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Oh I totally get the reasons for it but, given the whole point of EVs is to be more sustainable, it still seems ridiculous. The carbon footprint of every car would be much improved if we could improve manufacturing efficiency, so having two design teams, two manufacturing facilities, two lots of...

This is a huge issue with EVs in my view. Scrapping existing cars and replacing them with new ones is pretty energy intensive. Also, I recently read something about how we are going to start mining the sea bed for cobalt in order to satisfy demand for battery production. Doing that without...

One of the things that bugs me at the moment is the fact that OEMs are making bespoke platforms for their EVs. While I understand that the architecture can be quite different in an EV, it seems very wasteful. ICE cars are going to be here for a long time yet, especially in hybrid form, so why...

Yeah, I think people say that spots still have some advantage for distance. Would like to try them out. It took you 35 years to buy a Golf, you're not allowed to make jokes.

I do still love an old style lamp pod, but the LED bars do seem to very much the trend currently. I guess it's much easier to knock up some alloy brackets than go to the trouble of sculpting a pod, so I can see why people do it. My lamp pod was surprisingly heavy too. I'd like to give the bars...

Not sure how it looks like it's been anywhere near Halfords, it's got some aftermarket wheels and some LED light bars on it... The lights are designed to be simple. They need to be quick to fit/remove, rather than be the last word in attractive design. They wouldn't be fitted most of the time...

Came across this one on Instagram recently - i30 N rally car:

That's lovely. Can't be many of those in Canada!

Speedlines would be essential on a 200 for me, or aftermarket. The standard wheels hurt my eyes.

Ford have a section of track at Lommel that is supposed to simulate British roads apparently. I think it's a combination of things in reality. Stylists demanding big wheels, the difficulty of finding a set-up for all markets, packaging, customer perception of "sporty". It goes on and on...

I don't know if I like the sound of "out-harding" people... It's definitely a factor though, without a doubt. The big wheel thing plays a part too. We've gone from having big, chunky sidewalls 20 years ago, to having rubber band tyres on most stuff now.

I do wonder if it's what the market demands. Even a lot of M-Sport BMWs and S-Line Audis feel stupidly firm for what are, essentially, cooking model cars. People associate hard ride with high performance, so I think it is intentional to some extent. That and the fact that roads in the UK are...

It does seem a bit of a thing with Fords. When I had my Golf R, a friend had a MK3 Focus ST and the ride in the Focus wasn't quite so well resolved. It was ok most of the time, but when cruising on dual carriageways, it did feel a little fidgety compared to the Golf. You could say the same about...

Looks is the endlessly debatable topic I guess. I've never been a huge 1-Series fan, so I'm probably not the best person to ask. That being said, my friend has an 07 130I M-Sport and I do have a bit of a soft spot for that for some reason. The leg room is comically bad though.

Just a shame about the styling of the BMW, although that is very subjective of course. The practicalities don't help it either I guess, as it has always been behind the FWD-based stuff in terms of interior space etc.

I've never spent any time in one on the road unfortunately, so can't really comment on its road manners, only a brief taste on track. A lot of buyers seem to be ok with a relatively firm ride these days and Focus RS sales exceeded expectations from what I've been told, so I guess it wasn't an...

I think that's perhaps being a bit unfair on the Focus in a way. It is a hard-riding car (so was the ST actually), but I think that was very deliberate. It was never a car designed for the ultimate lap-time, hence them never bothering with 'ring times etc. The priority was fun rather than...

I would certainly echo this, albeit in a slightly different line. As a professional writer/editor, I never read my old work after it's been published, as I will always find stuff I want to change!

As above, good quality is a must, and make sure you use longer bolts or spacers that bolt to the hub. In terms of geometry, it can have a negative impact but, provided you don't go too wide, you probably won't notice in reality.

They weren't? It is literally impossible to keep up with your Volvo-based antics.

I preferred the big pimpin' five spokes to be honest.

Some of those HAVE to be in!

Protects the floor and the tyre.

That Singer is bloody lovely.

Because he sold his 172 Cup and has since realised that they're the best Clio.

Cheap Cups are out there, but so are cheap Ph1s. You'll always get the odd bargain if you're lucky, but there has definitely been an uplift in prices across the board in the last couple of years. Cheap 1*2s have become harder to find than they were. Which will end up as the more valuable...

I always preferred them on the RS option seven-spoke wheels myself, especially the diamond cut ones. Didn't think the curvy spokes of the Cosworth wheels suited the RS Turbo ever so well.

I guess rarity will always be on its side. I think the phase 1 will always attract attention as it's less common than the phase 2 and was the original, but I'm not sure the Exclusive will be worth much more.

I don't know if the Exclusive will really, as it's not very desirable. 172 Cup will, because it's one of the most special variants, memorable and increasingly rare as so many are turned into track cars.

Yeah, bonkers really. Quite a wide offset too as I recall. Something like ET25, so about 15mm wider than most Fords. They do look good though!