BBC Top Gear Magazine

@jack_rix editor@bbctopgearmagazine.com As I write, it’s been a year to the day since the UK officially went into lockdown MkI. That’s 12 long months since our lives descended into something out of a science fiction novel, 52 weeks since attending me

If you’re finding it hard to get to the shops then order your next copy online with no delivery fee – visit MagsDirect.co.uk Get the three next copies for only £12.50 (saving 15%) with free delivery by visiting buysubscriptions.com/TGSP3M You can dow

JACK RIX EDITOR HEAD OF CAR TESTING Oliver Marriage ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Ford CONSULTANT EDITOR Paul Horrell EDITOR AT LARGE Jason Barlow US CORRESPONDENT Pat Devereux SENIOR ROAD TEST EDITOR Ollie Kew STAFF WRITER Tom Harrison EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Gr

WHERE ARE THE BADGES? This is a prototype of the Taycan Cross Turismo, hence the half-hearted camouflage. But no matter, there’s still the arrival of more metal at the rear, an off-road package and a Gravel mode in the drive set-up that make Porsche’

‘Cirrus grey’ sounds cool but apparently coats the new hybrid Macca in dreary vanilla yoghurt. This is one of those cars that really works with the black pack works thrown at it.

Which three will pass the trial? ASTON MARTIN DB5 I’d have to have a DB5. There’s nothing cooler. MERCEDES 300SL GULLWING I wouldn’t be able to decide between the Gullwing and the DB5, so I’ll have both. FERRARI 250 SWB At some stage in my life I’ll

Cars used railway-spec oil lamps in jars at first. It wasn’t until 1915 that Cadillac fitted headlights as standard to its electrically equipped models. Even then, it was some years before drivers could switch between high and dipped beam. It’s a tos

Complex numbers were simplified in the heat of the race, from “with half the race gone, there is half the race to go” to “the first five places are filled with five different cars” The charm was in his freeflowing commentary style, whether “now excus

Lando loves one-offs – our favourite was last year’s British GP lid designed by sixyear-old Eva – but his boggo design is distinctive Danny refuses to take F1 seriously – this year’s helmet might resemble an off-brand ice cream, but well done for doi

Price now £9,950 Harris says The E36 used to be a truly bargain M car. Attend any Touristenfahrten session at the ’Ring and they’re everywhere. But now you must put up with a hard-topped cabrio to dip below 10 grand. Price now £14,897 Harris says Aga

Our Morgan largely shuns modern tech to offer a purer experience. No surprise there, but the exception proving the rule is a Sport+ button just ahead of the gear lever, which sharpens the throttle response and adds wanton pops and bangs to the exhaus

Volkswagen Beetle The original ‘people’s car’ survived war and the defeat of the regime that effectively created it to become one of the world’s most iconic, best-selling cars. Production continued in some form until 2003, by which time over 21 milli

VW’s first logo was supposed to look a bit like a swastika. Really New world, new VW. Simpler post-war logo lasted for 15 years, then… A square appeared. This logo lasted seven years, covering VW’s global expansion VW logo changed three times between

Fetch the extension lead, Jeeves, I’ve had my 1961 Continental S2 Flying Spur by HJ Mulliner converted into an EV. Yep, Brit company Lunaz has unveiled its first ever L350k Bentley. Spiffing. Hyundai has partly revealed the 276bhp Kona N crossover. L

You have a home charge point. Don’t you? Well, get one. There’s a grant, so it’ll cost you less than £500. If you don’t have a driveway, to get an overnight or allday recharge check zapmap.com for posts near home or work that give between 5kW and 7kW

0207 150 5216 Spring is finally here. Get ready for a bright new season with FortunaBeads and express your personality through unique handcrafted wrist-wear. Check out this playful Nautical C3 bracelet in white-blue with a copper clasp. You can find

WHO: CHARLIE TURNER WHERE: CASTLE COMBE, UK “Oh come on, I said sit, not sh… Has anyone got any kitchen roll to hand? A few tissues? A microfibre cloth?” WHO: GREG POTTS WHERE: ROYSTON, UK Greg wanted some dope new headshots for his banging hip-hop E

You remember, erm, ‘Zenos’, right? Right? Jack RIx Ah the Zenos E10… unhappy days. Word to the wise, if you’re ever expecting your first child and thinking about dropping into conversation with the motoring editor (aka he who decides who gets what lo

Genesis for all Land Cruisers but, well, not technically a Land Cruiser. But a great way to get up 60 per cent of Mount Fuji. The now legendary shape of the FJ40 has made it a restomodders dream. And guess what? Americans love’em. Just, y’know, don’t

2020 constructors’ championship finish 2020 drivers’ championship finish Sack the art department >>> >>> Quality colouring in Nationality CAR: VF-21 / ENGINE: FERRARI MICK SCHUMACHER GER (N/A) NIKITA MAZEPIN RUS (N/A) CHANCES Not only has Haas replac

Danny Ric fills a seat left vacant by Carlos Sainz’s move to Ferrari. The reshuffle was announced in May 2020, two months before the truncated season had even got going. Sainz Jr was keen to pledge his best performance in orange before leaving to tur

TG: So Seb, you famously name your F1 cars. What’s your first Aston Martin going to be called? SV: The problem is I don’t know yet. I’m thinking about it and playing around with the Bond theme and it’s always been a female name, so check out all the

What we’re watching/listening/doing, while we should be working Is this not one of the best TV shows around? More tasks than you can shake a stick at. Some as ludicrous as whatever that previous sentence means Italy’s greatest footballer is a true ic

Adolf Hitler Decreed the Beetle into existence – a cheap, simple car for the masses Ferdinand Porsche Contracted by Hitler to develop the ‘people’s car’ in the mid-Thirties Ivan Hirst British Army officer who kick-started Beetle production after WW2

This month: the Honda e’s charging port Jack Rix The position of charging ports has been the subject of hot debate in the TopGear Garage this month. Horrell hates his Soul’s port in the front grille, and lives in constant fear of being backed into. M

Wearable sport tech is everywhere these days, isn’t it? From smart watches to heart rate monitors, we buy all the gear to help us get fit and then use it twice before it drops to the bottom of an anonymous drawer. Stick these smart NURVV Run insoles

Let’s start with a simple one. EV means electric vehicle, as opposed to one powered by petrol, diesel, used chip oil, Chanel No 5 or magic. Must not be pronounced ‘Bev’, like your favourite lunch lady, but ‘B-E-V’. It stands for battery electric vehi

These small cars are perfect for urban life, but the trade-off is a much lower range PRICE: £27,160–£29,660 RANGE: Up to 136 miles TG’s reigning city car of the year has retro-tastic styling, but the range isn’t great. No worries – you don’t need to

£33,165 VAUXHALL TRIED QUITE HARD WITH THE current-gen Insignia. It’s decent looking, spacious, comfortable and reasonable money. A big improvement on the car it replaced what feels like a million years ago. But the world has changed, and the Insigni

Unplugged Performance is now offering a limited-slip diff for the Model 3 and Y. Skids ahoy! This is the Audi Q4 e-tron’s interior, complete with proper climate buttons (hooray) and an AR head-up display VW CEO Ralf Brandstätter has teased an ID.3 ca

Many of the Puma’s stablemates are EVs. But for me, who parks in a place with zero electricity (and zero chance of it arriving) I’m relieved to be running an ICE car. I know how far I can go on a tank, I know there are hundreds of places I can fill u

McLaren offers us a glimpse of a more diverse, progressive future for Formula One. Its cars have more prominently displayed rainbow colours than rivals while the team has an ongoing partnership with charity Mind, playing neatly into how much Lando No

To look the part you’ll need a random clashing selection of team wear dated between 2005 and 2013 – hit the charity shops and eBay Settle down in a camping chair in your back garden with the sprinkler running on high for maximum rainsoaked atmosphere

JLR recently announced that Land Rover would launch six all-electric SUVs in the next five years, as the group aims to become carbon neutral by 2039. This isn’t one of them. In fact, it’s the opposite. Land Rover has stuck its 5.0-litre supercharged

With handlebar controls and a 155cc engine, this early scooter was ridden by the likes of Amelia Earhart and suffragette Lady Norman E. Foster Salsbury’s second scooter attempt was ridiculously cool. It featured a CVT and even accelerator and brake p