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Surprise! Here's your very first look at the fighty new BMW M2 CS

Surprise! Here's your very first look at the fighty new BMW M2 CS

Top Gear23-05-2025

Surprise! Here's your very first look at the fighty new BMW M2 CS
And we know absolutely nothing about it. Fire up the ReSpeculator Machine!
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This is the new BMW M2 CS, revealed in a rather surprise announcement as the company unfurls its very lavish tent at the 2025 Villa d'Este concours. And in even more surprising news, it'll feature a reworked 3.2-litre naturally-aspirated straight-six from an E46 M3, get a proper six-speed manual and limited slip diff, and weigh less than 1,200kg.
No, scratch that. It'll get a new V8, free of turbos and full of nat-asp song, redlining right up to 9,000rpm. No, even better. It'll feature a V12 in the middle, a carbon fibre tub and a prayer book.
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We jest, of course. Because we know absolutely nothing about the new BMW M2 CS, revealed in a rather surprise announcement. Because BMW itself is only showcasing the 'design' of the incoming new super coupe - all the gory details on its powertrain, performance and price will be revealed on 28 May, head back for the full story.
In the meantime, it's fairly obvious what they've done to that design. Because no factory M2 has ever looked this steroidal. It'll likely feature an angrier tune to that 3.0-litre turbo sixer and lots of lightweighting. Punchy and pointy. The new M2 has definitely grown up versus the old car - reckon this angry tyke brings back the naughtiness?
We'll find out next week. Until then, fire up the ReSpeculator Machine!
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Why every car (and food) lover should take a road trip through Italy's Motor Valley
Why every car (and food) lover should take a road trip through Italy's Motor Valley

Telegraph

time44 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Why every car (and food) lover should take a road trip through Italy's Motor Valley

Few places are more exhilarating to car enthusiasts than Motor Valley. Spread across northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, this fabled stretch of road is home to some of the world's most prestigious car and motorcycle brands – including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati. Steeped in automotive tradition, Motor Valley links the cities of Piacenza, Parma, Modena and Bologna, extending east to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. Little more than 150 miles long, it forms the spine of what remains a manufacturing and exporting powerhouse. Along with factories where you can watch master craftsmen at work, Motor Valley boasts four internationally renowned racetracks and a dozen motor museums. With an array of iconic names symbolising luxury and speed – Bugatti, Maserati and Pagani are also local – this region is the beating heart of Italy's deep-rooted love for mechanical artistry and style. But the broader Emilia-Romagna region is a food-lovers' paradise too. The three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana in Modena is consistently ranked among the world's best for its innovative take on regional cuisine; as is Franceschetta, its more casual sister restaurant nearby. Tucked away in Motor Valley's backstreets, though, are countless humble osterias and more formal trattorias serving simple and affordable yet superb local dishes – lasagne, tortellini en brodo (meat-filled pasta in broth), cotechino (a slow-cooked pork sausage, often served with lentils) and piadina and crescentine (hot flatbreads and filled muffins). From tagliatelle al ragù bolognese (the original dish that's worlds apart from the spaghetti bolognese often found abroad), to prosciutto di Parma (delicate cured ham) and torta barozzi (a dense, fudgy, subtly spiced chocolate cake, often paired with mascarpone cream), regional specialities are served with pride here and often washed down with lashings of lambrusco – Emilia-Romagna's ubiquitous sparkling red wine. So, amidst the supercar test drives and tours of vintage classics, car lovers can enjoy food-related adventures as well. Whether it's watching artisan producers make Parmigiano Reggiano in centuries-old dairies, touring acetaie vinegar lofts where thick sweet-tart balsamic matures like fine wine, or taking fresh pasta-making lessons with smiling nonnas who've done it their entire lives, Motor Valley will supercharge your culinary senses too. My Motor Valley journey began where many do: in Bologna, via a flight from London Stansted. A marvellous medieval centre, with a thriving university (thought to be Europe's oldest, dating back to 1088), this is a true gastronomic capital, with atmospheric restaurants, colourful markets and bustling bars. The first night I stayed at the reasonably-priced Hotel Touring. Smart, centrally-located and family-run, it has a fabulous top-floor terrace offering views of Bologna's medial towers and terracotta rooftops. Dinner was at Salumeria Simoni – a downtown deli stuffed to the rafters with all kinds of cheese and hams, including a celebrated local delicacy of lean pork speckled with lumps of lard, made in Bologna using a method legally codified by the papacy in 1661. Whether ground into meatballs, grilled with aged balsamic or eaten simply in slices, mortadella is melt-in-mouth fantastic. My first stop the next morning was Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio Basilica – Bologna's largest church, which dates back to 1390. Famous for its music chapel, with a still-functioning organ built around 1470, San Petronio also boasts the world's longest sundial. I then took a stroll along the vast Portico di San Luca, which, more than two miles long, and featuring 666 arches, took me out of the city and up the hill to San Luca Basilica for elevated views of Bologna from the church dome. Then it was time to drive. 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After one night downtown, I shifted to Palazzo di Varignana, an elegant health and gastronomical resort nestled in the hills outside Bologna, which worked well as a base for the rest of my visit. Among several superb meals in the resort's various restaurants, dinner at Il Grifone stood out. Faced with three separate tasting menus – Sea, Land and Garden – I chose Sea. The old-style squid, wild herb ravioli and tuna belly was sensational, as was the sommelier's choice of Collio, a premium pinot grigio. A particular highlight of my Motor Valley stay was a day trip to Modena. Even using the more scenic, single-lane route via Castelfranco Emilia, it's less than an hour's drive from Bologna. Modena's Ferrari Museum is built around the restored house where Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898, combined with a futuristic exhibition hall designed by architect Jan Kaplický. 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Citroen is plotting a new 2CV – but the risks are huge
Citroen is plotting a new 2CV – but the risks are huge

Auto Express

time4 hours ago

  • Auto Express

Citroen is plotting a new 2CV – but the risks are huge

Citroen is agonising over whether to bring back the 2CV, the 1940s masterpiece of simplicity that put Europe back on the road after World War II. The recreation of the Renault 5 supermini and Renault 4 hatchback (reinterpreted as an SUV) has got French brand's executives questioning whether to delve into their brand's back catalogue and revive the iconic Citroen 2CV. It's one of the biggest decisions facing new CEO Xavier Chardon – and Auto Express has exclusively spoken to his predecessor Thierry Koskas and head of design Pierre Leclercq to get their views. Reviving the Citroen 2CV – a cheap four-seat car with a long canvas roof, a tiny engine to save fuel and comfortable suspension so it could carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field – is the subject of intense debate inside Citroen's Paris HQ. And we've waded into the debate by having our illustrator dream up two new takes on the 2CV, one retro, one modern. Citroen's discussions centre on whether that concept of 'four wheels and an umbrella' – set out in the late 1930s – is still highly relevant to car buyers pampered by digital touchscreens, aspiring to premium, assailed by electrification and drowning in choice? And how transferable is the original design to a car that would come out 90 years after its progenitor? Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below 'We have a very, very strong heritage, one of the richest in the car industry,' then-Citroen boss Koskas told us. 'We have the 2CV, the Traction Avant, the DS: amazing cars known all over the world. I absolutely agree that one of the big strengths of European brands is their heritage. 'On the product side, we are not taking it as a general direction to do retro design. But I do not exclude that maybe we study and [have] some exploration, we are open to look at that. But at Citroen you will not see all the future cars reminding you of previous models.' Steeped in his brand's history, the Citroen leader for more than two years is well aware of the 2CV's philosophy, arguing 'something super simple that takes you from A to B, with the necessary room – these ideas can feed us in a great way, because it's very much the DNA of the brand.' But will Citroen go beyond philosophy and recreate the 2CV's look? 'You will have people that value a design that is close to a car they used to love in the past. This is the debate,' explains Koskas. 'But there have been successes and failures in [automotive] revivals. Some fail because [companies] don't position the car properly, they seem retro but aren't really, or customers don't really like the car or recognise their love story. So if we were to do it, we would have to be very, very careful and cautious about how we did it.' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The challenge of bringing back the Citroen 2CV poses more problems than Renault faced with the 5. Its chic supermini concept, launched in 1972 and lasting until 1996, remains deeply relevant and its form is still recognisably contemporary – unlike the 2CV's. Up front, those articulated fenders are distinctively pre-World War II, grafted onto a relatively thin, long nose that followed the form of the inline flat-twin engine. It's a form that makes no sense today – especially if the new Citroen 2CV is electric with no engine to package – and would have to meet crash regulations and place round headlamps at the car's extremities. And slavishly following that horseshoe cockpit's silhouette could mean some difficult trade-offs between occupant and boot space: one reason why VW's 1990s Beetle failed was compromised practicality, particularly rear headroom. Big alloy wheels are critical to muscular modern car design so could Citroen return to the 2CV's faired-in rear wheels? We asked the brand's design director Pierre Leclercq, who pointed out historic cars' narrow tracks and inboard wheels ('great car but look at an E-type's!' he urged) are a far cry from contemporary precisely stuffed arches. 'We have them as flush as possible in today's cars and that's much better. It's super important because this gives a stance on the road,' Leclercq told us. 'Let's say we have to do CX or a GS again, we'd have to make a piece of plastic [over the rear wheel] with an offset of maybe 50mm to do [it].' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below And what's head of design Leclercq's take on the retro design trend? '[Customers like it for] reassurance. I'd like to go back to the past for some projects, it's interesting,' he explained. 'They've done a great job with the Renault 5. Do we want to do it – and as much as they do? It's a good question: why not? Why yes? There's nothing planned, really. But we don't forbid ourselves to try.' Given the Citroen 2CV's design is so of its time and would need dragging into a new millennium, do the risks outweigh the rewards? 'It's a very difficult exercise,' concedes Leclercq. 'You could do a 2CV, you could do an H-type, a CX, we could easily bring back cars from the past. But obviously, the first one coming to everyone's mind is the 2CV, asking 'when do you bring it back?' Mmmm. Let's see.' There's no doubt a team as creative as Leclercq and his designers will have sketches and probably scale models of a reborn Citroen 2CV. Renault's future 5 had already been designed and rejected by a previous management team before the current CEO Luca de Meo arrived in 2020 and green-lit the proposal. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below But the critical question is whether a new 2CV is retro or a reimagining? Citroen's product planners will be trying to estimate demand for different approaches: could a concept car be a way to test the water, we asked Koskas? 'It could be this is what we want to do,' replied the then-CEO. 'The C5 Aircross concept was a show car, which means you are very close to the series model: it's a good marketing strategy. But our next concept car will show ideas, clues, intentions, directions that will inspire the future cars, but probably means you'll never see a Citroen car like that on the road. As we did with the Citroen Oli concept in 2022.' There are many more considerations than the design. Does Citroen have the budget, design and engineering capacity, or does it need to shelve other projects to accommodate a 2CV? Where would the production car be built? And which car platform and drivetrains would it use? The original Citroen 2CV measured 3.82-metres long and stood 1.6m tall, thanks to its jacked-up height for tackling rough terrain. The new C3 hatch isn't much longer, measuring 4m and 1.57m. That suggests the C3's front-wheel-drive 'smart car' platform could provide a usable base, especially given its clever engineering would help keep costs low, as per the 2CV philosophy. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The Stellantis Group underpinnings unlock a choice of pure electric or three-cylinder hybrid petrol power, which would be mounted transversely and drive the front wheels, like the original car. The extra cylinder and packaging a modern car's ancillaries and crash structure would make matching the Citroen 2CV's nose impossible. So could Citroen find inspiration in the reborn Renault 4, a hatchback originally launched in 1961 to steal 2CV customers with its extra speed and sophistication? Although it was 'not a very nice-looking car,' according to Renault Group design director Laurens van den Acker, who was tasked with updating it. What his team has done so effectively is take a few design cues – the rearmost trapezoidal glass panel, tail-light motif, low-set boot and the graphic of the second-generation's grille – and turn them into a cute SUV. It's a stretch, literally: the reborn 4 is almost 50cm longer than the sixties hatch. But the original 4's two-box shape lends itself to an SUV. Could Citroen do the same and reinvent the 2CV as an SUV? Maybe. But at that point is it actually a 2CV at all? The naysayers within Citroen will argue it's a moot point anyway. Because a 21st century 2CV already exists – it's the Citroen C3, Auto Express's Car of the Year 2024. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Philosophically it meets the 2CV's brief and remains true to its forebears' values. It's affordable – with the newly announced 34kWh battery, the e-C3 will cost less than £20,000 when it comes on stream in late 2025. It's comfortable: the hydraulic bump stops give it a pillowy ride, although it will struggle to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field. And there's clever simplicity, such as the digital driver's binnacle situated at the top of the dash rather than an expensive head-up display projected onto the windscreen. The decision to proceed with a reborn Citroen 2CV is still to be taken. 'When you develop a car, it takes four years,' says Citroen's boss. 'You start the studies and so on, then in the middle you sign a contract when the car is decided, and this is when you can probably start to communicate about the car. We are not at that stage yet.' He agrees the 2CV and new C3 share a philosophy. 'When we talk about daring, comfort, simplicity, affordability, [the C3] is very much in line with what Citroen was in the past,' says Thierry Koskas. But he'll be the first to tell you that today's Citroens are also built on sustainability and daring. The MINI, Fiat 500 and Renault 5 have paved the way. Nothing would be more daring than bringing back the 2CV. Does Citroen dare? And can it possibly win? Over to you, new CEO Xavier Chardon. Are there any classic cars you would like to see receive a modern-day remake? Let us know in the comments section below... 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Nine cars confirmed for discontinuation in 2025 – including two iconic sports cars & beloved hot hatchback
Nine cars confirmed for discontinuation in 2025 – including two iconic sports cars & beloved hot hatchback

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

Nine cars confirmed for discontinuation in 2025 – including two iconic sports cars & beloved hot hatchback

WE'RE almost at the halfway point of 2025 in what's been a whirlwind six months or so in the motoring world. The UK is in the midst of a transition to electric vehicles which comes with new regulations and economic pressures, while the industry continues to adapt to changing consumer behaviour. Elsewhere, the Ford Puma remains the nation's favourite motor while Tesla's favouritism begins to dip, and Nissan's problems are going from bad to worse. We've also had some exciting car releases, from the Alpine A290 hot hatchback and Dacia Bigster SUV, through to the outrageous Aston Martin Valhalla. We've also learned of the demise of some of our favourite models - ready to drive off into the sunset. Here are some of the biggest nameplates reaching the end of their production runs that have been announced this year. Lexus LS 7 After some 35 years on sale, the ultra-luxury Lexus LS saloon has finally reached the end of the road after a sustained period of poor sales. Once described as a game-changer when it hit dealerships in 1990, the LS helped establish Toyota's plush sub-brand as a challenger to the elite carmakers of Europe and America. Marketed with a cheaper starting price, four further generations followed, with the final one, the LS 500, launching in 2017 before it was updated in 2020. Before it was removed, the LS range's price tag began at £101,000, rising to £128,000 for the Takumi version. However, just 39 of the hybrid V6-powered saloons have been purchased since 2020, of which just three were sold last year, so it seems the writing was very much on the wall. Mazda2 7 After 10 years on sale, Mazda confirmed back in February that its Mazda2 supermini can no longer be ordered. A brief history of the Mazda MX-5 Often praised for being fun to drive, the petrol-powered and mild-hybrid versions of the hatchback have seemingly been replaced by the Mazda2 Hybrid - essentially a rebadged Toyota Yaris. Mazda did not explain why the vehicle was cancelled, but a spokesperson told Autocar: "As we move towards increased electrification of our cars, the Mazda 2 Hybrid meets consumer demand in the B-segment and is a step in our journey to ensure all our cars have some form of electrification by 2030." Mazda MX-30 7 Mazda also called time on the MX-30 - its first and only electric car - after just a four-year run. Criticised throughout its existence for its limited range and cramped cabin, the subcompact crossover SUV - offered as an EV or plug-in hybrid - was launched in the UK in 2021, with a view of taking on the likes of the Kia Soul EV and Peugeot e-2008. But it was never a popular choice among drivers, largely because of its modest range of just 124 miles. This was down to its smaller battery size, which was chosen to reduce the car's weight - and while this improved its handling and lowered its CO2 emissions during production, it also resulted in persistent range anxiety among drivers. While the fully electric MX-30 has been axed, the plug-in hybrid version remains on sale in the UK. Porsche Boxster/Cayman 7 Porsche has officially announced the long-anticipated news that production of the petrol-powered 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman will come to an end. While no replacement for the iconic models has been announced, it's assumed an electric counterpart will eventually be released - though details remain scarce and no release date has been confirmed. For now, production is scheduled to continue until October 2025, including for the UK market. Frank Wiesmann, product communications manager for Porsche Cars North America, recently told Road & Track: 'Production for all current 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman variants, including RS models, is scheduled to end in October of this year.' In Europe, sales of the 718 Boxster and Cayman stopped in summer 2024 due to new EU cybersecurity regulations - although the UK market remained unaffected by these EU rules post-Brexit. This led to Porsche's head of production, Albrecht Reimold, confirming in an interview with Automobilwoche that the petrol-powered 718 models will end production globally by October 2025, except in markets already affected by the EU regulations. Nissan GT-R We're cheating here a little, because in the UK, the mighty Nissan GT-R has been unavailable to buy for a little while now. The GT-R R35 was first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007 before being updated and facelifted many times, most recently in 2023. However, in February, Nissan announced production of the iconic motor was to end in Japan - meaning it had lost its final market. Nissan had already discontinued deliveries of the R35 in Europe and the UK in March 2022, while Australia and New Zealand lost them even longer ago in October 2021. North America was the second-last to fall, with production wrapping up there in October last year. Furthermore, with Nissan facing financial difficulties recently, plans to have the GT-R's successor be a fully electric model could be derailed. Audi A1 & Q2 7 We were stunned back in March when Audi revealed they were axing the incredibly popular A1 and Q2 models next year. Both cars, which are big sellers for the German brand - especially the A1 hatchback - are also the two cheapest among their range, but they have now reached the end of the road with Audi ready to launch a new entry-level electric car as an indirect replacement. Claimed to sit beneath the top selling Audi Q4 e-tron, the upcoming EV will serve as an alternative to the A3 hatchback and Q3 crossover. Gernot Dollner, Audi's CEO, revealed they "will end production of the A1 and Q2" in 2026 and that "there definitely will be no successor for the A1." He added the brand 'will have models in the lower A-segment" and that 'we will also see the car that will enter production next year in Ingolstadt, which will be our entry BEV in the A-segment". Ford Focus ST After 23 years, the Ford Focus ST has been taken off sale in the UK - with production of the hot hatchback set to officially end in November. The Focus ST had been open for orders as recently as April, but has seemingly disappeared from dealer price lists in an update issued on May 26. Many of the other variants of the Focus are still available to order, but the ST is no longer one of those - as clicking on the Ford UK's configurer leads to a dead end. Later confirmed by Ford UK to Autocar, there is - at the time of writing - still stock parked up in dealerships across the country. In a statement, the Blue Oval said: 'There are no new factory orders available for the Focus ST at the moment, but there are around 170 built and unsold currently available within the UK dealer network. 'This includes 30 of the special ST Edition variant in Azura Blue.' Better get in fast.

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