The Intercooler Audio Articles

Not every cheap Ferrari has to be a bad Ferrari. Gez Medinger is ready to take the plunge.

What is it about this particular configuration of engine that seems so hard-wired into our hearts? As ever, David Twohig is the man who knows

You may recall Joana Fidalgo’s concerns about her RX-7’s engine. Turns out they were well founded, to put it mildly. Time for some serious surgery…

How a model car inspired Dr Ulrich Eichhorn to buy an old Bentley, and how it in turn inspired the creation of a modern car

Home to some of the world’s greatest automotive marques, Modena is a motor city like no other, writes Gavin Green

You might be surprised at some of the measures car manufacturers adopt to engineer cost out of an affordable car. Richard Porter is your guide

It is one of few cars truly deserving to be called ‘iconic’, and values have tumbled of late. How tempted should we really be, asks Andrew Frankel

The year's best rear-drive, four-seat sports coupé comes either from Germany or the US. Dan Prosser heads to Wales to find out which

Discerning genuine points of difference between cars is far harder than it once was. And that, says our young writer Max Taylor, is a real problem

Had your fill of conventional piston engines? Perhaps it’s time to try something completely different, if you’re feeling bold enough, says Lewis Kingston

You can spend six figures on a new M2, but an older version will provide most of the fun for a fraction of the money, says Dan Prosser

Some cars will appreciate over the next decade, others will not. Steve Sutcliffe suggests 10 of the former, and five of the latter

We’ve all done it: hired an anonymous box, thrashed it, handed it back and never thought of it again. But just occasionally, they can leave a mark. By Andrew Frankel

It is one of Britain’s rarest hot hatchbacks, and Andrew Frankel has never driven one. This is his bid to change all that

After several months in big EVs, Dan Prosser is relishing the prospect of living with a small fun one. But will it turn out that way?

More threatened than ever, the sound our cars make has never mattered more, argues our award-winning young writer Max Taylor

Or at least poke its head over the edge. Andrew Frankel is among the first in the world to ride in the new Jaguar and tries not to read too much into the experience

Why (almost) everything you thought you knew about driving fast is a lie. Gez Medinger takes the red pill and discovers how deep the rabbit hole goes 

A quick trip across the water proves most revealing, which might seem strange as it wasn’t even in this Range Rover that Andrew Frankel went

With Jaguar’s revolutionary new four-door soon to break cover, Dan Prosser looks at the last time the company attempted anything quite so bold

After pressure from industry and governments alike, the EU seems ready to extend the life of the internal-combustion engine by another five years. Will Britain follow suit? Ben Oliver reports

You might regard them as the bane of your life on the road. But that doesn’t stop them being absolutely incredible, says David Twohig

Now very much nearer the exit than entry door of his career, Andrew Frankel has a quiet word with his 22-year-old self on his first day of work

Britain’s 11th F1 World Champion proves nice guys do win. Karun Chandhok explains how he did it

Colin Goodwin visits the Heritage Skills Academy to learn how classic car maintenance expertise is being passed down to younger generations

No other car combines long distance comfort with B-road thrills quite like this, says Dan Prosser

Home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, Stuttgart owes much of its prosperity to the car, writes Gavin Green 

Not just a new BMW, but a new era for BMW. Does this first Neue Klasse model change the game for good? Andrew English decides 

Looking for a punchy coupe with a hefty dose of retro charm? Toyota’s seldom-seen turbocharged Supra could be right for you, says Lewis Kingston

Its successor costs three times the price. But after revisiting the 430 Scuderia, Steve Sutcliffe reckons it’s no poor relation

Porsche’s rear-engined sports car has haunted designer Julian Thomson for decades. Now he explains why the 911 is so difficult to match

The first RS Audi is one of Germany’s most significant performance cars. Dan Prosser fondly remembers the day he became acquainted with one

What can a 50-year-old novel about motorcycles teach us about our enthusiasm for cars, asks Gez Medinger 

Two off-roaders with supercar power and price tags to match. Dan Prosser referees as they go head-to-head on gravel and asphalt 

Names matter. So why do so many cars now come with a meaningless series of letters and numbers? Our young writer, Max Taylor, reports

Richard Bremner loves old Alfa GTVs. Which is why he is now on his fifth. But putting this one right has required an entirely unintended ground up restoration

Hold on, wasn’t Andrew English’s Civic Type R red? And much older? Yes, he’s upgraded from FN2 to FK2. Here’s why

After taking one to his first Le Mans as a youngster, Dan Prosser was bound to start pining for a Corvette Z06 sooner or later…

As the F1 season heads into its final three rounds, does a good (or bad) run of recent form really make that much difference? Karun Chandhok reports

You wouldn’t believe how much you can tell about a car from its window switches if only you knew what to look for. Happily, Richard Porter does

Two fast hatchbacks sitting on the same platform. Are the differences between them really that great? You bet they are, says Andrew Frankel

The secret of the Sherman tank’s success lay not on the battlefield, but an entire continent away in the factories where it was built. By David Twohig

This is a car that epitomises the modern, legislation-led approach to motoring. But is that for good or for ill? Dan Prosser reports

Is a Viper an all-American dream or something closer to a nightmare? Andrew Frankel doesn’t care either way: he just wants one

The seven-time F1 champion’s own appraisal of his 2025 season pulled no punches. But has it really been so bad? Dan Prosser investigates

In the first of a new series, Andrew Frankel gets not just to drive, but to live with a car he first drove 15 years ago. Has age wearied it? What do you think?

It’s very small and it’s not very powerful but don’t let that deceive you: Honda is back in the fun car business, says Andrew English, and it’s coming here

A short journey into a possible near future. By Andrew Frankel

Think all Lotus Evoras are the same? Think again: it took Gez Medinger five years to find the right one for him.

It's one of those cars that really shouldn't work but somehow it largely does, says Andrew Frankel

A rare and exotic sports car for the same price as a decent third-generation Toyota MR2? There must be a catch, says Lewis Kingston

These are perhaps the best reimagined classics we've driven. But how different to one another can two E-types really be? Very, says Andrew Frankel. 

All those little things that help to transform life on the road. Who thought of them, when and why? Mel Nichols has the answers. 

The A110 R Ultime costs twice as much as the next most expensive A110 and is designed to be driven on a track. So it’s an expensive irrelevance, right? Not so fast, says Steve Sutcliffe

Our new series kicked off in Detroit, but now heads back across the water to the French capital, where European car culture was born. By Gavin Green

It’s slow, left-hand drive only wasn’t very successful when new. But none of that stops Maximilian Chester loving the roadster with the disappearing doors

This crossover electric SUV is the car that has to bring volume sales to the Alpine brand. Can such a machine really be worthy of that name? Andrew English decides 

Are Chinese cars just ‘stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap’ rubbish, or serious contenders in an increasingly crowded marketplace? Ben Oliver drove 10 of them to find out

Two British supercoupés of similar age and performance, but utterly different approaches. Andrew Frankel decides between them

There’s now a standard 911 with over 700bhp costing all but £200,000. Can it possibly be worth it? Andrew English is the one finding out

Tati Reed wanted to test her newly acquired overlanding adventurer. So obviously a 5000-mile trip to Romania and back was required

It’s ageing, it’s expensive and it’s the heaviest Porsche ever sold. Does the flagship Cayenne still have what it takes? Andrew Frankel finds out

Henry Catchpole heads to Maranello to drive Ferrari’s latest hardcore special. Can it possibly live up to its mighty forebears? 

Ahead of this afternoon's review of the 296 Speciale, Andrew Frankel looks at its forebears and decides which is best.

Most motoring journalists fawned over the Impreza when it first came out. Then again, most motoring journalists aren’t Steve Sutcliffe

Or, why I bought a Corvair. It’s the car that was labelled as positively dangerous when launched. So of course Richard Bremner had to own one

We’re inundated with it these days. But does it matter if you have the power to go with it? You bet it does, says Gez Medinger.

If you knew, as you shortly will, how expensive rear lights are to create, you'd not wonder why small manufacturers try to get them from almost anywhere else. Richard Porter reports. 

Helen Wakerley spent years behind the wheel of Maranello's finest. But one car, and one feeling, never left her. This is the story of how a childhood dream became both a career, and a homecoming.  

Think young people no longer fall in love with cars? Max Taylor - aged 19 - begs to differ. And it's all down to just one machine. 

Not all manufacturers are desperate for the limelight. One reason this one does better than most, says David Twohig.

We all hanker after certain kinds of car. But unlike most of us, Jonny Smith actually does something about it.

Life with the Rangie continues largely on its serene way. But that is not to say there is nothing about it that annoys Andrew Frankel

After years of rollercoaster fortunes, all has gone quiet at McLaren. But behind the scenes a revolution is going on. Ben Oliver reports

Proper Man Maths always involves heart over head decisions and, says Andrew Frankel, there can be no greater exemplar of this noble tradition than this

The Land Rover Discovery is the slowest-selling model in the company’s portfolio. Dan Prosser wonders how a new version might change that

Ian Callum has loved the Mini almost all his life. He explains the magic and why the opportunity to re-invent it in the 21st century was too good to miss

With his new long-termer not yet built, Dan Prosser finds himself the custodian of another electric Audi. Will this one slot seamlessly into family life? 

Abarth’s hot turbocharged twist on the MX-5 formula has its charms, but the catches might put off all but the dedicated, says Lewis Kingston

In the first of a new series exploring the world’s great car manufacturing cities, Gavin Green explains how Detroit became the home of the US automotive industry

As brand new supercars become eye-wateringly expensive, a used 720S increasingly seems anything but, says Dan Prosser

A sad farewell to our favourite reptile, as Andrew Frankel takes the best of the best to Wales for one last blast

Want to introduce your partner to classic motoring? A trip to the pub perhaps. Unless you’re Gez Medinger, for whom nothing less than 2000 miles to the Austrian Alps and back would do

A little more power for a lot more money, is Aston’s new flagship SUV still one of the best of its breed? Andrew English drives it

The problem with electric cars is that they’re dull to drive and devoid of personality. Well, not always, says Dan Prosser. And here’s the proof

We’re approaching the end of an era where fun and affordable cars can still be bought. Young writer Max Taylor says they have to be saved from oblivion

For a brief moment it was the fastest-accelerating road car BMW had ever produced. But that’s not why Dan Prosser has been dreaming of one

In a new series exploring his most unfathomable car buying decisions, Richard Bremner attempts to explain why he's owned two Allegros

Major manufacturers are massively rolling back their commitment to EVs. But governments are sticking to their targets. At least for now. Andrew Frankel reports

These courses have helped keep roads safer, but by how much? And do they now need rethinking? Serial attendee Ben Oliver takes a look

You may not have heard of Dorothy Levitt, or the concours named after her but, says Joana Fidalgo, there is nothing else like it on earth

Having dreamt of the moment for decades, Andrew Frankel finally finds himself airborne in a Spitfire. Here’s what happened next

It’s one of our favourite four-doors, but somewhat overlooked by the market at present. A fact reflected in current values, says Andrew Frankel

To many, the idea of flying a Supermarine Spitfire is the stuff of dreams. It certainly was to Andrew Frankel, until the very moment it happened

For better or worse, AI could impact the way we read about cars, buy cars and even drive them. The entirely sentient Colin Goodwin and Steve Sutcliffe take a look

These days just because a car has an item of equipment doesn’t mean you get to use it, unless you pay. And, says young writer Max Taylor, it’s getting worse

For several decades, car spy photography was lucrative and exciting work. But only for those prepared to go the extra mile, writes Richard Porter

Well actually, all the evidence is that it will, especially for drivers competing in F1. But why not top rally and sports car drivers too? Gez Medinger investigates

The big V8, the noise, the seats, those arches. No wonder Helen Wakerley loves her Black Series so much. But there’s even more to it than meets the eye

The most successful rally car of all time? Actually there are two. Dan Prosser drives historically significant versions of both