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Author

Richard Porter

Richard has written more than 15 books about various automotive subjects, is the brain behind satirical motoring website sniffpetrol.com and was the script editor on Top Gear TV throughout the Clarkson/Hammond/May era. But far more significantly than all of those, he is also evo’s longest-serving columnist, having shared his unique take on all things four-wheeled in every issue since 2003. He owns a 2010 Range Rover that he swears hasn’t broken down yet. Not properly, anyway.

Renault Sport Clio 182 Trophy (2005): review, history, prices and specs
Renault Sport Clio 182 Trophy
Features

Renault Sport Clio 182 Trophy (2005): review, history, prices and specs

The ultimate Renault 182 came close to hot hatch perfection, making it one of our top 25 cars of the last 25 years
6 Mar 2024
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve – dead on arrival
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve – front
Features

Chrysler ME Four-Twelve – dead on arrival

In 2004, Chrysler showed off a radical supercar concept with an 850bhp V12. Sadly it never came to be.
15 Feb 2024
Why the Audi TT is one of the most significant cars of the last 25 years
evo 25 TT
Features

Why the Audi TT is one of the most significant cars of the last 25 years

To mark our 25th anniversary we name the 25 most significant driver's cars launched in the last 25 years. Richard Porter presents his case for the Aud…
12 Feb 2024
BMW M3 (F80) – the car world's greatest misses
BMW M3 F80
Features

BMW M3 (F80) – the car world's greatest misses

It may have looked the part from the off, but the first turbocharged M3 took a while to find its feet
25 Jan 2024
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Porsche 984 Junior – dead on arrival
Porsche 984 Junior
Features

Porsche 984 Junior – dead on arrival

This miniature marvel could have seen Porsche enter the ’90s with a truly affordable entry-level sports car
11 Jan 2024

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Volkswagen W12 Syncro – dead on arrival
Volkswagen W12 Syncro
Features

Volkswagen W12 Syncro – dead on arrival

A genuine supercar from the maker of people’s cars seemed tantalisingly possible – until logic prevailed
8 Dec 2023
Daihatsu X-021 sports car – dead on arrival
Daihatsu X-021 – front
Features

Daihatsu X-021 sports car – dead on arrival

Daihatsu was on the verge of launching a lightweight MX-5-rivalling roadster in the '90s, but it never came to be
2 Nov 2023
Ford GN34 – dead on arrival
Ford GN34
Features

Ford GN34 – dead on arrival

This Ghia-styled, mid-engined V6 coupe came close to becoming Ford’s answer to the Honda NSX
28 Sep 2023
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Volkswagen Golf A59 – dead on arrival
Volkswagen Golf A59
Features

Volkswagen Golf A59 – dead on arrival

This 4WD homologation special with 400bhp potential could have rescued the Mk3 Golf’s reputation
24 Aug 2023
MG PR2 – dead on arrival
MG PR2 – front
Features

MG PR2 – dead on arrival

In an alternate reality, the MGF could have been a front-engined V8 roadster
20 Jul 2023
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1990 BMW M8 – dead on arrival
1990 BMW M8
Features

1990 BMW M8 – dead on arrival

A 613bhp V12 and a 340kg diet could have enhanced the original 8-series’ reputation – but for the price
14 Jun 2023
'An ageing Range Rover can be a reliable car, especially if you carefully categorise your idea of reliability'
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

'An ageing Range Rover can be a reliable car, especially if you carefully categorise your idea of reliability'

Porter’s old Range Rover is proving the doom-mongers wrong. Kind of
23 May 2023
Talbot Horizon Lotus – dead on arrival
Talbot Horizon Lotus
Features

Talbot Horizon Lotus – dead on arrival

The Sunbeam Lotus successor was mid-engined and turbocharged, but lacked another vital ingredient
4 May 2023
'My Land Rover is old fashioned, out of step, and very far from the best way to get around'
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

'My Land Rover is old fashioned, out of step, and very far from the best way to get around'

Richard Porter contemplates whether his beloved Land Rover Defender makes any sense in the modern age
2 May 2023
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‘Taking one hand off the wheel is an underrated part of the old manual gearbox experience’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘Taking one hand off the wheel is an underrated part of the old manual gearbox experience’

Could there be a substitute for what we miss about a manual? Porter thinks so
11 Apr 2023
Alpine A710 – dead on arrival
 Alpine A710
Features

Alpine A710 – dead on arrival

It didn’t get to succeed the A610, but instead transformed into one of the ’90s most extreme sports cars
30 Mar 2023
Ford F‑150 Lightning 2023 review
Ford F150 Lightning review
Reviews

Ford F‑150 Lightning 2023 review

The electric version of America’s best-selling pickup is a 580bhp modern-day muscle car
23 Mar 2023
‘Pigeons flutter, leaves rustle, Alfa Romeo has a new comeback plan’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘Pigeons flutter, leaves rustle, Alfa Romeo has a new comeback plan’

A journey through the familiar sights, sounds and stories of the everyday
21 Mar 2023
Mercedes-Benz C112 – dead on arrival
Mercedes-Benz C112
Features

Mercedes-Benz C112 – dead on arrival

Despite strong demand, this V12-powered supercar was denied production – but its legacy lives on
23 Feb 2023
‘The great thing about ordering a Porsche new is that you get to indulge in the joy of specs’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘The great thing about ordering a Porsche new is that you get to indulge in the joy of specs’

Porter plays ‘Horrible & Expensive’ with the Porsche online configurator
14 Feb 2023
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HSV HRT 427 – dead on arrival
HSV HRT 427
Features

HSV HRT 427 – dead on arrival

This racing-inspired 7-litre Holden Monaro garnered more than enough interest for its limited production run to sell out. But sadly the sums didn’t ad…
19 Jan 2023
‘There’s a segment of the population that still wants Jaguars to have barrel sides and droopy boots’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘There’s a segment of the population that still wants Jaguars to have barrel sides and droopy boots’

JLR is reinventing Jaguar. Porter doesn’t underestimate the scale of the task
4 Jan 2023
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Mini-based sports car – dead on arrival
Mini-based sports car
Features

Mini-based sports car – dead on arrival

Not one but two attempts were made to spin a two-seater sports car off the original Mini’s platform, but flaws in their designs would see both stall a…
1 Dec 2022
‘Brown Chords shot to fame in 1966, taking their place as one of Britain’s top eleven bands’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘Brown Chords shot to fame in 1966, taking their place as one of Britain’s top eleven bands’

Lost’ film footage of a 1960s band and their cars has Porter intrigued
8 Nov 2022
Volkswagen AE 266 – dead on arrival
AE 226
Features

Volkswagen AE 266 – dead on arrival

Few cancelled automotive projects have had such significant consequences, or been as costly, but the culling of VW’s original choice for a Beetle succ…
27 Oct 2022
'The most magnificent thing of all, it turns out, is a Bentley Mulsanne Speed'
Porter
Opinion

'The most magnificent thing of all, it turns out, is a Bentley Mulsanne Speed'

Porter finds himself moved (extremely rapidly) by a very British saloon
28 Sep 2022
Ford GT70 – dead on arrival
Ford GT70 DOA
Features

Ford GT70 – dead on arrival

It was supposed to be Ford’s first mid-engined rally contender, to be joined by 500 homologation road cars, but a plethora of problems saw it stall at…
22 Sep 2022
Leyland Force 7 – dead on arrival
Leyland Force 7
Features

Leyland Force 7 – dead on arrival

This V8-powered hatchback was all set to take on the Australian muscle car establishment until the twin 1970s woes of the oil crisis and Leyland build…
18 Aug 2022
‘She gestured towards a double switch on the wall. “That switch,” she said. “I want to get rid of it.”’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘She gestured towards a double switch on the wall. “That switch,” she said. “I want to get rid of it.”’

Porter recounts a tale of home improvements that feels eerily familiar…
3 Aug 2022
Range Rover 2022 review – new generation icon sits in a class of its own
Range Rover 2022 review – front tracking
Reviews

Range Rover 2022 review – new generation icon sits in a class of its own

Doubling down on a Range Rover’s best bits, while polishing some of its worst – the all-new model is everything you expected, and hoped, it would be
22 Jul 2022
Lamborghini P140 – dead on arrival
Lamborghini P140
Features

Lamborghini P140 – dead on arrival

A V10-engined ‘Baby Lamborghini’ was in development more than a decade before the Gallardo was launched in 2003. This is the story of why it it never …
14 Jul 2022
‘The occupants of a Porsche 911 with the Jarvis Cocker Pack will find their trousers firmly anchored’
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

‘The occupants of a Porsche 911 with the Jarvis Cocker Pack will find their trousers firmly anchored’

Leather is overrated, reckons Porter. It’s time to embrace the corduroy
17 Jun 2022
Opel Omega V8 – dead on arrival
Omega V8
Features

Opel Omega V8 – dead on arrival

​​It would have been the understated successor to the Lotus Carlton, if only it could’ve stayed cool
9 Jun 2022
Rover P6BS/P9 – Dead on arrival
Rover P6BS/P9
Features

Rover P6BS/P9 – Dead on arrival

This mid-engined, V8-powered three-seater could have been Rover’s first sports car, but a wary rival within the British Leyland empire ensured it wo…
5 May 2022