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S 1 : Ep 09

The Driver's Seat with Henry Catchpole S 1 : Ep 09

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In this episode of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole drives the new Caterham Super Seven 600. It’s like a resto-mod that normal people can afford. Ok, it doesn’t have a quilted engine bay, but so much of what is appealing about cars like the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer or the Alfaholics GTA-R or the Eagle E-type is present and correct in this little British sports car. That idea of connection, emotion, and back-to-basics old-school motoring values is present and correct and it costs less than £30,000.

With just 84bhp and 86 lb-ft of torque (yes, really) from its tiny 660cc, three-cylinder engine, it might sound like it would be slow and sleep-inducing. But it also weighs just 460kg or 1014 lbs and has delightfully short gearing, so it actually feels surprisingly swift. Being closer to the road than the line painted down the middle means that every mph is exaggerated too.

The diminutive size of the Caterham also allows you to explore roads that would be off-limits to supercars. Whether it is dashing along between the reeds in some marshland or climbing tiny back lanes to spectacular vantage points, the Seven feels like it is up for an adventure. Admittedly there has to be a touch of the adventurous about the driver too, particularly if it’s the middle of winter in the UK and the temperature is below freezing.

Henry also gets into some of the history of the Seven, with an amusing story about Colin Chapman’s original Lotus Seven. The Norfolk firm finally stopped building the mk4 in 1973, since then it has been down to Caterham to keep the flame alive. And fifty years on, the formula feels somehow more relevant than ever, particularly in this very traditional, low-powered version which is fabulously fun and easy to enjoy at any speed.

Its skinny tyres might be at the other end of the scale from supercars like Porsche’s GT3 or Ferrari’s 296 GTB, but in many ways, this little car is just as enjoyable. You only have to look at Henry’s cold but happy face in the film to see that. We hope you enjoy the episode; please let others know if you do.

In collaboration with Mobil 1.

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On this episode of Stay Tuned, Tony and the boys put together a grassroots-style drift car, the hard way! They take a proven SR20DET powertrain from a RUSTY 240SX coupe, and install it in a CLEAN, rust-free 240SX hatch, complete with cage, wide-body kit, and all the goodies. Can they get this 25-year-old JDM engine up and running? Will it have what it takes to make big power, and get ready to rip on track? Stay Tuned to find out!

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This 1968 Chevy C20 pickup truck was parked OVER 30 YEARS AGO in a dusty horse barn. Can we revive this classic Chevrolet 307 V8 engine and get it to run for the first time in three decades? Armed with a new battery, new spark plugs, fresh fuel, and some basic hand tools, Hagerty mechanic Davin Reckow aims to find out!

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The Lamborghini Huracan is a bit of a dinosaur now, right? And the Tecnica is just an exercise in clinging on, trying to generate a few more sales in the twilight of the model’s life while a replacement is developed. It’s surely got its work cut out against much newer competitors like the McLaren Artura and Ferrari 296 GTB. That’s one perspective.

But the other way of looking at the Tecnica, is that it embodies the Huracan recipe finely, finally honed. After all these years the baby Lamborghini with the V10 has, at last, had all the kinks ironed out. It sort of felt that way with the STO, but this takes nearly all the best bits of that extreme, expensive halo model and puts them into a more usable package. The end result is a supercar that feels sensationally exciting but also remarkably drivable and fun.

Its longevity also means that the Huracan bucks the current trend for turbos. The 5.2-litre V10 is naturally aspirated and although that can sometimes be seen as out of date as the manual gearbox, Henry Catchpole believes that it shouldn’t be dismissed. Particularly where performance cars are concerned (we’re not about to wax lyrical about a 1.9-litre non-turbo diesel).

In this film, we look at the reasons why NA still rules OK. Sound is clearly a benefit, but just why do naturally aspirated engines sound more musical than turbocharged ones? Then there is drivability; Turbos rule the roost when it comes to efficiency and producing power, but there are still NA traits that snails are continually striving to match.

Throw in some chat about hertz (not the rental car company) and a particular type of French pâté and you have yourselves an episode of The Driver’s Seat. We hope you enjoy it, let us know in the comments down below how you feel about naturally aspirated engines and what you love about them.

In collaboration with Mobil 1.

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Enjoy Season 1 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

On this episode of Stay Tuned, the ‘Bird gets Blown! Tony and the guys finally fill the giant hole in the hood of their ’74 street freak Firebird project with a big and burly 6-71 supercharger and hit the dyno to try and make some horsepower. Jammed with 462 cubic inches of Butler Performance Pontiac power and 4-speed transmission, will the Firebird FINALLY have the big power to match the big attitude? Does this antiquated, 85-year-old supercharger technology have the juice to make Hellcat power? Stay Tuned to find out!

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Can Davin and Jeff get this old Ford V-8 engine to fire up after a 50+ year slumber? All evidence points to this car being off the road since 1963 (that’s 60 years ago!). And it has been slowly sinking into the dirt in its current resting place since at least the early 1970s. With a new battery, new spark plugs, fresh fuel, basic hand tools, and some good old-fashioned know-how, can your favorite engine builder and his new sidekick get this tired old 1958 Ford Country Sedan station wagon to start? Will it run??

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Enjoy Season 1 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

Presented by Mobil 1

McLaren Special Operations is the place you go to if your McLaren F1 needs a service or if want a particularly interesting paint job on your new Artura or Senna. However, there is another car that MSO also looks after and it’s a model for which there is a particular fondness: The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Launched in the era of supercars like the Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo, the mad Super GT with the side exit exhausts and supercharged V8 has always been something of a curiosity. It wasn’t well received when the press first drove it (understandably), but with the benefit of time, views seem to have mellowed. The SLR has also seen numerous iterations over the years and now there is perhaps the best version of all: the HDK. Those letters stand for High Downforce Kit and the car has indeed been treated to a big wing and diffuser, but there is much more to it than that.

The inspiration for this limited edition (just 12 will be built) is the even wilder 722 GT prototype, a race car that was built under the gaze of Gordon Murray but which never raced. Rarely seen, we managed to get it into the studio for this film. The SLR did eventually go racing, but those cars, built by RML, were never quite as crazy or beautiful as this original prototype.

And now, 20 years later, there is a road-going version, with a paint job that might have leapt from a Disney Cars movie. It is an intentionally fun design that is meant to bring out the child in all of us and the SLR HDK is certainly a car that makes you smile when you get behind the wheel. It is intimidating and fast and yet also quite easy to drive thanks to its automatic gearbox and mountain of torque. There is both the sense that you’re driving something very close to a race car and yet also the feeling that you are in a GT, complete with corduroy upholstery on the bucket seats!

At the end of the day, the SLR HDK is really just a bit of fun. A bit of fun that is capable of over 200mph – a speed which this particular car has done on numerous occasions, because it has covered over 90,000miles as a pre production prototype (PP14). In previous lives it has been crashed and shaken on rigs and fitted with numerous bodywork and suspension upgrades, but now it has been adorned with hand-turned gold leaf (look closely at the numbers) and given to Hagerty to drive across snowy moorland roads.

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Presented by Weathertech

With the help of the Maserati MC20, this is another record-breaking drag race! This time, honors go to the quickest-accelerating gasoline-powered SUV ever made. Find out whether top honors go to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe or the Aston Martin DBX707 — and whether either can keep up with the electric, four-motor, 835-hp Rivian R1S Launch Edition.

The last time we included a Rivian, the R1T left the world’s fastest pickup trucks in its dust. With the same powertrain (and a couple of fewer pounds) can the Rivian R1S SUV extend that title?

The Cayenne GT shares its platform and engine with other Volkswagen-group SUVs (the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, and Audi RSQ8, to name a few) and its 631 hp output is just 10 shy of the top-dog Urus’. However, the Porsche proves quicker than the Lamborghini.

Meanwhile, the 707 is the 707-hp (metric) version of Aston’s beautiful SUV — with an AMG 4.0-liter V-8 and 9-speed transmission with a wet clutch pack. Can its clutch-dump launch beat the Porsche’s torque-converter, brake-torque launch?

Or will the Porsche’s 80-treadwear Pirelli Corsa tires claw that advantage back?

Either way, the winner gets to race the carbon-fiber Maserati MC20, the brand’s first supercar since it divorced Ferrari. The Maserati Nettuno 3.0-liter V-6 makes outrageous amounts of power — 621 hp, just ten shy of the Porsche — and it weighs 1200 lb less. So it should be an easy win for the Maserati.

Oh, but that would be discounting that Porsche Magic. It’s all on display in this last episode for the 2022 season of Cammisa’s Ultimate Drag Race Replay. Caution: Baby On Board!

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The new Volkswagen ID. Buzz isn’t officially a campervan… yet. That will come with the longer wheelbase version (which is also the version that will eventually be available in the USA). However, Henry Catchpole has found a way to turn it into a Camper. With the ingenious Ququq BusBox-4, you can quickly convert the VW ID. Buzz into a mobile bedroom and kitchen. It’s not quite a full Westfalia-style transformation but it is rather appealing, not least because you can slide the whole thing out and revert the Buzz to its original five-seat layout.

Of course, you might be the sort of person that thinks hotels were invented for a reason but still likes the idea of owning a Buzz. And why not, it’s a very funky-looking vehicle with its optional two-tone paint (this one is Bay Leaf green) and it seems to make the world a slightly happier place wherever you go.

The fact that the ID. Buzz is an EV is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a boon because it makes it feel refined and relatively quick – not things you usually associate with a vehicle like this. However, with a 77kWh battery, the Buzz doesn’t have a great range and, if you live in the UK, the charging network still feels inadequate if you want to have an adventure that takes you further than 100 miles from your driveway.

Then there’s the festive fun. Santa Claus would certainly be able to fit plenty of presents in the back of a Buzz (although an ID. Buzz Cargo would be even better) and there is room for a tree on the dashboard (look closely). With bi-directional charging you could even use it to help run all the Christmas lights at home. And yes, the decoration is real (there’s a link below if you want one).

We hope you enjoy the film – a slightly more perched version of The Driver’s Seat.

Enjoy Season 1 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

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Enjoy Season 1 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

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