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Daily Mirror
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton's U-turn on £1.6m supercar he made huge profit on before costly crash
Lewis Hamilton amassed an impressive supercar collection but ultimately sold his most expensive and unique vehicle due to growing concerns over its environmental impact Lewis Hamilton's 2025 Formula 1 season has been a mixed bag so far, with the seven-time world champion showing flashes of his old brilliance but struggling for consistency at Ferrari following his blockbuster move from Mercedes. Off the track, though, Hamilton remains a man of principle, known for his staunch commitment to environmentalism and social causes. It's this very ethos that led him to part ways with one of his most prized possessions - a custom Pagani Zonda 760 LH - only to see it smashed up by its new owner after he pocketed a massive profit. The one-of-a-kind supercar, which was built to Hamilton's exact specifications in 2014, was a beast of a machine. Powered by a monstrous 7.3-litre V12 engine pumping out 760 horsepower, it featured a striking purple livery with carbon fibre accents and a rare six-speed manual transmission - Hamilton's personal request, making it the first Zonda 760 to ditch the automatic. Costing him around £1.6million, the car was the jewel in his £12.5m supercar collection. But despite its jaw-dropping looks and sound, Hamilton wasn't entirely smitten, once slamming its handling as "terrible." By 2021, Hamilton's growing environmental consciousness, spurred by his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint, forced a tough call. Speaking at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, he revealed he'd stopped driving his supercars, opting instead for his electric Mercedes EQC. "I'm making a lot of changes in my personal life," he said. "I don't drive any of the cars that I own any more. I only drive my [electric Mercedes] EQC." The Zonda, a gas-guzzling icon, no longer fit in with his green philosophy. So, he sold it. And he didn't do badly out of it either. The car fetched a staggering £8.5m, landing Hamilton a tidy £6.9m profit. Tragically, the Zonda's story took a grim turn in 2023 when its new, unnamed owner lost control in the Penmaenbach Tunnel in Conwy, Wales - crashing it into the wall. Photos shared online showed the car in a sorry state, with a smashed front clamshell, broken suspension, and damaged doors, windshield, and rear bumper, making for a costly repair job. Miraculously, the driver walked away unharmed, and no other vehicles were involved. The crash wasn't the Zonda's first brush with disaster either - Hamilton himself had pranged it in Monaco in 2015, blaming a fever and lack of sleep after clipping three stationary cars. Thankfully, the Zonda has since been lovingly restored to its former glory, being spotted leaving Pagani's factory for a pre-delivery test run last September. Its metallic purple paint and bare carbon centre are back, though the LED DRLs, once deemed out of place, have been ditched. One of just five Zonda 760s ever built, it's a testament to both Pagani's craftsmanship and Hamilton's knack for making savvy decisions, both on and off the track. The 40-year-old is yet to make the podium for Ferrari, with his best results being fourth-place finishes at Imola, Silverstone and the Austrian Grand Prix this year. He's currently sixth in the Drivers' Championship, trailing leader Oscar Piastri by over 150 points. He's also 30 points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and just once place ahead of Kimi Antonelli - the young driver who replaced him at Mercedes. Up next is the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, a race Hamilton has won a record eight times, though not since 2020.
Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'I've driven an EV for one year and one small feature still scares me'
This time last year, I took the plunge and ditched my VW T-Cross for a full-electric Mercedes EQC, a move which has come with its fair share of ups and downs. I've already written various pieces on the lack of charging infrastructure across the country, an issue which affects thousands of drivers who rely on public charge-points on a weekly basis. I've also spoken about the often limited range of such vehicles and the anxiety that can come with the prospect of running out of battery on a long journey. But there's another, far less spoken about, element which still gives me anxiety as a driver. And that's how quiet nearly all electric cars appear to be. Only a few weeks ago did I drive down a private rural road, with a 15mph speed limit, and make a pedestrian walking her dog jump out of her skin, simply because she didn't hear the quiet churn of the EV. I was crawling down the road at less than 10mph fully aware that she probably hadn't sensed the car, and despite my best efforts, I still startled her. She wasn't wearing headphones, and I was the only moving car on the road - which meant the subtle EV sound was not drowned out by anything else. In comparison to a diesel vehicle, electric cars make a very dull whirring sound, almost like a space ship. They sound futuristic and high-tech, and from my experience so far, no two models sound the same. For example the Audi equivalent of my car is ever-so-slightly louder. Like everyone here in Britain, I am used to the loud sound of cars whizzing past, some with obnoxiously loud exhausts, large lorries thundering down the road. But with Keir Starmer's 2030 electric vehicle pledge, which will stop the sale of petrol and diesel cars completely in five years' time, that will change. This is not a nostalgia plea by any stretch, but the hard-of-hearing population, or those who are blind or partially sighted, rely on prominent sound to stay safe when crossing the road. And children who are learning to cross a road, or even the dangers of a main road, will now need to be way more observant when the louder vehicles fall silent as more and more people are forced to go full electric. My car is five years' old, it's relatively new, but I do often wonder if newer versions will be slightly louder to bridge the huge decibel gap that's currently there between electric and fuelled cars. Along with a synthetic sound, my car makes a very dull bleeping sound when in reverse, with cameras in play to ensure no one, person or vehicle, is behind me. The onus is always on the driver to make sure the area is safe, and that should never change. But the reason the reverse sensors give out a quiet sound is because drivers will always reverse at low speed, and EVs are designed to only get substantially louder when the car is above a certain mph. EVs don't have engines, therefore their sound is synthetic. The only noise people will hear naturally is the sound of tyres on the tarmac - after all, many EVs are heavier than their fuelled-counterparts due to the weight of the battery. According to PodPoint, an EV charging company, their quiet sound is not a major design flaw. It's there to avoid noise pollution above all. It says: "The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared traffic noise - which includes roads, rail, and air - as the second leading cause of negative health in western Europe. "The WHO recommends that people aren't exposed to noise exceeding 53 decibels (dB) during the day-night period caused by road traffic. Anything over 75 dB has the potential to damage our ears." It says the legal limit for vehicles is 72 decibels, but this could be reduced to 68 by next year. For EVs the legal requirement is 56 decibels. That doesn't stop the concern as the country makes the gradual transition to electric cars. EVs made after July 1, 2019 had to comply with an EU law called the Regulation on the Sound Level of Motor Vehicles. This means cars must make a sound when they are driven at 12.4mph when going forwards or reversing. This external noise is produced by an acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS) which would warn other road users of their presence. When inside the car you can barely hear it - but that doesn't mean it's not doing its job. Is the answer a louder noise box - or simply a more realistic sounding car that imitates an engine? I don't know, but within the next decade our roads are going to sound a whole lot quieter. While I am here for it, all walks of life must be catered for in terms of safety - and until then, EV drivers like myself will need to be more vigilant and understanding of people who simply do not know we are there.
Business Mayor
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
I drove 242-miles from UK seaside town in an electric car and it was hell
Electric chargers are being rolled out in abundance – but what happens when many of them malfunction? (Image: Getty) After a year of owning an electric car, I'd like to think I am getting used to charging up publicly. But one recent incident showed just how unequipped Britain is for a dynamic petrol-to-electric switch by 2030. Just last week I was returning from a UK seaside break in Minehead, Somerset, back to my hometown of Folkestone in Kent. The journey itself, according to Google Maps, would span 242-miles and take about 4.5 hours without traffic and stop-offs. My 20-plate Mercedes EQC can do 235-miles without needing a charge, so we anticipated a quick top-up at a service station on the way home. Electric cars themselves are clever little machines, they tell you well in advance when you're expected to run out of miles and direct you to the nearest charging points, of which there are several across the country's motorway network. Most car brands also allow you to download an app to tell you when the car is charged enough to complete your pre-planned journey. And having had a great experience on our way to Minehead, we expected no such hiccups on the trek back home. READ MORE: Drivers of popular cars could risk losing 'fortune' due to common feature After a week in Minehead, Somerset, we didn't anticipate a headache of a drive home (Image: Getty) On our inbound journey, we stopped off at Amesbury Service Station, a modern complex with many drive-thru options for lunch and chargers that propelled the car by 120 miles in under 30 minutes. It cost around £30 for the privilege, which is something many EV drivers expect when paying for convenience fast charging. The GridServe charge points were excellent – so when I saw another service station fast charging infrastructure on a slightly different route home, I thought we'd only be stopping for 15 or so minutes before getting on our way. Oh how wrong I was. Our first stop was at Leigh Delamere Service Station on the M4, where nearly every EV point was taken. But in true British style, there were four or five drivers huddled around the parking spaces debating something ominous when we pulled up. Turns out these chargers were painfully slow – and would slow down even further when another user plugs in. So after a 30 minute wait, and less than 40 miles gained, we decided to move onto another service point in the hunt for a fast charge. We were told to head to Chieveley services, a further 57-miles down the road, where we were assured fast chargers were operating. But when we arrived we saw a car park attendant looking rather stressed and many EV users standing around once more. It turns out on this occasion several of the chargers had malfunctioned – with some not taking card payments, while others failed to recognise cars were even plugged in. It was hard to see if any of them were actually working. With a number to call, and one remaining space left, we dialled to see if the charger could be reset and ended up being a spokesman for Chieveley's EV community. We didn't have enough miles to get home, and it would be make-or-break as to whether we could get to the next nearest charge point. So with options limited, we decided to stay put and hope for the best. As we waited, so many EVs were circling the car park with some driving off when they could see many others struggling. Cars in desperate need of a top-up were forced to park up in a standard parking bay and wait. As we sat on the curb and waited for our pump to reset, a mum and son who were returning to the West Country from Heathrow Airport were dismayed to find their EV point was also not working. With only 15 miles left, they also had no choice but to wait for a resolution. After a long, problem-free flight from LA back to the UK, their only travel problem encountered was with the electric car. Electric cars will be at the foreground of UK motoring by 2030 – and time's ticking on rolling out the infrastructure (Image: Getty) After nearly an hour, our charger finally recognised the car and it looked as though we were finally charging up. Despite being relieved, we had wasted something of 1.5 hours trying to charge up, adding to an already long journey home with a four-year-old child who suffers with travel sickness. READ MORE: Drivers can use number plate checker to see if they need to pay £150 DVLA car tax rise Did it need to be such a painful experience? In short, the answer is no. Chargers are at nearly every motorway service station now, but it's never clear whether you're going to get a slow or fast charge until you arrive. This is unless you do long miles in an EV every day, and become familiar with chargers to avoid and ones to beeline when you need to be somewhere. And like many forms of technology, things often go down, break or malfunction. Will there be a quicker back-up reboot at such public service stations when people are clearly reliant on them? Keir Starmer announced last month that by 2030, car manufacturers will be stopped from selling new petrol and diesel cars with the exception of hybrids which can still be sold until 2035. According to the Government, EV demand is rising with sales up 40% in March from last year. And I can quite believe it. But infrastructure has to improve 10-fold, with fast chargers accessible everywhere. And for people living in residential areas without driveways or off-street parking, more needs to be done to ensure they have the right equipment. As for people doing long journeys in an EV, I can only hope this incident was a one-off.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
I drove 242-miles to UK seaside town in an electric car and it was hell
Keir Starmer wants electric vehicles to dominate the UK's motoring industry by 2030 - but much work must be done before this is achievable as my latest experience found After a year of owning an electric car, I'd like to think I am getting used to charging up publicly. But one recent incident showed just how unequipped Britain is for a dynamic petrol-to-electric switch by 2030. Just last week I was returning from a UK seaside break in Minehead, Somerset, back to my hometown of Folkestone in Kent. The journey itself, according to Google Maps, would span 242-miles and take about 4.5 hours without traffic and stop-offs. My 20-plate Mercedes EQC can do 235-miles without needing a charge, so we anticipated a quick top-up at a service station on the way home. Electric cars themselves are clever little machines, they tell you well in advance when you're expected to run out of miles and direct you to the nearest charging points, of which there are several across the country's motorway network. Most car brands also allow you to download an app to tell you when the car is charged enough to complete your pre-planned journey. And having had a great experience on our way to Minehead, we expected no such hiccups on the trek back home. On our inbound journey, we stopped off at Amesbury Service Station, a modern complex with many drive-thru options for lunch and chargers that propelled the car by 120 miles in under 30 minutes. It cost around £30 for the privilege, which is something many EV drivers expect when paying for convenience fast charging. The GridServe charge points were excellent - so when I saw another service station fast charging infrastructure on a slightly different route home, I thought we'd only be stopping for 15 or so minutes before getting on our way. Oh how wrong I was. Our first stop was at Leigh Delamere Service Station on the M4, where nearly every EV point was taken. But in true British style, there were four or five drivers huddled around the parking spaces debating something ominous when we pulled up. Turns out these chargers were painfully slow - and would slow down even further when another user plugs in. So after a 30 minute wait, and less than 40 miles gained, we decided to move onto another service point in the hunt for a fast charge. Much time wasted We were told to head to Chieveley services, a further 57-miles down the road, where we were assured fast chargers were operating. But when we arrived we saw a car park attendant looking rather stressed and many EV users standing around once more. It turns out on this occasion several of the chargers had malfunctioned - with some not taking card payments, while others failed to recognise cars were even plugged in. It was hard to see if any of them were actually working. With a number to call, and one remaining space left, we dialled to see if the charger could be reset and ended up being a spokesman for Chieveley's EV community. We didn't have enough miles to get home, and it would be make-or-break as to whether we could get to the next nearest charge point. So with options limited, we decided to stay put and hope for the best. As we waited, so many EVs were circling the car park with some driving off when they could see many others struggling. Cars in desperate need of a top-up were forced to park up in a standard parking bay and wait. As we sat on the curb and waited for our pump to reset, a mum and son who were returning to the West Country from Heathrow Airport were dismayed to find their EV point was also not working. With only 15 miles left, they also had no choice but to wait for a resolution. After a long, problem-free flight from LA back to the UK, their only travel problem encountered was with the electric car. After nearly an hour, our charger finally recognised the car and it looked as though we were finally charging up. Despite being relieved, we had wasted something of 1.5 hours trying to charge up, adding to an already long journey home with a four-year-old child who suffers with travel sickness. Did it need to be such a painful experience? In short, the answer is no. Chargers are at nearly every motorway service station now, but it's never clear whether you're going to get a slow or fast charge until you arrive. This is unless you do long miles in an EV every day, and become familiar with chargers to avoid and ones to beeline when you need to be somewhere. And like many forms of technology, things often go down, break or malfunction. Will there be a quicker back-up reboot at such public service stations when people are clearly reliant on them? Keir Starmer announced last month that by 2030, car manufacturers will be stopped from selling new petrol and diesel cars with the exception of hybrids which can still be sold until 2035. According to the Government, EV demand is rising with sales up 40% in March from last year. And I can quite believe it. But infrastructure has to improve 10-fold, with fast chargers accessible everywhere. And for people living in residential areas without driveways or off-street parking, more needs to be done to ensure they have the right equipment. As for people doing long journeys in an EV, I can only hope this incident was a one-off.
