tyres scrabble for grip and the engine starts to sing, and the scenery blurs, slows, blurs, slows, then blurs again. ‘‘That’s the only problem with this, it takes longer to actually change gear than it does to rev through and reach the next one!’’ laughs Luke Dale, creator of this utterly unhinged Series I.
I catch my breath and take in the sights inside the cab. There’s peeling paint, a well-used load area and those low
