Light is Right…

Or not

The rules laid down by Lotus Cars founder Colin Chapman resonate more than ever with today’s car engineers. British cars have one thing in common: they are unique and atypical.

By Benjamin Perles

MINI
The new Mini racks up 20 years.
There’s no vehicle with more sympathy capital than the Mini. We all have a story about a girl who’s too posh, a boy who’s too tall, stickers that are just too much. The small British car is the epitome of excess. This spring, the JCW is being restyled—the Birmingham-based brand’s most desirable range. True to the John and Charles Cooper spirit, the ingenious engineers who gave the Mini its rallying hours of glory, the Mini JCW 2021 lays claim to 231 hp and safely the fastest cornering speed of any city car. Not so mini.

Lotus
The end of a manufacturing era, the start of a new one
Prospective collectors, please note that the Emira will be the last petrol-powered Lotus. Gone are the Elise, Exige and Evora. Even the partnership with engine manufacturer Toyota will not survive the European carbon tax and the revolution underway at the London factory. There is talk of a hyper-efficient German 2-litre engine (400 hp). We’ll know for sure on 6 July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Then it will be time for the Blue Fairy to come and electrify sports cars with ever more efficient platforms, one of which is being developed with Alpine to accommodate close to 2,000 hp.

Range Rover
50 years old and still going strong.
In 1970, Land Rover presented the very first luxury 4x4. The idea was for it to cope in mud. But with the composure and style so characteristic of our neighbours across the Channel. The Range Rover myth was born. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Coventry-based brand has concocted a limited edition 'Fifty' series which, in addition to a plethora of equipment, has had the good taste to reprise the colour scheme of the original model. The Range Rover may not have forgotten its origins and elephantine 2.5-tonne weight, but its engine emitting a mere 86g of CO2 provides a display of sports performances and five-star comfort.