Steve Sutcliffe

Steve Sutcliffe (born in 1968) is a former British auto racing driver who now works as a motoring journalist. His first serious racing took place in 1993 in the Caterham K Series Championship, where he finished the season second in points. In 1998 he raced in the TVR Tuscan Challenge, finishing eighth. He finished fourth in the 1999 season, and sixth in 2000 with two poles and three race wins.

In 2001 he got a drive in the British Touring Car Championship, replacing Thomas Erdos for the final two races at Brands Hatch, in a Lexus IS200 for ABG Motorsport/Total Motorsport.

In 2007, Sutcliffe set competitive times around the National Circuit at Silverstone in Honda's RA 107 Formula One car, and managed speeds of 178 mph along the back straight. He did it in 48.58seconds compared to Honda F1 test driver James Rossiter 48.18 seconds

After a long career with Autocar magazine, he has now gone freelance with work appearing on the DRIVE channel, and in Autocars main rival, Auto Express

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 (pronounced Nine Eleven or German: Neunelf) is a two-door, 2+2 high performance sports car made since 1963 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted six cylinder boxer engine and all round independent suspension. It has undergone continuous development, though the basic concept has remained little changed. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998, with Porsche's "993" series, produced in model years 1995-1998, being the last of the air-cooled Porsches.

The 911 has been modified by private teams and by the factory itself for racing, rallying, and other forms of automotive competition. It is among the most successful competition cars. In the mid-1970s, naturally aspirated 911 Carrera RSRs won major world championship sports car races such as Targa Florio, Daytona, Sebring, and Nürburgring, even against prototypes. The 911-derived 935 turbo also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.

In the 1999 international poll for the award of Car of the Century, the 911 came fifth. It is one of two in the top five that had remained continuously in production (the original Beetle remained in production until 2003), and was until 1998 a successful surviving application of the air- (now water-) cooled opposed rear-engine layout pioneered by its ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle. It is one of the oldest sports coupé nameplates still in production, and 820,000 had been sold by the car's 50th anniversary in 2013. "Around 150,000 911 cars from the model years 1964 to 1989 are still on the road today."

Porsche 911 GT3

The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car primarily intended for racing. It is a line of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The GT3 is named after the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Group GT3 class in which it was designed to compete.

A number of variations, designed for road and track duty, have been introduced since its launch in 1999. More than 14,000 911 GT3 cars have been produced.

The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national Porsche Carrera Cup series, and the international Porsche Supercup. It has won championship and endurance races, including the GT class of the American Le Mans Series seven times, first overall in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and first overall at the 24 Hours Nürburgring six times.

Road cars

996 GT3

996.1 GT3

The "GT3" nameplate was introduced in 1999 as part of the first generation of the Porsche 996 model range (commonly known as 996.1). As with Porsche's previous 911 RS models, the 996 GT3 was focused on racing, and so was devoid of items that added unnecessary weight to the car. Sound deadening was almost completely removed, as were the rear seats, rear loud speakers, sunroof, and air conditioning, although automatic air conditioning and CD/radio became no-cost optional add-ons.

McLaren 570S

The McLaren 570S is a sports car designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It was unveiled at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. McLaren predicts the model will help triple the company's sales volume by 2020, with UK pricing scheduled at £143,250, whilst North American pricing is estimated at $180,000.

Design

The car is to be powered by a new iteration of the 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine already used in the McLaren 650S and P1, designated M838T E with thirty percent of the parts redesigned. Arranged in the car as a rear-mid engine configuration, it will deliver 562 brake horsepower (419 kW) through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. A total weight of 1,313 kilograms (2,895 lb) gives the 570S a power to weight ratio of 428 brake horsepower (319 kW) per tonne, delivering a fuel economy of 25.5 miles per imperial gallon (11.1 L/100 km; 21.2 mpg_-US) and CO2 emissions of 258 g/km.

McLaren focused on delivering "day-to-day usability and driveability" against the most sporting model options in its range with increased luggage space, greater interior storage and leather upholstery options.

Range Rover

The Range Rover is a full size luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle (SUV) also with extensive off road capabilities, produced by British car maker Land Rover, and serves as its flagship model. Land Rover is one of several auto manufacturers owned by Tata, the Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group. The Range Rover was launched in 1970, and created a new space in the automotive world. It is now in its fourth generation. Land Rover has expanded the Range Rover model line to include two different designs: the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport that derive core styling, brand identity and breadth of capability from the current Range Rover model.

History

The Rover Company (the creator of the Land Rover marque) had been experimenting with a larger model than the Land Rover Series as far back as 1951, when the Rover P4-based two-wheel-drive "Road Rover" project was developed by Gordon Bashford. This was shelved in 1958, and the idea lay dormant until 1966, when engineers Spen King and Bashford set to work on a new model.