News review - October

October saw Singapore host Formula One’s first night race.

It was a thrilling spectacle as the world’s greatest drivers battled it out under 10,000 street lights. While the result did little to establish who would be the 2008 F1 champion, our road test team had already decided on Auto Express’s Performance Car of the Year – the mind-blowing Nissan GT-R. Watch videos of all the cars here.

As in previous years, we took 20 of the most entertaining and desirable cars on the market to the Anglesey racing circuit in Wales, where we did some serious testing. For 2008, our shortlist was more spectacular than ever, featuring cars worthy of filling any petrolhead’s dream garage, such as KTM’s radical new X-Bow and Lamborghini’s scintillating Gallardo LP560-4.

At the other end of the price scale – but with an equal chance of victory – we had the MINI Cooper JCW and Abarth Grande Punto. Despite strong challenges, the GT-R led the field, which is good news for those collecting the keys to one in March.

Japanese supercar blasts in (Issue 1,035)
The Nissan GT-R is taking an agonisingly long time to hit UK shores – customer models don’t arrive here until spring. All the same, it has already made quite an impact on the performance car hierarchy. We were blown away by our first test of the super-coup in June when it beat the Porsche 911 and Audi R8. And when it lined up against 19 other hot-shoes at the Anglesey racing circuit in Wales, it scored an even more impressive victory.

Prices drop from record highs (Issue 1,035)
Amid the doom and gloom of the economy came some good news for Britain’s financially battered motorists. Due to plummeting global oil prices, and after peaking at an average £1.20 per litre in June, many forecourts were charging 99.9p for unleaded. Supermarket chain Asda was the first to dip below the £1 a litre mark (below), and rivals soon followed. At the time, we reported that a Volkswagen Golf driver would save around £10 a fill-up, or nearly £250 over 10,000 miles.

Italians feel the pinch (Issue 1,033)
Supercar fans were in for a shock when Lamborghini revealed its four-door Estoque saloon concept at the Paris Motor Show, as the production version would have a diesel option. True followers of the famous brand, however, regarded it as old news. After all, long before his firm made supercars, Ferruccio Lamborghini was Italy’s leading tractor manufacturer.

Compact hatch’s debut (Issue 1,033)
ALSO at the French expo, Audi unveiled its new premium supermini. Wisely having dropped ‘Metro’ from its badge, the A1 Sportback show car looked nearly production ready with a traditional five-door bodyshell. Our story revealed the firm was planning a 2010 launch, and bosses were gunning for the likes of the MINI and Alfa’s MiTo.

Grand plan for SSC (Issue 1,036)
The British obsession with the World Land Speed Record continued with news of a fresh attempt. Project Bloodhound SSC – led by Richard Noble and Andy Green, who helped crack the sound barrier 12 years ago – would use rocket, jet and piston power to sail through the current 763mph record.

Supercar prototype caught on test (Issue 1,035)
The Mac is back. Or at least it will be when McLaren unleashes its successor to the mighty F1 in 2010. In October, our spies spotted a prototype undergoing road tests, and the resulting pictures we developed showed the newcomer is likely to be every bit as spectacular as its predecessor. We reported that the car is being worked on solely by McLaren, following the end of the deal with Mercedes that spawned the SLR.

Leading the charge (Issue 1,035)
BMW created a spark of interest in its alternative fuel projects this month when it officially unveiled its MINI E project. We revealed the newcomer – which went on to make its public debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in the US the following month – would be fitted with a powerful electric motor capable of producing 204bhp. However, Britons hoping to get their hands on an electrically powered MINI were disappointed when BMW announced it would trial only 50 of the vehicles – and all of them would go to customers in the US.

Road police cutbacks (Issue 1,036)
An investigation by Auto Express revealed some UK police forces were planning to cut the number of traffic cops by up to 84 per cent. The shock statistic was contained in a survey carried out by the Department for Transport. The report also revealed that Britain today has nearly 20 per cent fewer road police than a decade ago, despite the rising number of vehicles on the road. Commenting on these findings, Edmund King of the AA told us: “We must reverse this trend in order to make our roads safer.” 

Firm folds as belts tighten (Issue 1,035)
ONE of the UK’s leading prestige car rental firms – the Segrave Club – proved City money was drying up rather quickly. The outfit, based in Knightsbridge, London, specialised in supercars and went into administration, blaming a sudden fall in demand from its wealthiest customers. A spokesman said: “Our target market is City bankers, and our funding is based there too. Both sources have dried up in recent weeks.”