This month we pitch the Clio 182 up against some very well-heeled opposition, principally because the Sachs dampers fitted by RenaultSport transform it into an effortlessly competent vehicle. It sounds crazy, but as Jethro Bovingdon discovers, the Trophy is not a car to be underestimated...
014 Planet Evo
We're still eagerly awaiting a new Lotus Esprit, but in the meantime we'll make do with the new Vauxhall-powered Europa, to be unveiled at Geneva next year - we've uncovered the first concrete details of the new coupe. BMW's 1-series finally gets the engine it deserves with the launch of the new 265bhp 130i, and AMG has created a seriously potent replica of the SLK F1 safety car and a 'Nürburgring' pack for the C55 estate
038 Driven
Marcos TSO GT2, Venturi Fetish, Astravan 888 Turbo, Lexus IS350, Nissan Micra 160SR, Audi A4 DTM, Corvette C6 Convertible, Porsche C4S Cabriolet, Subaru Forester, Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7, Suzuki Swift Sport, Smart Coupe RCR, Jaguar XJ 2.7D, Bentley Conti GT Mulliner DS, Jaguar XKR 4.2S
065 Letters
Porter gets some stick for his swipe at Porsche Boxster/Lotus Elise/Impreza owners (ie evo readers), it seems Meaden's been fantasising about long-legged and exotic birds again and we contribute towards one reader's unexpectedly expensive Le Mans trip
072 Merc CLK-DTM AMG
AMG is scrapping the supercharged 5.5-litre V8 that currently scares people to death in all manner of sober-looking Mercedes products (boo). But it has developed its very own high-revving normally aspirated 6.3 V8 with over 500bhp to replace it (hurrah!). And they've nestled it into a CLK-DTM and given John Barker free-rein at the wonderful Paul Ricard circuit (lucky bugger)
080 RenaultSport Clio Trophy v BMW M6
The Renault Clio 182 just keeps getting better and better. And now, just as the current-generation Clio is about to be replaced with a bigger, heavier version, RenaultSport has really gone to town. By fitting incredibly expensive and bespoke Sachs dampers it feels that it's created the most focused, most sophisticated hot hatch of all time: the limited edition Clio Trophy.
We suspected RenaultSport might be right, so instead of lining up a load of hatches for it to destroy we thought a sterner challenge was more appropriate. Which is how we found ourselves in the middle of Italy, on some of the most spectacular roads in the world with the 180bhp £15,500 Trophy and a 500bhp £80,000 BMW M6. It sounds crazy, but as Jethro Bovingdon discovers, the Trophy is not a car to be underestimated
090 Vauxhall Astra VXR
Vauxhall's new VXR tag has so far only been applied to low-volume cars like the VX220 and Monaro. Now it's proudly stamped on the back of a pumped-up Astra, a car that desperately needs to succeed if the VXR name is to have any credibility. Richard Meaden drives the Lotus-developed hatch on the infamous Nürburgring.
Back in the UK John Barker pitches the aggressive VXR against the reinvigorated Renault Mégane Trophy and class-leading Golf GTI to see if Vauxhall's marketing drive is disguising an uninspiring drive or championing a new hero. Finally the Astra faces an old hero in the shape of the uncompromising Ford Focus RS
104 ST development drive
The RS is dead but the new five-cylinder 220bhp ST is said to already lap the 'Ring faster. Richard Meaden goes for a ride in the Focus with Jost Capito, the man behind the ST (not to mention the E30 M3 and others), to discover if Ford is going hardcore or developing an old smoothie
108 Micra 350SR
A 3.5-litre, 350bhp, V6 rear-wheel drive Micra? Whatever next? Richard Meaden tries to tame the mad mid-engined shopping trolley
112 Hot Hatches: The Future
Everybody from Peugeot to Volkswagen is hoping to cash in on the hot hatch revival. Henry Catchpole gives us the lowdown on the cars ready to redefine just how hot a hatch can be
114 Maserati Birdcage
Harry Metcalfe hitches a ride in the stunning Maserati Birdcage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with new Maserati and Alfa boss Karl-Heinz Kalbfell. Somewhere amongst all the noise, heat and thumping gearchanges he manages to find out just what the future holds for the famous Trident. Of course, he may have misheard...
120 Kleemann SLK
As Brabus moves ever closer to becoming an official Mercedes tuning arm, we've been looking for a small, independent bunch of lunatics who'll continue the rich tradition of mega-power Benzes with almost inconceivable horsepower. Kleemann is the first to step forward with a supercharged 627bhp SLK. Goodwin puts on his brave trousers
126 Ferrari road trip
It's not often Ferrari ask us to transport two of its biggest-hitting supercars back from Goodwood to the factory in Maranello. It's even rarer that they don't mind how long it takes us to get there. Jethro Bovingdon and Colin Goodwin spend four days in the gorgeous 575 Superamerica and awesome 612 Scaglietti
142 MG SV-R v Ford Mustang
The minuscule Meaden rarely gets to kick sand in the face of a bully (unless they happen to be lying down, and preferably asleep) but with his Mustang as ammunition the £85,000 MG SV-R could be in for a bout of ritual humiliation. Kick a company when it's down? Us? Never
149 M3 Project Car
From tidy specimen of a limited-edition M3 to hollow shell with lots of exposed wiring: Bovingdon is hoping the pain of creating an 8min 'Ring lapper will soon turn into pleasure
152 Long term tests
All change this month. We've got a new Citroën C4 VTS but disappointingly haven't found the 'transformer' button yet, Porter has taken delivery of a very white Fiesta ST150, and the BMW 645Ci, Porsche 997 Carrera S and Honda S2000 have all disappeared. We'll miss that Porsche...
170 The Knowledge
The Knowledge has been completely redesigned and all the data checked with a fine-tooth comb. There are still a couple of deliberate errors but you'd have to be a bit sad to spot them
202 Best Day of My Life
This month it's the voice of motorsport, Murray Walker, old Muddly Talker himself. Somewhat surprisingly, Muddly tells Colin Goodwin that the very best day of his life was when Damon Hill won the F1 World Championship at Suzuka in '96. Which must please his family no end
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/58...onths_evo.html
New Evo mag 0408 2005 chat
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