IT'S the electric mopeds that want you dead. They bolt from pedestrian walkways, arbitrarily pelt across traffic lights, over- and undertake in vicious little chattering packs. Some have metre wide boxes strapped to the back, delivering items too big for a top box and too heavy for their own good. One was carrying a small coppice of 2.5m lengths of bamboo strapped to the side, like some lumberjack knight ready to lance the unwary. Even for cars, rights of way are fickle, vague and open to interpretation. And beyond all reasonable expectation... it kind of works. But for a time dilated foreigner, downtown Shanghai in rush hour is still a throb of culture shock.
It doesn't help that I'm in an MG Cyberster, the kind of two-seat convertible sports car that isn't hugely common in Shanghai, or China in general, and you've never known fear until you've had a near-disastrous head-on collision with a man in an extended wheelbase Passat who then points at the car and gives you a calm wave. The six hours I spent getting a -very-temporary driving licence was pointless. I'd have been better going straight to therapy. Or possibly basic training.
But here we are in MG's little disruptor, and it feels good. An electric two-seat convertible sports car out and about way in advance of offerings like Porsche's EV Boxster or Polestar's 6, never mind the Tesla Roadster. A car that, at a starting price of around £50k in the UK, will be multiples cheaper than any of them. First impressions? It's comfy. It rides well. The interior quality is right up there and it has properly amazing graphics on the screens. The roof is super fast and laughably one-touch simple. This is no joke, no matter how many people want it to be.
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
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Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR KARI FT. EUROGRIP
What happens when you do track days in the name of pushing the limits of a tyre
ROOKIE BLUES
Acosta Urged for Patience as KTM Chases Ducati
THE VALUE OF TIME
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
DJI Osmo Action 4
Being an automotive journalist, our job entails us to ride motorcycles of all kinds and not to forget, the life behind driving some exotic set of wheels as well.
WAR WORDS WORLDS
Indians might not have played a deciding role in the previous world wars but now, our participation is much more evident
XTREME MACHINE
Maserati's racing history is a patchwork of epic highs and long absences, so can the MCXtrema - a track only version of its latest supercar-bring back the glory days?
WET AND WILD
No doors, no roof, no boot, but at least there's a windscreen... Paul Horrell pulls on his waterproof trousers and takes the Nomad 2 for a spin
STREAM W0RKS
This is an MG. Yes, really. Turns out it's got form in streamliners too...just ask Stirling Moss
A map and a compass.
Dacia got a foothold in the UK with cheapness, now it wants toughness on its CV. Can the new Duster handle Morocco's heat and locate a Dakar team in the desert - no GPS allowed?
A RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT?
Farewell, V10, this is the new Lamborghini Temerario, a 907bhp V8 hybrid. A worthy Huracán successor, or a misstep from the Italian firm?