-Hi.
And welcome to XCAR's round-up of the year where today, we're talking about June.
Another action-packed month where we were looking at the Ford Heritage Shed, the Morgan Aero Coupe.
We took a trip around the potential London F1 circuit.
And we have a look at the new Range Rover Sport.
So, the Ford Heritage Shed, guys.
-Well, this--
-Treasure trove.
-This all comes from the Ford Fiesta ST launch.
We spoke to the guys at Ford and said, "We quite like to do a history piece inside of your cars." And I know they had a Heritage Shed because I've been there before, and it's amazing.
So, what--
-That's usually a give-away.
-Yeah.
-If you've been there before.
-Well, we did have a shed, so I've been there.
We went down with the camera, and it was-- we were only supposed to go down there to make a shopping list.
It-- the camera was an afterthought.
-We just brought a camera for fun.
-Yeah.
-Because I mean, there's just gonna be, you know, the things that I love, like '80s cars-- Sierra cars were, Escort cars worth.
That's the kind of stuff that I
loved when I was a kid.
My family were Ford family.
So, I [unk] them one day I wanna drive.
So, I saw it lasted after the Ford hot hatches.
I mean, small dreams but--
-No, no.
It's fine.
-That's why I love the-- ST so much.
So, going there and seeing everything from the Model T to the Ford GT next to each other was just-- it was mad.
And it was just like beautiful.
And it worked out really perfectly, I think.
-It was-- it's nice things where we're supposed to get in there.
And was like, "bring a camera, and let's see what happens." My guess on the great [unk] it might not.
Not only did we make an awesome shopping list, more of which later in this series,
but also, we got a truly breath-taking film out of it.
And that's all down to you, spending a lot of time, really.
-I could have spent days there.
I mean, to be honest.
I mean, they have everything from the-- oh, well, I want to.
I mean, there's-- they had everything from the Supervan to kind of-- just kind of the old Ford, like the Prefect.
Kind of like--
-Uh-huh.
-really kinda classic Fords.
They had just everything.
You name it, and they have it.
It was-- it was a treasure trove.
It was just-- it was beautiful, and we want to drive everything there, and hopefully one day,
we will get to.
-But moving on to one of-- I think potentially, our biggest shoots of this year, the Morgan Aero Coupe.
-Oh, dear.
-That's Alex's wet dream.
-Yeah.
It basically is my wet dream.
I'm not--
-Is it a wet dream if it's actually happened?
Isn't it then just a wet reality?
-Well, I had to clean the Morgan up after him.
So--
-Wet reality.
-Yeah.
Wet reality.
-Yeah.
-It was-- it was up the walls.
It was horrible.
Every mile, I loved it.
I adore that thing.
Its shape caused a stir everywhere.
People couldn't quite understand what they were
looking at.
Whereas with the Super, we got less reaction because everyone sort of knew it from the back of their mind, and absolutely everyone knew it.
Whereas with the Morgan, they saw something that they genuinely had never seen before.
Because Morgan's such a nish manufacturer and because the previous car like that, the AeroMax, there were 100 of those, and there's like Ford in the U.K.-- somewhat ridiculous like that.
With the Aero Coupe, there were at that time, six Aero Coupes ever.
-I mean, Charles Morgan referred to it as "automotive theater" in his interview--
-Uh-huh.
-which is a phrase I know you've loved
and used throughout.
And we took it through the west end, that kind of thing, 'cause Alex wanted to kind of show it visually as being automotive theater because it really is.
I mean, it's very theatrical, and Charles always talked about people just standing there, you know, wanting to see it move.
And just seeing that--
-You don't believe that it can move.
-Yeah.
-It looks like a piece of art.
-It does.
And then, it glides.
It really does glide.
And--
-Well, it glides while also bellowing at you because the V8 in it is a 4.8-liter BMW source V8 with 360 or 70 brake horsepower.
They're not massive numbers,
but what they've done is they've made it sing.
And it's got quad side exhaust.
And it just-- it did a proper dirty V8 noise.
And then, when it goes on song, just the noise bounces off all your bones.
Why London was such an amazing city to shoot in because you have this amazing juxtaposition between, well, the places we took at amazing architecture and then, this car that looks like it should have been here only maybe 80, 90 years ago, and then the dirty noise that comes out of it.
It was-- it was just--
-I mean,
there's some argument in the office, which is the better-looking car between the AeroMax and the Aero Coupe?
The Aero Coupe obviously be drafted from the AeroMax.
I actually prefer the Aero Coupe.
I mean, it's only really the back that's got a change to it.
-Yeah.
-Personally, I prefer that look.
The AeroMax makes it look like the [unk] for me.
The AeroMax, that split window on the back.
-The opening thing.
-Oh, my God.
That's just unbelievable.
-On the same time, the one you could feasibly actually buy now, the Aero Coupe.
So, I-- you know--
-I mean, it's fair to say that even if you want to buy
one of these cars, it's almost impossible.
And in fact, the last person to our knowledge to have bought one had to buy that car--
-Yes.
-that we drove because they saw it in our film.
-Actually, they've made one more since.
There is another-- there are now seven in the world.
-But they're made to order.
-Yes.
-And it takes about a year to build.
-They'll have to wait quite a long time.
-Sticking in London, actually.
-Uh-huh.
-The London F1 Circuit.
-We knew the-- the British Grand Prix is a few weeks away.
We knew the Circuit was proposed
last year, so we thought, "Why not get a Caterham-- they're a Formula One team, after all-- and drive it?" Nick went around the circuit and I also [unk] round for fun.
Ronnie.
-I mean, a lot of the cynics will say [unk] they did it for a kind of a press release for kind of publicity.
But Bernie Ecclestone's been very keen on doing it on the Grand Prix for a very long time.
I mean--
-Uh-huh.
-since the car's screeched up and down Regent Street.
And while it was--
-It makes--
-2004, and a quarter of a million people turned up.
I mean, there is a huge audience for it.
And City Circuits
are just hugely popular-- not necessarily with F1 anoraks, who kind of see it as-- I mean, it- for me, I love F1.
-Yeah.
-And Street Circuits are the most fun.
There's not much overtaking.
But I mean, seeing F1 cars screech around Monaco is exciting enough.
London, and seeing this actual track-- which I don't think anyone have actually ever driven with the purpose of driving the Formula--
-Yeah.
-One track as accurately as you could do, we did it.
And it was just an unbelievable circuit.
And we did it pretty much dead on the summer solstice.
So, we were there at three in
the morning.
And just palm out completely empty, nobody there.
I mean, hearing that Caterham roar down the street with all these [unk] and jacks coming at you, you'll be like, "Why can't I do this?" It's the most iconic circuit on the F1 calendar full stop if it were to happen.
-If it were real.
Yeah.
-If it were real, like as street circuits go, London is one of the most iconic cities.
I mean, New Jersey is obviously not gonna happen next year.
No.
-So, let's do London, instead.
-Yey.
-Thing in Britain, we go from Caterham and the London F1
GP Circuit to the Range Rover Sport.
-Yeah.
When the first time we went to Wales to try the branch making the Range Rover Sport, they asked which one we wanted to drive and naturally, I said the one with the 5-liter supercharge V8 because--
-Because 5-liter supercharge V8.
-Pretty much.
Yeah.
And that thing is unbelievably fast for its size, for its composure, for its height.
Then, you nail it.
And oh, my.
It's quick.
It does everything, but it's smaller--
-Faster.
-a bit quicker, and
it's more practical.
If anything, it's a more sensible choice than the proper Range Rover.
And yeah.
It was-- it was awesome.
I love it spit.
-So, that was our round-up of June.
Please join us again tomorrow where we'll be looking at July.
