IT WOULDN'T BE THE BRITISH CAR INDUSTRY IF IT DIDN'T lurch from triumph to disaster with inescapable regularity. Regardless of the sector that UK companies operate in - and the sunlit uplands that they occasionally enjoy there always seems to be a cloud on the horizon ready to rain on their celebrations, and in some cases wash them away completely.
For every Range Rover scaling new heights of profitability, there's a Jaguar limping through losses. For every Caterham, Ariel, Morgan or BAC there's a TVR, Westfield or Keating (remember them?). And then there's Aston Martin, Lotus and McLaren, who regularly enjoy drinking to their successes with little thought of the hangover to follow.
McLaren's hangover might not be as bad as the one that has reduced bosses at Gaydon to mainlining Nurofen, but then not having all your financial laundry aired in public does have its advantages. It's also no worse than the morning-after-the-night-before currently being felt in Hethel, although it's no better either. Both Lotus and McLaren have struggled in 2022 with the launches of all-new sports cars, delayed to such an extent that mid-cycle facelifts surely won't be far behind the first customer deliveries.
While Lotus puts Emira delays down to parts supply issues, the pandemic, Brexit and the war in Ukraine, new McLaren CEO Michael Leiters puts Artura delays down to the car simply not being good enough. There should be no compromises,' he insists. 'If you are willing to compromise you will lose quality, and the whole company has to understand what an important asset quality is.
Leiters cut his teeth at Porsche on his way to becoming chief technology officer at Ferrari, so he knows that quality is what brands like these trade on. Which is why one of the first big decisions he took at McLaren was to delay the launch of the Artura.
この記事は Evo UK の December 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Evo UK の December 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Tiff Needell
From Morris Travellers to McLarens, via Le Mans and F1, television's original Mr Sideways talks about his behind-the-wheel highlights
Aston Martin DB12 Volante
The drop-top version of Aston Martin's super tourer’ has arrived, complete with the same 6/lbhp V8 and 202mph top speed. But the need for a calmer soul lingers
BEST BUYS
Sam Jenkins
THE ANATOMY OF A PENSKE 123 INDYCAR
For a while in the '90s, IndyCar challenged Formula 1 as the premier form of motorsport; we look under the skin of a Penske PC23 from the series' golden era
TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD?
Do today's car interfaces ask too much of the driver? And how can they be improved? We get an Airbus pilot's expert opinion
ARCH RIVALS
Audi's RS4 is going out on a high with the Competition version; Alfa Romeo's Giulia Quadrifoglio fights on with a new facelift. The two meet for a shootout
BLUE FUNDAY
The road-going Maserati MC20 was evo Car of the Year 2022, so great things are expected of the GT2 race version. We head for the Autodromo di Modena to find out if it delivers
Vredestein Ultrac Pro
New high performance tyre claims unique blend of grip and ride comfort. We put it to the test
Virtual sanity
Can sophisticated driving simulators replace costly, physical prototypes? We visit the new £4m Horiba MIRA simulator complex to take a digital drive
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
A package of updates for 2024 ensures the Giulia's sister car remains the most super of super-SUVs