Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/2/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/2/21

Classic Cars Go Electric: Fiat 500

“I enjoy some of the old and I enjoy the new
And if I can find a balance between it, that’s where I find my satisfaction ”

— Anderson Paak

Electric classics have become the new ‘it’ car. They’ve hit the mainstream media, the market’s shifted from monopoly to budding oligopoly. By taking a 10% stake in Silverstone based Lunaz even David Beckham’s decided electric classic car conversions are cool enough to join him and his underwear in Brand Beckham.

Converting your old classic is billed as the kookie eco thing to do by journalists jumping on an up-and-coming trend. But what it means for the industry is overlooked.

In an industry controlled by giant international automotive corporations that each own a handful of mainstream manufacturers, electric classic conversions provide the space for individuals, small businesses and mechanics tinkering at home to bring game-changing original creations to the road.

One such business is Classic Chrome in London. Known for being specialists in sourcing classic cars, they converted two Fiat 500s to electric back in 2017. Unsurprisingly these two cars were snapped up instantly and now enjoy a life of driving round London as the ultimate little city car.

So how did these cars come about?

What stands out to potential buyers at a classic car show? A teeny-tiny Fiat with a heart of electric.

In a meeting of minds Classic Chrome joined with the massive Electric Classic Cars in Wales to test the consumer market at classic car shows. The gap in the market was there and the Fiat 500 was a surefire way to guarantee attention.

Classic Chrome brought experience of the classic car market, target audiences, and a knowledge of which models had enduring star power. Electric Classic Cars brought the electric side. They had the expertise to convert to electric, the understanding of how these classic cars are fine tuned, the originality to keep the rag and oil mechanics and the foresight to see how big the electric conversion business would become.

Two industry partners, two experts in their field committing to creating a new car and a new idea of automotive history.

So why the Fiat 500?

It’s a classic. Not because of its age but because of its image. It’s La Dolce Vita, ice cream and warm summer evenings. It’s chic women in strappy sandals and satin slips, men in linen shirts and golden tans. It’s winding streets and cobblestones. It’s pop to the shops and roll up perfectly late to dinner. It’s the people’s car. Even today its modern descendants can hold their own on any street of any glamorous city next to any supercar.

So as Classic Chrome and Electric Classic Cars knew, if a car was going to carry electric, it would be the Fiat 500.

What makes it perfect for converting to electric?

As well as the image and popularity, the Fiat 500 is the ideal specimen for electric conversions because of its genetic makeup. Classic Fiat 500s are popular and so spare parts are easy to come by. The simplicity of the car lends itself to modifications, with a small two-cylinder engine and four-speed manual gearbox. Engine swaps are common so changing out the original for an electric motor is a safe bet. Charging at home for the daily commute doesn’t require a huge battery or long range.

The classic Fiat 500 was originally designed to squeeze between the minuscule streets of Italy. Driving in London today could be just as fun as it was back in the day in Roma.

What’s special about these electric Fiat 500s?

Classic Chrome and Electric Classic Cars knew it was essential to retain the parts of the Fiat 500 that make it such a characterful driving experience. They kept the original gearbox, something you won’t find on a modern electric car (electric motors can’t stall like combustion engines). The rear-wheel drive revs mean you can flip straight into second gear, one of the best tricks of the Fiat 500. For people who say that driving electric isn’t like a combustion car, crunching up the gears in this little whip will keep them quiet.

The installation of Tesla 16kWh batteries increases the maximum horsepower from 17 to 47. As the car only weighs 500kg and is 117” long, this is nicely energetic for city cruising. The AC20 electric motor manages 50-70 miles of range, which increases to 100 miles if you get an additional battery in the frunk [front trunk]. That gives you the same range as the new electric Mini.

How do you go about charging or maintenance?

Charging from home takes seven hours with a 1.5kw charger, or four hours with a 2.5kw charger. An overnight charge will cost you a few pounds. Electric significantly reduces the costs of wear and tear so upkeep costs are minimal. Every day you will save money on fuel, avoid petrol queues and forecourt fisticuffs too. Classic Chrome also oversee maintenance after sale, which is one of the benefits of buying a converted classic. Customer service is unbeatable.

Does an electric conversion cost more?

No! Classic Fiat 500s are having a moment generally. They’ve grown as popular as classic Minis, with a pristine combustion example averaging £25,000. But you can also buy a lovingly converted electric Fiat 500, of which there are only a handful in the world, from Classic Chrome also for £25,000. And then you save as you drive. The planet, your wallet and the entrepreneurial automotive industry.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 7/5/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 7/5/21

Volvo XC40 Review: A cracking compact SUV

Volvo? Swedish, safe and boring? Wrong. Volvo are having a renaissance and my staycation with the XC40 was Swedish, safe and far from boring.

No SUV review is complete without encountering all eventualities of British motoring experience. First, London - the city centre compact SUV competition ground. Then, Cornwall - for the boot-full, 5-people-plus-wetsuits, sand everywhere road trip. How does it fare in its different surroundings?

Comfort town car:

The XC40, Volvo’s small compact SUV, is their most popular model in the U.K. In 2018, a year on from its launch, it was named European Car of the Year. And driving the 197hp, B4 AWD R Design petrol (£44,365) around the lanes of London it’s easy to see why it gets such rave reviews. It’s big enough to not feel like you’ll be stamped on by a double-decker bus or someone’s blacked-out Range Rover but small enough to whip out the parallel park easily. It’s so quiet it could be electric. A few people asked me if it was, they were so convinced.

Fuel efficiency wise (Volvo states 34.0 - 36.7mpg), Eco mode is actually surprisingly impressive in the city. A full tank could last you weeks if you’re just popping about limited to 20mph. And the ride comfort is exceptional. The interior is cool, practically-luxe, with its charcoal leather and iconic XC40 cutout funky door side panels and matching carpet (in this case in ‘Lava Orange’). Volvo have successfuly targeted a more youthful look with the 40, moving towards that urban lifestyle rather than the people-carrying 7 seater XC90. The XC40 has got a bit of individuality and personality while still being refined.

Most relevant for any city driver though, parents especially, are safety features. Volvo are in a class of their own here of course: Every safety feature under the sun comes as standard on any XC40 model. City Safety includes pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, front collision warning with automatic emergency braking (even at junctions). Cruise Control comes with speed limiter, Oncoming Lane Mitigation automatically brings you back within your lane if you’ve drifted… The top of the range model I was driving also had Intellisafe surround (blind spot and cross traffic alert), front and rear park assist - Mr Bean would find it hard to hit anything in this car.

Whereas engine, drive and performance get tested on the open road, a city tests a car on its consumer-focused build. Volvo have kitted the XC40 out with all the tech of their large SUVs, giving hands-free Londoners everything they need to stay connected behind the wheel. The 9” central touch screen looks elegant and I personally really enjoy that Volvo don’t feel the need to play to the new huge, edgeless, multiscreen trend. Sensus Connect (again generously a standard feature) allows people to browse the internet and apps, while you can control the car using the voice-activated control system. Usefully Connected Service Booking (the car pre-books itself for a service) and Volvo On Call with app (you can control the car remotely via smartphone or smartwatch) are also standard features. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto cost extra as does wireless phone charging. Volvo have designed the ideal mid-sized car for a lazy, easy life at a very affordable price.

Country explorer:

For a 4 hour road trip down to Cornwall, the XC40 was a true pleasure to drive.

It just looks so fresh. You feel good driving when you know your car is pretty. The XC40’s clamshell bonnet, concave grille and sculpted cheekbone doors with the contrasting colour root and T-shaped LED headlights make the car a standout. The flashiness that made it fit into the city turns out to hide a real country toughness. That’s no mean feat and Volvo have nailed it. It’s the car equivalent of smart-casual - you never look over or under dressed.

A road trip to remember is the car you love with the tunes you live to listen to. Passing Stonehenge at Golden Hour, as the Premium Sound System by Harman Kardon with Dolby Pro Logic II Surround oozes out Bryce Vine’s Drew Barrymore, is as classic as the Hollywood icon herself.

The drive was seamless and silk-smooth, especially on adaptive cruise control. When it comes to performance, the acceleration isn’t the sharpest (top speed of 112mph and 0-60 in 8.2s) but SUVs always have that jolting, late acceleration due to their weight. The XC40 did well on Eco when the road was open and traffic light, but the Comfort and Dynamic modes eat into the fuel pretty fast. When it came to the start, stop and fling-yourself-into-a-hedge country lanes of Cornwall, Dynamic was definitely required. Eco, as with most cars, is very loose on cornering - it swings too late for a sharp bend. But on Dynamic it was consummate on the country roads, the ride high for visibility, safety and ground coverage. Braking is sharp enough when going round a blind bend to cope with a cow on the track, and the Hill Start Assist is a life-saver for the cliff roads. Off-Road mode combined with AWD gives you all the power for scattery gravel, oozy mud or slippery grass that having the odd jaunt off-road needs. It handled soggy sand like a Jelly Shoed kid. So for a British holiday you have the right car. A genius also designed the car doors to extend down to overlap the sills. So you won’t get your nice dinner outfit dirty hopping in or out of the car at Rick Stein’s Cafe even if you’ve been off piste during the day.

Mind you, that’s if you can find Rick Stein’s using the XC40s navigation system. It’s clunky and confusing. Apple CarPlay and Waze became my go-to.

But really other than one niggle it was the ultimate mood booster - and it felt like home to pile into after a long day at the beach or a long day shopping in the city. The XC40 did everything I could have asked it to - wherever and when ever - and that’s the mark of a best-selling model.

The XC40 starts from £25,440 and is available in pure electric, petrol-electric plug-in hybrid or petrol form.

There are 7 trim levels: Momentum Core, Momentum, dynamic R-Design, R-Design Pro, Twin (pure electric Recharge only), luxurious Inscription and Inscription Pro.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 6/9/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 6/9/21

Polestar 2: The shooting star of electric cars - is it the best EV?

Tesla should be worried: There’s a new EV player in town and it’s called Polestar. Polestar are the Swedish electric performance brand flaunting a punchy package of crafted design, next-level technology and hassle-free ownership.

And they’ve just released the attention-grabbing Polestar 2. Starting from only £39,900 the Polestar 2 trumps the Tesla Model 3 (starting price £40,990) to the affordable mainstream EV ticket. As a ‘fastback’ it sits apart in all categories; its Swedish pedigree’s set on attaining perfection whilst beating to its own drum.

Old-guard ‘trims’ are gone. Polestar offers three powertrains - Standard range Single motor (440km range WLTP, 0-60mph 7.0s), Long range Single motor (540 range WLTP, 0-60mph 7.0s) and Long range Dual motor (480km range, 0-60 4.5s). And to pamper you, come three optional ‘packs’ of preselected features: Pilot (£3000), Plus (£4000) or Performance (£5000). Depending on whether driver assistance, interior luxury or ultimate power is to your taste, you just add on and click buy. This is just the first of the endless ways Polestar is shaking up the consumer car buying experience.

Transparency: Polestar uses blockchain to source and trace the cobalt in their battery modules to make sure it’s environmentally and ethically sourced.

Effortless: Polestar believe easy purchase converts to sales and it is utterly effortless. The website is relaxing, information accessible - a super-slick step-by-step consumer guide.

Spaces: Traditional showrooms have been ditched, setting the precedent for other manufacturers to move away from the standard dealership format. The Polestar sales ‘spaces’, (so far in London Westfield and Manchester Trafford Centre) are ‘carefully designed, unique retail environments’ - incorporated into people’s day to day lives. Right there between Zara and H&M you can try on a Polestar.

The Westfield team who invited me down are brilliant. Ned is a 22-year-old university student who applied because he’s passionate about sustainability. Like his colleagues he was selected and trained by Endeavour Automotive on behalf of Polestar. So, you get young, fun, friendly helpers showing real enthusiasm as they take you over the car. And you set the tone - if you’re just curious have a nosey, if you want to go into great detail they will, if you want to sit inside with your family and feel it out they won’t hover. It’s all about what the customer wants.

Booking a test drive is as easy as picking up your own car. You can book ahead or wander into the space and be taken straight to try a car. A quick explanation by the team and you’re let loose unaccompanied for as long as you want - Maxx, the manager, recommended a drive into the countryside to try the 0-60 acceleration out. You can book in for a test-driving experience on the website if that’s more to your fancy.

So, what about the car itself? Does it shine? Mesmerisingly! It’s a shooting star in a crowded sky of electric twinkles. The exterior is a rugged mix with crisp-cut might and no fuss. It’s sensational to look at and the heads turning as the car drove by showed it’s got some serious pulling power. It looks nothing like a Volvo - all it borrows from its parent brand is the chassis from the XC40. Interiors-wise, to quote Maxx, ‘the Polestar is like a furnished flat - a Tesla is unfurnished’.

The interior features a 11” centre touchscreen infotainment system built from Google OS. The Polestar is the first car in the world to have built in Google. It’s as close to home as using your smartphone and can be controlled using the ‘Hey Google’ voice assistant. The driver also has an individual display showing navigation, range, speed - all the essentials. The coolest thing by far is the 3D augmented reality that pops up when using assists such as parking; the screen gives a live bird’s-eye view as you manoeuvre.

The cockpit hits the perfect line between thoughtful comfort and understated luxury. Lines are angular without being harsh, the wheel, controls and handles are thick and plush. It is extremely comfortable with vegan seats, re-constructed wood and metal finishings. (Leather is an option, but most opt for recycled and sustainable.) It’s roomy too, even for the friendly giants of the world with 6’2 people happy in the back. There’s plenty of storage space with a ski hatch, a good-sized boot and a small frunk.

The standout interior feature though is the panoramic roof – it’s stunning and made even more so by the Polestar two-silver-chevron illumination projected onto it. The Harmon Kardor sound system across the dash board bangs out a bass Stormzy would be proud of.

The drive is quick – there’s no surprise there. The top speed of 127 mph and 0-60 in 4.5s shifts the extremely heavy 2123kg (that’s Range Rover heavy) quicker than almost any other car you’ll likely drive, but it is still slower than the Tesla. That can be good though - most people would rather not have a stomach-lurch sensation whenever someone hits the accelerator. It’s smooth, - brilliant for quiet cruising in the city. You don’t have to think when you drive – there’s not even a start button. Hop in with the key, press the brake and away you go. The regenerative braking takes a few minutes to get used to, though you can turn it down or completely off if you want. The Polestar 2 handles like a refined city car, manoeuvring the weight around corners as professionally as a chauffeur-driven S Class.

So should you buy one? Yes! And the best part is that you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back three times – once for owning an EV, once for being cooler than the rest with a Polestar and a third time for picking a brand with a real dedication to sustainability.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 5/13/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 5/13/21

Hidden Gems; Secondhand Sports Cars at DSAS Automobiles

It is standard up and down France to see the word ‘Occasion’ (secondhand) fluttering on huge banners in the breeze outside dealerships, offering up perfectly conditioned used cars for sale.

But what is not everyday is to see a display of Mustangs, Corvettes and Camaros gleaming on the tarmac under the banners. On the outskirts of a town on the West Coast of France, that was the line-up that caught my eye as I drove down to the South.

DSAS Automobiles 17 in Charente Maritime is a one-of-a kind dealership. The owner, Christophe Etien, specialises in American sports cars, both sales and specification. Clients come from all over Europe to get their hands on these cars, the rarity factor well worth the travel.

The day I go and visit them they’ve just taken delivery of a Corvette C7 ZO6, two Mustang Shelby V8s and a Camaro V8 SS. They are also renowned for customising Peugeot RCZs line with unique renderings and race-ready wraps. RCZ Peugeots are a regular fixture on the endurance scene and Race Cup series. But it’s the 659 hp Corvette that’s the cream of the crop; with a torch red colour-way and black highlights - it’s everything you want in a head-turner. Not to mention the 8-speed automatic gearbox, supercharged V8. Priced at €99,000 it tops the list with the two Mustangs hitting the mid-price point of €55,000 and €63,000. American cars have a fiercely passionate following and the drive of tells you why. The attitude these cars have, the feeling they give when you have your foot to the floor on an empty road is full-blown USA might. Unruly, raw and a bloody good time. Petrol-head perfection.

These cars come with film legacy that could rival that of Cary Grant or Marlon Brando. Corvettes have graced Hollywood’s screens from 1953 to the present day; Jack Nicholson parked his ‘78 Silver Anniversary Corvette in the sea in Terms of Endearment (1983); Vin Diesel and Paul Walker drove a stolen Corvette off the edge of a precipice in Fast Five (2011). You say the name Mustang and you’re next to Steve McQueen’s as he rollercoasters around the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt, or beside a vengeful Tilly Masterson in her 1st Generation Mustang Convertible in Goldfinger. It’s hard to resist the golden glow that surrounds these beauties.

And they don’t depreciate like your average car. Buyers with a true eye for sports cars will know the exact year, edition, spec - everything that they want and are willing to pay for it. Buying a sports car or even a supercar is often a secondhand business, and buying from a dealership like DSAS comes with the assurance that you are buying from a certified expert. Few times do people buy these kind of cars hot off the press. But I’ve stumbled across some incredible cars, at the smallest dealerships, in the most unlikely places, that would blow people’s minds. DSAS is the ultimate example of this.

DSAS also sell some superstar bikes - Honda Goldwing, Ducati Panigale Neuve. Some of them are specced up with more than €9,000 worth of kit. Again these beasts are unique to France and seriously sought after by hard-core bikers. I couldn’t resist ogling the CBR 650 RR Fireblade RedBull that was screaming out for a joy ride.

I hope knockout set ups such as this go some way to disproving people’s attitude to secondhand. I’ve long tried to dispel the notion that second-hand cars are not as good as buying new. The dealership’s website directs prospective buyers from Paris, showing that their clientele is the elite few - whether affluent Parisians or discerning internationals flying in. If ‘Occasion’ is good enough for them it should be good enough for everyone.

So for any Europeans wanting their next muscle car - a trip to the pretty Saint-Julien-de-l’Escap between Saintes and La Rochelle calls. Pick up your next sports car and carry on to the beach? Sounds blissful to me.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 4/15/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 4/15/21

Jeep Renegade Trailhawk 4xe: This Jeeper is a keeper

Looking for a fun 4x4 for a muddy weekend? A trip to the beach? Or just fancy popping into town on eco? Then the Jeep 2021 Renegade Trailhawk hybrid is as good as it gets.

The Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee were staples of my country upbringing so at first this little Ford Bronco-esque PHEV looked a bit townie-moves-to-the-country. But its personality-driven design, smooth ride and fun-filled off-roading left me reluctant to give it back.

Price:

The range-topping Trailhawk starts at £36,500 (the cheaper Limited trim model is £34,500, the Longitude £32,600). It gets some flack for being expensive - which it is compared to a Ford Kruga (£26,145) or Kia Niro (£24,105) but the price is extremely accessible for the off-roading capabilities you get. The PHEV category is dominated by Audi, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo which all fall in the £40-60,000 mark, so for heritage and SUV originality - Jeep after all invented the Sports Utility Vehicle - you are saving a lot of cash.

Design:

The Trailhawk design stays consistent with the shape of the rest of the Renegade line-up. It’s definitely a you-have-to-become-attached-to-its-quirkiness-to-love-it kind of design. But within the first day of driving I had. The design concept is ‘boxy shape’ with functional out-doorsy features - chunky square wing mirrors, angular rear, interior grab-handles and rubber floor mats - all following the format. Together they create a friendly, happy car with character and purpose. The Sting Gray/Black accent bicolour looked particularly good although that extra will set you back about £1,000.

Jeep have, as an authentic 4x4 brand, designed the Renegade with features that allow for the best enjoyment of nature. The Dual-Pane panoramic sunroof has an air buffer which gives all the fun of an open-air drive but none of the hair-whipping-your-face problem. Its tinted glass and filter slider setting blocks the sun beating down on you as you drive. Clever.

Interiors wise it’s easy-clean and practical - plastic, metals and rubber -but the heated leather seats and steering wheel make the ride comfy and the cabin luxurious. The red chrome metal trim and red seat stitching is striking and works very well against the black tough utility feel. The minimal fuss interior helps Jeep retain its 4x4 pedigree, and as a country dweller I think it sets it apart as an SUV that will actually be used off-road. Dogs, children, sand, mud, wellies, water, skis - throw what you want in with no worry about the mess. The ski hatch between the rear seats is useful and doubles as a drinks holder if you aren’t planning on going to the slopes. Worth noting that the new Land Rover Defender has surely taken ‘inspiration’ with its copycat wipe-down materials and the same passenger grab handle on the dashboard.

Specs and tech:

Jeep’s been very generous with the kit you get with the TrailHawk trim. The Trailhawk has 237bhp and a 1.3l turbocharged petrol engine and 60bhp electric rear axle to play with. The 17” alloy sand and mud tyres give a powerful punch to off-roading. LaneSense, Adaptive Cruise Control, Driver Assist (ParkSense, Drowsy Driver, Emergency Braking, Blind Spot…), Apple Car Play, 8.4” Uconnect Infotainment system, 8-way electric seats - the driving and comfort wishes have all been answered without you having to add extras.

Eco:

So how does the EV part of it shape up?

The petrol engine powers the front wheels and an electric motor powers the rear. Battery size is 11.4kWh with a 120 charging time with easyWallbox. Combined 0-62 is 7.1 secs. The fully electric mode has a range of 26 miles. So nothing special but enough to do your daily commute to work or to run errands and save the CO2. Fuel economy is around 128 mpg and CO2 51-3 km with a top speed of 124mph. E-Save allows you to save your electric power which is handy if you are running low on petrol.

Driving:

The important bit. You’ve got the choice of Hybrid, Electric or E-Save (combustion only). On roads it’s quiet. It’s smooth in low speed areas due to the 6-speed automatic transition gearbox so it glides around town. Handling, if not exceptional, is good on a fast, long drive; although it does throw its weight around a bit in corners. Acceleration is brisk from a stop to a slow speed, but it lacks edge on a motorway overtake.

The ride comfort however is brilliant. I happened to be going to the beach with my family and got them to try it out with me. Everyone commented on the smoothness and cushioning of the ride. The lightness over bumps and the absorbency made potholes, speed bumps and old road surfaces unnoticeable. As two family members who suffer from car sickness fell asleep it’s clearly a winner for families with those unfortunate tendencies. The light, open cabin made for commanding surround views, as did the large rectangular windows; it’s fantastic for road trips. It’s worth adding that smaller passengers found the rear seats particularly comfortable and taller members the front seats, due to shape and head rest position. Overall it’s an extremely relaxing and easy drive, as enjoyable for the driver as the passengers. Plus, the design personality seeps in while driving.

Off-roading it excelled - sand, stone, mud - I tried it across them all and its 4WD lock, 4WD Low, hill descent and Sport, Snow, Sand and Mud traction controls made easy work of the lot. The ground clearance sailed over deep ruts in the woods. It’s a SUV that isn’t too precious for a bit of rough roading.

Verdict:

A fun hybrid SUV to drive everywhere by everyone. A handsome plucky family member.

For pricing and configuration visit Jeep and Jeep France.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 3/1/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 3/1/21

Drive ‘appy - 6 driving apps every driver needs to download

All drivers share the same daily frustrations. Luckily, it’s 2021 so there’s an app to take care of the hassle. Here are six that no driver should go without:

Daily:

1) JustPark

There is nothing more annoying than driving around in circles trying to find a parking place, just for someone else to cut you up and slide in between those white lines. No longer - save time, angst and money with JustPark.

You can search, reserve and pay for spaces on the app. In car parks, on-street or even private driveways - any space is up for grabs.

Also it’s a give and take situation, with the option to offer up your parking space and make a little cash from your spare metres or hours you aren’t using them.

IOS & Android

Free

2) Find My Car

A miracle worker to save family arguments, memory blanks and stop the stress attack in its tracks.

Find My Car app GPS locates your car by saving the spot where you left it, so you can easily find your way back to each other. Just pin your location when you leave the car and walk away worry free.

Handy extras for an added peace of mind include; taking a picture of where you parked and alerts for when your ticket runs out.

IOS & Android

Free

Electric:

3) EV Hotels

Every EV user has Plugshare or Zap-Maps but EV Hotels is a brilliant app for breaking up long journeys, business trips or holidays.

EV drivers can find, reserve and book rooms at hotels that have charging points. Like Booking.com for EV users. With 170+ hotel brands, 22, 000+ EV hotels and 71, 000+ roadside charging locations it’s a must for EV travellers.

It tells you everything you need to know; from public chargers within walking distance of hotel, to which chargers are for guests only, or which charging adapters are needed.

And it has a reward programme so you can save with your favourite hotels.

IOS & Android

99p

4) UFODRIVE

Need a rental car any time of day? UFODRIVE is the answer.

A contactless, all-electric, 24 hour rental app that lets you book electric cars from Teslas to the Renault Zoe all from your pocket. Hire in two minutes on the app - no paperwork, no people, no fuel, no hidden costs. And no keys even- your phone is your key!

17 locations across 12 of Europe’s largest cities. Now in London and with delivery to your door.

Insurance, first 200 km range and all charging included free. Amazing whether you’re an EV driver or not, and a great way to test drive if you are looking to buy.

24 hour unbeatable customer service.

IOS & Android

Free

Business:

5) MileIQ

Business trips are long, lonely and expense heavy. MileIQ is the new corporate best friend - it handles all your driving expenses for you.

MileIQ uses your phone GPS and clock to automatically track and record your business journeys, logging them for you and calculating your total mileage. It breaks everything down to give you your reimbursement rate per mile and then lets you categorize and export to a spreadsheet. Easy!

Your bank, your boss and the accounts department will love you.

IOS & Android

Free

Insurance:

6) Cuvva

Finally a way to put anyone on your insurance at any time.

Cuvva is a flexi insurance provider which allows you to quickly insure a car for as long as you want - an hour, a day, a month. Add extra drivers or learner drivers to your insurance - they’ve got everyone Cuvvad.

Cancel anytime with no hidden costs - it’s all fixed price. Just scan your licence, put in your registration and keep up to date on your account.

24/7 customer service is also a huge bonus.

IOS & Android

Free

Freda Lewis-Stempel 2/13/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 2/13/21

UFODRIVE - the EV rental app that’s out of this world

“Let’s get an UFO”. It will be one of those everyday statements. Like “let’s get an Uber”.

UFODRIVE is the world’s first all-digital, all-electric, 24 hr premium car rental app that’s taking over the future. It was founded in 2018 by CEO Aidan McClean, who had one too many horrible rental experiences and decided to fix it.

Now it’s in 8 countries and London is the 12th of Europe’s glamorous cities to hail UFODRIVE. From Paris to Vienna, a pandemic can’t stop their success. They posted 108% growth in 2020, won Startup of the Year and made headlines around the globe when they hit their £1.5 million Seedrs crowdfunding mark by halftime. And it’s easy to see why.

Central locations make it easy to pick up your car and explore cities. (UFODRIVE Paris)

All you need is a smartphone, or someone who has one. Book the car and location, let the app guide you to your vehicle, unlock using keyless entry and drive. I booked my Tesla (the fleet is mainly Tesla based) in two minutes - no paperwork, no people, no fuel, no hidden costs, no emissions. You can extend your rental period or add two extra drivers with just a click on the app dashboard. That really is ‘advanced car rental’.

A Tesla Model 3 (330km range) starts at £85. It sounds like premium price but you get insurance, the first 150 miles, all charging, additional drivers and roadside assistance for free. Comparatively UFODRIVE is actually 20% cheaper than traditional rental companies.

And unlike other rental companies UFODRIVE gives back to you and the planet. The company uses eco-friendly biodegradable chemical cleaning between rentals to keep the process water-free. For every 100 kilograms of CO2 saved by a customer, UFODRIVE also donates €1 to green energy funds across the world. And your saved CO2 is recycled as cashback redeemable against your next booking.

The company’s philosophy is “everything is customer service focused'“ and it shows. From the support guides on the app, to the 24/7 chat team, the phone lines, the range and recharge alerts - you are looked after on an individual basis. UK manager Jonathan Shine tells me he even goes as far as to ring drivers if they haven’t seen their zero miles recharge alert, so that he can guide them to their nearest charging point.

UFODRIVE has complete consumer satisfaction.

This flawless consumer experience means UFO hardly spends on marketing - they can rely on word of mouth. I’ve certainly told everyone about them. As a car reviewer, this was a test driving first for me. I was trying out a new way of driving, a new type of mobility, a new lifestyle solution. And like every other customer I’m converted. I won’t hire a car without UFODRIVE in the future, nor will I let anyone else.

For Shine consumer conversion is the reason they have no worries about future competition. ‘During a time when rental companies are being decimated by the lack of footfall from travel, tourism and business, UFODRIVE is taking all the custom. Customers are preferring professionally chemically cleaned cars and contactless over a user-shared system.” It wasn’t modelled for a pandemic (what was?) but like all the big winners of this year, being lightyears ahead pays off.

UFODRIVE proves you either get onboard with electric or you get left behind. As an EV enthusiast I am already sold but most consumers don’t like change and they certainly don’t want to lead the crowd. UFO demonstrates why electric is inevitable: Electric cars provide century-defining digital and technological lifestyle advances, even before the benefit of being environmentally friendly. UFODRIVE offers individuals and business a sleek, simple, sexy solution to their mobility problems and gives them the green eco tick too. Eco is just the added bonus on top of a life-changing product.

The luxurious ride of the Tesla is hard to beat.

UFODRIVE before you buy an EV to be converted.

To prove the point Shine tells me: “Customer EV curiosity is one of the biggest parts of the job - people want to ask questions, try out the future, and UFODRIVE gives them a way to do that. The two-way market research emboldens customers to buy their first electric car.” After a dreamy drive in these automatic noiseless gliding machines that’s no surprise. Want to try electric before you buy? Get a UFO.

The only downside is the minimum age - you have to be twenty-six to rent a UFO (not dissimilar to most rental companies.) Shine confirmed it’s the insurance restrictions not UFODRIVE’s own policy, but I hope as the fleet grows the age could be lowered on some cars.

Feedback keeps growing the horizons for UFODRIVE. On the day I interview Shine his London office announces another industry first: EV delivery direct to your door. For those people who can’t get out or don’t want to use public transport your car is delivered to you. Londoners asked, UFODRIVE delivered - literally. London has exceeded expectations and UFO is adding new EVs as soon as they hit the market - Ford, Polestar, VW to name a few. The company’s huge crowdfunding success means up to ten new locations in Germany and a move to the US are in the works.

And UFODRIVE will be taking consumers with them every step of the way to their lightning-fast world domination. Customers are falling over themselves to join the ride by investing in UFODRIVE’s Seedrs crowdfunding. With 9 days to go for me it’s a no brainer.

The ultimate praise from a car reviewer is to buy the car. I’m going one better - investing in the company. That’s how dazzling the new UFO planet is.

To book with UFODRIVE visit their website or download the app. (Available on IOS and Android.)

To invest in their crowdfunding visit their Seedrs page. (9 days to go - ends February 22nd 2021.)

Watch me drive around Paris with UFODRIVE to get the experience.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 2/6/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 2/6/21

Video: Paris sur la route with UFODRIVE

See the sights from the City of Light with me. 48hrs driving a Tesla Model S around Paris with UFODRIVE.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 1/22/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 1/22/21

Sprawl in a Saloon- 4 saloon cars worth buying

No longer just Uber-luxes, company cars, a couple’s retirement in style… Saloons are emerging from the shadows of estates and SUVs. Here are four in a class of their own:

Jaguar FX

£32,585 – £52,125

It’s a Jaguar so it’s perfectly splendid.

My friend’s dad would pick her up from school in a Jaguar FX on the way home from the office. It never excited me back then, but now I’ve grown up to respect it. Whilst BMW and Mercedes are driving ambitious new designs that are creating marmite moments, Jaguar is sticking with its philosophy of gentle prestige. The 2021 facelift model gives you unbeatable quality for your price. The interior revamp has turned it into a true sports saloon. A Jaguar F-Type in material and finish but with the space and comfort of an FX.

With three different engine sizes and a new hybrid-diesel option that uses regenerative braking, you can save yourself some fuel money and a berating about not being eco at the same time. All the new models have an eight speed automatic gearbox making long journeys a pleasure. It rides like a dream, so whether it’s a peaceful ride to the office, a weekend drive with the other half or the stop start of a busy day, it will be smooth sailing.

The big change, the reason to swap from ‘nice car’ to ‘nice car I should consider buying’ is the all new infotainment system. I have to say it is a work of art. The centre of the dashboard is dominated by a 11.4” (portrait) curved touchscreen with Jaguar’s latest Pivi Pro system. New graphics, new menus, new driver’s digital display - it’s as perfect as a new Iphone. This all sits in a symphony of brushed aluminium, unvarnished wood trims and leather surrounds. It’s pure designer.

It’s the car equivalent of a woman’s LBD or a man’s favourite dinner jacket. Smart, not trying too hard and reassuring in its reliability to make you feel good.

Best bits: The cabin and infotainment luxury are a dupe for a Range Rover lover who wants to spend less or downsize.

Could be better: Where’s the sense of fun? It’s the school prefect - you will forever be waiting for it to let loose just a bit.

Mercedes E Class

£38,285 – £105,330

E Class for Elegance? Mercedes do it better than anyone.

So the 2021 E Class is everything you want in a luxury saloon. It’s had a nose job since last year with straighter ridges and more dynamic nostrils. - Harley Street’s finest work. The rest of the car is the same as the previous generation which makes sense as it’s a winning look.

Good option if you like to do staycations (so everyone since 2020) as the boot’s got 540l which is bigger than the Audi A6 or BMW 5 Series. It has an electric tailgate which is great for the poor person on bag duty. It’s roomy in the back too - plenty of space to stretch out in if you are ferrying children or on a couple’s double date weekend retreat. The driving position is light years ahead - just input your height and it will automatically move the seat and steering wheel to the perfect placement for you. And it will remember these for each user. Mercedes clearly value marital bliss.

Interior-wise the cabin has been updated with the Mercedes 12” MBX all-digital all-touchscreen infotainment system which has become standard since the launch of the 2020 A Class. It’s heavenly, what can I say? Voice-command, sensor pad, touchscreen and steering wheel sensors - any adjustments are as easy as saying “Hello Mercedes”.

Both the 2.0 litre and 3.0 litre engine options have a small hybrid function built in. Eco badge ticked.

Best bits: Seat Kinetics - the electric seats adjust ever so slightly over the course of the journey to keep your muscles moving so your body doesn’t get tired. Urban Guard - the app tells you if someone has scratched your car, where it is, whether someone is trying to tow your car - it acts as an extra pair of eyes and ears for those insurance claim carpark humdingers.

Could be better: Not for vegans I’m afraid as leather seats are the standard for all models. Another minus - the electric tailgate option (useful for those who caravan or want to take a trailer on holiday) is only available in the diesel engine versions.

Mazda6 Sedan

RRP £24,975 - £34,735

Proves you don’t need loads of money for a master saloon.

Family Fun.

Mazda is often forgotten for being at the lower end of the market but it holds its own against its pricier rivals. If you want a completely reliable car which keeps the family going in style but is really fun to drive, the Mazda is made for you.

It is sportier than the more expensive German cars, giving it an edge for a more modern consumer. It keeps you feeling young and happy with sport handling and punchy power. It looks good too - less conservative, more preppy and up-and-coming. As for driving, Mazda have nailed a combination of ride comfort, enjoyability and economy.

Mazda have brought the cockpit feel to their interior which, whilst still very drool-worthy, is more racing functional and unfussy than its competitors. It shares similar angles and open panels with BMW interiors but with a less self-conscious feel. It’s confident keeping a retro feel with TFT LCD colour dials and a simple 8” flip up central dashboard display. Nappa leather, front seat ventilation, rear heated seats and real Japanese Sen Wood trim keep the boojieness alive. There is also loads of space inside for five adults, or teenagers with their sports kit. It’s one of the few saloons you really feel has embraced the possibility of shoving the kids in the back.

What I like best is that Mazda are opening up the saloon market for younger generations with a starting price similar to many premium hatchbacks (including BMW 1 Series, VW Golf, Audi A3). It is also a brilliant way for first-time drivers to share a car with mum or dad by going on their insurance. Lots of families choose to save money by sharing a parent’s car with the newly qualified driver but that almost always means (in the UK anyway) that the parents have to make do with a limited hatchback. So why not get a saloon? Means the adults don’t have to economise on space and it might even persuade the kids to keep the car clean.

Best bit: Mazda6 consumer satisfaction is unbeatable.

Could be better: The old-fashioned automatic gearbox is a bit clunky in these days of steering wheel gear selectors.

Volvo S90

£38,200 – £47,900

The Swedes are giving us the slick Scandi alternative to German motorwagens.

It’s no secret that Volvo has become a firm favourite of mine in the SUV category - the power, restraint and tech combination of these vehicles is delicious. Now Volvo has stepped up their saloon to the same heady combination of their cousins. It has a turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder equal to the BMW 540, doing 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. It is available with a hybrid option but with a limited 21 mile electric range and immediate combustion selection at motorway speeds (not its selling point).

Yet it is premium, in the best sense of the word. The classic Volvo styling cues are all there with the Thor’s Hammer LED headlight design, the minimalist grille, the sharp lines against soft moulding - it’s consistent with the understated style that Volvo has always managed to maintain. Driving a Volvo makes you that person who is always perfect without trying. Like fair haired Scandi children.

The interior again takes cues from the XC90. It’s clean, crisp and creamy with silver metal and polished wood touches. It’s by far the most impressive part of the S90. The seats are lush with body hugging sides, it’s spacey enough to fool you into thinking you are in a limousine and the portrait 9” infotainment system (all touchscreen) fits beautifully in the surrounds. All the bells and whistles are included - Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Spotify, Pandora - and all Volvos can be connected up on the system.

Safety first with the the S90. It achieves perfect scores in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests plus Superior and Advanced ratings for the standard front crash prevention system. Like the good Volvo name, the S90 has a suite of standard active safety features. Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking front and rear, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are mandate on all models.

Best bits: Bowers & Wilkins sound system and the endless list of safety features.

Could be better: A little too much vibrating in the cabin when driving and the steering wheel doesn’t respond as well as it feels.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 1/4/21 Freda Lewis-Stempel 1/4/21

The Lady Is For Turning Electric - EVs and women

When it comes to electric cars there is, and has always been, one consumer to aim for: The Lady.

2020 may be the year of the electric car movement, but EVs are not the brain wave of an environmentally driven 21st century inventor. They were first realised in the early 1830s when inventors in Britain, the Netherlands, Hungary, France and the US trialled different versions of battery-powered vehicles. By the latter half of the 19th century, France and England began building the first workable electric cars. Across the pond William Morrison produced the first successful US electric car in 1890.

These electric cars were bred for urban transport. Fleets were soon replacing horse-drawn carriages in the major cities of the US and becoming the new taxi cab in New York. By 1915 the number of EVs in the US stood at 37,000 and the largest car manufacturer was The Electric Vehicle Company. Electric vehicles were simpler, cheaper to operate, and more appealing than those with gasoline engines which remained dirty and unreliable. The first female motorist in the US was identified as Genevera Delphine Mudge of New York City, who drove an electric car in 1898, whilst a Miss Daisy Post was reported to have also driven an electric vehicle the same year.

The success of electric vehicles was due in part to the fact that they were greener than gas, efficient and had lower running costs, but mainly it was due to their marketing. They were singled out as the car for women.

And they were well suited to the needs of women at the time. Contemporary social norms meant that women tended only to travel short distances. The slow paced (14mph), clean and fresh EV with a limit of a single charge 30-mile range was perfect in the eyes of the fathers and husbands wishing to buy transport for their dependants. Women were supposed to be found at home enjoying the feminine pastimes of taking tea in the sitting room and the most effectively marketed EVs were sold as “sitting rooms on wheels”.

The woman of 1900 was considered to have a taste for luxury and leisure whilst being too timid and weak to handle a “man’s” car with power or range. The slow and steady but elegant electric car was ideally suited to a mere woman. Gas cars, it was considered, required much more strength to crank start than most women could exert. Electric cars, on the other hand, were female-friendly because they needed very little maintenance and had few mechanical failures. This meant an easier life for women who “did not have a mechanical turn of mind” as one New York Times reporter wrote in 1909.

One hundred years on, are EV manufacturers missing a trick by overlooking the Ladies? In 2018 an English-Scandinavian study found that highly educated women were the ideal target group for EVs but were largely ignored as a consumer group by manufacturers. In so doing car brands have failed to convert the most willing group to electric.

The study established that women drive fewer kilometres per day, so range angst is less of a problem. Women rank ease of operation, safety, running costs and environmental impact higher when buying a new car than men. This makes electric cars the perfect tick-box answer. Yet the study also found that women have less experience of driving electric vehicles than men, proving that the market is failing to grasp the desires of the female consumer.

Understanding your consumer is the first rule of selling. Professor Benjamin Sovacool, lead author of the study and Director of the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED) at the University of Sussex certainly thinks so: “The sooner that electric vehicle manufacturers and policymakers understand how these factors influence the decisions people make about their transport choices, the quicker people will switch to more sustainable modes of transport.”

It is surely time then that manufacturers turned their attentions to the fairer sex. Ladies lining up for the latest EV? That seems a greener future to me!

Freda Lewis-Stempel 12/4/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 12/4/20

FOR THE THRILL OF THE DRIVE - why danger is inevitable in Formula One

Romain Grosjean jumping out of his car. (photo credits - Scroll In Media)

What makes racing drivers race? The love of the drive.

Romain Grosjean’s crash at the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix has brought safety to the forefront of F1 press coverage. The Haas driver’s car exploded into a fireball on the third turn of the first lap but amazingly he jumped free. The miracle escape left Grosjean with only minor burns on the back of his hands and crediting the Halo device with saving his life.

F1 hasn’t suffered a race death since the double fatalities of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. In the last 20 years improvements to F1 safety have been immense. Horror images of cars flying through the air at 180 kmph with bodywork shedding, sickening crunches and charcoal wreckage - they remain the same. Drivers walking free and being on the grid for the next race in the series - that is the change.

These developments are remarkable but to eliminate all chance of death from F1 is an impossible task. Watching from the sidelines of adrenaline sports it is easy to forget that competitors know the exchange rate. The thrill of F1 is cheating death with speed- take that away and what is left?

Grosjean is raring to be back in the driver’s seat. Haas team principal Guenther Steiner confirmed that when they knew Grosjean was free of the car the ‘mindset of the team was to continue to go racing again.’ Everyone in the game has a match-set mindset. No safety device will ever stop all fatalities. No expertise behind the wheel will ever stop all accidents. Because these are accidents - they are a combination of dangerous components that result in a lethal outcome. Formula One is speed, skill, luck and miracles - you wouldn’t need miracles if you didn’t chance death. That is why F1 is such a heady sport for drivers and spectators alike.

F1 drivers race knowing their lives are reliant on their skill and the skill of the other drivers around them. In an interview with The Guardian Former F1 driver, Anthony Davidson said "I feel a driver should be challenged and should be punished for mistakes. It's what makes people follow the sport in quite a gruesome way — it's the danger, racing drivers should be heroes." Davidson’s point is that no hero is made without first overcoming the danger of death. A hero saves lives. A racing driver saves his own life every race.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 11/13/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 11/13/20

Headlights on: Maurice Hamilton - THE F1 Journalist

Maurice Hamilton (right) with James Hunt as BBC commentators together.

‘It is my belief that everyone can achieve the goal he or she strives for.
It is also my belief that every man whose desire for a certain vocation is strong enough will ultimately get his wish, no matter how circuitous the manner in which this comes about.’
Rudolf Caracciola

These words, from A Racing Driver’s World by Rudolf Carraciola, inspired one of the most successful motor sport journalists and authors of all time to start knock-knock-knocking on motoring’s doors.

Maurice Hamilton’s love affair with racing began in Northern Ireland in the 1950s. His father and uncle took him aged seven, to the Tourist Trophy in South Belfast. Maurice recalls ‘standing in the pit, in a school cap, watching Bob Gerard’s Frazer Nash and the Le Mans start - the smell, the noise and the racing - and I thought well this is just absolutely wonderful.’

Young Maurice Hamilton (in flat cap) at the Tourist Trophy, 1950s. Photo credit - Maurice Hamilton & Brooklands Membership.

Refusing to live life as a salesman, he made it to England when the Troubles started and continued his passion of attending the major races around Europe. While watching the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix from the stands he noticed the journalists walking around the track and pits with their armbands on. With no journalistic experience or qualifications, no mechanical training to his name, this was the way in he decided.

The rest was tenacity, talent and terrific skills at blagging that got him from passion to profession. With Irish charm, a great sense of humour and the ability to have fun selling himself, he fought his way in. His first article was published in Competition Car in 1974 but it wasn’t until 1976 that he got into the journalist paddocks with a fake press ID. This cheek got the attention of journalist and Elf Oil PR man Ian Young who became his mentor and gave him his first job. Young exchanged his company’s first class tickets for economy so he could take Maurice along on assignments. Then in 1977 he brought Maurice on as sub-editor of the James Hunt Magazine.

In 1978 the holy grail of official motoring journalism jobs came along when friend Eric Dymock stepped down as motoring correspondent at the Guardian. He recommended Maurice and with another bit of winging it Maurice got the job. This was before computers, emails, mobile phones, electronic coverage or results. Being a correspondent meant calling to a copier on a twenty minute allotted slot and reciting your article down the line or driving to the publishers against the clock, copy in hand, to get it in before press went to print. No wonder Maurice found that despite finally having the handle to his name it still took many years of hard work and asking for help before he became a dab hand and a household name.

Maurice carried on grabbing those opportunities which arise in the right place at the right time. While keeping Simon Taylor’s lap charts for Radio 2’s motoring sports updates, a chance came about when Simon needed a second voice for the broadcast and offered it to Maurice. Saying yes immediately he started as Radio 2’s motor racing summariser and began a 20 year career voicing motorsport on the airwaves. The dual part of his career was cemented.

Maurice (left) interviewing Niki Lauda (right) in the pits during practice for Detroit 1982. Photo credit - Maurice Hamilton & Brooklands Membership.

Now in 2020 Hamilton is a best-selling author, motoring journalism royalty and broadcasting legend. He's been the motor racing correspondent for the Guardian, Independent and the Observer. He’s edited Autocourse, the Grand Prix annual and worked with the best of the business; from writing books with Eddie Irvine, to being friends and BBC colleagues with James Hunt, to writing F1 World Champion Damon Hill’s autobiography. He’s interviewed the champions of every decade; from recording Niki Lauda in the pits at Detroit 1982 to fly-on-the-wall reporting of Eddie Jordan’s 1998/9 winning F1 team or working with the formidable Formula One Williams team. Along with over 20 books, Formula One fans will know his Irish drawl from BBC Radio 5 Live’s commentary.

Today he’s celebrating the October 2020 release of his definitive Formula 1: The Official History and winning rally races in his spare time.

From the outside it might look like it’s just fun, fast cars and famous people. But the thrilling perks of the job - meeting Enzo Ferrari, being driven by Didier Pironi in the 1978 LeMans winning Renault, lapping Oulten Park with Chris Amon in a Ferrari 330P4 or Silverstone with Lewis Hamilton- are the crowning moments of 40 years of grind and grit.

When reminiscing about achieving his goals Hamilton has another saying he keeps close to heart: ‘Getting there is half the fun.’

Maurice Hamilton (right) and Tony Jardine (left) team up with MG to compete in the WRC Network Q Rally of Great Britain, 2002. Credit Motorsport Images.

Take aways from Maurice Hamilton’s formidable career:

What do you need?

Enthusiasm

Passion

The ability to sell yourself

What should you do?

Jump at opportunities

Help those on the way up

Ask for help

Take advice

What should you never do?

Give up.

Words to live by?

Break the rules but not the laws.

For more information about Maurice Hamilton and his career listen to Making things happen: Maurice Hamilton on BBC Radio 4 Don’t Tell Me The Score podcast.

Read Maurice Hamilton’s Formula 1: The Official History and Niki Lauder: The Biography.

Read his articles from the archives.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 11/2/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 11/2/20

DIAMONDS ARE AN ELECTRIC CAR’S BEST FRIEND: Ecotricity and the rise of EVs

Ecotricity’s Nemesis Wind Powered Supercar

Sky diamonds: What do they have to do with cars?

Ecotricity has been making the news in recent days for a pretty bonkers reason. Millionaire founder Dale Vince has been pulling carbon dioxide straight from the atmosphere to form diamonds. Chemically identical to mined diamonds they sparkle just as bright. But, as all energy used for extraction is solar or wind-powered, they are the world’s first completely green diamond. Zero impact for the environment but as big a statement for the wearer - it’s a bedazzling win win.

Ecotricity is one of the biggest players in the EV market. The first thing I thought when I read about Dale Vince was: I bet he’s in the electric car market. Electric cars are the future. Consumers may not yet have realised this but big business has.

Founded in 1995 Ecotricity was at the forefront of the renewable energy boom. At first opportunity it expanded into the EV market and created Electric Highway - Europe’s most comprehensive charging network. 300 chargers, powered by 100% renewable energy, across the UK. With rapid charging, discounted pricing, bundle offers and reduced home electricity thrown in (fully charged green electricity with their EV Tariff ) this app is as easy to use as it is on the wallet.

Ecotricity are on a mission to show people that the finer things in life are beautiful even when they are good for the planet. As well as those heavenly diamonds Ecotricity has built their own electric super car, the Nemesis - to show ‘how cars without oil could look and feel’.

‘It’s a mad car’ boasts Dale Vince. As it took two years to build by a dream team of ex-motorsport engineers, can go faster than a V12 Ferarri, do 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 170mph - I’d say that’s pretty mad. Oh and it’s powered entirely by windmill produced, grid delivered Ecotricity wind. So maybe less mad, more totally f****** mental. Most definitely as the Nemesis broke the UK electric car land-speed record in September 2012, reaching 148 mph.

So Ecotricity is firmly investing in the EV environmental future. And it is not alone. It is one of many, many, MANY companies across the globe proving that businesses in any field, be it green development, R&D, energy markets, tech, investment firms - everyone - are getting involved in the electric car market. Mad millionaires and money-hungry corporations have a shared goal - inventions that are super successful. So if they are using their formidable noggins to invest in and progress EVs it’s because they can see a bright shiny eco future.

As a consumer you’ll soon be seeing it too. You can live the dream car life and pat yourself on the back for helping the planet too.

So fast cars and sky diamonds are forever…

Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/12/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/12/20

Volkswagen - the largest car manufacturer in the world

The game: Eight car brands. Volkswagen, SEAT, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Audi or Škoda? But you can only invest in one. Which one would you choose?

The players: A group of eight friends - 7 boys and one girl.

The answers:

Porsche obviously.

No c’mon Lamborghini, it’s the ultimate supercar.

Bugatti - they make the fastest cars in the world.

But Bentley has prestige mate – it’s the luxury symbol.

Audi hits luxury and accessible - has the biggest market.

Then what about Skoda or SEAT - cheaper, so mass market?

Volkswagen.

Really? Thinking small are you.

Haha good one.

So, in they all invested. The boys were happy with their supercar brands, their British heritage millionaire style, their stylish SUVs, their low-price affordable Czech and Spanish. Then there was one small voice who silently put her money on the overlooked brand of Golfs and Polos. In 10 years time that girl went on to have shares in all eight of those brands, when the boys only had shares in one each. How did she do it?

She knew something none of the boys knew. Volkswagen Group has every one of those other car manufacturers under their brand. VW - the brand behind every brand.

Outside the land of a financial fable lies something quite formidable. The overlooked might of a car giant - one few realise is juggling eight of the world’s most recognisable consumer brands. All power to the VW Group. As of 2020 the Volkswagen Group is the largest car manufacturer in the world. VW announced delivery of 10.8 million vehicles to customers in 2019, up 0.9 percent from 2018. This was despite a contraction of the automotive market of 4%. Total revenue rose to €252.6 billion last year, meaning a profit of €19.3 billion for VW.

The big success of the year for VW was Bentley. Bentley came back from years of loss to a year of profit. VW had given Bentley two years to make a resurrection and boy did it, with a 35.1% increased sales revenue to €2.1 billion. Production increased 36.4%. In one insane statistic Bentley went from a loss of -€288 million in 2018, to a profit of €65 million in 2019. Bentley’s best performing car was the Bentayga (5,200 units sold) with the convertible Continental GT Coupe and the Continental GT coming in second and third. Most importantly it was the big centenary for Bentley - with 100 years under its luxury wheels.

The other success for Volkswagen was Porsche’s Taycan. This wild electric beast roared into 2019 pulling the kind of admiration that threw electric sceptics’ reservations out the environmentally friendly window. The Turbo S version has a range of up to 412km, can generate up to 560 kW and is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds. No wonder 15,000 customers immediately signed up to a purchase contract. Overall Porsche’s vehicle sales rose by 9.6% from 253,000 in 2018 to 277,000 in 2019 . Porsche’s sales revenue increased 10% from €23 billion to €26 billion the same period, meaning an profit increase of 2.4% year-on-year to €4.2 billion (before special items).

So if VW is aiming for CO2-neutrality by the year 2050 then given the success of the Porsche Taycan, it would be safe to say they know what they are doing. VW’s 'Strategy 2025' is an investment commitment of 11 billion euros towards e-mobility. This means 10 new hybrid and fully electric models for EU, China and the US markets by 2023, starting with the ID3 all-electric hatchback.

Of course, COVID will massively affect Volkswagen’s annual report for 2020 with sales revenue expected to be significantly lower. This is mainly due to its large dependence on the Chinese market, which counts for over 40% of global sales. However, Volkswagen actually performed even better than Toyota (its main rival) in May and June. They are still expecting the figures to remain positive overall despite the challenges. Frank Witter, Group Board of Management responsible for Finance and IT said “the Volkswagen Group is steering through this unprecedented crisis with focus and determination.”

Volkswagen can no doubt rely on the focus and determination of everyone in the Group because of their excellent attitude to employee relations. One the most impressive things about Volkswagen in my eyes is its 2011 commitment to work-life balance. In 2011 they agreed to restrict the company’s email programme (then on Blackberry) to only run 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the official working hours 0730-1745. By stopping out of office hours working Volkwagen stops employee burnout. In the current climate of work from home, email and Zoom enslavement, this dedication to stopping the blurring of staff’s work and home lives is absolutely essential. Well done VW for being ahead of the game!

5 facts about the Volkswagen Group:

1- Volkswagen’s Bugatti marque produces the fastest car in the world - the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - which reaches a speed of 267 mph and can go from 0 to 60 in 2.4 seconds.

2-Volkswagen’s Porsche invented the electric car. Ferdinand Porsche of Porsche and Ludwig Lohner invented the first electric car in 1900. The grand unveiling took place on the 14th of April at the World Exposition in Paris.

3- Volkswagen produce the best car engine in the world. The Volkswagen TSI is awarded the prestigious International Engine of the Year award more times than any other engine in history.

4- Volkswagen make three of the top ten all best-selling cars - The Volkswagen Beetle, the Volkswagen Passat, and the Volkswagen Golf.

5- Volkswagen’s Think Small advertisement has been voted the greatest print advertising campaign of all time. America fell in love with the VW Beetle thanks to Doyle Dane Bernbach’s 1950s genius idea of showing the truth - just how tiny the Bug was.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/5/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 10/5/20

Joan Joins Up- the story of one exceptional woman’s WWII lorry driving effort

Joan Clary - my grandmother. (middle standing)

My Grandma, my mother’s mother, became one of the first six women to drive three-ton lorries for the British war effort in 1940

Hair pins in place, hair twirled at the nape of the neck, crisp khaki dress tunic sitting on the shoulders of a small warrior woman of 5’4; this was my Grandma Stempel. For three years behind her in any photograph would stand a W.D. Three-ton Bedford war lorry. My grandma’s pride in life was that she was one of the first six women to drive an army lorry for the British war effort between 1940 and 1945. She was, quite simply outstanding, as were all the women who volunteered to help in the war – so extraordinary in fact was my grandma that the Daily Mirror made a feature of her enlistment called Joan Joins Up; She’s partner in fight for new Britain. Grandma died when I was very young and for all the time I knew her she had very severe Alzheimer’s. For my own mother I know it has caused great sadness that her children never knew her as the woman from Joan Joins Up, the woman who had the daredevil streak in the family, who was witty and vibrant, sporty and strong, courageous, talented, outstandingly confident and completely and utterly fearless. I may have only known Grandma when she was confused but she was the woman in my family who gave me my gutsy-girl-can-outdo-all-the-boys-attitude and that is something that lives on far stronger in my blood than any memory.

Before I found this article in the newspaper archives I had only seen photographs or heard stories from my mother, my father or my aunts about Grandma. My family has always told me how much I get from Grandma but in recent years as I pursue my driving enthusiasm and my need for speed as a career, these similarities have become the standout in my personality. I always count my father as having given me my love of cars but in truth Grandma had already set the precedent for me to follow long before my father nurtured it out of me. Now, reading this article aged twenty-two I feel I am meeting Grandma for the first time, how everyone else saw her. I am meeting Grandma Joan, the first Girl Behind The Wheel in my family.

Grandma joined the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) at 20. The ATS was the women’s branch of the British Army during WWII. 250,000 women volunteered to join the Service between 1938 and 1949 . Grandma left home with one suitcase like all those women to do her part for her country. The Daily Mirror followed Grandma for a whole week at the end of which Grandma would pass a test to start driving lorries for the army. She had to reverse them around the narrow dock lanes in the pitch black of night with no lights to avoid catching the eye of German bombers. In the Daily Mirror articles she was just a girl on her first days. The overwhelming impression of Grandma already though, was one of a woman who had two very clear attitudes to life she would always follow. Firstly, as a woman if you want to do something then get on and do it and that’s how you show the boys how it is done – equality is made through actions not words. Secondly, and most importantly for Britain, for her legacy and for myself as her motoring journalist granddaughter – get driving. These attitudes made her a driver of three-ton war lorries despite not knowing how to drive a car, the apparent fastest driver you’ve ever seen (to a terrifying extent when you are my 19-year-old father being taught how to drive by his future mother-in-law through the streets of London) and a woman who could do simply anything she put her mind to. “I believe there will be just as many women talking to their children about what they did in the Army at the end of this war as there were men at the end of the last war.” She was right of course– WWII changed the landscape for women forever because of their unprecedented help in the war effort.

Grandma’s lorry driving experiences are just the start of her life-long love affair with driving. It was also the start of her love affair with my Austrian Jewish grandpa (also a car enthusiast, although the slower paced vintage appreciator sort) whom she would marry and have three children with. It seems I fall into her tyre tread exactly. I was also 20 when I decided that I was investing in my dream car and my motoring future as a writer and journalist. For Grandma and for myself, 20 seems to be the magical number when the girl driver lets herself free and realises her life is always going to be going fast and going steady at the same time. I owe Grandma a tremendous amount. She gave me driving but more than that she gave me my heart and soul - the ferociousness of spirit to do something that takes guts. For that and for my mother the least I can do is remember Grandma in writing as Joan Clary - ‘a young woman of a new Britain’.

Joan Clary marching foreground -front left

Freda Lewis-Stempel 9/21/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 9/21/20

Citroën Ami: The urban electric car

Apparently attraction isn’t subjective and Citroën have found the universal formula: the perfect symmetry of the Citroën Ami. The most lovable urban car on the planet - you fall in love with the looks, you fall in love with the drive and everyone falls in love with both of you as you drive by. It’s your electric friend on four wheels. Citroën deserve a gold medal for marketing.

The Ami concept is based on the French Voiture Sans Permis (cars without licenses). These are tiny cars that anyone aged 14 and above can drive without a driving licence. They are limited to 45kmph and aren’t allowed on motorways. If you’ve had your licence revoked for drink driving, then these are your cars. If you are in the throws of puberty and wanting to take your spots for a drive, these are your cars. If you are an octogenarian yet not ready to be shipped off to a nursing home, these are your cars. Citroën has taken this French staple and all its peculiarities and created the ultimate urban electric future of mobility.

Citroën have revolutionised the car market and electrified every generation simultaneously. The approach is 4-fold: design, cost, marketing, electric. Citroën’s head designer Pierre LeClercq mixed playful, happy and futuristic with extreme cost-cutting effectiveness. The Ami is made up of 5 different pieces - the front and back mirror each other, as do the doors, as does the wing. The ‘car’ takes cues from all its predecessors too, meaning that new designs and moulding are not needed. Citroën thus keeps its design sleek and equal measures heritage and futuristic. Most importantly the economies of scale keep the production costs to minimum which makes its market price of €6000 unbeatably accessible. Everything has been thought of yet it it makes Scandi minimalism look like hoarding. The interior only has 3 buttons (drive, neutral and reverse) a brake, accelerator and a steering wheel. The door handles are orange cloth pulleys, there is no light switch - they turn on whenever the car is running. As quick as a phone it only takes 3 hours to fully charge and adding your own accents is as easy as changing your phone case. You can buy a colour pack (khaki, grey, orange etc) to install yourself so you can change your colourway depending on your mood! No sound system but a UE boom slot. It’s dummy-proof.

The marketing, from conception to purchase is a decade ahead of other car manufacturers. The Ami is all online - you can buy it straight off the website and it will be delivered to your door. You can lease it from €19.99 a month, which makes my £50 a month phone contract laughable. (EE here’s looking at you). Instead of showrooms (car dealers simply don’t make enough commission on this price) you can book to try the Ami online at your nearest destination. A team of two very relaxed, informed young guys have been driving the Ami all over France as travelling salesmen. The public see a tiny little electric car with amazing design parked on the pavement next to the pop up ‘shop’ with music blasting out and crowd around, hopping in for a test whizz down the street.

France doesn’t have a problem with electric - they are all onboard. There are no worries about range, or cost, or charging in France even though the scale of driving in France makes a long drive in the UK seem like a pop to the shop. The Ami as the forefront of electric seduces all ages. Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Germany are all licensing the ‘quadricycle’ too, so it is set to take Europe by storm. We just need the slow-coach stubborn UK to take note.

Is this tiny electric car the way to get people to go electric? I think it would really empower the world!

Come on UK don’t be bashful- fall in love like the rest of Europe.

For more information visit the Citroen Ami website: https://www.citroen.fr/ami

Citroën Ami specs:

range of up to 70 km (43.5 miles)
5.5 kWh battery
top speed of up to 45 km/h
6 kW electric motor
charging takes three hours from a standard electrical socket
Total weight with battery: 485 kg (without battery: < 425 kg, battery around 60 kg)
Length: 2.41 m, Width: 1.39 m (excluding mirrors), Height: 1.52 m, Turning diameter between walls: 7.20 m

Freda Lewis-Stempel 9/1/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 9/1/20

The People’s Car(s): A history of the cars that put the world on wheels

People’s Cars - the cars that captured the masses and changed the world, as emblematic of their countries as a national flag.

Germany - Volkswagen Beetle

The Hitler paradox: such a divisive leader, but so good at knowing how to woo the masses. Der Führer brought German people together with the Bug. In 1930 he commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to design a reliable and affordable vehicle for ‘the people’ - the German workers. The original Type I Volkswagen Beetle was based on the idea of simplicity: it had to be able to carry a family of five, maintain a speed of 62mph and reach 32 miles per gallon whilst being cheap to fix. It had an air-cooled rear-mounted engine and was based on a Type-60 prototype.

The first Beetles rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in 1938. But it was not until after 1945 when British Army Major Ivan Hirst took control of the factory and persuaded the British military to order 20,000 cars that they became mass produced. The cars became known as The Beetle for their bulbous shape and from then on the Beetle became one of the most popular and recognisable cars in the world.

Cost: $1280

Engine Size: 1,200 cc

Legacy:

Sold more than 21 million units since production - a record for a single vehicle.
Universally recognised design.
Pop culture icon - universal symbol of the counterculture. The Beetle movies include: Herbie the Love Bug (and its sequels and remakes), the Transformers series, and Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, cover of Abbey Road.
BBD print advertisement that launched the car in America was voted Advertisement of the Century by Ad Age.

Italy - Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 was not Fiat’s or Italy’s first foray into tiny cars. The Fiat 500 didn’t appear until 1957. It was the brainchild of Dante Giacosa who designed the 500 forefathers the 1936 Fiat Topolino (“little mouse) and the 1955 Fiat 600 (“Seicento”). These two popular cars paved the way for the later megastar 500. They taught Giacosa that Italians wanted cars, but they wanted them as small and cheap as a scooter.

Fiat 500 was a midget frankly and it fitted Italy’s requirements perfectly. Its engine size of 479 cm3 which could only produce 13 horse power and 50 mph gave it the 500 name tag. It could squeeze a thin, vertically-challenged family of two adults and two children in its 3m length and 1.5m height. It was functional in flattering terms and cost-cutting in unflattering terms: It only had 3 switches - the speedometer light, the exterior lamps and the windscreen wipers. The fabric sunroof may have been chic as 'a look’ but on closer inspection it was metal and a money saving trick, great for summer not so great for winter. The 500 didn’t even have a fuel gauge until later models, leaving many Italians in tiny cars stalled in tiny Italy streets. It was minuscule and magnificent and Italy adored it. It put them on wheels and off they whizzed.

Cost: £200 (440,000 lira )

Engine Size: 479 cm3 two-cylinder engine

Legacy:

Fiat relaunched the 500 in 2007 and it went on to win the European Vehicle of the year award in 2008.
In 2012 the one-millionth new Fiat 500 rolled off the production line.
The original Fiat Nuova 500 – which was never imported into the United States – made an appearance in a Pixar Animation Studios film as Luigi.

France- Deux Chevaux

The Citroen 2CV (deux chevaux) is as iconic to rural France as the Arc de Triomphe is to Paris or the lavender fields are to Provence. It looks as though it was designed by a parent who was drawing a car to entertain their child: a semi-circle on top of a thin rectangle with four over-emphasised wheels, a large bulbous nose and two big googley eyes. Yet, it was lauded when it was first produced by Citroen as a remarkable feat of minimalist engineering. Similarly to the other European People’s Cars it had very specific design requirements which in today’s automotive manufacturing industry seem laughable. These included being able to drive off-road at 30mph with four people on board and 50kg of extra weight. It was designed in the 1930s by Citroen design chief Pierre-Jules Boulanger.

Citroen was considered a rival to Germany’s prowess in military vehicles and so Boulanger spent the pre-war years of the 1930s hiding all his prototype designs across Europe in an innovative game of cat and mouse. He became an enemy to the Nazi Reich and is considered a French hero because of this. Production of the 2CV started in 1948 and continued into 1990, as it became the most popular car in France. One of the cleverest things about the 2CV is the suspension which is self-levelling. It is linked front and rear and the kinematics can lengthen the wheelbase on one side of the car allowing it to corner anything and stay soft, supple and even.

Cost: £357 (4915 frances)

Engine size: 602cc

Legacy:

Still seen as the ultimate French car today.
Annual 2CV 24 hours race - just celebrated its 25th anniversary.
In 1982, the 2CV was James Bond’s car during a scene in the movie "For your eyes only".

GB- MINI

Great Britain needed a car that was more fuel-efficient in the 1950s and so Sir Leonard Lord of the Morris Company gathered a team of top designers, headed by Alec Issigonis, and the Mini mission was “go”. Based on the 1931 German DKW F1, the Mini’s four wheels were pushed as far apart as possible to maximise interior room, while the transverse gearbox together with placing the engine weight over the front tyres meant the sporty wide balance and polo pony traction handling were achieved. Keeping costs down was the target and so the British Motor Company who built Mini used external door and boot hinges as well as visible welded seams and sliding windows rather than roll-up. British manufacturing - always world class.

The Morris Mini-Minor was first in production in 1959 and off the Union Jack car went into British history.

Original cost: £495

Engine size: 848cc

Legacy:

1961 car racer John Cooper’s Mini Cooper - won European Car Championship 3x in a row.
It became the car of celebrities in the 60s which cemented it as a British icon.
Featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral opening F*** it scene - it became the legend of British humour and Hugh Grant’s finest work.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20

Can the Bright Sparks at Tesla Fuse the Electric Car and Energy Industries Into One?

As a clear sign that they want to lead the merging of the electric car and green energy industries, Tesla have conducted a survey, as reported by PV Magazine, to determine interest in a Tesla combined car and home “energy package”.

With revenue of $24.6 billion and EV deliveries of 1 million worldwide as of April 2020, Tesla intends to roll out its new service to German EV consumers if it gets the green light. The breakdown of the package includes: Tesla scheduling charging times to take advantage of cheaper tariffs, advising customers when to switch to another cheaper energy company, providing Tesla Wall Connector EV charging units, Tesla Powerwalls, Tesla Solar panels, Tesla Wall Connector EV charge unit, a Tesla Powerwall, and Tesla solar panels.

Potential clients were asked what sort of electricity payment model they would prefer, including a day-ahead hourly-variable price per kilowatt-hour. Tesla would require customers to sign over control of EV charging in exchange for grid balancing benefits such as off-peak electricity pricing. The questionnaire asked:

Tesla: Suppose your car is charged every morning to meet your daily needs. Under what conditions would you allow Tesla to control the charging time of your car so that it is charged for your daily needs and to offer you a cheaper electricity tariff?
Customer answer :
1- If there is a clear financial advantage for me
2- If there are other advantages such as free or cheaper charging at home or on public charging stations
3- If it helps to increase the share of renewable energies in the energy mix.

Tesla’s move sideways from the automotive market into green energy is not surprising as it bought SolarCity (solar battery energy provider) in 2016. In early May British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported the company applied for a power supply license from the national regulatory authority to allow for future automated electricity trading.

As PV Magazine commented in their report; “with Tesla customers renowned for brand loyalty, it could represent serious competition for current (clean energy) players in the field.”

Tesla enjoys the highest brand loyalty in the automotive market (80.5%). That’s a lot of Tesla owners jumping ship from German energy companies.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20

Mahindra’s 2021 Thar SUV: India’s Jeep Wrangler

Indian car manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra unveils its 2021 Thar SUV

This car looks like a rip-off of the Jeep Wrangler at first glance, second glance and third glance. But as Mahindra actually own the rights to the CJ Jeep Wrangler, this new version of the copy cat Thar SUV is a legitimate use of the Jeep patent.

So what’s so different for it to be India’s most hyped launch of the year?

Body:

Body wise the silhouette is still very similar to the old Thar. It is boxy and features the same round headlamps and vertical slat grille. That’s basically it - everything else is new. The grille is smaller, there’s a new front bumper, new 18-inch alloy wheels, new tail lights as well as the choice between hard top, soft top or convertible soft top.

Interior:

First looks at the interior show all-black options with carbon fibre finishes, steering mounted controls and new infotainment systems. The old Thar interior comforts were very basic - AC, double-din music system and analogue speedometer. Now you get a seven-inch touchscreen system with smartphone and smartwatch connectivity, semi-digital instrument control with multi-information display, cruise control and key-less entry. Comfort is also key with adjustable seats as well as the option of 4 front-facing seats or 2 front-facing and 4 side-facing seats.

Safety:

The first-gen Thar’s discontinuation was due to its failure to meet today’s mandatory safety standards. The new second-gen model has improved massively to keep up with rival SUV companies with dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP with roll-over mitigation, speed alert system, tyre pressure monitoring system, hill-hold control, hill-descent control as well as reverse parking sensors and camera.

Specs:

The fun part! Previously the Thar was available with a 5-speed manual transmission 2.5-litre CRDe four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine producing 105 bhp and 247 Nm. The 2020 Thar has two options for both engine and transmission this time. You can have either a new 2.2-litre BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage Emission Standards) diesel engine 130 bhp and 320 Nm of torque or a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 150 bhp and 320 Nm. Both engines come with the choice between a six-speed manual gearbox or a torque-converter six-speed automatic gearbox.

Off-Roading:

The other fun part! The first-gen Thar was available with the optional 4x4 drivetrain but the new model adds to this with a manual shift-on-fly 4x4 transfer case with mechanical differential lock. Ground clearance (226mm), all-terain tyres, brake lock differential and electro-mechanical driveline disconnect (for front axle) make the SUV a much more serious off-road contender.

When is it available?

Mahindra decided to announce it on August 15th but it won’t be launched until October 2nd in India when Mahindra will accept bookings.

Price?

Yet to be confirmed but if the buzz created by the revamp of one of India’s most popular cars is anything to go by, people will be lining up to pay at any price.

Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20 Freda Lewis-Stempel 8/18/20

5 of the Most Expensive Supercar Crashes

Most people dream of owning a brand new supercar. No-one dreams of being the person who bends it. For some people this nightmare becomes high-cost reality. Here are the most expensive moments of supercar driving:

1- McLaren 570S in London

If you are going to crash a supercar, don’t do it in central London in the Summer - you’ll go from cool to uncool as quickly as it takes someone to post it on Instagram. Last week a fuchsia pink McLaren 570S ended up as mincemeat after a crash outside Montagu Mansions in Marylebone, in a 20mph zone. Bystanders reported the £120,000 car lost control while speeding and smashed into a VW Golf. The car goes from 0-60 in 3 seconds so it’s understandable how a little too much pressure on the pedal from an inexperienced foot may have led to this hot pink mess.

2- Bugatti Chiron and a Porsche 911 Cabriolet

Two supercars for one crash special? The only thing worse than crashing one supercar is crashing two - especially when one is a Bugatti. The Big Bang happened on the Gotthard Pass in Switzerland, which is probably as dramatic as it gets for a supercar crash backdrop. The Chiron, 911 and a Mercedes C-Class car were stuck driving behind a caravan. The Bugatti tried to overtake by flooring it in the opposite lane - at exactly the same time as the 911 pulled out. The Bugatti rear-ended the Porsche, which rear-ended the Mercedes. (and for good measure the Bugatti also hit the caravan.) The $120,000 Porsche got most of the damage but as the Bugatti alone costs over €3 million, this was no cheap pile up. Takeaway? No matter how fast your car is, always check it is safe to overtake.

3- Ferrari California

In what might be the most expensive test drive of all time, this young man crashed a Ferrari California he was trying out in the Italian streets of Maranello. The novice driver tried to floor the throttle at a junction and speed away. Unlike the movies, the drama came not from the getaway but from the back end of the car flipping out when the driver overlooked the rear-wheel drive. Unable to counter-steer, he drove the Ferrari head-first into a wall. The $200,000 Ferrari price tag meant the insurance claim for this dealership went through the roof that day.

4- Lamborghini Huracan Spyder

In terms of minutes of satisfaction gained from the new car feel, this has got to be the shortest ever. 20 minutes after leaving the dealership the driver had stopped in the outside lane of the M1 in West Yorkshire because his new Lambo was experiencing a mechanical failure when a van hit him from behind. As the car cost at least $267,000 and the driver only had the pleasure of driving it once, the cost per drive of this car probably breaks a record by not dropping a single penny. $267,000 per drive - ouch.

5- McLaren Senna LM

If anything is going to make the test driver of that Ferrari California feel any better it will be a former F1 driver crashing his supercar in front of his girlfriend. Adrian Sutil crashed his bright papaya orange $2.2 million McLaren Senna LM into a lampost near Monaco, with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Only 24 of this model were made and Sutil owns one of 6 in this colourway. The German driver raced F1 cars for 7 years but clearly supercars are unpredictable beasts no matter the skill level of the driver.