Here at TopGear we pride ourselves on celebrating the full spectrum of what’s out there. Big or small, fast or slow, new or old, petrol or electric, deeply talented or utterly shambolic... there’s a seat for all in TG’s broad church. Which is fortunate, because we’re living through a period of transition that’s creating fertile ground for some of the most fascinating cars the world has ever seen.
Of course electric cars are still the new kids, but they’re already seeping into every possible niche from Nürburgring destroyer (Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, p10) to sensible small cars designed to hoover up the mundane trips with ease and a little pizzazz (Volvo EX30 test, p34). There are even clever people stuffing batteries and motors into classics like the Datsun 240Z with mixed results (p111)... and EV startups like Rivian (p86) forging ahead without any of the baggage of legacy manufacturers, and more ideas than they know what to do with.
Electric isn’t killing the combustion engine, either. Right now, it seems to be spurring it on to even greater heights, with more manufacturers throwing caution to the wind and building the sort of stuff that would have died on the design studio floor just a few years ago. Yes, we’re looking at you Bugatti Bolide, you feral slice of carbon fibre with a 16-cylinder power station strapped to your back (p54) or any of the machines we inserted Stig into and fired him through Catesby tunnel with one simple purpose, to make as much noise as possible (p68).
Even as time marches on and the rate of change accelerates, us car nuts are the lucky ones – we get to enjoy cars from the past for as long as we care to keep them running. In the Audi R8’s case – a true TG hero we give a proper sen
