Author: Darren Cassey

Footballers are well-known for having expensive taste when it comes to cars. It’s no surprise that these athletes own some of the most desirable cars on the planet, given most Premier League players take home the UK’s average annual income every week.

And with so much cash to burn, footballers also tend to update their cars fairly regularly, meaning there are plenty of desirable cars on the used market with a famous name in the logbook.

Online marketplace Auto Trader has scoured the classified adverts on its site to find the most expensive cars for sale that used to be owned by some of the country’s top footballers.

Rolls-Royce Wraith, owned by Alex Song. £119,950

Any Rolls-Royce is desirable but the Wraith might be the coolest of the lot, being smaller and more driver-focused than others in the range. This particular example was owned by Cameroonian footballer Alex Song, who sold it in 2018 when he moved to Switzerland from Arsenal.

The dealer describes it as having a ‘huge spec’ from the factory – it looks like Song ticked every optional extra including starlight headlining, night vision and massage seats.

Ferrari 512, owned by Mark Hateley. £174,900

Fifty-eight-year-old Hateley had a long and successful football career. He made his breakthrough at Portsmouth before moving to Milan and Monaco ahead of a long spell at Rangers in Scotland.

Hateley was the first owner of this 512, which was purchased during his time at Rangers. It’s a manual model painted in Rosso Corsa red with a crema leather interior.

Range Rover Overfinch, owned by Wayne Rooney. £50,000

Legendary England international Rooney owned the ultimate stereotypical footballer’s car in the form of this modified Range Rover, though it is rumoured to have been his wife Coleen’s runaround, according to Auto Trader.

It has a body kit and alloy wheels by aftermarket tuner Overfinch, a black and red interior package – and even a television with Freeview built in.

Range Rover, owned by Michael Keane. £49,990

Another footballer, another blackout Range Rover with aftermarket modifications. This time it’s the turn of England and Everton player Michael Keane, who took his SUV to Urban Automotive for upgrades.

It has an expensive specification inside as well as 23-inch alloy wheels, upgraded body panels, and the classy ‘Y7 XXX’ personalised plate.

Land Rover Defender 90, owned by Christian Fuchs. £49,950

Going slightly against the footballer JLR trend is this Defender 90 owned by Austrian Leicester player Christian Fuchs.

It’s a 2016 model from when Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri bought each of his defenders a Defender as a present for winning the league title. Puns are slightly different when you’re a multi-millionaire, aren’t they?

Naturally, Fuchs took his Defender to be modified by Overfinch, and then proceeded to drive it just 500 miles before putting it up for sale.

Ford Mustang, owned by Vincent Kompany. £49,499

Man City’s Belgian legend Vincent Kompany has gone against the grain with this purchase – a Ford Mustang Shelby GT-California. You didn’t expect it to be a normal one, did you?

This yellow and grey model has a 4.6-litre supercharged V8 engine, manual gearbox and a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Package.

Porsche Cayenne, owned by George Boateng. £39,900

If you’re thinking a Porsche Cayenne is finally proof that some footballers can own understated cars, think again. This example, owned by now-retired Dutchman George Boateng, is a one-off example.

It was modified exclusively for the footballer and painted in ice white metal flake, lavished in chrome and given 22-inch alloy wheels.

Porsche 911, owned by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. £37,500

Dutch Chelsea icon Hasselbaink owned this 911 back in 2003 while he was playing for the London club, but it has since had four more owners.

The current owner says they bought it as a damaged vehicle and repaired it. It comes with 19-inch Techart wheels and a few other Techart modifications, as well as a custom Alcantara interior.

What is it?

Following a slow start, the Kuga SUV has been one of Ford’s best-selling models for a while now, with the industry’s love of big, practical SUVs mixing with the brand’s blue-collar appeal to make it a definite sales hit.

The latest generation is bigger than before with a whole new styling direction, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to electrified powertrains from a brand that has lagged somewhat behind rivals in this department. The plug-in hybrid variant we’re testing here is a pretty big deal, then, thanks to lower running costs from a car that buyers already seem to love.

What’s new?

The big news is the plug-in hybrid powertrain, but we’ll go into more detail on that in the next segment. Instead, we’ll first look at the fact that the new Kuga has gone down a completely different styling direction than its predecessor, taking cues from the Focus – in fact from some angles it’s easy to mistake it for Ford’s hatchback model.

Elsewhere, the interior has been brought up a notch, and there are new technologies both in the cabin and under the skin to improve the driving experience such as driver safety and assistance systems.

It sits on Ford’s new C2 vehicle architecture, which the company says has resulted in the new Kuga being lighter than its predecessor, more aerodynamic for better fuel economy, and with better crash safety.

What’s under the bonnet?

The hybrid powertrain uses a 2.5-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor and generator that are powered by a 14.4kWh battery. This provides a decent, usable electric-only range of 35 miles, which means you could get away with rarely even using the petrol engine.

It makes a total of 222bhp with a top speed of 125mph. Fuel economy figures are pretty wild at 202mpg, but only if you’re regularly topping up the batteries and only taking short trips is that a possibility, though we saw economy figures in the 60s during mixed driving. CO2 emissions are low, at just 32g/km.

It’s a rather hit and miss powertrain to use. At lower speeds where the electric motor is doing most of the work it’s brilliant, providing smooth but punchy response and silent operation. At motorway speeds with the engine on it’s still quiet enough, and even when the engine kicks in around town it’s not too intrusive. However, the CVT gearbox means that accelerating harder using the petrol engine is unrewarding with an unappealing soundtrack to boot.

What’s it like to drive?

There’s a lot to like about the Kuga, but the way it drives is its weak point. First, the positives. As we’ve come to expect from Ford products, it handles well, doing a good job of restraining its heft in corners, while also not being intimidating to drive around town thanks to the smooth and responsive electric motor.

However, there are quite a few negative aspects to the driving experience, such as the bizarre, rubbery self-centring of the steering wheel as you turn – something common to Fords but most prominent in the Kuga. Meanwhile, the brake pedal gives little feedback but is very sensitive, which makes slowing down smoothly difficult. We’re also not convinced by the ride, with it feeling very heavy over bumps.

How does it look?

While previous generations of the Kuga wore chunky “I’m an SUV” styling, the latest model ditches this in favour of a sleeker appearance. From a distance it looks like a family hatchback rather than an SUV, meaning it stands out less than rivals on the road but still offers the high driving position and practicality that has made this segment so popular.

Aside from the softer styling, some of this non-SUV look is achieved by having a more reclined windscreen and lower roof angle, which hides its height. Despite this appearance, it’s actually bigger than the outgoing model…

What’s it like inside?

The cabin is one of the Kuga’s trump cards, because it feels exceptionally well made. Our top-spec Vignale model also comes incredibly well-specified, with high-quality materials used throughout and luxury extras such as a heated steering wheel and leather-wrapped instrument panel helping to improve the overall feel.

It’s very spacious too, making it ideal for families. Rear seat passengers, big and small, will have plenty of leg room, while boot space is decent at 411 litres, even if it is less spacious than non-hybrid versions.

If you’re not looking to stretch to the price of a top-spec model – or just don’t fancy putting premium leather at the mercy of the kids – the Kuga’s interior has all the practicality and build quality you could need in a family car, regardless of trim level.

What’s the spec like?

There are five trim levels available for the Kuga: Zetec, Titanium, ST-Line, ST-Line X and Vignale. However, if it’s this plug-in hybrid powertrain you’re after, that excludes Zetec.

Prices start at £33,085 for the Titanium PHEV, and rise through the sporty-looking ST-Line models to the luxury-focused Vignale we’ve been testing. For this, prices start at £37,785 and equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights with automatic anti-glare full beam, premium leather seat trim with heated front seats and heated steering wheel, Vignale body kit, metallic paint, a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster, automated park assist and a head-up display.

Traditionally, Ford’s Vignale trim levels have felt like an unnecessary expense over less expensive but still generously equipped trims. However, commanding only a few grand more than the ST-Line trims, the Vignale PHEV feels like good value for money, especially if you’re more focused on comfort than sporty looks.

Verdict

The Ford Kuga PHEV is so close to being great. Its styling is sleek and unimposing, the interior is well made and spacious, and the electrified portion of its powertrain makes for a relaxing, effortless driving experience. What’s more, keep the batteries topped up and that useful electric range means running costs should be very low indeed.

However, it’s hard to get away from the fact it’s a bit of a letdown from behind the wheel. The inconsistent control weights make smooth driving a chore and detract from what should be a brilliant family SUV. A test drive is highly recommended, because if you can live with those negatives you’ve got yourself a handsome, practical SUV.

Ask most car enthusiasts for their propulsion method of choice and they’ll probably say petrol. This fossil fuel has powered some of the greatest engines known to man, and has fuelled engines with the power to catapult tonnes of metal to inconceivable speeds in a matter of seconds – sounding great while doing it.

However, with climate change now at the forefront of people’s minds, the role of heavily polluting fossil fuels is quickly dying out. That means we need an alternative, and it appears electric will be the future.

Porsche is at the forefront of both old- and new-school technology, epitomised by the 911 Turbo S and Taycan Turbo S. While they might not seem like natural competitors – a two-plus-two, petrol-powered sports car and an electrically powered four-door saloon respectively – on paper they make for an intriguing comparison.

Last week we were given the chance to test drive both back-to-back, and it made for a fascinating and thought-provoking day. Here’s what we found…

The facts and figures

Let’s start with the 911 Turbo S. The Porsche 911 has long been one of the best sports cars on the market, and this newly released Turbo S version sits at the very top of the range of this latest generation.

Its 3.8-litre, six-cylinder, twin-turbocharged petrol engine makes 641bhp and 800Nm of torque, with a top speed of 205mph and a 0-60mph time of 2.6 seconds. It also emits 257g/km and achieves fuel economy of 25mpg. Prices for the coupe start at about £155k, or £165k for the convertible we tested.

The Taycan uses twin electric motors (one on each axle to provide all-wheel drive) that produce a combined 616bhp and 1,050Nm. With launch control engaged, that figure goes up to a scarcely believable 750bhp, contributing to an identical 0-60mph time of 2.6 seconds and a lower top speed of 161mph. It emits no CO2 and has a range of about 250 miles between charges. The Turbo S starts at £138,826, but the one we tried had been specced up to £151,210.

Which feels faster?

Both are fast enough to scramble your brains. Put your foot down in the 911 and there’s a moment’s lag as the turbos spool up and fuel is dumped into the cylinders to get the pistons firing – but once you’re away you’re really away.

There’s a perceptible shift of the car’s weight to the rear and you’re catapulted towards the horizon. What’s incredible is that the higher your speeds and the further round the tachometer the needle spins, the harder the car accelerates. The first time you’ll be shocked into silence before laughing hysterically once you regain your composure.

The Taycan, on the other hand, scrambles your brain in a completely different, if similarly effective manner. Electric motors are different to petrol and diesel engines because while the latter builds power with revs before tailing off, electric motors have 100 per cent of torque available from ‘zero’ RPM. They then consistently lose power as speeds get higher, hence the lower top speed. (This also has to do with the fact electric motors work over a broader rev range than traditional engines so don’t need multiple gears… but that’s a story for another 10,000-word article.)

The result? The Taycan and its 750bhp hit you like a freight train. The 0-60mph times might be identical, but the 0-30mph is surely heavily in favour of the EV. Even with this jaded journalist’s experience of fast cars, that first couple of seconds of acceleration in a Taycan takes the breath away.

The difference between petrol and electric is like the famous quote from The Interview: “Same, same; but different.” Both cars do a great job of accelerating faster than the human body could ever be prepared for, they just do it in different ways. The result in both cases is fantastically addictive.

What are they like to drive?

Where the difference lies is more in the corners. The 911 Turbo S feels like a big old brute that’s heavy in the corners. It’s capable of cornering hard, but you’d need to be driving at silly speeds to get the most out of it on the road. We tested the Cabriolet – models that are almost always going to be less sharp than an equivalent coupe for reasons of weight and weight distribution – but it just felt a bit ‘too much’ for the road. Especially narrow, unsighted British roads.

The Taycan, on the other hand, felt more nimble and compact. It had more immediate turn-in and felt less like it was filling a full lane on the road, even if the odd brush with an overreaching hedge told a different story. With the batteries in the floor, all the weight is down low, and the Taycan actually has the lowest centre of gravity of any Porsche road car, which helps in the handling department. The 911 convertible has a roof and roof mechanism up around the rear seats. That’s not light.

What’s particularly interesting here, though, is that the Taycan is actually wider than the 911 Turbo S. I was shocked to see that when I got back and dived deeper into the numbers, but the 911 is 1,880mm wide and the Taycan is 1,966mm. It’s amazing how the ‘feel’ of a car alters your perception behind the wheel.

Which one’s better?

Now that’s an impossible question – but one that I’m going to try to answer. For me, it’s the Taycan, because it offers all the performance of the 911 but feels more nimble on a fun road. That said, it’s also spacious inside, has four doors and decent leg room for rear passengers. I also adore the looks to the point where it could be awful to drive and I’d still want one.

The 911 Turbo S couldn’t be closer behind, though. Being a 911, the average person probably won’t recognise that it’s ‘the fast one’, so if flying under the radar is your thing, the 911 is just about common enough that you won’t turn too many heads. (Though if nimble performance is what you’re after a 911 GT model will leave both in its dust on a twisty road.)

It’s also got utterly addictive performance and epitomises everything we’ve loved about petrol engines over the decades. Porsche’s boxer engines are iconic, and this being one of the last wouldn’t be a bad way to go out.

However, the good thing for car enthusiasts in particular is that owning an electric vehicle doesn’t mean saying goodbye to fast fun. It just means you can go fast with a clearer conscience and lower running costs.

While most corners of the economy are counting the cost of the coronavirus pandemic, one segment has seen significant growth – online motorsport.

With race series around the world being postponed for more than three months, motorsport fans and drivers turned to the virtual world to get their competitive fix.

Following the huge surge in popularity of online racing, the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race – postponed until 19-20 September – decided to host an online equivalent on the race’s originally planned date using the rFactor 2 game.

Here’s everything you need to know about a historic weekend for sim racing – the winners, losers and drama in between.

Who took part?

Current Formula 1 stars Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Antonio Giovinazzi and Pierre Gasly were some of the biggest names to take part, but with each team needing a minimum of two professional drivers, the event drew some big names from world motorsport.

These included Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Antonio Felix da Costa. Richard Mille Racing Team had the only all-female team, made up of professional racers Katherine Legge, Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Floersch and sim racer Emily Jones.

Most teams were made up of two professional drivers and two sim racers. These included big names from the virtual world such as Joshua Rogers and James Baldwin, as well as the hugely popular YouTube star Jimmy Broadbent, who hit 500,000 subscribers during the race with less than an hour of his birthday remaining.

An awkward mistake

One of the big questions for sim racing aficionados was how rFactor 2 would hold up under the microscope during a 24 hour race. It was a big moment for the game, which has been overshadowed by competitor iRacing during lockdown.

Matters weren’t helped by an early red flag situation caused by Le Mans’ race control, who were overseeing a virtual race for the first time.

Motorsport legend Fernando Alonso had caused a crash with another car on his final lap before needing to refuel. Race control decided to hand him a ‘drive through’ penalty, which the driver can choose to ignore in their next pit stop and take at another time. However, the penalty was handed out as Alonso entered the pits, so he didn’t have time to cancel it. The game required him to drive through the pits and not stop to refuel, and he didn’t have enough fuel left to complete another lap, putting his team out of the race.

The organisers acknowledged their mistake and stopped the race so they could reload it and reinstate the FA/RB Allinsports team.

The next morning, another red flag was thrown and the server was reset because drivers loading into the game to take over driving duties could not select their car.

Bug means game over for F1 stars

While rFactor 2 held up well for the most part, its owners will have been gutted to see that the only major potential bug outside of the aforementioned server issues ended the race for arguably the most high profile team taking part.

Team Redline featured F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who have gained a reputation as two of the highest profile sim racers in the world.

With Verstappen at the wheel, the car crashed heavily when the Dutchman lost connection, and when the same thing happened to sim racer Atze Kerkhof during the night the car was retired.

Like Alonso’s team earlier in the race, they were reinstated following the next morning’s red flag incident, but were too many laps behind to mount any sort of meaningful challenge.

The winners

Despite their challenges in Formula 1, Williams has emerged as one of the frontrunners of the esports scene. They entered three teams into the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans in collaboration with motorsport team Rebellion Racing.

The Rebellion Williams eSport entry of Louis Deletraz, Raffaele Marciello, Nikodem Wisniewski and Kuba Brzezinski ended up victorious, winning by just 18 seconds after 24 hours of racing.

The GTE class was won by one of four Porsche eSports Team entries. The German car maker has invested heavily in esports recently, and its newly created online motorsport team dominated the GTE class. The number 93 car driven by Nick Tandy, Ayhancan Guven, Joshua Rogers and Tommy Ostgaard secured pole position in qualifying before going on to win the race.

British driver Tandy became the first person to have won both the real and virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What is it?

This is the Porsche 911 Turbo S – the biggest, baddest 911 you can buy right now. The Turbo name has long been synonymous with being the ultimate incarnation of this famous sports car outside of the more racey GT models, but with this generation, Porsche has ramped the lunacy up to 11. Its performance figures are frankly astonishing.

The question it has to answer is this: What’s the point of the Turbo S? Now that all Porsche models have turbocharged engines the name merely denotes a model variant rather than a stand out mechanical feature, and at well north of £150k it’s competing with arguably more exotic machinery in the form of the Audi R8 and McLaren 570S.

Also, do you really need 641bhp? The appeal of non-GT 911s is their ability to be fast but also commutable. You could buy a still-fast 911 Carrera 4S and get a Porsche Cayman for the weekends for the price of one 911 Turbo S.

And that’s all before we mention the electric Taycan, which is slightly less expensive but even more violent in its acceleration, but with none of the environmental guilt. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s dive in.

What’s new?

Aside from the engine, which we’ll go into detail on below, the most significant change is perhaps the size. Even Porsche says it’s ‘significantly’ larger than before, being 45mm wider above the front axle and 20mm wider at the rear to allow for a wider track to improve handling.

Other changes designed to improve the way the car drives include improved aerodynamics, mixed-size tyres for the first time, the option of Porsche Active Suspension Management that improves handling and lowers the car by 10mm, and a sports exhaust system with adjustable flaps to control the sound.

What’s under the bonnet?

Performance comes from a rear-mounted 3.8-litre petrol engine, which is based on the existing 911 unit but with an extensive performance-focused overhaul. It gets a new charge air cooling system, new larger turbochargers and new injectors, as well as an updated intake system that improves airflow to the engine while creating less resistance.

The result is astonishing. Pin the throttle and there’s a momentary lag in response before the engine comes alive and catapults you forward. The engine note isn’t the sweetest but it’s all-encompassing and really adds to the attack on the senses this car provides.

With 641bhp and 800Nm of torque going to all four wheels, Porsche quotes a 0-124mph time of just 8.9 seconds – and that’s entirely believable. The surge in speed is incredible and it accelerates harder as the speed increases. Honestly? It’s too much for the road, but it’s an engineering marvel and the kind of performance you just have to keep tapping into again and again.

What’s it like to drive?

The unique selling point of the Porsche 911 has always been its ability to soak up daily duties with ease while also being great fun to point down a twisty road, and that’s still true here despite its ludicrous performance.

Drop into the familiar surroundings and the engine feels perfectly happy to pootle around town at 30mph, with no juddering or a sense it would prefer to be at higher revs. There are some concessions to performance though, with the ride becoming quite jiggly on rougher roads, while the fact it’s so wide can make it a little intimidating on narrow streets or country lanes.

When you’re making the most of the performance, though, it comes alive. If you want a car that’s light and agile down a British B road then the Turbo S is not the right car, especially in Cabriolet form as we’re testing here. It feels heavy and the front end isn’t as eager to turn in as you’d hope. But take it easy in the corners and unleash that six-cylinder engine when the road opens up and you’ll get a grin from ear to ear.

How does it look?

There’s been a long-standing joke that the Porsche 911 looks the same every time it gets updated, but with its position as one of the most popular sports car ever made, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Taken at face value the idea that this car is understated is hilarious, with its massive rear arches and prominent brake calipers making it clear there’s performance on tap. But compared with exotic rivals in this price and performance point it definitely flies under the radar, giving it a different appeal to the likes of the Audi R8 and McLaren 570S.

Drink in the details though, and the relative subtlety has to be admired. Up front there are wider intakes that contribute to a more purposeful look, while prominent intakes in the rear wheel arches that are visible in the wing mirrors are a nicely aggressive touch to set the Turbo S out from the rest of the range. And while the front end might be subtle there’s no denying the rear is more aggressive, with a prominent spoiler, chunky vents and a quad-exit exhaust.

What’s it like inside?

It’s exquisitely Porsche inside, feeling enclosed without being claustrophobic. It’s ergonomically brilliant, with everything falling to hand as it should and there’s just the right combination of physical buttons and touchscreen controls too.

The materials are excellent as well, and the infotainment screen is clear and easy to use. Once you get used to seeing it, even the odd stubby gear lever becomes normal. Naturally, being a 2+2 rather than a strict four-seater means those in the back will struggle for leg room, but this being a serious sports car it’s difficult to mark it down for that.

What’s the spec like?

Prices for the 911 Turbo S start at £155,970 or £165,127 for this Cabriolet we’re driving. Standard equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels up front and 21-inch at the rear, Porsche’s various stability and chassis control systems, ceramic composite brakes, active aerodynamics, a BOSE surround sound system, a subscription-based tracking system, LED headlights, cruise control, adaptive sports seats and two-zone climate control.

Our test car came with a long list of optional extras that took the price up to £178,414 and included highlights such as sport suspension (£1,052) that lowers the ride by 10mm, sports exhaust (£2,180), ‘Exclusive Design’ wheels (£1,608), adaptive cruise control (£1,203) and the Burmester surround sound system (£2,256).

Verdict

There’s no denying that the Porsche 911 Turbo S is a highly desirable sports car. It treads a fine line between being understated compared to its rivals while also making it clear it’s a serious performance car… while also combining everyday practicalities with the kind of pace you couldn’t buy for any money a few decades ago.

It’s ridiculously capable in corners, but it’s so big, heavy and insanely fast that for most mere mortals extracting that performance will require an overdose of brave pills. For those looking for the ultimate ‘driver’s car’, a GT3 RS would be a better option – though we’re yet to see the latest 992-generation version of this. But for those who will happily sacrifice a little agility and focus of purpose in favour of warp-speed performance then look no further.

The next instalment of the Gran Turismo series was confirmed during a launch event for the new PlayStation 5 games console.

The hit series has been exclusive to Sony’s console since the first game was released on December 23, 1997.

Although the finer details are yet to be revealed, an announcement trailer demonstrated the incredible graphical capabilities of the new console, while also hinting at the game’s structure and features.

While the most recent version – Gran Turismo Sport – focuses on motorsport and online competition, historically the series has seen you start your racing career in slow road cars and work your way up by winning races and buying faster cars.

It appears this structure could be making a return, with the trailer showing ‘GT Town’, a bird’s eye view of a fictional city reminiscent of the main menus of classic games. It shows options for championships and online races, as well as a used car dealership and tuning parts shop.

The game’s release date has not yet been confirmed, but it is likely to go on sale at the launch of the PlayStation 5, which should go on sale ahead of Christmas 2020.

What is it?

What is it? It’s a pretty big deal, that’s what. The Taycan is Porsche’s first electric vehicle and the car that’s finally giving Tesla something to worry about. The German car maker reckons its American rival isn’t really a rival at all because they have a different ethos – but for now, they’re the only electric executive cars about. (The Taycan is considerably more expensive, though.)

It’s also a big deal because when Porsche tries something new it tends to succeed. When it launched the Cayenne, the idea of a premium sports car maker doing an SUV was madness. Now it’s the firm’s best-selling model.

So with the Taycan in the UK for the first time, we took the Turbo S – the top-spec, top performance version – on a mix of motorway miles and winding country roads to see if it has that special Porsche something, or that – hang on, what’s the German for ‘je ne sais quoi’?

What’s new?

This is not just Porsche’s first electric vehicle, it has been designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground-up. So there’s no cramming of batteries and electric motors into engine bays; instead the powertrain has been fully integrated into the body to give a low and sleek silhouette, while the batteries being under the floor helps give the Taycan the lowest centre of gravity of any Porsche.

It is also the first production vehicle from any car maker to use an 800-volt system voltage, twice the typical amount for an EV, which has benefits at the charging pump. Using a DC fast charger, Porsche reckons you can add up to 60 miles of range in just five minutes, while charging from zero to 80 per cent of the battery’s capacity takes about 22 minutes in ideal conditions. With peak charging power of 270kW and a maximum battery capacity of 93.4kWh, range anxiety is surely a buzzword of the past.

What’s under the bonnet?

Performance comes from a pair of electric motors, one on each axle providing all-wheel drive, with a two-speed gearbox on the rear and a single-speed on the front. It’s full of clever innovations that are too complex to explain in one paragraph, but the result is 616bhp in normal driving with up to 750bhp available in Launch Control mode, while maximum torque is 1,050 Nm. Zero to 60mph will come up in 2.6 seconds and the top speed is 161mph.

Those are incredible numbers, and they have an incredible effect on your body. Most EVs use a single-speed gearbox, but that two-speed gearbox on the rear axle means the Taycan has an acceleration gear to maximise its acceleration potential.

Plant your foot on the accelerator from a standstill and you’re violently punched back into the seat as the car launches forward, the sustained g-forces leaving you feeling light-headed and a little nauseous at first. It’s intoxicating and you can’t help but laugh out loud… once you’ve pulled yourself away from the backrest, that is.

What’s it like to drive?

Refinement is the key word here. From the moment you set off in silence it’s clear Porsche has worked hard to give you a feeling of quiet solidity – there are no squeaks or rattles in the cabin unmasked by the silent powertrain. The control weights are perfectly judged between being light enough that you could drive it daily but offering enough feedback that they give you confidence when pushing on. The steering is a particular highlight.

There are five drive modes: Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, Individual and Wet. You’ll spend most of your time in normal, where it’s still silly fast but silent. Sport adds a little more electric whine, while Sport Plus unleashes maximum power and provides a sci-fi movie soundtrack that brings an aural sense of entering warp speed as well as a physical one.

Aside from the gut-wrenching acceleration, it’s the way the Taycan feels small and nimble on a country road that delights. We tested this on the same day as a 911 Turbo S, and where that felt like an intimidatingly big, blunt instrument to pummel roads into submission with, the electric four-door saloon felt lithe and nimble and surprisingly at home bombing between the hedgerows.

Out on the motorway? It’s perfectly Porsche. The ride is exquisite, there’s hardly any road noise and you could imagine spending hours behind the wheel without so much as a grumble from car or driver.

How does it look?

When Porsche first revealed the Mission E, the concept car that previewed the Taycan, its coupe-like four-door shape, massive wheels in swollen arches and prominent front bumper slats won it many plaudits. The fact the Taycan has kept that spirit alive into production form is fantastic.

It looks like nothing else on the road; hunkered low to the floor with sleek curves, it’s wide but with a low roofline that makes it look like it’s hugging the Tarmac. The headlights have that signature Porsche quad-LED look, while the ‘air curtains’ that drop down to the lower bumper almost look like fangs.

At the rear, the full-width LED bar gives a suitably futuristic light signature, and the simple curves mean it should age gracefully in a period where many cars are massively overdesigned.

What’s it like inside?

Perhaps the only area we could find a hint of disappointment is the interior. It’s still a 9/10 kinda deal, with the infotainment menus slick and responsive and every material feeling like it has the utmost quality.

There’s a sense that it’s built to last, too, while the seating position is nigh-on perfect – it’s low like a sports car but the minimalist dashboard means you can see clearly over the bonnet. Meanwhile, rear passengers have a surprising amount of space, though headroom isn’t huge on account of the sloping roofline.

However, the lower screen in the centre console, which has the climate control, shortcuts for options such as satellite navigation and audio, and a laptop-like trackpad to navigate menus, looks a bit sparse with lots of unused screen space. Meanwhile, the graphics used throughout are dark and basic.

Furthermore, the standard steering wheel felt at odds with the car. It’s thin-rimmed and wrapped in an Alcantara-like Race-Tex material, feeling more like something out of a track-ready sports car. It left us with sore thumbs and sweaty hands. For our money, it would be better to opt for the optional leather version, though this does require the fantastic Race-Tex sports seats to be switched for leather too – so bear that in mind.

What’s the spec like?

While the ‘entry level’ 4S starts at £83,367 and the Turbo starts at £115,858, we’ve been testing the Turbo S, which starts at £138,826. Our test car had a few choice options that took it over £150k…

This is a six-figure car, but fortunately, Porsche has given it a six-figure spec list. Standard equipment on the Turbo S includes adaptive air suspension, 21-inch ‘Mission E Design’ alloy wheels, carbon exterior inserts, LED Matrix headlights, two-zone climate control, parking pre-climatisation and battery pre-conditioning, adaptive sports seats, heated front and rear seats and various safety systems.

Optional extras on our test car that we’d recommend include electric folding exterior mirrors (£210), Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (£2,315) for extra sporty handling, Porsche InnoDrive with adaptive cruise control (£2,172), and thermally and noise-insulated glass (£1,301). Switching to the heated leather steering won’t cost you any extra, which is a bonus.

Verdict

Let’s be frank, at the best part of £140,000, the Taycan Turbo S is not a car you buy with any sort of consideration for your bank account’s wellbeing. Even the base model is a good few grand more than an equivalent Tesla Model S. However, if the best is all that will do, then this electric Porsche is all that will do.

It looks like a spaceship, sounds like a spaceship and accelerates like one, too. It handles like a sports car but emits no harmful gases, and you can fit three of your mates and their luggage inside to boot. If you can look past the price, there really are few downsides.

Sales are booming in the motorhome and caravan market as the uncertain future of foreign travel this summer is leading many Brits to vacation closer to home.

An investigation by Car Dealer magazine has found that motorhome dealers, classified advertising websites and manufacturers are all reporting increased interest.

With the news that the government could announce camping sites can reopen in July, one dealer reported selling a month’s worth of stock in the first week back after lockdown. Meanwhile, AutoTrader reports caravan and motorhome advert views are up 18 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

With auctions that sell to the trade reporting sales above predicted prices, Peter Vaughan, editor of Which Motorhome Magazine, told Car Dealer: “It’s a combination of people not wanting to holiday abroad, get on a plane or a cruise and looking for a safe and enjoyable holiday at home.

“Pricing earlier this year was strong as dealers could not get hold of quality used stock and that was even before coronavirus. A number of factors combined then which saw stock dry up and that has got worse now.”

Experts are suggesting the sub £25,000 sector will see prices increase the most, as this is the entry point for motorhomes so it is where those new to the sector will look first.

Also speaking to Car Dealer, used motorhome dealer Bill Hayes said: “There’s a lot of pent-up demand, but we had an amazing first week

“I’m not surprised. Many are new to the market and we’ve sold models from £30,000-£60,000.

“We have just one motorhome for sale that’s around the £25,000 mark and it won’t last. Even dealers are calling us up wanting to buy it.”

BCA held its first online-only caravan and motorhome auction last week and said every lot sold, with activity ‘frenzied’ at times.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen said requests for quotes on its popular California were up 250 per cent and Grand California up 100 per cent.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a drastic effect on the car industry. With dealerships shut and only allowed to sell cars through online ‘click and collect’ schemes, just 20,000 new cars were registered in May – down 89 per cent compared with the same month last year.

However, most manufacturers worked with dealers to come up with efficient ways to continue to sell cars despite many consumers holding back from big purchases. The 10 best-selling cars last month make for interesting reading, then, with some familiar names and some surprising ones too.

Tesla Model 3 – 852

Tesla’s direct sales model likely helped it keep some sales going through, topping the sales charts for the second month in a row.

The American EV manufacturer set up a contactless test drive scheme to encourage potential buyers to retail locations, with cars disinfected before arrival, unlocked by staff using the Tesla app, and having a tutorial about the car displayed on its infotainment screen.

Vauxhall Corsa – 790

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that buyers are looking for more used and less expensive new cars since the pandemic hit, so it’s no surprise to see the new Vauxhall Corsa high up this list.

The supermini was recently updated with more on-board technology and more efficient engines, making an already popular car even more appealing.

Ford Fiesta – 760

Britain’s best-selling car unsurprisingly did well last month, hot on the heels of its rival. Long considered the leader in its class, the Fiesta represents excellent value for money while also feeling well built and great to drive. It’s a no brainer.

Ford has also been encouraging customers to dealers with an enticing finance offer that effectively allows buyers not to pay anything for the first six months.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 552

Another familiar name for the best-sellers list, the A-Class has proved a huge hit for Mercedes as it brings the price of entry to this premium marque to more affordable levels.

While its predecessors were of questionable quality, the latest generation model is fantastic, with smart looks and a high-tech interior making its popularity no surprise.

Ford Focus – 502

Once the darling of the family car market, the Focus has seen diminishing market share as crossovers and SUVs gained popularity.

However, this brilliant hatchback has continued to sell well where rivals have disappeared, and in this time of uncertainty it’s clear buyers are willing to put faith in this familiar nameplate.

Volvo XC40 – 464

Here’s another model that’s proving that when premium marques lower the cost of entry without skimping on quality, there are sales to be had. Selling fewer than 500 cars wouldn’t normally be cause for celebration, but the fact that the Volvo XC40 is mixing with family cars and superminis in this list demonstrates its appeal.

With prices starting at £25,295, it’s about £10,000 less expensive than the next ‘cheapest’ Volvo, the V60.

BMW 1 Series – 331

It’s starting to get repetitive – here’s another premium brand’s entry-level model. The 1 Series has proved a huge hit for BMW, despite many questioning its styling direction with the latest generation and decrying its switch from rear-wheel-drive.

Buyers love it, though, and that badge appeal goes a long way to the 1 Series sneaking onto this list at number seven.

Mercedes-Benz GLC – 328

The fact that the GLC is considered a ‘mid-sized’ SUV shows just how massive this segment has become – both in dimensions and sales figures.

The GLC has grown a loyal customer base thanks to its premium interior, smart looks and being great to drive. It doesn’t stand out in many areas, but therein lies its appeal – it’s simply a good all-rounder.

Ford Kuga – 303

The Ford Kuga has been a quiet sales hit for Ford. It’s not a car that will regularly win a group test against its rivals, it’s not particularly sexy and it’s pretty average to drive. But the appeal of the Blue Oval badge as a great value brand appeals to many, and the Kuga regularly makes it into the top 10 sellers list.

It wasn’t updated too long ago either, and existing owners will no doubt be tempted into the better-everywhere new model when it’s time to switch cars, so expect its appeal to only grow, helped further by new plug-in hybrid variants, too.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 290

Perhaps the most surprising car on this list is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. This is a fantastic executive saloon that’s always in the best-in-class mix with rivals from Audi and BMW. However, big expensive saloons don’t really sell in big numbers, so its place on this list is merely a quirk of our current situation.

It’s wholly deserving of its time in the limelight though, thanks to its handsome looks and smart interior being perfectly judged for a car in this segment.

Lamborghini has partnered with the Lego Group to produce a 3,696-piece scale model of its latest supercar.

The Lego Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 is a 1:8 scale model of the real thing, featuring a replica of the V12 engine, a moveable rear spoiler, front and rear suspension and a working steering system.

Lift the scissor doors and there’s an ‘intricate’ cockpit with a moveable paddle gearshift that operates a functioning eight-speed sequential gearbox. Inside the front bonnet is a Lamborghini-branded ‘overnight bag’ that has a code that unlocks unique content about the model as well as build instructions.

Meanwhile, the lime-green paint and gold wheels are colour options available on the real Sián.

Stefano Domenicali, chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said: “The Lego brick is an icon in the same way as a Lamborghini super sports car.

“They both embody the pursuit of design perfection through constant research and development, create different emotions with every interaction, and are valued by generations.

“This outstanding replica of the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 from the Lego Group presents a brilliant new building experience for both super sports car fans and Lego enthusiasts, and Lamborghini is privileged to share this opportunity with the Lego Group.”

Niels. B. Christiansen, Lego Group CEO, said: “This new model truly encapsulates the pursuit of excellence embedded in the DNA of both Automobili Lamborghini and the Lego Group.

“Both the 1:8 model and the reveal itself are feats of engineering innovation, pulled off by incredibly talented teams from across our two businesses. The LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 is a true testament that with Lego Technic, you can build anything your heart desires. I can’t wait to build this authentic replica of this futuristic super sports car for real.”