MY FIRST MEMORY OF CARS IS BEING ON 'M the rear shelf of my dad's Ford V8 coming back from Goodwood,' says Tiff Needell, the lilting, nasal tones as instantly recognisable now as they've always been. 'I only went in it two or three times before the car died in the mid-'50s. I've no idea why he had it. In the garage at home we had this amazing Lancia, which got hit by a dump truck in Feltham gravel pits when Dad was there with his boat. We used to sit behind the wheel as kids, dreaming. Dad did the first two Members' Meetings [at Goodwood], a couple of sprints. I think he had an Alvis. I have a results sheet somewhere-1948, 49. It's all Dad's fault: he was lured to Brooklands, then I was dragged off to Goodwood. It wasn't a chore...
'I don't think Dad ever owned another car after the Ford, because Mum became the car owner - we had three Austin Rubys on the trot, which she bought for £10 a time, and then inherited my grandad's Morris 1000, which I learnt to drive in. Then I bought my own Morris 1000 Traveller when I was 18, which then towed my racing car when I won it...
We're getting slightly ahead of ourselves, though. Talking with Tiff is as entertaining and as engrossing as you'd imagine, but what familiarity with the public persona might mask is just how normal a background he came from - which makes it all the more amazing that he once attempted to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix. 'I am the kid on the terraces, clinging to the dream, but with no money it was never going to happen until I won that car in the magazine. I was going to be a civil engineer...'
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Esta historia es de la edición May 2024 de Evo UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
