"We called it Charles the First because it was a Cavalier. These days it’s the sort of vehicular relic you see slumped in the corner of a field at a provincial car boot sale, boot open to reveal old "
Bugatti Veyron
"The Bugatti Veyron was an unashamed loss-making attempt to be the first road car to get over 1000PS, and it wasn't easy. Crashes in testing, massive issues with getting enough cooling to various hot bits and a look that wouldn't "
Your first time
"Your first time is always a memorable experience. You feel like you’re finally becoming an adult. It’s pretty damn scary but the overall sense of freedom is incredible. My first time was with a black 2002 Renault Clio. We’"
Trans-Europe Express (Delivery) – Part Two
"You’ll find plenty of motoring journalists who are real professors of this subject. They love to get under the bonnet and tinker with the oily bits or thoroughly go through testing procedures point by point. Honestly, I admire them "
You spin me right round, baby: the rotary engine revolutionaries
"That’s it, go on, snigger. The Wankel rotary engine may have a crass-sounding name, but the cars it powered were anything but. With fewer moving parts than a traditional piston engine, the rotary was smoother, quieter, and – hurrah! – more "
The Motorbike Test
"Growing up, I was surrounded by motorbikes all the time and from a very young age; my Mum would take me to local egg runs where there’d be convoys of biker after biker all donning their leather waistcoats and "
22 Years of the Elise – twice as good or just twice the price?
"Evolution or revolution? A question that car makers have often wrestled with and most tend to sit on one side of the fence or the other. Companies like Porsche, Caterham and Morgan have chosen to refine the breed rather than "
Alvis Lives On
"Are you sick and tired of SUVs here there and everywhere? Do many of today's cars with their 'samey' looks leave you cold? Are you a lover of seriously 'old-school' motors? You know, the kind of characterful vehicles that were "
Influx Social
July Calendar Car – Lotus
"Throughout July, lucky owners of a 2019 Influx Calendar enjoyed this incredibly rare Series 1 Elise 190, with a carbon-fibre body. The car was arranged by Elisa Artioli herself, as she came over to the UK to help us with the calendar shoot "
“All of Us” – filmed on the Isle of Skye
"There are a plethora of reasons why we love working with Influx Magazine. From the different people we meet, to the amazing (and sometimes utterly bonkers) cars we are somehow allowed to work with. But most of all, it’s "
All-New BMW 8-Series Convertible
"When the initial BMW 8-series showed up, it made a massive impact with its impressive wedge shape. It didn't look like any other BMW of the time and has been well-liked ever since. This BMW 8-series is a different kettle "
Vauxhall Viva Estate
"Way back in 1987, the very apex of exhibitionist, greed-is-good, me first Capitalism I bought a car. It should have been a Golf or Peugeot 205 GTi or even a BMW 3 Series shouldn’t it? It was actually a tatty 1975 Vauxhall Viva "
A.C. 3000 ME: The Best Laid Schemes
"“The best laid schemes of mice and men gang oft agley and leave us nought but grief and pain for promised joys.” Those words, written by Robert Burns in 1785, might be said by some to describe the saga of the "
Trans Europe Express (Delivery) – Part One
"If you’ve ever met me before 8am – and some of you have - you’d probably have all manner of descriptive terms by which to describe me, but “grumpy” is a word that I suspect the majority of you "
Banger Rallies
"The Banger Rally. For those of you still uninitiated, it’s essentially a stag do on wheels. But women are welcome, and drinking isn’t. At least for the driver. The basic premise is to obtain some kind of at-first-inappropriate "
P71 to Monaco
"The grand tourer is a bit of an odd thing. Fast, yes. Luxurious, even more so. Front-engined, rear-wheel-drive configuration allowing for maximum sidewaysness around roundabouts to shred insanely expensive tyres, yes. But practical? Useful for a spot of real touring? "
