Autocar Lunchbox: 1957 Lotus Seven driven, WRC controversy and more

Autocar Lunchbox: 1957 Lotus Seven driven, WRC controversy and more

Autocar

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We round up our hottest stories, pictures and videos for you to devour in your lunch break

It’s everyone’s favourite part of the working day, lunchtime, and you’re no doubt craving a hefty dose of car-related content. 

So we’ve revived our Autocar Lunchbox feature to bring you our favourite videos, stories, photos, quotes and more all in one place. 

Here are today’s picks:

*HOT NEWS*

*Seat ain't so...*

The long-serving Alhambra MPV will end production at the end of this month after a decade on sale, Seat has confirmed. The Ford Galaxy rival has been produced at the Volkswagen Group's AutoEuropa plant in Portugal since the first generation was launched in 1995. The VW Sharan, with which the Alhambra shares all but its badge, will soldier on for now, however. 

*Seat Alhambra taken off sale but VW Sharan sticks around​*

*VIDEO OF THE DAY*

Aston Martin will hope to get its expansion plans back on track by launching the 542bhp DBX in spring 2020 - the first SUV in the company's 107-year history. So, is it a match for a Lamborghini Urus? We rode along with the car’s chief chassis engineer, before taking the wheel ourselves, to find out.

*PHOTO OF THE DAY*

Welcome to the Autostadt, home to the rarest and most important Volkswagens ever built. This fantastically clean example of the iconic Type 2 Microbus was used to transport fizzy drinks for German brand Sinalco, and it’s just one of many vehicles at the museum which played a fundamental role in bringing motoring to the masses. 

*Virtual Tour: Treasures of the official VW museum*

*QUOTE OF THE DAY*

“Be in no doubt that only a smattering of road-legal cars (and certainly very few with four usable seats) could keep up with the Taycan Turbo in the real world.”

Porsche’s first electric car has finally landed in the UK, and Lawrence Allan has been finding out whether the Turbo variant’s 671bhp and ‘hilarious’ levels of acceleration make any sense on our potholed and crumbling road network. 

*Porsche Taycan Turbo 2020 UK review*

*FROM THE ARCHIVE*

The Caterham Seven offers one of the purest and most ‘analogue’ driving experiences of any sports car available today, but has evolved radically over the course of its (technical) 63-year life. The original model, bearing a Lotus badge, was launched in 1957 as "a jumping-off point for the young enthusiast who wished to enter sports car racing without too much expenditure, while being usable as a normal road car, albeit with some degree of discomfort,” according to our road testers. We very much enjoyed our first drive…

*Throwback Thursday: 1957 Lotus Seven first drive*

*POPULAR OPINION*

When the motorsport industry began to shut down at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, many questioned why the World Rally Championship was going ahead with its first race in Mexico. Sebastien Ogier had only this to say upon receiving his winner’s medal: “The most important thing now is just to get home safely and hope that we haven’t spread any harm to our friends in Mexico.” Anthony Peacock considers what it means for the rest of the season.

*Opinion: Sebastian Ogier's 'inappropriate' win*

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