Best luxury supercar reviews
Some cars impress me. Some cars intimidate me. Some cars arrive on my drive, sit there for half a second and then immediately reorganise the chemicals in my brain at first glance. The Lotus Emira V6 SE is one of those.
One expects many things from a night on the King’s Road. Discreet wealth, theatrical entrances, perhaps the occasional supercar idling with all the subtlety of a champagne cork. What one does not expect is a diesel Mazda causing passers-by to pause, squint, and wonder if they have momentarily mistaken it for something wearing a prancing horse.
Chelsea, Confidence, and a Case of Mistaken Identity
If you’ve ever tried to squint at a vibrating smartphone clamped to your handlebars while doing 70 mph on the M1, you’ll know what a struggle it is. Between the overheating warnings in summer, the fear of rain wrecking your expensive phone, and the constant fear of it taking a dive into the tarmac, phone mounts are a bit of a faff.
LiveWire is a premium all-electric motorcycle brand. It originally began as "Project LiveWire," an initiative by Harley-Davidson to explore the electric vehicle space. In 2019, Harley-Davidson released its first production electric motorcycle under the LiveWire name.
Recognising the distinct market for electric motorcycles, Harley-Davidson spun LiveWire out into its own standalone company in 2021, to give it the freedom to act more like a tech startup. Harley-Davidson remains the majority shareholder.
On a gloomy, damp Friday morning, I was dropped off at the BMW HQ building in Farnborough, with its contemporary design, prominent glass towers and landscaped grounds, ready to pick up the eagerly awaited R 12 nineT tracker.
First impressions were that it was a good-looking bike with striking flat track styling and a great eye-catching colour combination. It was mean, aggressive and charismatic.
Royal Enfield holds the distinction of being the oldest global motorcycle brand in continuous production. Its journey from a needle manufacturer to a cult icon is a fascinating blend of British engineering and Indian industrial heritage.
It all started in 1891, when Bob Walker Smith and Albert Eadie purchased the Townsend Cycle Company. They began supplying precision parts to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, and to celebrate this connection, they created the Royal Enfield brand name.
Ariel Motor Company has revealed the new Atom 4RR, a limited-run, track-focused but road-legal machine that marks 25 years of the Atom and takes the minimalist British performance car to an even more uncompromising level. Built to order and developed as the most focused Ariel yet, the 4RR becomes the quickest and most powerful Atom the company has ever produced.
The marketing blurb of the Volkswagen Grand California promises freedom, flexibility and a ‘Teutonic’ level of competence – sounds lovely. But I think what it actually delivers over a four day trip from Hampshire to the Lakes and back was a family holiday with just enough chaos and adventure to be utterly memorable.
Some cars reward discretion. Others demand to be seen, preferably somewhere scenic, with good tarmac and an audience that understands what they are looking at. The Porsche Macan 4S Electric falls very firmly into the latter category. It is far too resolved, far too handsome, and frankly far too confident to be hidden away. So a few colleagues and I took it exactly where it belonged, across the Sussex Downs, through the Surrey Hills, and eventually into central London, where elegance is judged ruthlessly and patience is optional.
Wiltshire Roads, Cold Mornings & Electric Surprises
