BBC Top Gear Magazine Febuary 2023

@jack_rix editor@bbctopgearmagazine.com “IS LOVE FOR THE ELECTRIC HYPERCAR DWINDLING BEFORE IT’S GOT GOING?” It’s the week before Christmas, the UK is covered in a thick icing of snow and as everyone merrily forgets that even a 4x4 on the wrong tyres is as useful as Kwasi Kwarteng’s calculator, I’m looking forward to the year ahead. We’ve just had our 2023 editorial planning meeting – a predictably shambolic, mince pie fuelled romp through the big cars and events coming in 2023. A chance to strategise how we keep the world’s most beautiful, creative and ambitious car magazine stocked with stories that deliver more information, entertainment and escapism than ever… before we all decamp to the pub to celebrate together in the traditional manner, and forget most of it. So before I…

“WELCOME TO THE MOST EXTREME FORD GT EVER BUILT” Though outwardly it looked broadly the same as the cars it succeeded, famously the Ford GT40 MkIV was a completely different animal underneath. And it is to this 7.0-litre leviathan that Ford has paid homage for the very last track-only 2023 Ford GT available to purchase. Welcome then, to the most extreme Ford GT ever built: an 800+bhp racing machine with all the shackles not just loosened, but thrown into a pit and burned. Just 67 of these nutjob GTs will be built, in honour of the Le Mans-winning 1967 GT40 MkIV. And like that first MkIV, this new one’s packing some serious power. Ford Performance only says the 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 has been “specially engineered” to target more than…

Thought the GT40 story began and ended with Matt Damon grinning in Le Mans 66? Not so. It took two painful years for the GT40 to conquer the Prancing Horses at La Sarthe, but Ford knew Ferrari’s development technicians would come roaring back. So for ’67 it threw away everything except the 7.0-litre V8, gearbox and some suspension and brake bits, and wrapped it up in the MkIV streamliner. Its prototype killed Ken Miles (Christian Bale’s gruff character in the movie) and drivers reputedly hated the car’s hefty weight and overworked brakes. And yet, the MkIV is one of very few racing cars to have a 100 per cent win ratio: it only ever competed at Le Mans and Sebring in ’67, taking the win in both. Only six were…

Keep on keeping on, January Named by the Romans after the God Janus. God of gateways… we’re halfway through the gateway month of 2023 already and it’s time to kickstart your resolutions, sort out your regifting and STOP EATING Chinese New Year, 22 January Happy Chinese New Year – 2023 is year of the rabbit, so queue up the Chas & Dave on the stereo and keep hold of those bunny ears for Easter! TopGear magazine fix You can download the latest edition and back issues direct to your phone or tablet from the App Store. Because when life gives you lemons… settle in and read TG Vikings: Valhalla, Netflix The Nordic/Scandi scamps are back to pillage your senses in Season two. Viking explorer Leif Eriksson is ‘rumoured’ to have…

“Well Chad, looks like we’re all done here. Engine, suspension, brakes, interior, the whole lot. That’s officially a sign off. The new Sebring is ready to roll. Let’s get those production lines a-fired up!” “Copy that, boss. Only, just before we press go, I was wondering. What if we spent just a bit more time making it… less awful?” “Sounds like a lot of extra work. I’ve already had all these sheets laminated. Have you ever tried to un-laminate a sheet, Chad?” “I know. But at the same time – hope I’m not speaking out of turn here – isn’t this new Sebring terrible by most objective measures?” “You are speaking out of turn, Chad. It’s terrible by every objective measure!” “So who’s gonna buy it?” “No one, Chad! That’s…

Ferrari has finally given the gaming community what it always wanted. Maranello’s Vision Gran Turismo is a single-seat, tin-topped virtual racecar with insane aero and beautiful bodywork that drapes itself over the wheels and creates giant open side channels that direct airflow around the cockpit and over the side pods. Even though this is only for PlayStation, that’s a patented Ferrari aero solution. There are also plenty of links to the past. That straight line rear end with its amazing light bar evokes the 512 S, while the gorgeous 330 P3 is also referenced as a design influence. The rear wing and that massive rear diffuser are inspired by the new Ferrari 499P Le Mans hypercar. The powertrain also takes influence from the 499P, using the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6…