This month's evo, issue 130
Aston's supercar, new Mk6 Golf GTI, Nissan GT-R Spec V, Ultimate convertibles: Lambo LP 560 v Ferrari California and XKR v 911 v AM Vantage
NewsAston Martin’s incredible, recession-defying One-77 is revealed in all its glory, plus we’ve got all the gossip from the Geneva motor show and a bit of a Porsche-shaped debate…
DrivenBMW Z4 S-drive 35i, Nissan GT-R Spec V, Audi S5 cabriolet, Jaguar XK 5.0, Jaguar XF V6 Diesel S, Mercedes-Benz E500
LettersLast month’s review of the new diesel Cayenne has prompted a couple of you to put pen to keyboard and there’s a sad tale of a parent stealing his child’s copy of evo every month New Golf GTI in WolfsburgThirty-three years after the first Golf GTI rolled out into the Lower Saxony sunlight, we pick up the latest mk6 version in Wolfsburg, weird and wonderful home town of Volkswagen
Roofless SpecialOpen-top, soft-top, drop-top, spyder, spider, convertible, cabriolet, roadster… we celebrate the glorious feeling of driving with nothing between you and the o’er arching firmament. We start in Italy on page 78 with the gorgeous Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder. We then pop over to nearby Maranello to witness the birth of a Ferrari California, all the way from the raw ingots of aluminium alloy. Then, on page 94, David Vivian drives one (a car not an ingot). Page 102 sees Richard Porter battle with phlegm and British reserve while questioning the validity of performance convertibles with the help of an M3 and a Mini JCW. After that it’s a quick towel-down and back across the channel as three go topless in France. John Barker dons his Ray-Bans and pits Jaguar’s new XKR Convertible against rivals from Porsche and Aston
Grand Challenge – the final roundThe Grand Challenge comes to a wonderful, if slightly controversial conclusion as our £1000 soft-tops traverse the English Riviera – some more than others…
SubscriptionsStephen Fry and Lance Armstrong are always Twittering about their lovely collectors’ edition subs copies. Apparently
Long-termersNot one but two new hot hatches have joined the fleet this month. Catchpole’s got a Mégane R26.R, complete with red wheels, and he loves it. Meanwhile, art ed Paul Lang’s got a Mini JCW and now walks into the office of a morning asking loudly if anyone heard Radio 1 on the way in. Funny guy
The KnowledgeThe 500 Esseesse joins the best listings in the business this month. Question is, have we put it in as a Fiat or, as Fiat would probably prefer, an Abarth? We’ll probably change our minds next month…
Ask the ExpertsGoing abroad with the family this year? Fancy sneaking off to a trackday while they’re looking at Belgium’s many fascinating tourist attractions? We’ve got all the options for you
Birth of an Icon: Raleigh ChopperSpotted it yet? Yup, it’s not a car. But The Back Page is a broad church and we reckon that quite a few convertible drivers will go misty-eyed at the thought of a gleaming Raleigh
