evo 87 - Jan 06 - Car Of the Year

[No.1]

Post NO SPOLIERS IN HERE!


Cover Story
Car of the Year 2005

Split into two parts.... the Real World and the Surreal World

Real World Cars - taken on a blast in (rainy) Scotland
BMW 130i M-Sport
BMW M3 CS
Caterham CSR 260
Corvette C6
Lotus Sport Exige 240R
Mazda MX-5
Nissan 350Z Anniversary GT4
Renaultsport Clio Trophy
Renaultsport Megane Cup
Roush Ford Mustang
Subaru Forester STi
Subaru Impreza WRX
VW Golf R32

Surreal World cars - in the (sunny) South of France
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
BMW M6
Ford GT
Ferrari F430
Lamborghini Gallardo SE
Mercedes SLK55 AMG
Porsche Cayman S
TVR Sagaris
+ the top two scoring Real World cars


The rest of the mag

Gordon Murray - a new columnist for the magazine

Driven
- Alfa Brera
- Dodge Viper
- Lexus IS250
- Vauxhall Zafira VXR
- Vauxhall Vectra VXR
- Jeep Cherokee SRT
- Toyota Corolla Compressor

Fuel Test - comparison of supermarket fuels, BP Ultimate, Shell Optimax etc... a few suprises here

Across China by Ferrari - The second, and final part of the evo run in the 612 Sgaglettis on a 15, 000 mile trek across China

Essentials - A Christmas gift guide (car themed, obvoiusly)

Fast Fleet - No new cars, but new boy Henry Catchpole tries driving the 993. Metcalfe sees the real costs of driving a Ferrai 550 everyday, and Simon George totals up a years running costs for the Murcielago. The Hyundai Coupe also gets tricked out with a new diff and induction kit.

http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/6032/img30128io.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[yg60m]

Sounds good for me :P

[TT]

Definitely need to get a move! I will scan #85 this weekend, so I can move on to the 86 before my 87 will arrive :D

[gangajas]

I know this is a little off-topic, but...Is Car PCOTY already out? December issue has not arrived yet in my city, but I look forward to that.

[gucom]

What are they using the C6 when they have the Z06?? I guess they already know that it would be a serious contender then - and this isn't cool

my guess is cos its in the real-world car list...ofcourse a z06 would fit nicely in the surreal world list...so yeah basically i dont know either :P

[gangajas]

What are they using the C6 when they have the Z06?? I guess they already know that it would be a serious contender then - and this isn't cool :P

Those f***ing euro-snobs were afraid of the Z06 :D :D :D

[1zippo1]

That's a nice issue. I think I'm going to buy it on monday.

There allmost is no car in that car of the year group that I don't want to own. The only ones I don't really like are the Mustang and the Mégane.

But indeed, they should have taken the Z06 instead of the C6

[SFDMALEX]

What are they using the C6 when they have the Z06?? I guess they already know that it would be a serious contender then - and this isn't cool :P

Those f***ing euro-snobs were afraid of the Z06 :D :D :D

Just cause its fast it doesnt mean thats its car of the year material. :wink:

[astonmartinandy]

Yeh you can't help thinking some of the cars are 'fillers' IMO

I do like the way the competition is back to being split between more real world cars, and then the supercars in the South of France. As for the winner, I was more than a little bit surprised :roll:

[No.1]

As for the winner, I was more than a little bit surprised :roll:

So was i... and from a pure car fan viewpoint, i don't agree. :| But, then again, i haven't driven any of the cars in the test :(

I'd like to see the Clio Trophy up on the list of the 'normal cars' BTW :P

It is there... above the Megane :wink:

Sorry i can't scan guys... have no money to replace the old (and broken) scanner.

[SPEEDCORE]

Ohh damn it I really should organise a sub soo I dont have to wait 2mths!!!

[JoeHahn]

SLK55 in the surreal world? thats a bit cheap dont you think. I was hoping for a Carrera GT and a Zonda F but I guess this was good enough 8)

Thank God no Z06! :P

[No.1]

SLK55 in the surreal world? thats a bit cheap dont you think. I was hoping for a Carrera GT and a Zonda F but I guess this was good enough 8)

Thank God no Z06! :P

I thnik ~ £50k was the cut-off

And as for CGT and Zonda F. Firstly the CGT isn't on sale anymore, and wasn't released in the last 12 months.

The Zonda may take part in the Supercar test. I seem to remember EVO doing something like this last year. Rather than including the Zonda/Enzo/CGT with the 430 etc... they had a separate test... making it fairer for everybody 8)

[inso]

Info from evo site:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/62488/this_months_evo.html
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_45/car_portal_pic_22896.jpg

II
n this month's issue, evo's eagerly-awaited car of the year special: two weeks, twenty-one cars ranging in power from a modest 158bhp right up to a fearsome 550bhp, and the finest roads (and one of the finest tracks) in all Europe.

Plus, is it really worth paying the extra charged for premium petrols? We set out to find out, performing nearly 300 runs on the dyno to ensure we had definitive figures for all the petrols we tested. On sale now.

014 Planet evo
BMW will launch the mouth-watering 338bhp, £38,000 Z4M in 2006, and it has confirmed that the stunning Z4 Coupe will also go on sale next year. We've got the full story on both. Mini will also release its quickest, most driver-focused Cooper S, the 215bhp Works GP. And if that's a bit sensible for you, then we've heard that Saleen's monster S7 Twin-Turbo has hit over 260mph in testing...

040 Alfa Romeo Brera, Dodge Viper GTS, Lexus IS250, Vauxhall Vectra VXR, Vauxhall Zafira VXR, Toyota Corolla Compressor, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

057 Letters
A left-foot braking, powersliding (and we assume, hospitalised) F40-owner reckons Jethro's a bit soft for rating the F430 as a more satisfying drive than the original 200mph supercar, while another is pleading for Porter to return to his offensive best. (Sod Off - RP)

065 Car of the Year 2005
Two weeks, twenty-one cars ranging in power from a modest 158bhp right up to a fearsome 550bhp, and the finest roads (and one of the finest tracks) in all Europe. It could only be evo's annual Car of the Year extravaganza. It's a tough job but we've put in the hard work so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the journey from the comfort of your own home. Trust us, you wouldn't really want to be there...

066 The Real World
Scotland, driving rain, howling wind and roads covered in a layer of treacherous slime. It doesn't get any more 'real world' than this. Fortunately, beneath the grime are some of the most wickedly challenging roads we've ever discovered, and when the rain subsides we've got the 13 finest affordable cars of 2005 to enjoy. Peter Tomalin is your guide to the best cars that you can afford right now, and John Barker takes notes whilst hooning around the fabulous Knockhill Circuit. Which is quite a trick.

092 The Surreal World
The south of France, brilliant sunshine and a group of supercars to make anybody with a pulse drool like a buffoon. Welcome to the surreal world. There are a couple of interlopers from part one, but they aren't really in with a shout against the big boys, are they? Richard Meaden reveals all. And with no 911 in the test this year, the result is sure to be a surprise (unless John Barker has managed to sneak a clue in somewhere else in the mag)

122 Petrol Wars
Admit it, you're a sucker for high-octane petrol. And the more macho the name the better. Us too, but we were curious to see how Shell Optimax and BP Ultimate stacked up against each other, and whether stock 95-octane fuel really holds back a performance engine with a sophisticated ECU. So armed with a BMW M5 and VW Golf GTI, John Barker spends a week on the rolling-road at WRC Technologies in Silverstone to get the figures on everything from basic 95 to Tesco's new 99-octane super fuel. The results might just surprise

130 Ferraris Across China
Part two of Richard Meaden's epic drive along the Silk Road in China. Last month we left Meaden and the convoy of two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis and assorted support vehicles on the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert. In this final instalment our intrepid reporter spears into the heart of the barren wasteland and aims for the remote town of Kashi, where the Middle East and Far East converge. Is the desert sandy? Does the Ferrari have decent air-con? Does Meaden search out another unlikely house of ill-repute? Have the symptoms cleared up yet? All will be revealed in eight pages of searing copy and jaw-dropping photography

138 Essentials
You might think that a subscription to evo is all you need for Christmas, but we've found a few other things that might just bump the subscription to number two on the list

142 Long-term tests
Henry's been 'learning' how to drive our Porsche 993 with the help of car-control guru John Lyon - we hope he has a long memory, it's the last time he's going to drive a 911 for a while. Meanwhile, the Ferrari's graunchy gearbox has been replaced at no cost (thank God for warranties), and Simon George has worked out how much his Lambo has cost to run over the last 12 months (thank God he's loaded)

186 Birth of an Icon
Not many cars look perfect in bright white paint and sporting a comedy tea-tray rear wing, but the Sierra RS Cosworth isn't like most cars.