Tråd: Autocar bag-the-scenes 2012

Historier bag de store historier om året. Bevis for, at bilindustrien bevæger sig hurtigt, kaste dine øjne over disse numre. Over 51 spørgsmål og 3825 redaktionelle sider, så har vi skrevet om store biler, gennemsnitlige biler og endda lejlighedsvis dårlig en, afsløre deres første detaljer, køre dem, road test dem og tilbyde rådgivning om hvordan man kan købe dem til en bedre pris.
Vi har haft biler, der har chokeret (Range Rover Evoque cabrio, Bentley 4 x 4), biler, som har wowed (Porsche 911, Toyota GT86, Range Rover) og alt derimellem. Vi har brudt historier på biler der vil klippe vores fremtid (McLaren P1, Ferrari Enzo) og nogle, der måske ikke (skaberne af Lamborghini SUV synes allerede at have gået kold på tanken).
Den fælles tråd er, at vi er fascineret af, at hver og én - og så dedikeret som nogensinde for at give dig den bedste dækning af dem alle.
Den overraskelse i vores Hurtige Ford special
Vi ønskede at samle nogle af de hurtigste og bedste vadesteder nogensinde er lavet, men hvad vi ikke forventer var hvordan ons falde i kærlighed med noget, der var hverken særlig hurtig eller en de facto klassiker. Det hele skete ved et uheld, også. Vi ønskede at hovedet til Wales i en konvoj bestående af Sierra Cosworth, Mk1 Focus RS, Mk2 fokus ST, Racing Puma og en Mk3 XR2i. Snublende gennem vadesteder arv samling, lavede vi en sidste minut beslutning at taske en hvid, carb-fodret Mk2 XR2 i stedet.
Delikatesse, enkelhed og tiny dimensioner appelleret. Dim forlygter på Waless mørke, oversvømmet og snoede veje på vej til vores skyde ikke. Mulighed for at lade de mere moderne metal forrest var taknemmeligt taget. Men når regnskyer ryddet, baby af denne test kom ind i sin egen. Det kan have kostet cirka halvdelen af næste billigste i vores test, men det var den, vi alle hemmeligt eftertragtede.
En 200 mph smag af One-77
Når ja kom, var vi ikke forventer det. Vi skal dog stillet 20 gange om vi kunne ride med Chris Porritt, ingeniør og Le Mans racer, i 1. 2 millioner One - 77 superbil der hed lige brugt år opbygge. Og ons blive temmelig komfortabel med et afslag. Pludselig, sagde de ja. Porritt vil tage mig på lokale veje omkring fabrikken og derefter på nogle varme omgange af Gaydon testbane.
Han leverede, big time. Han var forhindret på den åbne landevej, men vi virkelig stormede test track. Jeg havde tidligere tænkt på det som et sterilt stykke af lige og buede blacktop, nysgerrigt bred steder. Men på 200, det var lige bred nok; for 15 minutter, Le Mans flyttet til Midlands. Jeg kan stadig se den hvide ansigter af tilskuerne, da vi eksploderet.
Porritt brændt gummi i 15 minutter, producerer en af de bedste cover billeder weve nogensinde havde. Han bevist også endegyldigt One-77s legitimationsoplysninger. Veludført arbejde.
Subaru BRZ tager på sine rivaler - og mullers dem
Vores gruppe test af Toyobaru var en meget speciel lejlighed — den første sande test af en bil, der ville gå på at opnå så meget. Du kunne ikke have ønsket bedre sportsvogne at implementere på Route Napoleon end Mazda MX-5 og Nissan 370Z vi havde med os. Ikke desto mindre, vi fik en. Subarus BRZ viste sine rivaler manglede: en fuldstændig absorberende køreoplevelse, kendetegnet ved en rev-sultne magt levering og en fortryllende blanding af greb og indstillingsmuligheder.
Da testen gik, vores vished om BRZs storhed voksede og voksede. Så jeg strandede den sejrende BRZ ved at droppe sin baghjulene ud over kanten af vejen i løbet af en tre-punkts turn. Vi endelig fik den i gang igen, men for et stykke tid jeg må have været den eneste fyr i verden at have ønsket at 2012s mest beundrede bageste-driver ikke var bagtøjet overhovedet.
Gode grunde til at føle sig patriotiske
Hvad gør en 190 k superbil fra en af Storbritanniens mest berømte virksomheder og en LPG-drevne forsøg bil ejes af et korniske landmand har til fælles? Begge gjort dække af vores spørgsmål, 9 maj, som fejrede bedste af bilkørsel, vores fair isle har at tilbyde.
Vi var den første bil mag at fortælle verden officielle detaljerne i Astons ny V12 coupé, som gjorde overvinde scoop en no-brainer som vores dække stjerne. Første drev af de seneste Lotus Elise S og Morgan Plus 8 ramped op den patriotiske inderlighed til et niveau, der sømmer sig en diamond jubilee år, men vores road test team lagde ikke fingrene imellem i deres ærlige anmeldelse af middelmådige Mini Roadster.
Kurven bolde var Steve Cropleys historie beskriver hvorfor indiske kæmpe Tata gør brug af Storbritanniens fineste engineering talent, og at forsøg bil, som Colin Goodwin blev sendt til et felt på de forblæste klipper i nord Cornwall at prøve en meget britisk slags motorsport. Fra grand tourers til græsrødderne havde dette spørgsmål det hele.
Nye Alfa Spider venskabsby med næste generation af Mazda MX-5
Advance advarsel og stram planlægning er altid godt for hjertet, men theres intet, som sætter pulsen racing som en uventet nyhedshistorie bryde. Om morgenen den 23 maj vågnede jeg op på cirka 6 am, kiggede på min telefon og sprang ud af sengen med betydeligt mere fart end jeg ville på enhver anden dag.
Den tørre, corporate pressemeddelelse fra Mazda og Alfa indeholdt en bombe: næste generation MX-5 ville gyde en ny Alfa Spider – gode nyheder for dem og for bilentusiaster. Første opgave var at få en historie på nettet. Så vi rev op den planlagte forsiden (BMW'er tab var Alfas få) som nyheder skrivebord tog telefoner og søgte deres kontakter til den altafgørende inde linje.
Hoppe af glæde i Toyotas GT86
Der er et par steder rundt omkring hvor du kan få en bil luftbårne. Men theres ingen steder er helt ligesom Millbrook fordi, godt... bare se på billedet nedenfor. Du kan få masser af luft mellem dæk og asfalt- og lande sikkert bagefter — uden at ty til Photoshop til at gøre det ser dramatisk.
Yump sig selv er Millbrooks hill rute, et stykke af sporet, helt ærligt, en ret gammel grine. Dens stejleste downhill sektion ender på højre, positive camber bøjning, hvorigennem du nødt til at bære en masse hastighed. Så theres en kort op ad bakke lige, hvor dens vigtigt at holde gashåndtaget naglet og hoik bilen til centerlinien før crest ankommer sammen med en urolig følelse at youre kører bil hvis styring ikke vil gøre noget. Føles fantastisk. Ikke længe. Theres en nedadgående hældning (som tager bekymringen af landing) efterfulgt af en meget skarp venstre, (som ikke).
Bedste Britiske: alle nuværende og korrekt
Det var en af de mest opmuntrende ting om tilrettelæggelse af vores bedste af britisk udstyrsstykke: kun om hver enkelt af de 21 producenter, uanset afstand og modgang, vedtog den første telefonopkald til at komme med til vores event. Velvilje var håndgribelig lidt ud over mig at sige Hej. Så selv om jeg ville elske at kræve fuld ansvar for timevis sveder over kontaktlisten for at gøre det ske, Id nødt til at give de fleste af kredit til blokes fra hver marque, helt ærligt, bare indvilliget i at komme og derefter dukkede op på en forfærdelig time paa den dag, trodset akavet trafik, for at tilbringe en dag loitering på Brooklands bank.
Finurlige og frustrerende som den Britiske bilindustri kan være, ingen fejl dens punktlighed og vilje til at rejse. Eller dets evne til at opbygge de største og mest interessant udvalg af køretøjer overalt på planeten.
Øse McLaren P1
Vandrer øjne rundt på kontoret er ofte tiltrukket af min computerskærm. Ikke fordi Im ser på ting jeg ikke skulle være, men fordi som nyheder mand, jeg får billeder af nye biler først at sætte dem, hvor de er derefter ses først: i Autocars nyhedssider. Så du kan forestille dig det publikum, der samledes da de første billeder af den nye McLaren P1 syntes. Autocar har en masse historie med McLaren F1, så interessen for P1 var større end for nogen anden bil i år.
De tre billeder og en 100-word pressemeddelelse kom blot få timer før vores print deadline. Ons planlagte fem sider og en 1000-ords historie. En delve ind i Hilton Holloways kontakter bog senere og vi havde en reel scoop på vores hænder — og en af de definerende dække historier af året.
Til Marrakesh af nye Range Rover
Den helt nye Range Rover, en 21st century Testamente til glans af sin 40-årige blueprint, fortjent den mest omfattende først drive Anmelde af året, men ingen forventede hvor langt ons have lov til at køre den.
En 2000-mile rejse fra Land Rovers Midlands hjem til Marrakesh gav os den nødvendige plads til at strække Range Rovers ekstraordinære nye ben og levere den tidligste dom om hvad gør denne nyeste version velsagtens den fineste luksusbil i verden. Turen også sætte Cropley tilbage på rattet i en 1971 to-dørs — en veltalende påmindelse som de mest ikoniske biler altid hat-tip fortid før Skridtstillingen triumferende ind i fremtiden.
Hvordan vi afdækket hver ny Landie
Storbritanniens førende motorjournalister var på Gaydon for et teknisk seminar om den nye Range Rover. Under præsentationen, chief designer Gerry McGovern lynede op en ru produkt plan, beregnet til at angive, hvordan den fremtidige Land Rover range vil bestå af tre hovedtyper af SUV. Jeg knipsede det med min iPhone- og produktionsvirksomheden, hvis det var muligt at træne de platforme, de var baseret på, kunne vi arbejde ud produktionsstederne og derefter faktiske modellen vist på planen.
Nøglen til puslespillet var opnåede senere samme dag på Solihulls nye produktionslinje for aluminium biler. Jeg spurgte om planter maksimale kapacitet og var fortalte 150.000 på tre arbejdsskift. Dette gjorde det meget nemmere at arbejde ud af, hvilke nye model var der og søm detaljer af alle 16 af de nye modeller.
Nice, men wheres M4?
Nyheden om, at BMW 4-serie navneskilt var endelig kommer til livet var spændende nok, men hvad skærpe min appetit var udsigten til en M4. Da læse de nyheder, jeg (som mange andre ligesindede sjæle, jeg tør sige) har brugt en hel del tid drømmer mit ideal spec: 450bhp, 480lb ft, en syv-trins dobbelt-kobling auto, en lettere, slankere, renere motor og styring, der gør hånden fizz.

The stories behind the big stories of the year. For proof that the car industry moves fast, cast your eyes over these numbers. Over 51 issues and 3825 editorial pages, weve written about great cars, average cars and even the occasional poor one, revealing their first details, driving them, road testing them and offering advice on how to buy them at a better price.
Weve had cars that have shocked (Range Rover Evoque cabrio, Bentley 4x4), cars that have wowed (Porsche 911, Toyota GT86, Range Rover) and everything in between. Weve broken stories on cars that will rock our future (McLaren P1, Ferrari Enzo) and some that might not (already the makers of the Lamborghini SUV appear to have gone cold on the idea).
The common thread is that we are fascinated by each and every one – and as dedicated as ever to bringing you the best coverage of them all.
The surprise in our Fast Ford special
We wanted to gather some of the fastest and finest Fords ever made, but what we didnt expect was how wed fall in love with something that was neither particularly fast nor a de facto classic. It all happened by accident, too. We wanted to head to Wales in a convoy made up of the Sierra Cosworth, Mk1 Focus RS, Mk2 Focus ST, Racing Puma and a Mk3 XR2i. Stumbling through Fords heritage collection, we made a last-minute decision to bag a white, carb-fed Mk2 XR2 instead.
The delicacy, simplicity and tiny dimensions appealed. Dim headlights on Waless dark, flooded and twisty roads en route to our shoot didnt. The chance to let the more modern metal lead the way was gratefully taken up. But once the rainclouds cleared, the baby of this test came into its own. It may have cost roughly half of the next cheapest in our test, but it was the one that we all secretly coveted.
A 200mph taste of the One-77
When the yes came, we werent expecting it. We must have asked 20 times whether we could ride with Chris Porritt, engineer and Le Mans racer, in the 1. 2 million One-77 supercar that hed just spent years building. And wed become rather comfortable with a refusal. Suddenly, they said yes. Porritt would take me on to local roads around the factory and then on some hot laps of the Gaydon test track.
He delivered, big time. He was restrained on the open road, but we truly stormed the test track. I had previously thought of it as a sterile piece of straight and curved blacktop, curiously wide in places. But at 200mph, it was just wide enough; for 15 minutes, Le Mans moved to the Midlands. I can still see the white faces of the onlookers as we rocketed by.
Porritt burned rubber for 15 minutes, producing one of the best cover pictures weve ever had. He also conclusively proved the One-77s credentials. Job done.
Subaru BRZ takes on its rivals — and mullers them
Our group test of the Toyobaru was a very special occasion — the first true test of a car that would go on to achieve so much. You couldnt have wished for better sports cars to deploy on the Route Napoleon than the Mazda MX-5 and Nissan 370Z we had with us. Nevertheless, we got one. Subarus BRZ showed what its rivals lacked: a totally absorbing driving experience, characterised by a rev-hungry power delivery and a spellbinding blend of grip and adjustability.
As the test wore on, our certainty about the BRZs greatness grew and grew. Then I beached the victorious BRZ by dropping its rear wheels off the edge of the road during a three-point turn. We did finally get it moving again, but for a while I must have been the only bloke in the world to have wished that 2012s most revered rear-driver wasnt rear drive at all.
Great reasons to feel patriotic
What do a 190k supercar from one of Britains most famous companies and an LPG-powered trials car owned by a Cornish farmer have in common? Both made the cover of our 9 May issue, which celebrated the best of motoring that our fair isle has to offer.
We were the first car mag to tell the world official details of Astons new V12 coupe, which made the Vanquish scoop a no-brainer as our cover star. First drives of the latest Lotus Elise S and Morgan Plus 8 ramped up the patriotic fervour to a level befitting a diamond jubilee year, but our road test team pulled no punches in their frank review of the mediocre Mini Roadster.
The curve balls were Steve Cropleys story detailing why Indian giant Tata is making use of Britains finest engineering talent, and that trials car, for which Colin Goodwin was dispatched to a field on the windswept cliffs of north Cornwall to try a very British form of motorsport. From grand tourers to grass roots, this issue had it all.
New Alfa Spider twinned with next Mazda MX-5
Advance warning and tight planning are always good for the heart, but theres nothing that sets the pulse racing like an unexpected news story breaking. On the morning of 23 May, I woke up at about 6am, looked at my phone and leaped out of bed with considerably more speed than I would on any other day.
The dry, corporate press release from Mazda and Alfa contained a bombshell: the next-generation MX-5 would spawn a new Alfa Spider — great news for them and for car enthusiasts. First job was to get a story up on the web. Then we tore up the planned front cover (BMWs loss was Alfas gain) as the news desk picked up the phones and searched their contacts for the all-important inside line.
Jumping for joy in Toyotas GT86
There are a few places dotted around where you can get a car airborne. But theres nowhere quite like Millbrook because, well… just look at the picture below. You can get loads of air between tyre and asphalt — and land safely afterwards — without resorting to Photoshop to make it look dramatic.
The yump itself is on Millbrooks hill route, a piece of track that is, frankly, a right old laugh. Its steepest downhill section ends at a right-hand, positive-camber bend, through which you need to carry a lot of speed. Then theres a short uphill straight, on which its important to keep the throttle nailed and hoik the car to the centre line before the crest arrives, along with an uneasy feeling that youre driving a car whose steering wont do anything. Feels great. Doesnt last long. Theres a downward slope (which takes the worry out of the landing) followed by a very sharp left (which doesnt).
Best of British: all present and correct
It was one of the most heartening things about organising our Best of British extravaganza: just about every single one of the 21 manufacturers, regardless of distance and adversity, agreed on the first phone call to come along to our event. The goodwill was palpable little beyond me saying hello. So although I would love to claim full responsibility for spending hours sweating over the contacts list to make it happen, Id have to give most of the credit to the blokes from every marque that, frankly, just agreed to come and then turned up at a terrible hour of the day, braving awkward traffic, to spend a day loitering on the Brooklands banking.
Quirky and frustrating as the British car industry can be, no one can fault its punctuality and willingness to travel. Or its ability to build the widest and most interesting range of vehicles anywhere on the planet.
Scooping the McLaren P1
Wandering eyes around the office are frequently drawn to my computer screen. Not because Im looking at things I shouldnt be but because, as news man, I get images of new cars first to put them where they are then seen first: in Autocars news pages. So you can imagine the crowd that gathered when the first pictures of the new McLaren P1 appeared. Autocar has a lot of history with the McLaren F1, so interest in the P1 was greater than for any other car this year.
The three pictures and a 100-word press release arrived just hours before our print deadline. Wed planned five pages and a 1000-word story. A delve into Hilton Holloways contacts book later and we had a real scoop on our hands — and one of the defining cover stories of the year.
To Marrakesh by new Range Rover
The all-new Range Rover, a 21st century testament to the brilliance of its 40-year-old blueprint, deserved the most comprehensive first drive review of the year, but no one anticipated just how far wed be allowed to drive it.
A 2000-mile journey from Land Rovers Midlands home to Marrakesh gave us the necessary space to stretch the Range Rovers extraordinary new legs and deliver the earliest verdict on what makes this latest version arguably the finest luxury car in the world. The trip also put Cropley back at the wheel of a 1971 two-door — an eloquent reminder that the most iconic cars always hat-tip the past before striding triumphantly into the future.
How we uncovered every new Landie
Britains leading automotive journalists were at Gaydon for a technical seminar on the new Range Rover. During the presentation, chief designer Gerry McGovern flashed up a rough product plan, intended to indicate how the future Land Rover range would be made up of three main types of SUV. I snapped it with my iPhone — and reckoned that if it was possible to work out the platforms they were based on, we could work out the production sites and then the actual model shown on the plan.
The key to the jigsaw was obtained later that day at Solihulls new production line for aluminium cars. I asked about the plants maximum capacity and was told 150,000 on three shifts. This made it much easier to work out which new model was which and nail the details of all 16 of the new models.
Nice, but wheres the M4?
The news that the BMW 4-series nameplate was finally coming to life was exciting enough, but what whet my appetite was the prospect of an M4. Since reading the news, I (like many like-minded souls, I dare say) have spent a fair bit of time dreaming up my ideal spec: 450bhp, 480lb ft, a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, a lighter, leaner, cleaner engine, and steering that makes your fingertips fizz.