Motoring
The latest motoring and cars comment, reviews and features from the experts at Country Life
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The Aston Martin Vantage review: A fusion of love, joy and metalThe 2024 Aston Martin Vantage is the two seater sports car of your dreams. Or it is, if you're Toby Keel.
By Toby Keel Published
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Curious Questions: Who was the first person to take a driving test?For years, all you need to drive a car was to jump behind the wheel — but that all changed. Martin Fone traces the history of the driving test.
By Martin Fone Published
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The Queen's old Range Rover — one which she used to pick up the Obamas — has come up for saleThis SDV8 Autobiography model was specially prepared by Land Rover and used by the Royal Household, and could now be yours for £224,850.
By James Fisher Published
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My 'Franken-Land Rover' has had three new chassis and using the indicators turns on the windscreen wipers. But I just can't get rid of it.Joe Gibbs pours his heart out about his classic Land Rover Defender, and the peculiar strain of nutty devotion it's inspired.
By Joe Gibbs Published
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The 'most beautiful car ever made' makes its debut on Country Life Frontispiece page alongside photographer Amy ShoreAutomotive photographer Amy Shore is the star of the Frontispiece page in this week's Country Life — and where better to take the pictures than the garage specialising in classic Jaguars which she helped to start. Rosie Paterson went along.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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Rolls-Royce Spectre review: The magic carpet goes electricSpecialising in cars so smooth you won’t spill your Champagne, Rolls-Royce was born for the all-electric market — and the Spectre is well worth the two-year wait, says Toby Keel.
By Toby Keel Published
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The best outfits from the 2023 Goodwood Revival, the 'best weekend of the year'The period fashions are a huge part of the appeal for those attending the Goodwood Revival — here's a selection of some of the very best on display this year.
By Country Life Published
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Lexus RZ450e review: Viva la electric revoluciónLexus and its parent company Toyota were well ahead of the game on hybrid engines, but have lagged a little with electric vehicles — until now with the release of the RZ450e. James Fisher took a drive.
By James Fisher Published
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The Woodland Trust at 50: How a car nut with a yellow Ferrari helped save the trees of BritainThe Woodland Trust was set up as a Nature-conservation charity specifically concerned with trees. Clive Aslet visits its south Devon birthplace of 50 years ago and remembers its far-sighted and altruistic founder, Ken Wood.
By Clive Aslet Published
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Rolls-Royce fire up the Spectre, the all-electric car that they say is 'the most perfect product' in their historyCharles Rolls predicted the rise of electric cars some 122 years ago, and while it might have taken a little longer than he'd have expected, the Rolls-Royce Spectre has finally been unveiled to the world.
By Toby Keel Published
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Rolls-Royce Cullinan review: Part 'awesome beast', part luxury hotel suite, part cocktail bar — and still able to do 0-60 in 5 secondsRolls-Royce's Cullinan is divisive in its looks, its price and even — for some — in its very existence. Yet one thing is undeniable, says Toby Keel: it's a marvel of automotive engineering.
By Toby Keel Published
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Aston Martin DBX review: The 4x4 of choice for car nuts, families and international super-spiesThe Aston Martin DBX promises to be the car that is all things to all people: space, speed and style — can it really deliver on all three counts? Toby Keel took it for a spin.
By Toby Keel Published
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BMW 4-series review: An executive lounge on wheels that hits 60mph in seven seconds with room for the golf clubsJames Fisher beats the lockdown blues as he reviews the new BMW 4-series in Suffolk.
By James Fisher Published
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16 top notch places to stop, just off the motorwayThe summer holidays approach and, with them, the prospect of motorway hell. It doesn’t have to be that way, says Jason Goodwin, who presents his favourite civilised pitstops.
By Jason Goodwin Published
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Continuation cars: The classics built by hand, from scratch and brand-new in 2021Time travel is afoot in England’s storied car factories, which are revisiting their greatest hits. But are these remakes the real deal, asks Adam Hay-Nicholls.
By Country Life Published
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Janine Stone: Creating spaces to show off your art, sculpture, car or and even wine collectionA beautiful interior offers the perfect setting for treasured collections, from paintings and sculpture to classic cars and vintage wine. Janine Stone spoke to Country Life's Giles Kime to share her advice on how to got about creating the perfect display space.
By Janine Stone Published
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A Great British holiday on wheels? What it's like spending four days in a Ford Nugget campervanThe boom in British holidays has brought a boom in the number of people getting campervans such as the Ford Nugget — but what are they like for those who've never holidayed in one? Toby Keel found out.
By Toby Keel Published
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One man, two Hondas, and a major life decision to be madeShould cars be about fun or function? James Fisher faced this common motoring dilemma when choosing between the Honda Jazz and the Honda Civic Type-R, one that he somehow turned into a literal journey of self-discovery.
By James Fisher Published
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Curious Questions: How did a car-mad racing driver come to invent the speed camera?Speed cameras have been a fixture of British roads for three decades, but they've been around far longer than that. Martin Fone finds out more about how they came about — and, ironically, how it was a speed-loving racing driver who is responsible for their creation.
By Martin Fone Published
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Curious Questions: Why do the British drive on the left?The rest of Europe drives on the right, so why do the British drive on the left? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
By Martin Fone Published
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Curious Questions: Who made the first proper car journey?The man who invented the very first motor car didn't think it would be able to survive a long-distance car journey. Luckily, his wife had more faith, as Martin Fone discovered when he investigated the tale of Bertha Benz.
By Martin Fone Published


