We'd initially drafted October's review to reflect on the increased regional restrictions being implemented but by the time you read this, the entire country once again finds itself facing further measures to prevent further spread of Covid-19.
We had seen much positivity within the motoring world, with many venues reopening within safe guidelines and motoring enthusiasts once again being able to meet safely and share their passion.
Nowhere was this more apparent that during Goodwood's Speed Week. Hosted across 3 days and featuring a combination of the machinery usually seen at September's Revival and the more modern cars we watch flying up Lord March's drive at July's Festival of Speed. The entire event was held behind closed doors but streamed free via Goodwood' website.
What an event. Goodwood really does pull out all the stops to keep motoring fans happy and once again, they didn't disappoint. Single seaters, GT cars, rally cars and a raft of new sports and supercars combined with racers from both the classic and modern eras to produce a mouth-watering spectacle culminating in Nick Padmore setting a new outright lap record in a 1989 Arrows-Ford A11.
Our roundup this month mixes the usual news from the motoring world – new cars, special cars, industry updates and insurance news. Please keep telling us what you like and what's not so good; your feedback so far has been a huge help in creating content for you all.
Auction new from Glenmarch
Glenmarch have produced a review of the highlights from the last 3 months' auctions. You can read more about that here.
Covid Update
We find ourselves once again reassuring our clients that, for Lockton, it's business as usual. Our associates remain available with no change to the way in which we deliver service to you. We have kept all of our offices open where it's safe to do so and this will remain the case unless the rules or guidelines tighten any further.
We know that this is a time full of uncertainty and many are worried for the wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones. Lockton are fully committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our associates, our clients and their families.
Events Update
With the onset of winter, it's usual for motoring related events to begin a gradual slowing down although a recent highlight was a Saturday morning trip out to The Classic Motor Hub. Situated in the heart of The Cotswolds, this dealership is based on a former RAF site and has expanded to include a club house and shop selling a wide range of motoring related items. The coffee and bacon rolls are also rather excellent.
The range of machinery on display, both in the showrooms and visitors to the open day was eclectic –from Edwardian cars, through vintage motorcycles and plenty from the 50's to the 70's plus a wide range of modern classic and supercars and modern motorbikes, there really was something for everyone.
Why not go and have a look at their website here http://classicmotorhub.com/
Car news
October is a little quieter on the new car front for performance orientated models – we were going to add some words relating to a world speed record in the USA but there appears to be a lot of discussion surrounding this so we'll hold fire for now!
We begin with Audi and the launch of the latest version of its popular RS3 model. Boasting almost 400hp and 4WD, it looks set to improve on the previous model's acceleration and top speed figures.
Whenever we see a new high performance hatchback, we recall the original output of the first Golf GTI of just over 110hp and can't help but marvel at the advancements made in the last 4 decades!
We start with some controversy however. Not since the Bangle design era at BMW has there been so much discussion over the appearance of a model from Munich but the latest 3/4 series are generating enough debate to stop the internet it seems.
The latest M3/M4 models feature a very prominent evolution of the famous kidney grills and it seems a shame that this single aspect of their design has almost overshadowed the technical changes which include, for the first time, 4WD in an M3/4 model and at last (for some) a Touring version which will follow in 2021 – so far BMW have only released teaser images of the fastest 3 series estate ever produced.
Available in coupe (M4) and saloon (M3) initially, power is quoted at 480hp, increasing to 510hp for the Competition version. Manual and automatic transmissions are only available on the lesser powered car, with the Competition available only in automatic format.
Interestingly, the Bangle era cars have found increasing favour amongst motoring enthusiasts in recent years – will the restyled version of BMW's popular medium sized model go down a similar route?
The furore surrounding the car has also meant that the launch of another BMW has slipped by almost unnoticed. This time it's the M550i – and with 523hp, this model is a less performance focused alternative than the M5 which boasts almost 100hp more, together with a much higher price tag. The M550 is available only in saloon form.
Next, we head south to Maranello and Ferrari. The Roma is a front engined, V8 engined coupe which can be specified either as a 2 seater or, with the addition of 2 small rear seats, a 2+2.
Ferrari labelled the car as an entry level model – and only the Italian firm would give their “base” model 612hp! It shares chassis and drivetrain with the Portofino convertible with the addition of active aerodynamics and is aimed at Aston Martin's Vantage and the AMG-GT from Mercedes.
From Ferrari to Ford and the revival of one of the most iconic badges in motoring history. The original Mustang heralded the concept of the affordable performance car and inspired many other manufacturers to produce similar models.
The Mustang Mach-e is an electric SUV with prices ranging from just over £40,000 to just under £57,000 and with equivalent outputs from 254hp to 332hp and available in both rear and four wheel drive. Ford plans to launch GT and Shelby badged models to add some muscle car sparkle. The Mach-e is aimed squarely at Tesla's Model Y and VW's forthcoming ID4.
From EV to supercar and back to Italy – this time it's the turn of Maserati and the MC20. Available with a V6 twin turbocharged engine or fully electric option, it's Maserati's take on Audi's R8, McLaren's 5/6 series cars and other similar offerings.
The engine may also form the basis of future Maserati models and the name stands for Maserati Corse, their racing arm. The last model to wear the badge was the MC12, the fearsome Ferrari Enzo-derived hypercar and astonishingly the new car is more powerful than its predecessor.
The car is the first all-new Maserati in 5 years and unlike the MC12, developed entirely in-house by Maserati. The car will be offered in a range of colours evoking historic Maserati racing models of the past. The car was tested for aerodynamic efficiency in the Dallara wind tunnel, resulting in a shape pleasingly devoid of spoilers, with downforce being created beneath by the carbonfibre chassis.
We finish our new car news this month with a car said to be able to reach over 300mph and no, we aren't for one moment going to talk about the world record attempt in Nevada which appears to have set the internet alight in recent weeks!
We're heading to Bugatti instead and it's hard to imagine them making a car to out-do their famous Chiron and Veyron hypercars of recent years but it seems they've done just that. Their Bolide was revealed at the end of October following spy shots capturing a disguised version being tested.
Some headline numbers for you to ponder….
- 1,825 – the claimed power output, in bhp, from the reworked V16 quad turbo engine
- 1,250 – kerbweight in kilograms, achieved by extensive use of composite materials
- 24.64 – claimed 0-249mph and back to zero time (over 6 seconds quicker than Koenigsegg's Ragera…)
- 995 – the car's height, in millimetres
- 5:21. – the car's claimed target time to lap the famous Nurburgring circuit – and just a few seconds shy of the outright lap record set by Porsche's 919
- 2.8 – claimed lateral g's the car can generate under full acceleration
- 310 – maximum speed, in mph!
The car has been built as a one-off prototype but we can't help but think that it will be produced if enough demand is created – and the numbers above are almost certain to create that demand.
Featured marque
Our Ferrari story was so long that we had to cut it in two. You can read the first part here and we bring our story up to date here.
Competition time!
We're delighted to have teamed up with the guys at the masters of car care at Gtechniq to offer one very lucky customer the chance to win an Essential Maintenance Kit. We'll be announcing the lucky winner on the 1st of December 2020.
To enter, please click here to answer this 1 minute survey.
Coming soon...
We'll see you again next month; we'll feature Jaguar as our marque and we'll be bringing you more news and views from the motor industry.