Cars

Red Alert. Icon: Ferrari F355. Scottish mountain roads, alive with the sound of an F355’sflat-plane-crank V8… If you like your red cars compact, lithe and gorgeous, it doesn’t get much better than this. Text by Adam Towler and photography by Aston Parrott.

Vauxhall VX220. Possibly the most surprising car to ever wear the Griffin is now discerning sports car choice, as Malcolm McKay explains. Photography Tony Baker.

Above And Beyond. It took eight years and an owner with an obsessive eye for detail, but this Golf GTI is now perfect, as Ross Alkureishi discovers. Photography James Mann.

We test Push Performance's insane, R8 V10 twin-turbo R8S head to head. Twin turbo versus supercharged. Words Davy Lewis. Photography Davy Lewis and Matt Dear.

Porsche 911 restoration one man’s quest to build his ideal RS 2.7. Thomas Kønig thought the door fit on his 911 RS 2.7 could be improved. Malcolm Thorne explains how the restoration progressed from there. Photography Tony Baker/Thomas Kønig.

Time was BMW had the engines and dynamics, Mercedes the tech and ride quality. And now? We expected the new BMW 5-series to be the superior driver's car. But better comfort and technology than the benchmark Mercedes E-class? Surely not... We're gonna need a bigger boat - BMW and Mercedes both larger, more spacious.

E92 M3 Track Project.It was a very cold and wet start to VLN 10 – the last race in the Nürburgring endurance race series – and there was thick fog blanketing the track when I arrived at the circuit. I’d come along to support my friend Beat who has been taking part in VLN along with his co-driver/co-owner, Andre.

Bring Eighties excess back with the sleek 6 Series. Two-door coupés are always special. The sleek looks marry well with the rarity factor and many are rapidly become sought-after classics. Following the 630CS and 633CSi coupés of the 1970s, the 635CSi arrived in 1983. On the charts for seven years, the 635CSi and M635CSi were phased out in 1989 and replaced by the all-new 850i E31. These were days of big-engine rivalry and, with a car such as the Jaguar XJS boasting a 5,3-litre V12, BMW upped its cylinder game and the 850i made a switch from the traditional straight-six to a 5,0-litre V12 (M70).

Tech Focus: M2 Exhausts We look at some of the choices available to those wanting more noise from their M2. If you’re lucky enough to own the new M2, you’ll perhaps be considering a few subtle enhancements. First for many is an exhaust upgrade – but which is the best way to go? We join serial supercar tuner Litchfield as it works through its development programme for this most tuneable of platforms. Words: Dan Clow. Photography: Chris Wallbank.

The E46 Compact has been overlooked for far too long – it’s a great steer – bag one before they vanish. If you’re looking for a cheap runaround then a four-cylinder E46 Compact could be a remarkably fine choice or if a hot hatch is more up your street then may we suggest you consider the excellent 325ti? Words: Bob Harper and Andrew Everett.

What’s in your Garage? A sublime brace of Neue Klasse 2.0-litre saloons, the forefather of the modern 5 Series. Mike Taylor charts the history of the Neue Klasse Saloon and meets up with a father and son who are passionate about their 2.0-litre examples Photography: Mike Taylor.

Giant Test - Bavarian motor works - Jaguar XJ6 4.0 vs. BMW 535i Automatic SE E34. Jaguar's new 4.0 litre XJ6  (XJ40) versus the best saloon car the Germans make.