trade-publication-final-version-1

OiiO v e r s t e e r i n i n k
SPINNING AWAYHow the Mazda MX5 will finally get some bite
Is the British motoring press
biased? Exclusive Report
BRAND
NEW
All the latest news
Instant Expert:
Video Production
#1 April 2013 @CarWriterNick oversteerinink.wordpres.com

Welcome to the first ever Oii – the new
trade publication for those hardy perennials
who call themselves motoring journalists,
whose number we count ourselves in. But what
does the future hold for us?
That’s the main question we answer this
week, as we ask well-known figures in our
little sphere to peer into a crystal ball and
tell us what issues we will face in 2013.
It’s not all bad – especially for bloggers…
What do we think? Well, we think we must
all remember why we have this job. Cars are
changing – manuals are being replaced by
flappy paddle gearboxes, and steering feel
has exited stage right too. But we must not
get swept away with the evangelical call for
the good old days, and not alienate ourselves
from our audience. Which is as likely to be
a 14 year old boy with no idea what steering
feel is, or an uninterested family looking to
replace a car, as it could be a performance
loving driver who shares our views.
Journalists must also avoid that great
distractor and time-waster which is Twitter.
Oh, that reminds me, follow me at
@CarWriterNick.
Enjoy the mag – we enjoyed making it!
N.Prangnell
Editor
Welcome to Oii! This
week the ed is smoking...
the notion of sportiness
44
14
36
29
13 38 9
40
18
17
News
Car Reviews Car Features
Industry
Features
Regulars Thanks to...
Peugeot 208
Honda CRZ
Nissan Juke
Peugeot RCZ
Mazda MX5 GT Con-
cept at Goodwood and
on track
Ford Focus old vs new
Bob Murray, Jim
Wheeler, Steve Miller,
Richard Aucock,
Jim Holder, Andrew
Noakes, James Batch-
elor, Ian Eveliegh,
Johnny Herbert...
Thank You!
Porsche Estate?
Caterham R600
New German Muscle
Bye-bye Scooby
MotorSport
re-design
Performance PR
Hales vs Piper
Tributes to Kevin Ash
Jaguar Speed Boat
What did Oii do for
us?
Instant Expert: Video
Jobs vs Temptations
The Art of the Passen-
ger Ride
Autograph Hunting
The Future of Motor-
ing Journalism
Smile and Wave to
Mum
Narrative in magazines
Guide to Sub-editing
4
36
32
29
17
17
16
14
24
18
13
13
11
10
9
8
7
6
50
48
42
41
40
38
Fleet44
2 3oversteerinink.wordpress.com oversteerinink.wordpress.com

After diesels, off-roaders and
saloons, Germany’s great-
est sports car company
has come up with…an estate car.
Well, not quite yet perhaps – the
Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
unveiled at the Paris Motor Show
is officially a concept. But expect
a five-door model very much like
ther car shown here to appear in
Porsche showrooms when the cur-
rent Panamera is replaced around
2016. After all, these days even
Ferrari has an estate car in its line-
up…
And the good news is that the
new Porsche is surprisingly attrac-
tive. The Sport Turismo concept
sharpens up the Panamera’s podgy
looks with bold creases along
the flanks and bonnet. There’s a
more pronounced lip around the
wheelarches and a 964-esque re-
flector across the rear lights, giving
the estate more visual width.
New, double-stacked LED head-
lights and thin-spoked alloy wheels
take inspiration from the compa-
ny’s upcoming 918 hypercar, as
does the interior with TFT screens
and a touch-screen centre console.
The Sport Turismo concept is
around 20mm shorter and lower
than the current Panamera but is
60mm wider. The estate’s boot is
said to hold 545 litres, 100 more
than the current liftback mod-
el, but less than the 590 litres in
the Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting
Brake – an obvious rival in AMG
form.
The Sport Turismo concept isn’t
just about a new body style, with
plug-in capability being added to
Porsche hybrid system for the first
time. The system, called ‘e-hybrid’,
increases the power from the elec-
tric motor to 94bhp for a total
of 410bhp when combined with
the Audi-sourced, 328bhp super-
charged V6. The electric side alone
can power the car for 18 miles at
speeds of up 81mph.
Porsche claim the car can deliver
0-62mph in under six seconds as
Wagons Roll at
ZuffenhausenEstate version of Porsche’s four-door saloon
New hybrid technology showcased
Apple insired interior
Aston Martin has re-
cieved £150m from new
part-owners Invest,entntn,
securing the marques
future - and promising new
model development
Porsche have announced
they will be returning to
the Le Mans 24hrs with a
factory team of GT3 911’s
- thirteen ears after their
last (and victorious) outing
well as returning over 80mpg and
just 80g/km CO2. The hybrid en-
gine can be plugged in and charged
from a mains power source.
Porsche have been considering
an estate version of the current
Panamera since the first model’s
launch in 2009. It’s thought that
arrival of cars like the Mercedes
CLS Shooting Brake has encour-
aged them to get a move on.
This Month's News
news

C
aterham has announced
the most extreme version
of its iconic Seven yet –
the race-only, 275bhp Superlight
R600.
The new model features a devel-
opment of the supercharged 2.0-li-
tre Ford Duratec engine found in
the company’s flagship SP/300.R,
with 275bhp and 200lb ft torque,
although no performance figures
have been released yet. The R600
will sit at the top of the Seven rac-
ing ladder and Caterham expect a
full grid of the lightweight rockets
by 2014 after racing starts next
year.
The R600 is a huge step up from
F
ins ain’t what they used to be
in the world of sports cars,
so Jaguar has put a toe in
the water with its first speedboat –
complete with rear fin inspired by
the D-type. The sumptuous Con-
cept Speedboat has been wheeled
out to coincide with the launch of
the new, more practical Jaguar XF
Sportback, or estate as we call it.
Penned by Jaguar designer Ian
Callum, the Concept Speedboat
features many Jaguar design cues
– the most prominent being that
rear fin. It extends from behind
the cabin across the teak deck to
the stern. The prow of the boat
lifts gradually to meet the screen,
which protects the 2+1 occupants
of the red leather interior from sea
spray. Jaguar enthusiasts will of
course recognise the fuel filler cap
that draws heavily from the Series
1 XJ.
Jaguar isn’t the only car maker
to turn to powerboats to express
some design flair, with Mercedes
due to put their own coupe-like
Silver Arrow motor yacht into pro-
duction by 2014.
Grace space and
a mooring post
the R300 in not just engine perfor-
mance but also in spec, with sticky
Avon slicks, a sequential gearbox
and a Titan limited-slip differen-
tial; however Caterham say current
R300 owners can upgrade to R600
spec.
Caterham said there are no firm
plans for a road-legal version, but
they did tell us they were interest-
ed to see how much interest from
customers there is for a road-going
version. For a road car, it would
have “devastating performance” ac-
cording to Caterham. The current
fastest road-legal Seven, the Super-
light R500, completes 0-62mph in
2.88 seconds.
“The carbon-fibre rear fin is in-
spired by the D-type Jaguar”
Caterham announce 275bhp
race-only superlight R600
£44,995 race-only Caterham won’t be road legal Caterham considering a road version Veyron killer?
“The R600 represents a huge
increase in aggressiveness”
Jaguar designer Ian Cullum pens a beautiful,
D-type inspired speedboat
Jaguar says we can’t have it!
This Month's News
BMW has revealed this
concept previewing the
forthcoming 4-series, or
3-series coupe. Expect the
next M3 to be low, wide
and aggresive
Maserati has taken the
coevrs off the next Quat-
troporte. The four-door
saloon will rival the M5 and
Porsche Panamera with a
Ferrari sourced V8
Unlike Mercedes however, Jag-
uar does not plan to put its boat
into production, so sadly no mat-
ter how good you think the Jaguar
Concept Speedboat looks towed
behind this Jaguar estate, you can’t
have one.
Simon Lambert, Caterham’s
motorsport boss, said: “The R600
represents an increase in aggres-
siveness, although the linear power
delivery of the supercharged en-
gine makes it superbly driveable,
much like the R300.”
The Superlight R600 will cost
from £44,995, and those interest-
ed in competing in the 2013 sea-
son – or insisting they build one
with numberplates – should con-
tact Caterham directly.
7oversteerinink.wordpress.com6 7oversteerinink.wordpress.com oversteerinink.wordpress.com

From
Stuttgart
taxi to super-
car-slayer –
the Mercedes-
Benz E-class in refreshed
form for 2013 includes a new
S-model with 585bhp. The
S replaces the AMG Perfor-
mance pack and, on paper at
least, destroys the BMW M5,
Jaguar XFR-S and every other
super-saloon on the planet.
Like the standard E-class, the
new E63 gets a much smoother
look than before, but AMG
adds huge intakes in the front
bumper and four exhaust pipes
in the sharper rear diffuser.
Available with either saloon
or estate bodies, the S brings
the power up to 585bhp, the
torque up to 800Nm, and the
0-62mph time down to 3.6
seconds.
The S-model adds a locking
differential, different paint
finishes on the brakes, interior
touches and host of styling
features, such as inserts in the
sills.
The AMG E63 S is a car sure
to grab all the headlines when
it lands in June, two months
after the basic E63 goes on sale.
Updates to
E63 AMG
New styling
More power
Crazy ‘S’ version
thanks to extensive use of alumin-
ium, increasing agility. Inside, the
cabin features RS sports seats with
huge side bolsters and a very cool,
pronounced honeycomb-quilted
Even by Audi RS standards the
numbers behind the new RS7
Sportback take your breath away:
189mph, 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds,
560bhpandabasepriceof£84,000.
It’s one third of a monsterous
group of cars to emerge from
Germany in the coming months,
meaning some fun group tests
are in the offering. Start but-
tering up the editor now...
Much of the technology from
the RS7, including the biturbo
V8, Is shared with the recently
announced (and less powerful)
RS6 Avant (Below). This means
peak power of 560bhp arrives be-
tween 5700 and 6700rpm, with
peak torque of 700Nm availa-
ble between 1750 and 5500rpm.
The standard A7 body has been
given a thorough work-over with
an angular, aggressive front bump-
er, side skirts and two elliptical
tailpipes in a gloss black rear dif-
fuser. The stance is much improved
over the standard A7 with a choice
of 20-inch or 21-inch wheels.
Caterham has announced a
new, single model race series
for teenagers aged 13-16, using
the brand-new Caterham CK-01
kart. The series will cater for up
to 120 participants and will start
in 2014.
The British sports car firm
has put a lot of emphasis on af-
It’s a B-roads blaster, a track day
hero and, in the hands of the
great Colin McRae, a rallying gi-
ant. It’s a cult classic that spawned
owners’ clubs all over the country,
and the driver’s car that rewrote
the rules on grip for a generation
brought up on front-wheel drive.
But now the antidote to mun-
dane motoring that the Subaru
WRX STI has been for the past
two decades has come to the end of
the road, in the UK at least, killed
off by its carbon dioxide emissions
and the increase in competition.
The only good news, Oii can
reveal, is that after the new year
the £33k price tag will tumble to
This Month's News
The LaFerrari hypercar
will have simply stunning
stats - its 6.3-litre V12
developing 790bhp and
with the Hy-KERS it gets
to 950bhp and 715lb ft.
That even outshines the
P1, which is confirmed to
have 903bhp and 664lb ft
combined. It is also heav-
ier and may lack a lack
throttle response...
Mega-Power German group
test looms More autobahn stormers from Audi and Mercedes
Set to take on the BMW M5, M6 and Jaguar XFR-S
The super-estate so beloved of
Audi takes a big step forward
with the new RS6 Avant – surely
the first car ever to combine a
0-62mph time of just 3.9 seconds
with a seats-down load space of
1680 litres. No labrador will ever
have travelled as fast...
With this third-generation RS6,
Audi has replaced the monstrous
V10 of the previous model with a
twin-turbo, 4.0-litre V8 develop-
ing 552bhp – the 28bhp deficit
to the last RS6 offset by a 37lb ft
torque increase. Top speed can be
up to 190mph.
The estate-only RS6 gets the ex-
pected RS design makeover with
a huge front air-dam with Quattro
highlighted in the grille.
Audi claims the new RS6 is
100kg lighter than its predecessor,
Inside, a chunky flat-bot-
tomed steering wheel joins
RS branded seats, while the
back seats feature “pronounced
contours for optimum grip”.
The Audi RS7 Sportback gets cyl-
inders that cut-off when not need-
ed, to reduce pumping losses and
improve fuel efficiency. Audi’s usu-
al Quattro technology will ensure
Return of the RS6 - but
28bhp less than before
Subaru performance icon killed off Five grand off last few WRXs
£28,000, saving £5000. Subaru
says it has enough stock to last un-
til the spring.
Subaru confirmed this week that
it will no longer be importing the
WRX STI after poor sales in the
past few months. “We must re-
main competitive,” a spokesman
said. “We will be concentrating on
our SUVs but we still provide cars
for the enthusiast with the BRZ
coupe”.
Subaru UK says the WRX STI
(which dropped the Impreza name
back in 2009) was no longer com-
petitive on its CO2 emissions, and
was struggling in the marketplace
against hot hatches, such as the
Vauxhall Astra VXR and Renault
Megane 265, that approached the
STI’s power output.
While poor sales tell their own
story, the WRX STI remains a per-
formance hero for many, brought
up on stunning images of the
Impreza tearing around the rally
stages of the world beamed to our
TVs in the mid ‘90s. The legend
has much to do with the late Colin
McRae, who won the World Rally
Championship in 1995 behind the
wheel of the Impreza.
Will it ever return to our shores?
Subaru’s spokesman said “never say
never” but don’t hold your breath.
It’s the end of an era.
ferocious grip, while active engine
mounts compensate for the added
vibration when the cylinders are
deactivated. Adaptive air suspen-
sion will come as standard, along
with brake discs featuring the
weight-saving wave profile (with
the option of carbon ceramic discs).
As is Audi’s way with RS mod-
els, the RS7 comes with a choice
pattern.
Lighter and faster than its prede-
cessor, first UK deliveries will be
in the summer of 2013 – with a
base price of £77,000.
of three top speeds. As standard,
it is limited to 155mph, but pay
extra and it can be set to 174mph
with the Dynamic package, or
189mph with Dynamic Plus.
But before you start ringing up
for that long-termer, remember
that with all the optional goodies,
this is a £100k car. It will be avail-
able from the summer of 2013.
fordability so a full season in the
new championship will cost just
£4995 – which includes entry
fees, a kart trolley and the CK-
01 kart itself – at a time when
karting costs can often spiral
into the tens of thousands.
The new kart “was developed
with simplicity, durability and
quality in mind,” says Caterham.
It certainly looks cool in full F1
team colours, complete with a
very F1-looking nose cone. But
don’t expect a road test to appear
anytime soon.
Subaru WRX to be dropped from UK
Caterham release F1-inspired
go kart - yours for £5,000
Jaguar is celebrating 25
years of its R brand with
the XKR-S GT - a track
version of the XK with
added aero, a £130,000
price tag and no UK plans.

W
e begin with the tragic
news of the death of
the Daily Telegraph’s
motorcycling correspondent Kevin
Ash, who has died in an accident at
a new bike launch in South Africa.
Within hours of his death trib-
utes were written to this ‘doyen’
of motorcycle writers by his col-
leagues.
Paul Hudson, the Acting Head
of Motoring at the Telegraph Me-
dia Group, wrote: “He was not
only a valued, knowledgable and
highly regarded correspondent, he
was also one of the friendliest peo-
ple you could wish to meet. His
passion for motorcycles and the
pleasures of motorcycling knew
no bounds and his skill - both as a
rider and a journalist - were held in
the greatest respect by the industry
and his peers.”
Daily Telegraph Editor Tony
Gallagher, added: “Kevin Ash was
the doyen of motorcycle corre-
spondents. Respected throughout
journalism and the motorcycle
trade, he was also one of our most
admired motoring columnists and
will be greatly missed by both
Telegraph staff and readers. Our
thoughts and prayers are with his
friends and family at this difficult
and sad time.”
Kevin was also a contributor at
FortyOneSix. Editor Bob Murray
said: “We at FortyOneSix can’t
claim to have known Kevin well,
nowhere near as well as his col-
leagues at The Telegraph... But
virtually everything on this site
concering two wheels was written
by Kevin, one of this country’s best
known and most respected motor-
cycle journalists.
Kevin’s daughter released this
message; “The phrase ‘he died do-
Kevin Ash killed
in fatal crash at
launch event
We mourn the tragic passing of one of the countries leading motorcycle journalists, killed at a BMW launch in South
Africa. Colleagues have released many touching statements, and we have brought you a few here.
Hales vs Piper: You react
and ask: so what next?
M
ark Hales lost his well
publicized case against
David Piper last
month, and may face bankruptcy
after a decision which doubtlessly
caught the attention of everybody
involved in motoring journalism.
Mark’s defence was that mechan-
ical failure caused the Porsche 917
he was driving at Cadwell Park
to jump out of gear and over-
rev, while the car’s owner claimed
that Hales failed to engage the
gear properly. The judge found in
Piper’s favour, and now Hales has
been handed total payments of
£110,000, plus his own legal fees.
Speaking to Oii, Hales said ““It
has been one of the most unpleas-
ant and stressful episodes of my
entire and I still find it hard to
contemplate the fact that I may yet
be made bankrupt and risk losing
everything I own because I drove a
multi-millionaire’s car for a maga-
zine feature.”
Defiant Hales still insists he was
not in the wrong.
“If the episode has taught me
anything, it is that I should pay
more attention to the things I al-
ready know, the most important of
which is to get every agreement in
writing. If you don’t, people will
inevitably tell lies.”
Predictably, the result of the case
has created many column inches of
discussion.
Octane magazine, who was
among the publications which re-
ceived the feature the Porsche drive
provided, came out in support of
Mark.
“Mark is one of the most gifted
and respected historic racing car
drivers in the business. There is
good reason why he is trusted by
many collectors to drive and race
some of the world’s most valuable
cars.
“Mark has been, and continues
to be, one of Octane’s most trusted
writers – very few people can place
the reader in the cockpit of a rac-
ing car and describe the experience
quite as eruditely as Mark can.”
Dennis stablemate Evo also sup-
ported Hales.
“He is revered as one of the most
talented and experienced drivers in
motoring journalism circles.”
However the waves from the sto-
ry reached further than the shores
of the automotive press, with the
nationals running the story.
For a thorough analysis of the
case, we turn first to Chris Harris,
via Pistonheads.
“Many commenting on the story
suggest that Hales was negligent
in not formalising a contract with
We round-up the comments
from the many articles on
the broken Porsche 917 case.
Piper detailing what should occur
should the unthinkable happen.
There’s also the question of insur-
ance - people are wondering why
Hales didn’t have suitable cover
and also why the magazine pub-
lishers he was working with have
ended up shouldering none of the
liability.
“For decades these ‘deals’ have
been the type of gentlemen’s agree-
ments that reflected the gentler era
in which the machines themselves
were raced. Hales claims he and
Piper had such a verbal agreement,
and that Piper chose to forget it in
court.”
Andrew Frankel’s dissection of
the case looked towards the fu-
ture, dashing ‘hysterical’ claims
that there they will be no more
driving of privately owned cars for
features.
“My experience as perhaps the
third most experienced British
motoring journalist currently reg-
ularly testing old racing cars for
car titles (after, of course, the ines-
timable Tony Dron) is that this is
ing what he loved’ sprang to mind
but I would like to stamp that
firmly out. He loved his family
more and we love him.’
‘As his oldest daughter, I only re-
cently started to fully realise just
how much further his parenting
went than most; on receiving a
tearful phone call at Stanstead
airport it was a natural response
to immediately cancel his press
launch and ride back home to
teach trigonometry the night be-
fore exams.”
‘Everything he did was entirely
for his children and his wife, and a
little bit for his cat.
‘My parents loved each other very
much and I hope that one day we
can learn to live without him.’
Our thoughts go out to Kevin’s
family at this time.
Grim ABC 2012 Figures
The dust has settled on the ABC
figures ending December 2012,
and as usual, unless you include
Camping and Caravanning, Top
Gear is the biggest selling mo-
toring monthly. But sales have
dropped, with circulation down
16%. That alone could be seen
as a catastrophe, but nearly every
single motoring magazine joins
it in posting declining figures,
meaning more tightening of ed-
itors budgets across the industry.
But are there any winners?
Octane’s sales have beaten the
slump, staying flat at around
33,000. Also stable are F1 Rac-
ing’s sales, at around 47,000
copies sold each month. Motor
Sport Magazine declined by just
over 1% year on year, weathering
better than Classic Car Week-
ly and Classic and Sports Car,
which both dropped by 2% year
on year.
But these dim rays of hope are
barely seen in the fog of decline.
Auto Express is down by 7.7%;
Autocar by 6.5%. Autosport has
slipped by nearly 9%.
Even the more niche magazines
– Land Rover Monthly (-7%) for
example – can’t pull themselves
out of the slump, no matter how
much off-road ability their sub-
ject matter might have.
Good news for Camping and
Caravan however – an increase
in year on year sales of 0.07%.
Perhaps we should all hitch up a
trailer.
Grim news indeed.
all a bit over the top.
“Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but
my experience of owners who have
let me drive their cars is that they
are generous, trusting enthusiasts
who understand the risks entirely
and are perfectly happy to shoul-
der them themselves, partly be-
cause they can afford to, but more
importantly, they want to see their
cars in the magazine for all sorts of
obvious reasons.”
Mark himself said “I am devastat-
ed and ruined. I’ve been called gra-
tuitously unpleasant, self-serving
and a liar just as a result of doing
my job.”
David Piper, who sold the Por-
sche 917 replica for £1.3 million
after the engine rebuild, said “I
think people will think twice
about lending cars to journalists
[now]… I did feel quite sorry for
him [Hales], but he completely
burned himself in his witness state-
ments.”
Of course, our sympathies go out
to Mark, and we hope this case will
be the exception, no the rule.
Industry News
brought to you by Oii

Dennis has launched a news-
letter by What Car?. Called
Intelligence, it features car market
analysis, insights from Haymar-
ket’s audience polls and data from
car searches on its websites.
Aimed at professionals working
in the industry, either in dealer-
ships or publications, much of the
research published is said to be
unavailable anywhere else.
The launch issue includes views
on the importance of a car’s
country of origin, as well as new
analysis on the most searched for
cars from What Car?’s True MPG
scheme. There’s also information
on new car sales, model segment
analysis and a top 10 cars which
are haggled down by buyers.
The newsletter is free to down-
load from the What Car? website.
Dennis and What Car?
Announce Intelligence
Performance PR Launches
3 new divisions
Automotive and sports special-
ist, Performance PR, is launch-
ing three new specialist divisions
to meet customer demand from
brands across the UK, Europe and
the Middle East.
Dependent on the project or
client needs, performance:digi-
tal, performance:video and per-
formance:partnerships will work
alongside the agency’s core media
relations function to operate as
standalone consultancy services,
designed to create stories that res-
onate with target audiences and
then to help them flourish, organi-
cally, across all channels.
“The move is a strategic reflection
of the work we’ve been conducting
on behalf of clients over the past
few years, as well as growing de-
mand,” explains Andy Francis,
co-founder of Performance PR,
which has offices in Kingston-Up-
on-Thames and Dubai.
“We’re now evolving with invest-
ment in key personnel and devel-
oping new flexibility to reflect the
growing role that PR creative plays
across the marketing communica-
tions mix.”
New jobs are being created - so
keep an eye on Performance PR if
you fancy a switch in careers.
The Guild of Motoring Writers is
inviting all writers and photogra-
phers to its forthcoming Copy-
right Seminar.
Arranged in association with
leading specialist legal firm Wright
Hassall, the free seminar – which
will take place on Monday 29 April
and is open to GoMW members
and non-members alike – looks
into specific copyright issues faced
by media professionals in an age
when it’s never been easier to share
work but has never easier to ‘steal’
it, either. The GoMW seminar will
explore both how they can protect
themselves beforehand and how to
take action afterwards if they feel
their copyright has been infringed.
The seminar will cover a gen-
eral overview of copyright law,
copyright in literary works, pho-
tographs and video, plus tips on
managing your copyright portfolio
and how to cost-effectively enforce
your rights.
The event takes place at Wright
Hassall’s premises Leamington
Spa, Warwickshire, from 3pm to
6pm. Go to the Guild website for
more information.
Motor Sport magazine has un-
dergone a major facelift for both
print and tablet, with the all-new
Motor Sport will be launched with
a 12-page special on Ayrton Senna.
The famous green masthead was
left untouched.
Motor Sport Editor Damien
Smith said: “We believe the new
design retains our renowned rep-
utation for authority, refinement
and clarity, but with an added
blend of modernity that a contem-
porary, forward-looking magazine
FoS Press Day BEN has further cause for
celebration as the 15th BEN
Scotland Ball raised a massive
£8,000.
Douglas Robertson, CEO of
the Scottish Motor Trades As-
sociation (SMTA) commented;
“Once again the Crowne Plaza
provided the setting for some
fine food, lively dancing and,
most importantly, spending
money on the live and silent
auctions. I am delighted with
the total raised and, on behalf
of BEN and the SMTA, would
like to thank all those who at-
tended and contributed to the
evening’s enjoyment.
“The importance of occasions
like the Scotland Ball and the
generosity of everyone involved
can never be underestimated.”
The 2013 season kicked off at Goodwood yesterday with the
press and media day. Typically raucous, this picture shows
Sam Hanson and the rest of the FortyOneSix team being pelt-
ed by gravel by a passing Chevrolet Camaro. Go online to
check out our gallery, where we show you the twenty most
exciting cars which will be appearing at Revival and Festival of
Speed over the summer.
BEN has a ball
GOMW Announce Free
Copywright Seminar
The AA’s president had to call
out one of his own vans after
potholes completely wrecked his
Mercedes-Benz.
This came just days after he ad-
dressed the media, saying, “Pot-
holes are popping up faster than
daffodils.”
Edmund King was filling up
with fuel at a Morrisons garage
near St Albans, Hertfordshire,
when he heard a “sudden whoosh”
sound.
Speaking to AOL, Mr King
said, “I was just filling up when
I heard a really loud sound. I just
assumed it was the car wash or the
air pump, and carried on filling up
And another tie-up...
...this time between Motor-
ing.co.uk and Confused.com,
which aims to generate bro-
chure and etst drive requests.
Terry Hogan, Managing Di-
rector of Motoring.co.uk, said;
“Our new partnership with
Confused.com will help both
parties to understand how they
can assist their respective users.”
New Look for
Motor Sport
with fuel.
“I saw the cashier in the garage
was looking at my car but I didn’t
realise where the sound had come
from until I walked around the
front and noticed the body was
touching the wheels. The front of
the car was resting on the tyres.”
“The irony is of course it was only
days ago I was addressing the me-
dia on the sorry state of Britain’s
roads.
“I am glad the damage has been
fixed because as you can imagine,
after filling the car with diesel and
then seeing the whole front-end
had collapsed, I thought it was go-
ing to be a waste of fuel!”
Irony Strikes
Again: AA Chief’s
Car Wrecked by
Potholes
must have.”
New editorial features include a
monthly “Racing Lives” cartoon,
picture specials and a new Formula
1 technical column.
The new look for the print and
tablet versions of Motor Sport re-
flects the unique content within.
Smith adds: “No other automo-
tive title covers so much ground,
from Formula 1 to grass roots mo-
tor sport, from road tests of the
latest models to the world of mo-
torcycling, and much more.”
This Month's News
Car leads site Motoring.
co.uk have announced a
new partnership with Park-
ers, powering all brochure
and test drive requests
from early March.
Richard Aucock has been
promoted to Editori-
al Director at Motoring
Research. His position as
chairman of the GOMW will
be unaffected.

Specification
Engine - 1.2 petrol, Power - 82bhp,
Torque - 87lb ft, 0-60mph 13.8s,Top
Speed - 109mph, 65.7mpg,
104 g/km, £17,000
Peugeot 208 1.2 Vti
Much-hyped hatchback 82bhp, three cylinder Ford Fiesta rival
“Build quality seemed much improved too, until we noticed a fizz emanating from somewhere on the dashboard”
The Peugeot 208 is hamstrung by a
weight of expectation bordering on
madness – for every journalist that re-
alises the company isn’t going to be able
to make another 205, there are another
ten who slam every new Peugeot two-
oh-something as being too heavy, too
slow, too lifeless. Too lifeless compared
to what? The legendary 205? Or con-
temporary rivals like the Citroen C3
and Fiat Punto, which the 206 outsold
across Europe? Clearly buyers have al-
ways loved Peugeot’s supermini offer-
ings even if hacks haven’t.
So to the 208, which has arrived with
equal mix of critical acclaim, so-so re-
views and an advertising campaign
promising another fresh start. That
suggestion is not quite true however, as
beneath the new body the platform is
the same as the 207’s. The 208 is lighter
and stronger than the car it replaces by
a sizeable amount – Peugeot claiming a
weight loss of around 200kg for most
models.
We have with us a 1.2 litre petrol mod-
el, 5-door, with the manual gearbox, in
Active spec. The engine gives you 82bhp
and 87ft/lb of torque , and the main at-
traction of the three cylinder design is
of course better fuel economy – with the
1.2 petrol rated at 65.7mpg and a de-
cent 104g/km Co2.
Standard kit is competitive enough,
the Active spec adding front fog lights,
a multifunction touchscreen and Blue-
tooth connectivity for your phone,
along with air conditioning. It’s still
only mid-spec, with higher specs getting
bigger wheels, folding door mirrors and
leather interior trim.
So after all the fanfare, how did it feel
to us? Like every road tester’s night-
mare. Unless you nit-pick, there is very
little to write about; the 208 isn’t ter-
rible, or great, or extraordinary in an-
yway, aside from the canny way they
have managed to hide the dials behind
the steering wheel no matter how tall or
short the driver is. Quite honestly my
main memory of the car is constantly
leaning forward so I could see what
speed I was doing.
Other problems include poorly set up
controls, such as over servoed brakes
and a clutch with a biting point way too
high and way to sudden. You won’t see
many of these as learner cars, as intui-
tive to drive it is not. We haven’t kanga-
rooed away from junctions like we did
in the 208 in quite a while, and there
was even the occasional accidental (and
embaressing) wheelspin in town.
Much of that is also down to the
three-cylinder 1.2-litre engine, which
has quite a lumpy power delivery. It can
feel gutless at times, but also seems to
have a turbo-diesel like ability to sud-
denly climb into a power band and give
you more thrust than you want.
Once you get it planning however, it
feels much better – the ride is accept-
able, the refinement no worse than the
car it replaces despite the weight loss.
The cabin looks fine, with a handful of
glittery details offset by the touchscreen
system which is awkward to use when
driving. Six buttons for the stereo and
separate controls for the air condition-
ing would work much better. As it is, it’s
preferable to set a radio station and des-
tination before you get going – so not a
system for channel hoppers.
The 208 does have plus points. The
handling is not as leaden as the light
steering might suggest, and B-roads
aren’t the chore they used to be in the
207. Build quality seemed much im-
proved too, until we noticed a fizz
emanating from somewhere on the
dashboard. Any feeling of solidarity
was taken away every time you had to
change gear through the sloppy gearbox
too.
Overall however the 208 is the slight
disappointment we all suspected it
would be. Not class leading in anyway,
except perhaps for looks (which are of
course purely subjective), the theme of
the deeply average Peugeot supermini
trading mostly on image has not disap-
peared with this new iteration.
Even more concerning then is the
plight of the GTI, which arrives in
spring to even more hype but with
an uninspiring base to work with. Of
course, Oii would never expect another
205 GTI, would we...
On The Web
The 5-door 208 does without the cool chrome dash
behind the side windws - a nod to the 205 GTi.The
interior is handsome, even if Peugeot (who have
been building cars for over 100 years) seems to have
forgotten where to put a steering wheel and dials.
Our test car
uncermoniously
dumped on the road
outside Oii’s student
residence.
reviews

PEUGEOT RCZ
The French company’s new
flagship came out in the summer
of 2010 and was tasked with bringing
some energy into Peugeot’s lacklustre
range.
The main selling point of the RCZ
are its fantastic looks. From whatever
angle, it merges modern and classic
lines and without doubt it’s a certain
future classic, based on the looks
alone.
The design has caused some
compromises with the practicality. It
takes no small amount of acrobatics
to fit in the rear seats, which could
only be more awkward and less comfy
if you were sharing the space with a
crocodile.
From the front however, you
can admire the fantastic cabin. It’s
liberally covered in leather and smart
touches, such as the analogue clock in
the middle of the dash.
Thankfully the driving is less
compromised – with a taut ride and
accurate steering.
Accompanied by the strong
turbocharged 1.6 engine developing
either 200bhp, the RCZ is an efficient
partner in crime on a twisty road, but
don’t expect too much raw excitement
from the stable front-wheel drive
chassis.
The range starts at £20,895 –
matching the more-common VW
Scirocco on specification but beating
it on performance – while the top
spec £25,595 RCZ takes the fight to
the similarly-priced base Audi TT.
But we'd go for either of those rivals.
Engine - 1.6 petrol turbo,
Power - 200bhp,Torque - 202lb ft,
0-60mph 7.6s,Top Speed - 146mph,
41mpg, 159 g/km, £25,064
D
esigned to tempt buyers
away from a Golf or a
Focus, the Juke is the car
Nissan will point you to if
you don’t need the space of the larger
Qashqai.
The shape is very colour sensitive –
bright blocky colours like red will pick
out the sensational profile, including
the unusual sloping roof, while darker
colours reveal subtle surface detailing
otherwise hidden in the flanks. The
way light plays along the sides is truly
beguiling.
On the road the Nissan drives smartly,
sharing cornering loads evenly between
the front wheels and resolutely resisting
the pitch and roll you’d expect from a
high-riding crossover, although again
the CVT gearbox is a weak spot, taking
away a degree of driver involvement.
Road noise can also be a distraction, due
to big wheels and wide tyres.
The gearbox grates me a little though.
While the idea of an effortless automatic
suits the tech-laden Juke, in practise
the CVT gearbox seems unsettled and
busy, especially in Sport mode. But put
your foot down and the Juke thumps
down the road with conviction. The
acceleration feels quicker that the
claimed 0-60mph of 8.4 seconds, which
seems conservative, but this sort of
behaviour won’t help the fuel economy,
which hovered around 20 mpg for most
of the test.
This now leads me to my conclusion,
which is difficult to pin down. If my
criticisms seems petty its because they
are; right now the Juke is a deeply
desirable and polished car, easy to
recommend, but I think it could be
improved further by ditching the CVT
gearbox and trick 4wheeldrive system.
The £20,445 model I drove is a solid
8/10 but if you can forgo the top spec
and take the manual, the resulting car
would be faster, more efficient and
around £4,000 cheaper
Engine - 1.6 petrol turbo,
37.2mpg, 175 g/km, £21,165
Specification
Specification
Specification
T
his striking looking car is
a Honda CRZ and when it
was released in April 2010, it
was the World’s first hybrid
sports car.
Translated – alongside a regular petrol
engine, there is an electric motor that
helps out when needed, giving the car
either an extra shove of power, or aids
economy and efficiency. The idea being
to give this little coupe the economy of
a far less sporty car.
It may be years since it came to market
but you wouldn’t know it from the
reception the CRZ got while I took
photos.
I’m used to admiring stares and
appreciative glances – and between
the Honda and me, we drew a small
crowd, however most people were
most interested in the angular car –
specifically, how rear visibility was
through the split rear window.
The price for all this technology and
zany sense of style? People were shocked
to be told prices started from £17,360,
or £20,070 for this mid-range model
with leather.
The interior has a space age feel, with
as a cynical marketing ploy, it has
actually provided a very good car to
enjoy quiet roads on.
The front is keen to turn into a corner
but more importantly the overall balance
is playful witha hint of exuberance from
the rear end. It feels up on its toes and
ready to change direction, the firm
suspension offset by the comfy seats.
The car develops 122bhp with both
engine and motor and the 0-60 time of
9.1 seconds is accompanied by a rorty
exhaust note and a fantastic, slick gear
change.
If the best thing about this car is its
niche, technical nature, the worse part is
also its niche, technical nature.
This is not a mainstream product, with
its cramped rear seats, poor rearward
visibility and myriad of dashboard
controls. The cabin lets off an occasional
squeak and wind and tyre noise never
fades away.
However, if you fall for its futuristic
charms then you can overlook its faults
and find a unique technical marvel,
capable of delivering far more fun than
a green, planet saving car like this has
any right too.
buttons everywhere and a glowing,
digital speedometer sat in the middle
of the large dials. When you press
Sport mode, the speedometer glows red
to indicate the electric motor will be
helping your progress.
Go into Eco mode and the throttle
response softens, your mpg improves
and the electric motor spends more
time charging up than assisting. You
also have a lot of fun can be had from
watching the various graphs and read
outs on the dashboard as they indicate
how little fuel the car is sipping, before
watching them topple in sport mode.
Sports mode here is where the car
really impresses. Whereas Honda
could have just used the term ‘sporty’
HONDA CRZ
Electric Sports Car Shocking Puns Eds 'Current' Favourite
Engine - 1.5 petrol hybrid,
65.7mpg, 104 g/km, £20,070
Nissan Juke
Light catching Golf rival Funky looks
French coupe flagship
Classic lines
Forgettable handling
reviews
Pretty CRZ draws
a crowd quickly,
thanks to nice details.
Interior (below) is
as futuristic as you
would hope.

M
azda has confirmed a limited pro-
duction run for the MX-5 GT Con-
cept after a positive reaction at the
Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Which really is a good thing, because it is
an awesome little car – as confirmed when
we were one of the first people outside of
Mazda to drive it.
Lower, stiffer, more powerful and more
orange than any production MX-5 before it,
the GT Concept is inspired by the success of
Mazda’s MX-5 GT4 cars in the 2012 British
GT Championship.
The highlight of the Mazda MX-5 GT
Concept is the engine – uprated from the
standard 160bhp to 205bhp with new cams,
new intake, new exhaust and a remapped
ECU. The car remains naturally aspirated,
and therefore retains a sharp throttle re-
sponse, a high rev limit and a great noise.
The engine was built by Jota Sport, who
build the GT4 car and also supplies the up-
rated MX-5 engines for the Morgan Super-
sport. The engine in the GT Concept is very
similar to that in the Morgan, so is therefore
well proven.
‘The rev limiter is at 7,500rpm, so just
keep going until you hit that. You won’t
break it, its very strong, so rev it and rev it
and rev it!’ enthuses engine builder David
____ from Jota Sports. This is echoed by race
driver Jade Pavely, who will be driving it up
the hill climb in the ‘First Glance’ category.
“Make sure you launch with at least
6,000rpm” she tells me, so I merrily sidestep
the clutch with 7,000rpm dialled in and we
slither away from the line. The engine note
is great, deeper and far more aggressive than
the standard MX5, and we’re at the top of
second gear before the first corner. 0-60mph
takes around 6.5 seconds.
A small dab on the brakes – this is a one-
off concept, remember – and it tucks into
the first right hander. The turn-in is sharper
than the standard MX-5, thanks to the stiffer
suspension, but the car retains a little bit of
roll – just enough to get the feeling of what
tyres are working hardest. As always with the
MX-5, it’s a combination of all four – the
general balance is still very neutral. But with
the sharper turn-in, comes the feeling that
you don’t have to use any power to tighten
the nose onto the line – the front tyres can
grip just fine, thank you.
What is new, however, is where the power
is – very high up. We pass under the bridge
still singing along in second gear, and brake
hard for the left hander – a little late and still
slightly on the brakes as we turn in, but the
chassis doesn’t feel like it minds. Stay in sec-
ond up the hill, into third to pass the flint
wall, and bang! We haven’t crashed, but the
power and torque have been left behind. We
rediscover it in second gear, and hold it there
until we fly across the finish line with engine
bouncing off the limiter.
If the engine noise and power delivery re-
minds me of the rev hungry mk1, the sharp-
er handling is like no other MX-5 before
it. It feels like a well judged upgrade to the
standard MX-5, much harder but still acces-
sible and predictable. We await release date
and pricing details, along with a proper road
test of a production version, with plenty of
anticipation.
Turn over for the exclusive track test
On The Web
Watch the video
of the MX5 GT
ConceptTrackTest
online at
oversteerinink.
wordpress.com
FEATURE
Engine - 2.0 petrol
Power - 205bhp
Torque - 144lb ft
0-60mph - 7 seconds
Top Speed - 140mph
Transmission - 5-speed manual
Wheels - 17 inch
Economy - unknown
CO2 Emissions - unknown
Price - £30,000
19oversteerinink.wordpress.com18 oversteerinink.wordpress.com18 19oversteerinink.wordpress.com oversteerinink.wordpress.com

S
o it’s wet, its windy, and I’m exhausted.
It’s the Monday after the 2012 Festival
of Speed, a weekend guaranteed to take
a lot out of you, but one of the high-
lights was a brief chat with the Mazda UK PR
boss Graeme Fudge, which turned into a drive
up the hill in their one-off prototype MX5 GT
Concept.
Now we are stood around the same bright
orange prototype, this time in the sodden
paddock at the Goodwood racetrack, a stones
throw from the festival site. The track is ours
for the day, as is the car. We have an exclusive
track test of the next step in the Mazda MX5’s
evolution.
Some background on the MX5 GT Con-
cept. RecentlyToyota has been making waves
with the announcement of the GT86, a back
to basic sports car with sweet handling and a
modest price. The motoring press have been
in raptures, but seemed to be forgetting that
Mazda had been doing this for years…
Timed almost impeccably to coincide with
the eventual (and often delayed) launch of the
GT86/BRZ twins, this Mazda MX5 GT is a
response to the Toyobaru. It’s designed to re-
mind us all that sweet handling and modest
grip is something the MX5 has been doing,
and doing well, since 1989.
Mazda UK of course deny this; the GT
Concept is therefore billed as a tribute to the
success of the Jota Racing teams GT3 Mazda’s
– one of which grabbed a podium at Brands
Hatch this year against much more powerful
opposition. The GT Concept is a home-grown
car too – thought up and delivered by the team
at Mazda UK.
This explains then the heavy involvement
of Jota Racing in this project. The engine
mods for the GT Concept go much further
than a plain ECU tune up and the new ex-
haust tips that manufacturers usually ped-
al-out. Nor is there a response dulling turbo-
charger – this is tuning, race team style.
To that end Jota have designed a whole
new exhaust system, a new intake manifold
along with some awesome looking and old-
school sounding throttle bodies. New cams
complete the mechanical overall, and once
the ECU was adjusted to match the overall
power had risen nearly 40%, from 158bhp
to 205bhp.
The GT is lowered 35mm on stiffer springs,
but the standard dampers remain, as do the
standard brakes. Response and grip, howev-
er, are improved by stickier tyres on bigger
17inch wheels, and a chunky carbon-fibre
bodykit is added to boost the usually plain
MX5’s visual appeal.
Get up close with it though and it’s clear
this is a rough, working prototype. The car is
way too loud for a normal UK track day, and
as soon as it rolls into the car the marshals
are nervously glancing at noise meters. Set up
isn’t yet complete either - Graeme warns me
of a slightly light feeling at the front end that
will be cured soon. Also on the to-do list are
changes to the throttle, which was changed
from electric to wire to allow the new throttle
bodies. This is currently a bit sticky, so the car
is easy to stall. and the engine warning light is
constantly on. Traction control and ABS are
both disconnected.
Finally, the orange paint is actually a wrap,
The future of the MX5 – we look at the next
development of the affordable sportscar with
an exclusive track drive.
It Gets
Better!
21oversteerinink.wordpress.com

applied over a black car plucked straight from
the production line, and when you open the
bonnet you can see where the rough wrap
finishes. The engine is also completely naked
– although Graeme tells me if the car was to
make production, it would have a carbon-fibre
engine cover.
If. It’s a word we here constantly during the
day, but I feel confident we can largely ignore
it. Before I get in Graeme tells me the recep-
tion to the car was brilliant, with huge interest
from the major UK publications. They are yet
to drive this car (unlike me) so it’s refreshing
to find him so relaxed about letting us loose on
the wet, tricky Goodwood circuit…
Doors closed, and inside the GT Concept
is much the same as the standard MX5. The
only differences are a load more carbon fibre
across the dash, a plaque (this is, apparently,
car 1 of 1) and a bit of loose wiring in the
glovebox. Fittingly for a car tuned by the old-
school, the ignition is a simple ‘turn the key’
affair and the engine starts with a shout and
settles quickly into a burbling, even idle. A
blip of the throttle and you can feel the throt-
tle bodies opening and closing, and the gruff
note is most unbecoming for a usually demure
MX5. It sounds awesome.
And it goes like stink too. I of course floor it
immediately out of the pit lane onto the wet,
deserted track and stroke it up through the
gears, allowing the engine to clatter into the
limiter, grinning like an idiot. There are no offi-
cial figures yet, but it feels like 0-60mph would
take around 6.5 seconds. Traction in these slip-
pery conditions doesn’t seem like an issue but
under hard braking the front wheels lock up
with ease. Tipping gently into the first corner
doesn’t reveal any nasty handling traits howev-
er, so I can focus on getting a feel for the car.
Through the faster corners that make up
the majority of the Goodwood track, it feels
planted and stable, with the body moving sol-
idly over bumps. It reacts much worse to the
kerbs through, kicking through the steering
and bouncing off sharply. In the tighter turns it
feels more alert and sensitive, with a sharp ini-
tial turn-in before settling into a neutral stance.
Up the ante and the car, and its aggressive,
dry-oriented tyres, gets much more ragged.
The front remains super-sharp, but the rear can
only just keep up and careful throttle applica-
tion is required to stop lurid slides all the way
front entry, past apex and well into exit. It’s
entertaining and predictable, but snappier then
the standard car, as you would expect. It’s clear
it needs fine tuning though – it’s not the easy
slider the extra power would have you believe,
sometimes needing a few stabs of opposite lock
and not settling into a slide.
The brakes too are difficult to modulate,
proving slightly snappy shorn of ABS. But even
if it needs some detail adjustments, it’s certainly
an interesting study in how to make an MX5 a
sharper drivers tool. It maybe more direct and
slightly less forgiving then the standard MX5,
but even so it’s a far better handler then a Z4,
TT or 370Z, a bit cheaper proposition than a
Cayman and much better value then both of
them – even at the £28,000 for the GT muted
by Mazda UK. And, in contrast to the GT86/
BRZ twins which seem to be missing some
edge, this GT Concept proves that modest
power can be hung together with racier, tighter
grip and go.
And that noise. It adds a whole new char-
acter to the car with its keen, hard edge roar.
It proves too much for Goodwood strict noise
limits, and we return to the paddock. It’s a
good job too – we’re nearly out of petrol.
Right:The new concept siting side
by side with its GT4 inspiration. Be-
low: New bodykit compliment the
extra power, while interior featrues
real carbon fibre
Oii

LOSING
I
t’s been a long held belief of mine
that for any task on any road, the
Ford Focus is all the car you need. It
is an economical load-lugger capable
of being comfortable and refined for
four adults or a family, and could be
entertaining when you flicked you
full beams up on your favourite back road.
In fact, despite owning a Focus a few years
ago purely for its cheapness and economy, it
rewarded me with some of my favourite ever
drives back when I lived on the Isle of Wight,
with its gnarly lanes and scarred roads
And now there is a brand new one out,
the mk3. Bigger and more refined, it is also
one of the first truly global cars, to be sold
in identical configuration worldwide. Aside
from minor trim and equipment changes, the
Ford Focus you could buy in Stoke would be
exactly the same as the one you could buy in
Moscow or Beijing.
And this is significant, because despite the
previous iterations of the Focus being sold
in a huge number of markets, it always felt
perfect for our tiny little island packed with
heavy traffic and bumpy, twisty roads.
Ford's new Focus is the first of a new breed - the
truly global car. We pit new against old to see how it
stacks up, and what the change in scope means for
Britain's drivers
F O C U S
FEATURE

The new one however has to appeal to big
markets like Russia, USA and China. And the
way to do that isn’t through driving thrills,
but dollops of refinement, space, comfort and
equipment. So has this new Focus gone soft
on us?
To find out I will be comparing the New Fo-
cus with the old on familiar roads on the Isle
of Wight. Then I will go for a more tedious
schlep around the motorways and A-roads of
Surrey. But first I must get reacquainted with
the Focus’s past.
The Isle of Wight is a pretty place, not
quite as captivating as the Isle of Man or west
Wales, but certainly pleasant. Away from the
congested towns you find a few roads worthy
of attention – the Military Road is particular-
ly famous.
An understanding friend is giving me some
time with his mk1, 2-litre petrol estate, which
I can throw around some familiar roads whilst
he gets a cup of tea on. Climbing into the
decade old Focus feels odd as it is both smaller
and narrower but it also feels solid, comfort-
able, not at all dated – except for the awful
fake wood trim that came with the old Ghia
models. Most telling of all however was my
friends puzzled face when I finally pull up and
cheekily check how warm I had got the tyres –
it’s a still a great driver’s car. All the important
stuff – the weight of the controls, the chas-
sis balance, the bump absorption – are well
judged, meaning you can throw it at corners,
use a lift of the throttle to change your line,
and measure out the grip accurately. It’s not
exactly heart-pounding stuff, and you can feel
the weight of the estate body and long-wheel-
base dulling response, but the all-independ-
ent suspension makes for an absorbing drive
none the less.
Now to the new one, a 1.6 Ecoboost with
over 160bhp from its turbocharged engine.
Straight away the engine feels punchier, much
quicker from lower revs and with greater mid-
range punch despite its smaller capacity. It
makes short work of overtakes, so it’s a shame
it’s so muted – a little induction purr would
be great.
But the major improvement from new to
old is the ride quality. It’s so good it immedi-
ately makes the old one seem antiquated, the
new car pouring itself down any bumpy road
with neither unwanted suspension thump
nor discomfort. The ride of the new Focus is,
without a doubt, sublime. And the cabin re-
mains spookily quiet too.
And this translates into the ability to re-
ally cover ground fast. You suddenly realise
you were making allowances for the old car,
backing off to stop it becoming deflected by
mid-corner bumps. The new Focus carries
greater speed and remains unruffled by any
surface. It has lots of grip too, but lacks any of
the adjustability of the old one.
Nowhere is this composure over bumps
more relevant than around the triangle of
roads just outside the main town of Newport
that I have always tested cars on. Just about
wide enough to fit two cars through, over-
taking spots are rare but traffic is thankfully
light. Turn right off the fast main road onto a
scarred and pitted B road with lots of straights
and fast sweeping turns. Overhead the sun
is shining bright and I even spy a red squir-
The older car looks rough, but wears well. By con-
trast the modern car is ergonomic slickness.
rel. The peaceful countryside is at odds with
the sheer speed I’m carrying in what is just a
family hatchback. Cars that do well on these
roads are ones able to carry the most speed
over the many mid-corner bumps, meaning
the advantage of light nimble sports cars is
trimmed. The Focus seems built for this road.
But…
It’s impressive and competent, but not fun.
And it’s purely because the car is so good that
it lacks involvement. You no longer have to
drive the road and car, considering your in-
puts to gain speed. You just carry speed into,
through and out of the turns. And the Con-
trol weights are all over the place; the steering
is too light, the throttle response lethargic,
and the brakes far, far too sharp.
So around familiar roads I can’t help feel-
ing the Focus has left me cold. It couldn’t
match a ten-year old estate for adjustability
and feedback, even if it does monster the old
car for refinement, comfort and composure.
To Surrey.
“The old Focus feels not at all dated,
except for the awful fake wood...”

And a different car too. For the second part
of my test, I’m back in an estate. The new Fo-
cus Estate looks big, but inside it feels usefully
narrower than a Mondeo and you quickly for-
get all the length behind you.
This one is a 1.6TDCi with 117bhp and a
0-60 time of 11.1 seconds. Of more impor-
tance to most buyers will be the economy,
which is quoted at 67.3mpg, or the CO2 fig-
ure, which at just 109g/km qualifies it for £30
a year road tax. Driving at random along du-
al-carriageway and motorway, I settle down
and play with the many gadgets onboard. The
Zetec comes equipped with voice command
for the radio which is a bit of a gimmick, but
all the bits that I would expect to flap and
move on their own in a modern car do so,
and that’s pretty much all the gadgetry I want
from a car.
What isn’t present is the refinement that the
hatchback provided back on the Isle of Wight.
Ride comfort is still great, but all the fresh air
in the back echoes to a few more thumps than
the hatchback version.
Aside from it’s grown up maturity, if this
small diesel estate has a saving grace it’s the
fuel economy. Not quite hold the front page
and stop buying Bluemotion Golf’s good,
but still enough to further mess up the argu-
ment for hybrid family cars. I averaged about
50mpg without really trying.
So a comfortable cruiser – just about better
than its rivals too. But as much as the new
Focus is a marked improvement over any Fo-
cus before it I feel less inclined to praise it.
Engineering in great comfort and refinement
isn’t as much of a challenge if driving thrills
are left out of the balance. The Focus is a very
easy car to recommend, but not if you really
enjoy driving. It’s not Ford’s fault; it’s just the
way to go if it wants to chase even more sales
globally.
So the Focus is still a good car. Solid, qui-
et, comfortable, worthy. I just don’t expect to
ever be buying one, which is a shame, because
I still have fond memories of the old one.
Thanks to Bob Murray for bringing the new
Ford Focus to UCA and to Andy Trimmer for
supplying the mk1 Ford Focus.
Top: Photos of an ST badge are much more
fun to look at (and easier to find) than pho-
tos of a tatty diesel Focus estate. New ST
also looks at home in the pitlane (Below)
Focus Diesel estate 2013Focus Estate 1998
Engine - 2.0 diesel
Power - 110bhp
Torque - 180lb ft
0-60mph - 12.6 seconds
Top Speed - 118mph
Wheel - 16 inch
Economy - 55mpg
CO2 Emissions - 140g/km
Price - £17,000, 1998
Engine - 1.6 diesel
Power - 115bhp
Torque - 199 lb ft
0-60mph - 11.1 seconds
Top Speed - 120mph
Wheel - 16 inch
Economy - 67.3mpg
CO2 Emissions - 109 g/km
Price - £21,065
Oii
Sometimes even the most self-assured of motoring
journalists must step aside and let somebody else
do the driving – whether it’s because the car is a
development model or because the driver is some-
one special. Here are two examples of times Oii
has sat in the passenger seat.
FEATURE
The Art of the
Passenger Ride

B
owler is a small company, based on a farm in Derby-
shire, which makes some of the most extraordinary
vehicles granted permission to drive on British roads.
Started in 1985, the company started making Rally Raid cars
to challenge the Paris-Dakar, but recently an official tie-up
with Land Rover has meant an increase in publicity. With
this has come the chance to launch a softer, road orientated
version of the Range Rover sport based EXR.
The Bowler EXR-S – ‘the ultimate all terrain supercar’ ac-
cording to the company – is anything but soft however. The
addition of a tax disc doesn’t dampen the cars outputs, but
in fact the lack of competition regulation mean they grow to
an astonishing 550bhp and 625Nm torque. The engine is a
heavily reworked version of the Land Rover 5.0-litre Super-
charged V8, and it gives the EXR-S 155mph capability, as
well as a 0-62mph dash of 4.4seconds. Huge, 22” wheels are
wrapped in Kumho tyres and the suspension is double wish-
bones all round. The price is around £170,000, depending on
the extras you go for.
At some point, all these fantastical numbers lose all rele-
vance, and if Bowler said it could fly I wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
But what bought all these figures into perspective was the best
reality check of all – a ride in one, with Bowler test driver Jim
Wheeler.
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed press day the Bowler
EXR-S stands out, even against the Aston Martins, Ferraris
and Lamborghinis joining it in the supercar paddock. In-
specting it up close is fascinating – It’s huge yet compact,
and when you peer underneath everything is double the size
you’d expect it to be. Getting in requires a bit of a clamber, as
the passenger seat is not only about three feet of the ground
but hidden behind a large roll-cage. Inside, it looks light and
mean, with none of the ergonomic slickness you would expect
of a £180,000 car, but all of the carbon-fibre. There is even a
Pioneer stereo and a large space behind you for shopping. I
wonder if Bowler could make you a four-seater version.
When the engine is fired up it sounds a strange mix of agri-
cultural and aristocratic – it may be a huge 5-litre but it revs
up fast and high, with a V8 blare like a supercharged Nascar
motor.
We finally pull up to the line, peering down on the mar-
shals below us. Then he smiles and waves us forwards, and the
EXR-S explodes forward, instantly rubbishing my assump-
tion that it would feel swift but heavy. It honestly feels as light
as violent as anything I’ve ever sat in, perhaps because of the
height and pitch. We hit over 80mph before the first bend,
the EXR-S leans, squats back a little and then fires round it
with a real feeling that the rear is helping to steer.
It feels fast all the way up the straight past the house
and when the brakes come on for the tight Molecomb
I’m hanging in my belts. The back slides a little un-
der full power and just as I’m beginning to really
appreciate Jim’s driving he blasts past the Flint
Wall at full throttle, chucking steering at the
apex to get the rear unsettled again. What a
driver, what a car.
So, the Bowler EXR-S is a beast – violent
and fast, and aggressive beyond belief.
Oh, and according to these photos
from Bowler, it can fly.
Lotus Evora GP with Johnny
Herbert at Goodwood Circuit
A
bout the time we sent flying a small mark-
er cone flying coming out of the final chi
cane I realised just how much an ex-For-
mula One driver and Le Mans winner can push a car.
Johnny Herbert was giving his opinion on the Lotus
Evora S that we have here at the Goodwood circuit, and
I took the opportunity to have a few passenger laps with him.
And despite the screaming tyres he probably wasn’t trying
that hard, as we were able to have a pretty good chat as we
went round.
“It has a little bit of understeer to begin with, but…” he
pauses to let the car run from apex to exit, steering more with
the throttle then any actual steering input. “It’s very well bal-
anced and predictable”
The Lotus certainly felt good from where I was sat. Flat
round corners but supple over kerbs, it never looked like
Johnny was having to fight the car. He praises the steering
(making his points not with words or hand gestures but with
dabs of opposite lock) and we chat about Lotus’s handling
prowess – he obviously still feels a lot of affection for the
company. And he proves himself a real enthusiast in my eyes
when I somehow manage to slip in a comment about my own
MX5, as he likes those too.
“It’s good when the tyres get hot, means we can slide about
a bit more” he remarks after leaving another set of thick black
lines before the apex of Lavant corner. It’s amazing how much
Johnny can throw the car about – I wasn’t expecting that the
mid engine, 345bhp Lotus could be driven so aggressive-
ly. But he could probably make most cars look easy, and to
watch how he keeps the car on that knife edge between under
and oversteer is an absolute masterclass. Controlled aggres-
sion just about sums it up.
A very hot smelling Lotus, a firm handshake and one last
cheeky grin. A passenger ride to remember. Brilliant.
Industry News

Goodwood
Nick gets the job of donning a cap and
hunting down star drivers at the Good-
wood Revival... But, unfortunately, not
on the track...
Hunting
W
ho are these people who run about, pestering
people to sign their names for them? I have nev-
er really understood autograph hunters. At the
Festival of Speed, I saw Hieki Kovalinen suffer a pack of
them whilst trying to get to his chauffer driven buggy. He
nearly had a pen shoved up his nostril by one man who re-
ally looked old enough to know better, and the hysteric calls
of “Hieki, Heiki” reminded me of seagulls fighting over a
bag of chips. Madness.
Imagine the scenes if these people were given press pass-
es, with access to the startline, or press conferences, or the
gated and guarded areas where drivers congregate before
races…
Well, partly to annoy the pen wielding mob and part-
ly because I was told to, I kept pen and program close by
everywhere I went at this years Revival, in the same pocket
as my press pass. This also gave me a chance to see how ac-
comodating these star drivers would be when pounced on
just when they feel safe…
The first signature was from… well, he was wearing a race
suit, and speaking in a press conference, so I assumed he
was important. Maybe I panicked as he was my ‘first’, but I
spent the rest of the press conference searching through my
program to see who he was, wondering how common this
is for autograph hunters. Until a short bold man bumped
into me and made me drop my program.
Turned out he was Sir Stirling Moss, who smiled at my
FEATURE

immediate request and did a modest squiggle. A polite nod
of the head and he was off, to speak with the assembled press.
Just a few moments later I had another chance, as ex-F1
driver Jochan Mass had finished having his photograph tak-
en nearby. I tried to catch his eye as he flirted with female
F1-driver Desire Wilson, but to no avail. She eventually dis-
appeared to sign some copies of her new book, and in front
of a large group of journalists asking Jochan serious questions
about historic motorsport, and feeling decidedly unimpor-
tant, I thrust pen and program under his nose.
For the rest of the day I was too busy being told off by
marshals, so didn’t catch any more stars… But looking at the
driver line up for Saturday’s St Mary’s trophy, I knew I could
get a big haul.
At Goodwood, the cars and drivers meet in an assembly
area next to the main pits, where the cars are pushed in by
teams of mechanics and the drivers shuffle out of the pre-race
briefings. It’s a very busy place and closed to the public – the
ideal place to put a star’s patience to the test. I checked some
names in the program against the cars being pushed in and
waited for the drivers to arrive.
And waited. And waited. Finally, out they came, led by
Jochan Mass (still chatting animatedly to Desire Wilson). I
pounced.
First I squeezed my way past some mechanics and inter-
rupted Christian Horner as he put his helmet on. The Red
Bull team principle duly signed, mumbling something about
being in a rush. I think he was surprised, to be honest.
Next came Tiff Needle. “Time for a quick squiggle?” I
asked, and he hastily signed the wrong side of the program
with one foot already in his car. Behind me I could already
hear cars thundering out onto the track.
A quick look around and I saw the only driver not yet in
his car – and it was BTCC star Anthony Reid, who smiled
broadly as I approached and happily put his signature down.
Then I got out the way before I was mowed down by Martin
Brundle in a noisy Austin A35.
Just three, but job done. And to top it off, I spotted car
designer Gordan Murray peering into an Alfa Guiletta later
in the paddock, and got an autograph off him too.
But one got away, and it was quite a big one – Jackie Stew-
art. I’m happy to tell you he is a polite bloke, but not one
that is able to sign a book, put a helmet on, hug several small
children and talk to his mechanic at the same time.
So an insight into the world of the autograph hunter. And
with the excitement and satisfaction of grabbing a star, and
spending a few fleeting moments with their attention, en-
graved in my memory, has the experience given me a kinder
opinion of these scribble desperate fans?
Not really, I’m afraid. Yes I’m quite fond of that program
now, and it was fascinating to meet these people. But I just
don’t like the begging nature of it. Maybe I’m too egotistic
for it. So I will leave it to the experts and pray that they never
get their hands on a press pass…
One got away, and it was quite a big one“”
The Goodwood Revival
T
he Goodwood Revival
takes the circuit back in
time to the late sixties,
with historic racing cars and a
unique atmosphere. It has run
since 1995 and rescued the cir-
cuit from disrepair. The circuit
was originally closed in 1966 due
to noise complaints from nearby
residents - yet when you see the
circuit, its paddocks and infield
restored back to its former glo-
ry, with the intoxicating buzz of
noise, smell and atmosphere, you
can’t believe anybody could ob-
ject to it
This year was the biggest yet,
with several unique, once in a
lifetime opportunities to see some
cars that will be hidden away in
garages almost as soon as the Re-
vival finishes. For instance the
coming together of 30 Ferrari 250
GTO’s, with an overall worth of
£300 million. Or the legendary
Silver Arrows from pre-war Ger-
many, which havent been seen
running together since the dark
days before WW2
Tickets are expensive, but for
when Spitfire’s are overhead, Mar-
tin Brundle is walking past and
shrill whistles are splitting the
crowd in front of some priceless
race car being rolled back to it’s
paddock... well, nothing beats it
Seperating the legends
from the squiggles
1) Formula One team prin-
ciple with an energy drink
induced foot tapping prob-
lem. Yep, Christian Horner,
Red Bull Team Principle.
2) Australian designer of
the legendary Mclaren F1,
Gordan Murray. Very tall.
3) Touring car star Anthony
Reid. Scottish, but don’t
hold that against him.
4) Knighted for services to
motor racing, Sir Stirling
Moss was also once given
a 12 month driving ban for
speeding in a mini.
5) Silly Nick. Turns out
this is Karsten Le Blanc, a
private banker and Aston
Martin racer, and an in-
fluential figure in historic
motorsport.
6) Like any good racing
driver, if you search for Jo-
chan Mass online the first
few hits are of spectacular
crashes...
7) Noisy lover of oversteer
and infectiously enthu-
siastic TV presenter Tiff
Oii

FEATURE
Like all journalists, those
in the automotive field
are watching a gradual de-
cline in print publishing,
particularly in newspapers,
and the migration of con-
tent to online outlets – to-
gether with new content
platforms such as Twitter.
Some will leave automo-
tive journalism because
they will be unable or un-
willing to embrace new
types of content and new
methods of working.
In addition the automo-
tive journalist has to face
The biggest challenge
may be the need for
ever-greater immediacy and
the growing requirement
for multi-channel report-
ing. Journalists are required
to tweet, update Facebook,
blog and provide video, on
Ithink the most exciting
story coming is the new
wave of electric cars.
The new GM Volt and
Ampera are real game
changers, achieving gen-
uine medium distance
all-electric operation and
150mpg potential, and are
in UK showrooms now.
The hybrid pioneer Toy-
ota is also upping its game.
The big challenge for
motoring writers is to
up the journalism. As long
as they have mastered the
media, they know their au-
dience, know their subject
and are passionate about it,
the challenge should be to
find out stuff no one knows
and convey it in the most
entertaining way possible.
And – an even bigger chal-
lenge – make a living out of
doing so.
The industry is slowly
- and begrudgingly -
adapting to the rise of the
blogger and the ‘untradi-
tional’ journalist, while local
newspapers are fast becom-
ing less important for mo-
toring content in both read-
ers’ and manufacturers eyes.
2013 will see more bloggers
and less regional journalists
writing about our industry.
The biggest challenge
will be explaining the
BMW i cars technology
without loosing sight of
the fact that they remain
cars, and that they should
be good enough to justify
the prices tags. Any new
tech divides opinion, but
reporting that tech accu-
rately and keeping an eye
on everyday factors such as
price, running costs etc is a
hard balance.
I
t’s clear from the re-
sponses that change is
coming, particularly
with the arrival of electric
technology. ‘Real’ journal-
ism will have to be per-
formed to find out what
impact these new electric
cars will have on peoples
lives. An it might not be
traditionall motoring writ-
ers, but bloggers who per-
form this work.
So keep up on Twitter and
hone your reporting skills,
according to these lot.
an uncertain future for the
motor industry, as it deals
with the rising cost of oil
and the increasing concern
over the environmental
impact of the motor car.
Automotive journalists will
play a crucial role in ex-
plaining new technologies,
guiding readers through a
host of new and difficult
choices, and assessing the
merits and demerits of new
cars and new technologies
as they appear.
To survive this turbulent
era automotive journalists
will need to learn new
skills and understand new
automotive technologies –
and they might just need a
little bit of luck.
Specifically for 2013 I
think there will be a great-
er awareness of the need
for clarity in agreements
between private car owners
and journalists over what
happens if something goes
wrong - the fallout from
the Piper v Hales case a
few months ago.
Lots of new technology
and performance measures
to grapple with - battery
technology and weight,
charging times, electric
range, real-world economy,
performance under electric
and petrol power...
Prices of these new cars
need to come down but it’s
the start of a real paradigm
shift.
top of traditional reporting.
The former are considered
as important as the latter.
Some are better at this than
others, and gaining a signif-
icant advantage: all other
journalists are challenged
with catching up here,
without diluting quality.
It’s tricky, and some will
be better than others: the
competitive order amongst
established writers may
thus shift as skills across
these different platforms
play out.
Richard Aucock,
Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers
James Batchelor,
Editor of Car Dealer Magazine
Jim Holder,
Editor of Autocar
Andrew Noakes,
Course Leader, Coventry
Steve Miller,
Course Leader, UCA Farnham
Bob Murray,
Editor, FortyOneSix

I
t’s important to get young people thinking early
about driving safety – the efforts of teenage drivers to
wipe out Britain’s collection of hedgerows and 1-litre
Polo’s is well documented. The long wait until they
reach the age that they can finally sit next to a driving
instructor is frustrating beyond belief – so why wait
until 17? As motoring journalists – whose words
are often read by impressionable young motoring
enthusiasts, do we have a responsibility to promote
safe driving? Oii looked at options for young driver training
that can be reported on and supported by the industry.
There are a few options to combine safety training and fun,
and driving is definitely fun, but unless they have a big empty
field and spare room in the garage for an old banger, readers
are probably going to be interested in the many young drivers
courses around the country.
As soon as the race driver-in-waiting is tall enough to reach
the pedals they can be given tuition at the Goodwood circuit.
The Goodwood Mini Drivers combines mini kids with a
fleet of actual Minis, with fully accredited driving instructors
Smile and
wave to mum
Above: Goodwood
Mini’s line up
before hitting the
track - every child
has a qualified
instructor wth
them, and safety is
taught over speed.
Opposite page:
Mind the cone, and
wave to mum...
Schemes to let children get a taste of driving are
springing up all over the country. We take a look at the
best- sadly, we weren't tall enough to partake
joining the youngsters out on the famous Goodwood circuit.
Lessons take the form of missions, from basic car control
such as starting, stopping and steering around cones, to
more advanced stuff like practising on a pretend roundabout
and performing a sharp brake and avoid manoeuvre. All the
way around, the instructors encourage a discussion about
awareness, hazards and safety. The fact that it takes place on a
race track makes it an effective lesson.
“We have children as young as 9, 9 1/2, right the way up
to 17 plus” says instructor Mark. “It’s a fun day, plenty of
atmosphere, friendly etc.” Prices start at £99 per session,
but apparently the delight of watching your child navigate a
tricky ‘reverse around a corner’ is priceless.
If the nostalgic venue of Goodwood Motor Circuit
won’t tempt your readership, perhaps the similarly historic
Mercedes-World at Brooklands will be enough. Here young
drivers get to grips with a Mercedes A-Class in sessions
designed to teach the basics of car control, but for a real
challenge, Mercedes offer a Kids 4x4 driving experience,
where 10 acres of axle twisting terrain can be conquered.
To find out more about any of these fun day events,
including dates, visit their websites
www.goodwood.co.uk
www.youngdriver.eu
www.mercedes-benz.co.uk
www.trackdays.co.uk
Prices start at £45 for a half hour lesson, rising to £90 for an
hour of mud-plugging.
Predictably most car companies want to get involved and
offer courses from time to time. One nationwide scheme
sponsored by Seat has locations in Scotland and the South
West (great if Goodwood and Brooklands are little too far
away). It’s called Young Driver and it’s cheaper than the
Brooklands events – at £57.99 for a full hour – but instead
of a track the scheme takes over car parks and indoor arenas.
Both beginners and more experienced young drivers can
practise knocking cones over and waving to mum to their
hearts content.
But if its track based lessons you’re after, Brands Hatch,
Oulton Park and the Bedford Autodrome all provide a fitting
place to learn the basics. Prices start at £99, provided the
child slips under the 6 ft 7 height limit.
Oii believes it's of the utmost importance to stress to
impressionable readers, wh inevitably try to mimic the cross
country pace we portray, that road safety come first. Featuring
these schemes is a good place to start. Oii
FEATURE

T
he monthly magazines – EVO, Car, Top Gear – all
have something the weeklies lack. But is it something
Autocar et al should be including it too?
I’ve indulged in the Evo archive recently and one thing that
strikes me is the sense of narrative throughout the magazine’s
history. There are recurring jokes, themes, characters and
plots that stretch for years.
For instance, one of the corners on the much frequented
Bedford Autodrome is occasionally called the Bus Stop Chi-
cane in track tests. I never gave it any thought, but looking
through the Evo back catalogue I notice it is a reference to
John Barker taking a variety of mad vehicles around the track
for Evo’s 100th issue including, amongst other things, a dou-
ble-decker bus, which he stopped at the chicane to drop-off
some nauseas passengers.
More recently, Roger Green had to leap out of a burning
Lotus at the Nürburgring – now his helmet is proudly paint-
ed with flames, and a sly photo of it crops up in every Evo
race car feature. Normally a picture of a helmet wouldn’t be
selected against the exciting cars being driven, but it reminds
people of Roger’s brush with fire, and acts as an inside joke.
The narrative doesn’t just extend to long-term jokes that
run through the magazines – even the writing style of the
magazine is deliberately loose, so while many writers come
and go, each is memorable. Every personality is allowed to
shine through the writing they do; Metcalfe rambles, Harris
swears, new boy Sam Riley takes the proverbial out of Jason
Barlow.
And talking of taking the Micky, the profiles of the test-
ers on every Car of the Year event are often amusing. In his
first eCOTY, a young Henry Catchpole’s picture was replaced
by that of Victor Meldrew. A few years later and he got his
revenge, writing all their profiles with more than a hint of
ageism.
It’s incredible Henry got this far at all, because he states in
one article that while on work experience with ‘a well-known
weekly’ he stuffed a Mitsubishi Lancer VII into a tree. On a
deserted airfield. The article was asking members of the EVO
team to describe their best moments with the magazine, de-
liberately aiming to allow the readership ‘behind the scenes’.
So Evo has a carefully constructed narrative, but it’s not
alone. Top Gear TV festoons its studio with notable cars fea-
tured in previous episodes – the famous red Toyota Hilux
has its own plinth. Car Magazine has inside jokes and quips
about various team members, lending it the feel of a cheeky
set of mates rather than an expert consumer magazine focus-
ing on products worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The weeklies, however, lack such camaraderie in their writ-
ing. What Car?, Auto Express et al stay behind a curtain of
professional efficiency. Why is this?
It’s about perceived authority. The weeklies aim to be like
the evening news bulletin: they present fact. You read a factu-
al road test, based on numbers and the objective comparison
to a car’s rivals. Then you skim the news, which is said to
feature no speculation but only insider knowledge of the car
industry. To show any ‘mucking about’ would dilute the au-
thority of such a factual source. It happens of course, but not
to the same extent.
But do the monthly magazines lose the same sense of au-
thority? Not for the big events, such as comparing the Ferrari
458 to the McLaren MP4-12C.
These are the kind of cars that demand space to elaborate
within the prose – you don’t just need facts, you need opin-
ion. More than that, the special moments that these cars
create are just as important as their statistical qualities. The
relaxing of styles, which is even more obvious in the biking
world, allows for a connection between the audience and the
editorial team. Without it, we wouldn’t know the characters
working on the mag, and it’s knowing these characters which
give their opinion so much importance for the reader.
Y
ou know the old joke. “There’s no I in team” says one;
“There is when you’re subbing it” comes the retort.
But we all should know a good sub-editor does far
more than dot the t’s and cross the i’s. Ian Eveliegh describes
his task to me as he goes through a typical spread in EVO’s
fleet section.
The page comes straight from the designer with copy
dropped straight into the layout. This means the amount of
text that can be fitted in has already been decided, and can’t
be changed. So, the copy needs to be checked for length –
how much over or under is it? You will need to know that
later.
Then, the page numbers need to be checked against the
page planner, before changing any photo credits at the bot-
tom. Aside from the main copy, most of the information on
the page will be wrong. Ian tells me this is because there is a
set amount of page layouts a magazine will use, so when he
receives the page, information like car specifications and so
on are actually carried over from last time the layout was used.
One surprise was Ian being responsible for all the picture
captions for the pictures. Ian points out it’s his responsibility
to come up with the snappy captions and entertaining quips
that add so much to the articles, and quite often form a large
chunk of the editorial voice.
Now finally you get on to the copy proper. Bear in mind
how many lines you have to gain or lose from the text (you
checked at the start). Sometimes you can lose an entire sen-
tence, but usually it is just a process of trimming it by a cou-
ple of words here and there.
Other things to look out for are stylistic. Everything needs
to be checked for house style, such as how ‘146 bhp’ or
‘MINI’ is written. Both of those examples are wrong.
Finally, Ian shows me a little trick to beef up the look of
the text. One of the paragraphs finishes with a line of just
two words – leaving plenty of wasted space to their right.
Further up the paragraph is written ‘evo 160’, referring to an
earlier copy of the magazine. However, ‘evo’ is at the end of a
line, clinging to the precipice and separated from the number
‘160’. By adding a hard space just before the number, he not
only joins the two together again, but increases the length of
the last line and fills the space.
All in all, sub-editing is one of the most important roles
within a magazine, as it brings it all together and gives any
publication a polished, professional look. It’s sub-editing
which makes a magazine appear finished – and money or
time saved at this stage will be false economy for publishers.
For journalists looking to switch to sub-editing, it is a skill
that’s in demand and will stand out on your CV.
Why and
how you
should add
narrative in
magazines
Adding pol-
ish to your
finished
production
Long term inclusion of running jokes and nods
to the past build a relationship with the reader-
ship - as Evo shows
We speak to EVO Magazine’s sub-editor Ian
Eveliegh to discover the tools of his trade.
Oii
Oii
(Above) Ian Eveliegh
has been working at
Evo for 4 years, and
his long term cars have
included a Renault
Twingo (Top), Nissan
370Z and (Bottom) a
Mazda RX8
(Above) ‘Flaming’
Roger Green dives out
of his Lotus, while Ed-
itorial Diresctor Harry
Metcalfe (Top) intro-
duces the Mercedes
G65 AMG
Industry Analysis

“When editing and putting in
cuts, remember three things –
rhythm, movement and sound”
P
icture the scene: You’ve
applied for a film pro-
duction role at a pub-
lication, but the only
snag is you may have exaggerat-
ed your experience a little...
Oii of course would never get
itself into this situation (ahem),
but that scenario is the inspira-
tion behind our Instant Expert
series.
For this guide to editing we
are going to assume you have
the equipment (if not, check
out the right hand panel) and
know the basics – that’s stay or-
ganised, and drink lots of tea.
Now let’s imagine we are
shooting a car review at a track
and on the road.
First of all, lay out the footage
quickly and roughly in the order
you want to present it, with the all
the presenter’s pieces to camera in
the right place and all the smokey
drifts you need selected.
Now make use of your B-roll.
This is footage that sets the scene
or reveals details, and is vital in
guiding your viewer through the
video as well as hiding cuts in
speech during any interviews. You
do this because you want to avoid
jump cuts – which occur when you
have two consecutive shots with
the exact same camera set up but a
slight difference in the subject.
With people, remember to stay
on your plane. Avoid crossing the
imaginary 180-degree plane you
filmed from, so you keep a natural
perspective for the audience. This
of course isn’t applicable when
showing detail shots of a car, but
may explain why videos sometimes
feel ‘odd’.
When you cut during action,
cut on motion. That is because
motion, say the turn of a wheel or
opening of a car door, distracts the
eye, and is much smoother than
cutting from an action that has
finished. Occasionally it is use-
ful to use wipes, which are when
a frame fills up with one element
(say, another car driving through
your shot) as again these smoothen
cuts for the viewer.
Cutting on similar elements,
such as a round badge and an al-
loy wheel, look creative and pro-
fessional. A good example is in
Apocalypse Now, when there’s a
cut from a rotating ceiling fan to
the blades of a helicopter.
Remember to match the scene.
In a film, if somebody exists frame
right they should enter the next
shot frame left, and the same is
true of watching a car sweep along
a road. A good example is the
drive-by shot, when a car speeds
towards the camera on the side of
the road, and as it passes the shot
changes to one looking in the op-
posite direction as the car speeds
away.
Finally, find a motive for every
cut. Sometimes it will be “some-
one walked in the way” or “the
camera shook”, but ideally it will
be something like “the presenter
mentioned handling agility so here
is the car turning through a tight
corner”. But not always.
Balancing all of these against the
story you are trying to tell and the
rhythm you are trying to keep is a
balancing act. The basic rule when
trying to create excitement is to in-
crease the pace of cuts, shortening
the amount of time each shot is on
screen. Accelerating this (eg. hold-
ing a shot for ten seconds, then
eight, then six) adds to the drama,
but don’t jump around all over the
place as it’s the rhythm and accel-
eration that does the work. If you
want the viewer to pay attention to
dialogue or speech it’s best to leave
a steady rhythm between cuts.
And even during a fast paced vid-
eo, it’s important to let your view-
er breathe, using slow wipes and
fades between wide shots to create
a moment of calm.
As for story-telling, all because
it’s a car video and not a film
doesn’t mean the use of scene-set-
ting wide shots and other story
telling methods shouldn’t be ig-
nored. When filming a sequence
of corners being tackled, keep in
mind the Kuleshov effect, which
explains why viewers assume an ac-
tor looking off the screen is actual-
ly looking at the object in the next
shot shown. For a car video, keep
the car travelling in the same direc-
tion until it reaches a corner, and
don’t repeat shots that look similar.
As to the technical side of edit-
ing? If you really enjoy technology
then there is plenty to sink your
teeth into, particularly within the
Premier Pro vs Avid vs Final Cut
Pro debate. But if you just want
technology that works, the good
news is that the latest editions of
all three now work well and not
only that, work in a similar way. If
you are proficient at one a switch
to another shouldn’t be too chal-
lenging.
Some general tips - save often,
learn some keyboard shortcuts,
and watch as many videos as
you can. Instant expert accom-
plished.
What you need
Where to visit
Who needs it?
Be inspired by
Don’t say
Do say
New styling
More power
New styling
More power
New styling
More power
New styling
More power
New styling
New stylingOii
Instant Expert:
Video Editing
FEATURE

T
o put it bluntly, car ownership
has once again kicked me in
the teeth. Early Mazda MX5’s
had a weakness where the engine’s
crank was likely to fail. No prizes for
guessing what was at fault when my
car developed a nasty knocking sound
from under the bonnet.
Before I start bleating it’s only fair to
remember you make your own luck in
life. I was aware the car needed a good
service and oil change; I wasn’t aware
of the slight head gasket leak that
meant the oil level had been low for a
while. One thing I have learnt is not to
trust an oil pressure gauge.
It was however possible to replace
the engine and I had enjoyed my time
with the MX5 enough to get it back
on the road before I went to university.
So £1100 and a few grazed knuckles
later, G223 ADL had a lower mileage
and slightly newer 1.6 engine in place
– with the only teething troubles being
a leaky radiator pipe and a clutch fail-
ure soon after the swap. It never rains
but it pours…
But once I was at university, the
MX5 shone. It was, by a whisker, just
large enough to carry everything I
own on moving in day, in one of those
man-and-machine bonding moments
as I left home again. The MX5 didn’t
have a quiet life, with regular trips to
the midlands and even to west Wales.
As the miles racked up it needed two
replacement rear tyres – the wide,
curved entrance to the university car
park proving too much to resist.
After all this time with the MX5 I
have, predictably, grown quite fond
of it. But it does have problems (even
putting aside the expensive engine
swap).
To discuss whether a MX5 is any
good is really to analyse what you ex-
pect from a car. For example, it can
only carry two people and a small
amount of luggage, in noisy and some-
times uncomfortable conditions. The
reliability is solid when compared to
other old sports cars, but compared to
modern cars, the fuel economy, per-
formance, cornering speeds and build
quality fall short. You’re also exposed
to some flex from the body as you go
over harsh bumps and you should treat
anybody who says their MX5 doesn’t
rattle with scorn.
I couldn’t really recommend the
MX5 as a good car, because it isn‘t.
However, none of what I have men-
tioned should matter to anybody who
wants a sports car. Because a sports car
doesn’t need to do the same humdrum
duties as a normal car...
The mk1 MX5 is an antidote to
modern sanitised motoring. Its best
attribute is an ability to bring you into
the centre of the driving experience,
where you are exposed to and involved
in everything the car does. Unassist-
ed steering gives you perfect feedback
allowing you to feel your way to the
tyres limits rather than guess, and a
balanced chassis means cornering re-
lies as much on the throttle control as
the steering wheel. Without commit-
ment the car will doggedly under steer,
forcing you to drive the car hard.
This encouragement is matched by
an engine that performs (and sounds)
best at high revs and an accurate gear-
shift which snick-snacks satisfyingly
across the gate. It is quite simply, the
best car I have ever driven for driving
involvement - more endearing and rel-
evant than a Nissan GTR, Jaguar XKR
or any other high performance sports
car I have been lucky to drive.
It demands to be driven well, and
when the mood takes you, hard. The
MX5 supplies communication at all
levels, which unfortunately includes
a noisy ride and heavy controls. You
have to put a lot into this car to get
anything out, so it’s tiresome for those
drivers used to efficient and capable
modern cars.
If you think this all sounds a bit
pointless then feel free to retreat to the
safety, security and smugness of your
modern mile-muncher. But for those
who really enjoy motoring, and want
a car that can both teach and reward
you, step this way. With prices of the
mk1 MX5 at around £2000 for a good
one, and poised to rise in the near fu-
ture, it has never been a better time to
buy. So I heartily recommend one. My
one, however, is not sale – I intend to
see many more miles in it yet.
Clockwise from top:
Happier times at the
beach, playing with
loose surfaces, new
engine, the colourful
windscreen surround,
and posing for pic-
tures with no engine.
G223ADL will return...
‘The MX5 is an antidote to
modern, sanitised motoring. You
are exposed to everything it does’
Quia sus, omnis quaspienis culla
comnis dolenit exceatisqui aut
laccumquas ellatur aut hil
1990 Mazda MX5
fleet

trade-publication-final-version-1

trade-publication-final-version-1

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (18)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (12)

Ähnlich wie trade-publication-final-version-1

Ähnlich wie trade-publication-final-version-1 (20)

trade-publication-final-version-1