UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar
Outcry triggers international incident over inclusion of 'incorrect' engine
Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading
Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures.
Here's TopGear.com's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring
An association representing boutique Italian carmakers has summoned the UK ambassador following a British company's decision to fit a Rover V8 into its Italian-inspired supercar.
Advertisement - Page continues below
Bella Potere, working out of an industrial estate in Stevenage, recently revealed the 'Macchina 1' performance car, heavily influenced by Italy's world famous and historic automotive industry.
However, the Macchina 1 has since caused an outcry after its makers revealed it was powered by a Rover V8, and not a big, high-revving Italian-made V12. TopGear.com understands the government is now hastily preparing an envoy to soothe international relations.
'You cannot call it an 'Italian' supercar if it is made with a Rover V8,' a source close to the association said.
'It's terrible. Italian supercars should not be made with Rover V8s. Rover V8s are for boxy 4x4s and unreliable supercars made out of fibreglass.
Advertisement - Page continues below
'Our entire automotive tradition is based on screaming, highly-strung V6s and V8s and V12s. We even have a nice line in punchy four-cylinder engines. Sometimes, all of them even work properly too.
'But a British engine from a defunct carmaker occasionally used for trucks, in a supercar 'inspired by Italy'? Mamma mia what kind of hell are you cooking up over there?
'We have sent letters to every high ranking official in the British government. We've even told the Pope. His Holiness will not stand for such sacrilege,' the source added.
Top Gear
Newsletter
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox.
Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Success Your Email*
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Christian Horner's Red Bull tenure officially ends
August 14 - Red Bull Racing officially has severed all ties with Christian Horner, who formerly served as the team's principal and CEO. His July dismissal from the team became a done deal on Thursday when his official termination date was listed as Wednesday in documents filed with Companies House, the official keeper of business records in the United Kingdom Stefan Salzer was appointed as the director of the F1 team on July 8, one day after Horner was dismissed from the role. Still, Horner remained employed via paperwork, until the documents were filed on behalf of Red Bull Racing Limited and Red Bull Technology Limited. Laurent Mekies was named as the team principal after previously serving in that role with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. Horner, 51, was the head of a racing team with 124 grand prix wins, eight driver titles -- four by Max Verstappen and four for Sebastian Vettel -- and six constructors' titles. --Field Level Media
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
Millions of drivers BANNED if they fail key compulsory test under plans for major law change – will you be affected?
MILLIONS of drivers will be banned if they fail a compulsory test under plans for a major law change. Ministers are mulling bringing in a new rule for older drivers in England and Wales. 4 4 Mandatory eye tests for drivers over the age of 70 are being considered alongside a range of other measures, The Times reports. The proposals also include reducing the drink-drive limit and tougher penalties on uninsured drivers and those who fail to wear a seatbelt. They will belong to a new road safety strategy that the government plans to publish this autumn. The change would mark the biggest shake-up of driving rules for nearly two decades, since the Road Safety Act introduced under Tony Blair in 2006. Over-70s would be required to undertake an eye-test every three years. A potential medical test for conditions, such as dementia, is also reportedly being looked at alongside eye tests. People over 70 already lose their C1 and D1 entitlements on their license. C1 allows drivers to handle medium-sized vehicles with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) between 3,500kg and 7,500kg. D1 entitlements mean drivers can use minibuses that have less than 16 passengers. Older drivers under the new rules could also be faced with further regulations due to concerns over the number of road accidents that have seen a recent increase after years of decline. Major New Driving Laws for Summer & Fall 2025: What You Need to Know Last year, 1,633 people were killed in road traffic accidents, and nearly 28,000 were seriously injured. This now equates to around one casualty every 18 minutes, despite numbers almost halving from 41,000 to 24,000 between 2000 and 2010. On top of that, the number of drivers over the age of 60 involved in serious or fatal collisions in the UK has also risen by 47 per cent since 2010. Incidents of people being killed in drink-driving incidents have also risen over the past decade, reaching a 13-year high in 2022. Ministers are therefore thinking about a implementing reforms to Britain's road safety measures, with the UK being considered to have the "laxest" rules in Europe. It is the one of only three countries to rely on the self-reporting of visual conditions among individuals who deem their ability to drive affected. This comes with the rise in drug-driving incidents, as well as those involving older people who continue to drive with failing sight or other medical conditions. Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has been developing a wide-range of new safety measures and increased penalties for breaking the law. Current key road safety messages and penalties such as around wearing seatbelts and avoiding drink-driving are considered to no longer be working. The percentage of casualties killed while not wearing a seatbelt has risen from 21 per cent in 2014 to 25 per cent in 2023. 4 4 For back seat passengers, this increased to 40 per cent, with 181 fatalities in 2023, compared to 142 passengers killed not wearing a seatbelt in 2020. Currently, drivers not wearing seatbelts are issued three penalty points, and a maximum court fine of £500. Passengers with a licence, who do not wear a seatbelt, can be issued two penalty points. Along with new proposals around drink and drug-driving limits, and criminal penalties for driving without insurance, the strategy is due to be published in the autumn. It will be put out for consultation, with parts expected to require primary legislation. Edmund King, AA president, said: 'It is in everyone's interests to tackle road safety and bring the levels of death and serious injuries down significantly. 'In other countries, such as Australia and Canada, the introduction of new measures to help young drivers have reduced death and serious injury from between 20 per cent and up to 40 per cent. "Hence if the UK scheme saw similar reductions, it is estimated that at least 58 deaths and 934 serious injuries could be prevented each year.' He also brought up the need for increased police enforcement to ensure rules are followed. "The stark reality is that, as well as better education and tougher rules, we need more officers to police the streets — at least 1,000 more roads officers, not only to act as a deterrent, but to stop dangerous drivers in the act before a tragedy happens," King added. Director of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, stated that full evidence of eye testing should also be a standard component to driver licensing when first applying, and at each renewal. 'It will be important for any new strategy to recognise the priorities that we and others have highlighted — focusing on young drivers, crash investigation and mandatory fitment of safe-driving features in new cars — but also to maintain activity on established issues such as drink and drug-driving and seatbelt wearing.'
Auto Car
an hour ago
- Auto Car
New Nissan Qashqai drives full length of UK – and finishes with 100 miles of petrol to spare!
Nissan has driven a Qashqai fitted with its new e-Power hybrid powertrain the length of the UK – from Land's End to John O'Groats – on a single tank of fuel. The powertrain, which was recently updated to improve its efficiency and refinement, yielded 75mpg in the hands of Nissan engineers while completing the 837-mile drive. That marked an improvement on the result achieved by Nissan on the same journey in 2007, when a 1.5-litre diesel-engined Qashqai clocked 67mpg. According to Nissan, the e-Power car's trip took 18 hours (over two days) and the car reached John O'Groats with enough petrol left in its tank to drive a further 100 miles. The e-Power system behaves differently to most conventional hybrid powertrains: the turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine doesn't drive the wheels at all, instead generating electricity for a small 1.8kWh battery which in turn powers an electric motor. The motor is the car's sole driving force, putting out 201bhp and 243lb ft of torque. Earlier this year, the system was upgraded to a new 'five-in-one' construction, integrating the motor, generator, inverter, increaser and reducer into one package. As well as being smaller, this also improves responsiveness, Nissan claimed. The test result of 75mpg marks a considerable improvement over the system's official economy figure of 62.8mpg. However, Nissan hasn't published an average speed or detailed its driving style for the trip. Slow, gentle driving can net much greater economy than is reflected by official laboratory tests.
